Hi all. I have some questions that I hope aren't too dumb and that someone can answer for me...!

I have just gotten back into windsurfing after about 15 years away. I have been on the river a couple of times but my work takes me past Safety Bay pretty often so I am keen to try and get a sneaky sail in every now and then. My questions are therefore :

- Any advice regarding a weed fin brand, size etc ? (I have a 115l Taboo Rocket with a 6 metre sail)
- Where abouts in Safety Bay is good to go (my skills are very rusty at the moment so somewhere suitable with that in mind !)?
- What sort of wind range would you expect a 6m free ride sail to be good for?
Thanks for any input...
Cheers

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BadNewsBear said...
Hi all. I have some questions that I hope aren't too dumb and that someone can answer for me...!

I have just gotten back into windsurfing after about 15 years away. I have been on the river a couple of times but my work takes me past Safety Bay pretty often so I am keen to try and get a sneaky sail in every now and then. My questions are therefore :

- Any advice regarding a weed fin brand, size etc ? (I have a 115l Taboo Rocket with a 6 metre sail)
- Where abouts in Safety Bay is good to go (my skills are very rusty at the moment so somewhere suitable with that in mind !)?
- What sort of wind range would you expect a 6m free ride sail to be good for?
Thanks for any input...
Cheers

Not stupid questions at all.

- for 115L board (if it's around 75 width wise) you'll need around a 38 weedy. If you've got an upright fin that works in your board, generally you want the depth of your weedy (depth meaning the depth below the board when the fin is sitting in the board) to match the depth of that fin.

- start out in the pond, rig up at the grass area west side of bent st boat ramp (flat water in there, as well as banks at either end to stop on or gybe over)check the depths on the banks before you sail over them at speed . Once you're feeling more comfortable, rig up at Carlisle st next car park to the west and sail between the sand bar across to penguin island and the sand bar that extends off the point that forms the pond (same thing, check the depths of the sand bars first)

- sail size depends on your weight, I'm 60-65kg, I'd probably be using a 6m no cam freeride in about 15 to 20knts. you'll probably find your 115L board a little flighty in that breeze though, unless you're heavier (and the sail a little underpowered if that's the case)

Plenty of friendly locals around there, don't be afraid to ask advice on anything, most of them will be more than happy to help you out.

I sail from Carlisle Street and occasionally the pond. I would second what Subsonic has already said.

You could skip the pond bit if you wanted to keep away from the kiters thou.


I tend to use a 6 metre sail on a 105 Litre FSW with a 33 cm True Ames Blade weed (seems prone to spin out but could be my technique) from about 18knts to 23knts but I weigh 95 kg how much do you weigh?

I also use a 38 cm weedy (Flying objects) for my 121 Litre future with a 7 metre sail.

Hi guys. Thanks for all the great info. I weigh 78kgs and the fin I have been using in the river is a 36cm freeride. I currently only have the 6m sail so guess I probably need to consider getting another sail as well?

Hi badnewsbear,
115l Rocket is a fantastic board for safety bay and I would recommend a jp 36 & 31 weedy for your current setup. These fins are reliable, never catch weed and will extend the range of your board considerably.

Thanks guys for your really helpful responses - it's much appreciated . I am hopefully going to head out this weekend to get a weedy and look forward to getting on the water at Safety Bay soon.