Hi there;
I will move to study at UTAS in Launceston soon and also I am a passionate of windsurfing and SUP.
I am from Spain, where I usually practice Slalom (118 liters), Waves (90 and 72 liters) and the days without wind, but with waves I do Paddle surf.
Now I am starting to research a bit the windsurfing and paddle surfing in Tasmania and I will appreciate your advice.
I have some questions:
- Are there a big difference to arrive to good spots between a normal car and 4WD car? because the car is the key to travel to good spots.
- What are wetsuit recommended for winter? I have in Spain 4-3 mm wetsuit, but the temperature are never lower than 4ºC.
- Also if you recommend some material it is more than welcome.
Cheers,
Rafa
Rafa you'll be inundated with information from some crazy people.
You've picked the right place to live..........
45 mins up to Low Head you'll find Bell Buoy which is jumping heaven though unfortunately none of the Lonny guys know how to jump
Shoot over to Port Sorell you'll discover one of the best speed spots in the country though unfortunately you'll not find anyone traveling over 20 knots
Then there's Stanley another great speed spot but unfortunately that's too far for the Lonny guys to travel........ but if you look hard enough you might find a lonely lobster fisherman.
Shoot over to Marrawah on the west coast you'll discover a truly world class wave spot and there you'll find me absolutely rippppppping it up.
Now I'm a pretty level headed normal sort of guy wait till you hear from the freaks in Lonny 
Rafa,
'Freak in Lonny' here.
You have probably already worked out that you should not listen to 'Freak-in Houston'.
We live in 'The Roaring Forties', so there is no shortage of wind. Last year there was often 5 of us sailing on the north coast (45 min. from Launceston), at Bellbuoy usually, and enjoying some pretty cool ramps. This year, some of our crew have moved on and so a crowded day will be three people...
Wetsuit - something around 5mm through the winter. I have a Patagonia R4 which is a 5.5 with wool lining, but you still needs boots, not only for the cold, but the shoreline is a bit rocky too, but you don't need gloves. Something to keep your head warm helps a lot - helmet is a good option. on SOME summer days you can get away with no wetsuit... Lately the air temperature has been above 20 degrees C and the water temperature 18.
Vehicle - You don't need a 4WD, but it is worth making sure you have something that you can load a good amount of gear into, and leave locked in it too - a van is the optimum (even Houston is smart enough to realise this, although he may have bought one by accident...). I am often taking two board (sometimes 3) 4 sails (sometimes 5), 2 booms, and all the other stuff. When you add a second sailor, the back fills up fast. The other advantages of a van are that you can get changed in it on those cold and wet winter days (and this is REALLY good), and if you go out to Marrawah, for example, you can sleep in the back. Also, if you get a bull-bar on the front you can head down to Hobart, find Houston, a ram him.
Bienvenida!
Hi Rafa,
The two guys above tend to know what they're taking about when it comes to wave sailing but you'll have to filter through their petty bickering to find the useful info....It's something you'll get used to.
For slalom from lonny your three closest spots are:
Lagoon Bay ay at low head - can be quite choppy toward the top of the tide but the runs are a nm long and there's a sheltered grass rigging area, usually a social place to sail
Port Sorrell - big Bay for slalom at high tide and the sand bar pops out for speed runs a for couple of hours around low tide in a westerly
Roseveers - close to the city with a regular after (or during) work crew. Waters not as pleasant (clean) as PS and LB but it's more accessible for a quick sail and the Seabreeze tends to be a bit stronger.
The few times I do sail in winter I wear a taped 4/3 wetty with boots so you may be okay in what you have. This week I've been in boardshorts and a 2mm wetty top.
If you can't find a van and can handle traveling alone I'd recommend a Commodore Wagon (pre 2006), I carry three boards and five sails and still have room to roll out a camping mat and sleeping bag in the boot
Most slalom guys up north carry a 95L and a 120+. If you're only looking at getting one I'd get something around the 110-115 mark. A 7.5 and a 6.5 would get you started on the sail front.
Ben
Rafa those guys are just so young and devoid of sensitivity and life experiences. I know this because they should have mentioned the following site:
www.thespotguide.com.au/TAS/index.html
Good stuff there and welcome to Tassie.
Beware some sailors becoming tea baggers of late, a trend related to excess Xmas cheer or red cordial.
Welcome to Tasmania Rafa, the following is a list of gear used by most locals,in normal seasons if such a thing exists in Tassie.
Wet suits
Winter. 4/3 or 5/3 max
Spring/Autumn. 3/2mm
Summer / 3/2 and occasionally
Board shorts and wetsuit vest
Wetsuit boots are only needed in winter or for protection at anytime of year in certain locations (check the spot guide or ask a local)
Gear
Any time of year a 5.3m or 4.7m depending
On your weight will get plenty of use
Summer
you will need 6m or a bit bigger
To get out in lighter sea breeze (thermal wind)
Spring/Autumn
Can be very windy especially Lowhead near Lauceston a 4m or similar will be needed then
So a van or station wagon with two boards and 4sails (4m,4.7m,5.3m,6.0m) or similar is the ideal minimum gear to sail most wind available 
Happy sailing
Welcome to Tassie Rafa.
You will get heaps of sailing in living up north.
We are planning a few Marrawah trips over summer so keep an eye on the forum,
i think you were emailing me about the exocet gear??? Still waiting reply for you
Damien
Hi thanks everybody for their advice!
Sounds really good to spend a good time between sessions.
Yes as Damien said, I am thinking to have a WindSup, do you think that this kind of board could work properly in Tasmania?I will not have to much space for equipment. So I was thinking in have WindSup very good to do SUP and at the same time do some windsurfing the lightdays.
link of the board Exocet windsup 9.2 -> www.exocet-original.com/
Do you recommend other board with similar characteristics?
Cheers, I want to arrive soon and discover the new spots
It could work but......the north coast of Tassi is mostly a wind swell so if there is enough wind for swell there is enough wind for a short board....having said that you could travel from Launceston to the East coast or west coast or even down south!!!!! You may struggle to convince any Northern sailors to travel the 90 - 200 minutes to these "far flung" destinations (only joking).....in winter it tends to be a bit lighter or very windy indeed so a windsup could be useful...and Clarence would be keen to introduce you to some long distance coastal sailing.....plenty of options regardless of your set up though you shouldn't be surprised is some sailors expect you to LOOP that SUP.....
