G'day everyone.

Megs and I have finally made it up to Port Douglas and have been windsurfing a bit here. As far as winds go, it's been pretty reliable 15 - 20 knot but pretty bumpy here.

Anyway, we're leaving here on Sunday and heading back down the coast windsurfing where we can.

With the current conditions, where are some good palces we can go to where we don't have to worry about stingers or crocs.

We're both spending a fair amount of time in the water learning the finer points of water starts and just starting on learning to carve gybe.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

George,
Bowen gets some good raps from the locals up there and it did look very inviting when driving past in July heading up to GI Speed week. If windy, Yeppoon is a fabulous place to sail (no flat water though) - very safe, no stingers or crocs near main beach. PM me if you decide to stop and I'll point you in the right direction.

Alva beach (townsville), Mackay beaches, Elliot heads further south (near Bundaberg), Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay) are all popular sailing spots.

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sausage said...

George,
Bowen gets some good raps from the locals up there and it did look very inviting when driving past in July heading up to GI Speed week. If windy, Yeppoon is a fabulous place to sail (no flat water though) - very safe, no stingers or crocs near main beach. PM me if you decide to stop and I'll point you in the right direction.

Alva beach (townsville), Mackay beaches, Elliot heads further south (near Bundaberg), Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay) are all popular sailing spots.

Where are you located?

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echunda said...

sausage said...

George,
Bowen gets some good raps from the locals up there and it did look very inviting when driving past in July heading up to GI Speed week. If windy, Yeppoon is a fabulous place to sail (no flat water though) - very safe, no stingers or crocs near main beach. PM me if you decide to stop and I'll point you in the right direction.

Alva beach (townsville), Mackay beaches, Elliot heads further south (near Bundaberg), Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay) are all popular sailing spots.

Where are you located?

In front of my computer in my office in yeppoon

PM me if you are stopping in Townsville for a sail at Pallarenda,Have a look at Kurramine beach on the way down.

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sausage said...

George,
Bowen gets some good raps from the locals up there and it did look very inviting when driving past in July heading up to GI Speed week. If windy, Yeppoon is a fabulous place to sail (no flat water though) - very safe, no stingers or crocs near main beach. PM me if you decide to stop and I'll point you in the right direction.

Alva beach (townsville), Mackay beaches, Elliot heads further south (near Bundaberg), Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay) are all popular sailing spots.

G'day Mr Sausage,

We've stayed 2 days (sailed one) at Alva Beach. Great spot. Due to the lack of wind, we drove through Rockhampton today and we're now at the Elliot Heads caravan park. Just hoping there's wind tomorrow.

I'm sorry we couldn't catch up but we decided to continue driving today.

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echunda said...

sausage said...

George,
Bowen gets some good raps from the locals up there and it did look very inviting when driving past in July heading up to GI Speed week. If windy, Yeppoon is a fabulous place to sail (no flat water though) - very safe, no stingers or crocs near main beach. PM me if you decide to stop and I'll point you in the right direction.

Alva beach (townsville), Mackay beaches, Elliot heads further south (near Bundaberg), Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay) are all popular sailing spots.

G'day Mr Sausage,

We've stayed 2 days (sailed one) at Alva Beach. Great spot. Due to the lack of wind, we drove through Rockhampton today and we're now at the Elliot Heads caravan park. Just hoping there's wind tomorrow.

I'm sorry we couldn't catch up but we decided to continue driving today.

No wind here for a week but tomorrow onwards looks promising. Safe travels and maybe next time.

You should get good wind there at Elliott Hds for a few days yet. You are dead lucky to jag a SE at this time of year.
I had a good sail at Bowen today.

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echunda said...

sausage said...

George,
Bowen gets some good raps from the locals up there and it did look very inviting when driving past in July heading up to GI Speed week. If windy, Yeppoon is a fabulous place to sail (no flat water though) - very safe, no stingers or crocs near main beach. PM me if you decide to stop and I'll point you in the right direction.

Alva beach (townsville), Mackay beaches, Elliot heads further south (near Bundaberg), Burrum Heads (north of Hervey Bay) are all popular sailing spots.

