something for our southern brothers who come to visit......

cotton tree,

waves sailing. SW, NW & N cross off, SE cross shore, NE onshore B&J, best waves at the higher tide.
speed sailing NE, E, SE

launch spot is difficult. either launch from the main carpark at Alexandra parade into the surf or from the parkland along the esplanade. best bet is to stay at the caravan park and get direct access.

is a kite haven apparently. I've only sailed it myself when there was little wind which meant no kites.

Great shots Justin, looks good.

Good one Gestalt. This sort of info is terrific for visiting sailors. I hope to check it out in about 4 weeks. Some really sweet shots there too.

Cheers mate,

Phil

Justin, I was lucky enough to sail the little speed strip last year in July you need a lot of east for a good run up & down the bank problem is its very crowded with swimmers & fishos if can get get rid of them its good. The kiters mostly stay out on the surf side on the strip so that's good. It got top speed of 33.06 x 2 sec but was very light & gusty but was a lovely spot to sail & has got potential given some good wind tide is not too much a issue.

I cant see you in any those pictures Justin

Second pics???

Cool, what's it like for teaching the kids off the camp site non surf side? Do you have to watch the tide eg is the current strong when the tide is turning?

Here is A nice surf session 6.1 and 92 litre wave board. Definitely no good 2 Secs in this one haha :)

Hi Ulf,

Nice overlay. I take it the wind was nor-east? How deep is the water through most of those runs? And what tides do you think are best?

Thanks in advance.

I am going to try and get up there for some N'Easters
this coming summer.

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PhilSWR said..
Hi Ulf,

Nice overlay. I take it the wind was nor-east? How deep is the water through most of those runs? And what tides do you think are best?

Thanks in advance.

Yes a North East in October. I was running in and out one of two channels at the time. The one I was on was only 1.5m Max. I didn't worry about tide, just wind as the main channel is on the other side. I had a couple of good sessions on a SUP the preceding weeks and ran home for the wave kit when the NE's started blowing. This year I'm take a 100 ltr FSW , 6.2 and 5.6 wave rigs...Plus SUP.

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stanly said..
Cool, what's it like for teaching the kids off the camp site non surf side? Do you have to watch the tide eg is the current strong when the tide is turning?

I learn t to sail at cotton tree when they use to do lessons there many many years ago.
yes you do need to watch the tide there as it runs out very quick.

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vando said..

stanly said..
Cool, what's it like for teaching the kids off the camp site non surf side? Do you have to watch the tide eg is the current strong when the tide is turning?

I learn t to sail at cotton tree when they use to do lessons there many many years ago.
yes you do need to watch the tide there as it runs out very quick.

Thanks Vando.

yeah lessons wise it's not the best.

currents, fisherman, offshore winds,.......


a few people have asked where am i in the pics..... well, being a professional i can't show you my face but i do have a snapshot of me heading back out to the lineup which is just visible on the right. after this photo shoot i headed off the Hawaii to give Jason Polakow some pointers on how to be epic!

Sailed there a few times last summer in the northerlies. Perfect cross shore. I was always the only windsurfer out. The kites seemed to stay inside. Nice on the bigger swells. Just gotta time the sets to get out the back otherwise be prepared for a drilling on the sand banks.
Looks like it may be on for Sat arvo if any one is keen. Will be NE though...

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vando said..

stanly said..
Cool, what's it like for teaching the kids off the camp site non surf side? Do you have to watch the tide eg is the current strong when the tide is turning?

I learn t to sail at cotton tree when they use to do lessons there many many years ago.
yes you do need to watch the tide there as it runs out very quick.

There are some good little spots where the tide is less or as good as none if you look around. The bars are forever changing, after last years dredge they've created a small bay on the inside of the bend, not bad spot. The best time to learn is 60 minutes on eiders side of turning tide, so you have two hours of comfy sailing.
Sooo Vandoooo now we know the secret to success hey ;)

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stanly said..
Cool, what's it like for teaching the kids off the camp site non surf side? Do you have to watch the tide eg is the current strong when the tide is turning?

Stanley, was chatting with a windsurfer who just got back from Cotton tree last weekend. They said there is a nice shallow section in front of the sand bank for teaching kids. In NE it will push them to shore so little worry about them heading out to sea. I will have a 2.0 and 2.5 there in Sept holidays for my girls to play around on the SUP.

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ULF said..

stanly said..
Cool, what's it like for teaching the kids off the camp site non surf side? Do you have to watch the tide eg is the current strong when the tide is turning?

Stanley, was chatting with a windsurfer who just got back from Cotton tree last weekend. They said there is a nice shallow section in front of the sand bank for teaching kids. In NE it will push them to shore so little worry about them heading out to sea. I will have a 2.0 and 2.5 there in Sept holidays for my girls to play around on the SUP.

ULF said..


Stanley, was chatting with a windsurfer who just got back from Cotton tree last weekend. They said there is a nice shallow section in front of the sand bank for teaching kids. In NE it will push them to shore so little worry about them heading out to sea. I will have a 2.0 and 2.5 there in Sept holidays for my girls to play around on the SUP.

Hey Bill and Kerry, we are still heading up for the holidays. I don't want to jinx anything but the forecast is looking good at the moment. ( I'll take green arrows from any direction) Due to space restrictions I'll only have a 99lt wave board and 5.8 and 4.5, plus old 3.7 longboard come sup come surf ski plus kids surf skis and body boards.
We are on a201 were are you guys.

Hey Lungs, youre on water front. Should be a nice spot. I'm on a314 and Kerry is about 3 doors back I believe. Somewhere near a336 from from our discussions.

I'm at Agnes so bummed to miss the party.

Here is a SE track at Cotton tree. 101 FSW and 6.1 sail. Was very concerned about rocks on the top right. I could see a lot more than this image shows. I doubt i would bother in SE again. More turns than Golden beach. There was some great jumps to be had closer to the bar :)
Below is Kerry and I buzzing up and down the channel in a light NE a few days later

Hi ULF was the south east runs from about 2 weeks
ago? If so yhen I was sailing at Caloundra Bar.

Yes the 22nd Sept from memory

Can see how it is tops in a NE Ulf, on my to do list !

it's pretty damn good in a NW too.

and a SW. just a pity the SW winds don't really go that far north.

NE track on the 25 th Sept. This was on an outgoing tide, and I tried it again a few days later. No problems. If you break equipment there is little to worry about as you will wash up on the the southern beach. There were also life savers on Jet skis buzzing by quiet a bit



Another SE track. This track is using the SUP 10'2 and 6.1 Sail on the 21st September. Got some nice rides and had a lot fun. A lot easier than paddling

for the sake of research, sailed cotton tree today outgoing tide started couple of hours after high, would be good in NE at full high tide, the sand bank in this picture is actually closer to the sail lines, this is the best part as you get a nice gybe in this section, (work day no swimmers/kids were in, Weekend would be a no go area) but hard to back it up on the othersider as the sand bank approaches quickly as you look into the sun.
I'd have to say if your a beginner, not a safe place to sail on an outgoing, it really rips, I've got jammed masts and extensions full of sand from the points.

Was hoping to get the big long run from Nth shore to Cotton tree but the wind and sand banks don't allow that sadly, for me it's too short on the runs, too many opportunities to break my neck in shallow water, It's a much better spot for kiting due to the shallow water everywhere. Still a fun, much better than being stuck in the office! looking forward to 5m and wave board day tomorrow at Mools!