What tide do you need for shearwater to be sailable?

ie today...what would be a good time to, "do it"....?

and does it work in a southerly.?


............hello ?

yep works real good on a southerly - far enough away from the big buildings & different angle to the train - deeper water at low tide (there is a bank in the middle off crab island that gets shallow watch that) - if the wind is marginal an outgoing tide boosts the wind & pushes you up against the wind - if there is plenty of wind, tide doesnt matter except for fin depth

I thought you said there were no jelly's in the bay yesterday arvo Richard!!!!

Wow, Richiefish at Shearwater. I hope I am there for this special occasion historical event in GC windsurfing!.


Basically the tide needs to be going in the opposite direction to the wind. So, outgoing in a SE (if not then go to the Train). If it is really S you could also try the Grand Hotel (which is much flatter and not that effected by the tide).

train is no good in a southerly these days - the high rises in southport have got bigger in the last few years, zoning has gone from 10 stories to 35 as of right - so there is a bad windshadow in close in a S or SSE - fine in a SE or ESE

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Richiefish said...

What tide do you need for shearwater to be sailable?

ie today...what would be a good time to, "do it"....?

and does it work in a southerly.?


............hello ?

It's sailable on any tide, depth is not an issue ever at Shearwater unless you are over the sand bank in the middle or sailing back to the southern end of the beach on a low. It won't take long to work it out especially when there hasn't been any rain because the water it that clean you can see the bottom nearly the whole way across.
Southerly is when Shearwater shines. In my opinion there is no place better on the Gold Coast when it's between SSE and SSW. The wind just funnels through there STRONG. It is better when the tide is opposite but if there is enough wind is doesn't really matter. It's only when the conditions are marginal and you are chugging that you will lose ground on an incoming tide in a southerly. When the tide is going out in a southerly the chop stands up more too which makes the bump and jump better. At times the chop or ramps can be up to waist high or slightly more. Good fun. Yesterday was a perfect example of Shearwater at it's best. Wind up in the mid 30's and pretty consistent got a little gusty from lunch on but still good

the train has it's moments. it just needs a true SE (like currumbin) which is rare

Had a great time at Shearwater. Only saw three jellyfish all arvo.

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Scotf said...

I thought you said there were no jelly's in the bay yesterday arvo Richard!!!!

There were hardly any on Tuesday arvo except for out near Green Island.
(mind you I went to Shearwater Wednesday for pleasant jellyfish free sailing)
did you get stung Scot ?

Unfortunately I was bitten by the late project bug instead. I may have made the break but there wasn't much showing on the maps so I decided to catch up with work instead. Simon told me it was a great afternoon and there were not too many jellies about.

The coast is nice isn't it. I used to spend a lot of time down there with Haircut when I was starting out.

I was out at Manly yesterday too, fell in heaps of times and didn't get stung once.

Kinda takes the excitement out of gybing though when there arn't so many jellies

How it is when you hit a jelly?
If that huge amount slow down terribly ?
I never observed exactly what happen as jelly are quite rare here.
Even if accidently I did run over never join this two.
How do you feel that you hit one ?
spin out ? catapult ? small bump? fall of gybe ?

If you are planing you don't feel a thing must just cut them in half but if you are going slow you feel it

if there are lots you can hear the thud,thud,thud...........very vare but there are some big brown ones in the broadwater one of those and your over the front.