G'day Mr Sausage,

We've stayed 2 days (sailed one) at Alva Beach. Great spot. Due to the lack of wind, we drove through Rockhampton today and we're now at the Elliot Heads caravan park. Just hoping there's wind tomorrow.

I'm sorry we couldn't catch up but we decided to continue driving today.

G'day Ken,

Yep, we've had 2 great days of sailing at Elliot Heads. Lots of other windsurfers on the water as well as some kiters.

Most of the kiters have been great and understand sea law. However there were 2 who insisted on doing their best to either intimidate us or ruin our runs by crossing over and on one occasion jumping and landing directly in my path (while I'm doing 18 knots)


Today (Saturday) there's no real wind so we're slowy packing up and heading down to the Sunshine Coast.

Yep, when I was there in March, there were a couple of real drips, hogging the speed bank both ways or just sailing on and off it stuffing my runs. I ended up[ playing chicken with one guy until I ran him onto the bank where I engaged in some diplomacy.
One of your problem guys would have been the Undertow guy. He's been there long enough to think he owns the place. I had a chat with him too, cos I bin there longer.
Glad you got a chance to appreciate it there.

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echunda said...

G'day Ken,

Yep, we've had 2 great days of sailing at Elliot Heads. Lots of other windsurfers on the water as well as some kiters.

Most of the kiters have been great and understand sea law. However there were 2 who insisted on doing their best to either intimidate us or ruin our runs by crossing over and on one occasion jumping and landing directly in my path (while I'm doing 18 knots)


Today (Saturday) there's no real wind so we're slowy packing up and heading down to the Sunshine Coast.

Eliot Heads (the the guys who sail there) are great.

There is this one old dude on a starboard quad who rips!

In general every sailer we've met have been great.

We hope to meet more of you as we head down the coast.


We've taken some pics and I have some awesome 'fly by' vids of the local sailers I'll post up on our blog over the next few days.

Shame we never got you over to Green Island George, give me a yell next time
I don't often check here as we're another state up here, FNQ

Might be Johnny Martens.
I gave him a blast on my JP in March.
He sails about 200 days a year there, duck gybes a lot.

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echunda said...

Eliot Heads (the the guys who sail there) are great.

There is this one old dude on a starboard quad who rips!

In general every sailer we've met have been great.

We hope to meet more of you as we head down the coast.


We've taken some pics and I have some awesome 'fly by' vids of the local sailers I'll post up on our blog over the next few days.

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firiebob said...

Shame we never got you over to Green Island George, give me a yell next time
I don't often check here as we're another state up here, FNQ

It was one that I'm annoyed that I missed out on getting out there.

I was a little worried about going there without any idea of where to sail.

Yep, that's him Ken.

Great sailer

We left Elliot heads today and are now in Boreen Point (as well as a ton of other windsurfers and sailers)

This is an amazing place and I feel a little bit like a kid on Xmas Eve. I can't wait to rig up tomorrow. I don't even care if it's the 6.9

On another point, I'm amazed that I can sit here, sharing our experiance in your state online from our caravan. Mobile broadband is amazing!! I wonder what's it going to be like in another 2 years time.

Yeah teh mobile interwez is good. I use it a lot when I'm away working, like now, and I feel like I'm at home.
Johnny still had a single fin in March I think.
Maybe he liked my quad more than he said. A few guys had a ride on it that day.

On GI, I was similarly uncertain about it, but was lucky enough to get over for a day when the Speed Week was on, and was surprised how straight forward it is.

Get off the boat, walk down onto the beach on the left, and that's as hard as it is. The water is crystal, so you can see exactly where the bommies are and where the keyhole to enter the speed strip is.
Dead flippin' easy !!

Na Green Island is not dead flipping easy, there's a mob of us FNQ'ers with a collection of smashed fins (and odd broken rib), a walk along the beach is fine if you don't have any gear, we use trolleys and use the timber walkway.

I've helped plenty of visitors, just give me a yell and I can help with a tide mud map of where to sail or not or even if any locals are going over etc. It's only fin safe high or very low tide

I believe there may be some hire gear next year, learners, free ride & speed

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KenHo said...
On GI,.............................. and was surprised how straight forward it is.

Get off the boat, walk down onto the beach on the left, and that's as hard as it is. The water is crystal, so you can see exactly where the bommies are and where the keyhole to enter the speed strip is.
Dead flippin' easy !!

I'll take a stab in the dark and guess you didn't: a) carry any of your gear over; b) carry 2 boards, 3 sails, 2 booms, 3 masts, general luggage (full of beer) and ancillary sailing gear off the boat to rigging area; c)walk out over reef in bare feet more than 10 times; & d) sail without polaroid sunnies when there was no sunlight.

Would give my left arm to sail there again though.

Nah, I swanned down there once, had gear provided by a lovely bloke called Cam, and was smart enough to wear polarised sunnies. Who wouldn't ? It's a bleeding coral reef, ya always need polaroids.
Sheesh, peeps are touchy lately.
I wus just suggesting it's not that hard to find the sailing spot.
If I went back, yup, I'd organise a trolley, and I'd wear booties.
Cold beer from the bar, and I'm set !!
Complicated is not the same as hard.

Top spot I thought, and I'm planning on a proper trip next year. If yer nice, I'll pick ya up on the way through and give yer a lift. Plenty of room in the van as long as you're not a garlic type of Sausage.

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sausage said...

KenHo said...
On GI,.............................. and was surprised how straight forward it is.

Get off the boat, walk down onto the beach on the left, and that's as hard as it is. The water is crystal, so you can see exactly where the bommies are and where the keyhole to enter the speed strip is.
Dead flippin' easy !!

I'll take a stab in the dark and guess you didn't: a) carry any of your gear over; b) carry 2 boards, 3 sails, 2 booms, 3 masts, general luggage (full of beer) and ancillary sailing gear off the boat to rigging area; c)walk out over reef in bare feet more than 10 times; & d) sail without polaroid sunnies when there was no sunlight.

Would give my left arm to sail there again though.

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KenHo said...

Nah, I swanned down there once, had gear provided by a lovely bloke called Cam, and was smart enough to wear polarised sunnies. Who wouldn't ? It's a bleeding coral reef, ya always need polaroids.
Sheesh, peeps are touchy lately.
I wus just suggesting it's not that hard to find the sailing spot.
If I went back, yup, I'd organise a trolley, and I'd wear booties.
Cold beer from the bar, and I'm set !!
Complicated is not the same as hard.

Top spot I thought, and I'm planning on a proper trip next year. If yer nice, I'll pick ya up on the way through and give yer a lift. Plenty of room in the van as long as you're not a garlic type of Sausage.

sausage said...

KenHo said...
On GI,.............................. and was surprised how straight forward it is.

Get off the boat, walk down onto the beach on the left, and that's as hard as it is. The water is crystal, so you can see exactly where the bommies are and where the keyhole to enter the speed strip is.
Dead flippin' easy !!

I'll take a stab in the dark and guess you didn't: a) carry any of your gear over; b) carry 2 boards, 3 sails, 2 booms, 3 masts, general luggage (full of beer) and ancillary sailing gear off the boat to rigging area; c)walk out over reef in bare feet more than 10 times; & d) sail without polaroid sunnies when there was no sunlight.

Would give my left arm to sail there again though.

I might take you up on the offer.

Speed sailing beginner Vicco at GP.

BTW, WTF is the wind??????

There's none at Noosa

I'm not much chop on the Sunny Coast, otherwise known as the bleeding rainy coast.
Noosa is a bit protected form southerlies, I think.

Next stop for you might be Shearwater, though the forecast is off there now as well.
You've had a good run.

Still windy up here in FNQ, but I'm working.

Well. QLD is finally done.


Thank you guys for giving us some great spots that had some potential. It's just a pity the eind gods didn't hear our prayers.

We're now in Yamba NSW and looking forward to sailing with the crew down here.

Thanks again, and If your ever in Melbourne, drop us a line, we'd be happy to offer some advise.