SHQ Boardsports:
Choose your weapon and come join us for a SUP downwinder this Saturday! Meet at Sandy Beach HQ Cafe at 9am this Saturday, load your board onto our SUP trailer(it holds 15!) and we'll drive your board to St Kilda Beach for a downwinder back to the cafe for a coffee...
Forecast:
Saturday 31 March Winds Northerly 15 to 25 knots tending northwest to southwesterly during the afternoon then tending south to southwesterly during the evening.

Just a heads' up on this one - if the finish is going to be the Sandy Beach HQ Cafe, can everyone please paddle to the east of the marina or the beach side near the pier rather than paddle along the breakwater amongst the yachts. That's to say, don't go through the gates of hell. It has been pointed out that paddling beneath the fueling jetty walkway bridge at the yacht club is a major OH&S problem besides being illegal under the Marine Safety Act and to do so en masse will attract unwanted attention. Also, please be careful when paddling in the marina area as the yacht owners really struggle to navigate around large groups of paddlers. They don't have brakes, they can't turn easily and they often can't see you when you are right in front of them. The yacht club has been very neighbourly and generous in our recent Mad Paddle charity event and it would be in bad faith if we made a nuisance of ourselves on their turf.

Young Jono is very keen to christen the Bark on a downwind journey.
Thanks for the heads up about the Marina PT, it's our local training ground so happy to do our best to blend in.
Sucks that I have to work Saturday

It's looking even better now..

DJ

Saturday 31 March
Winds
Northerly 15 to 25 knots increasing to 20 to 30 knots during the morning then tending west to southwesterly 15 to 20 knots during the afternoon. Winds tending south to southwesterly 10 to 20 knots during the evening.

This is the one I use, you can look at it hour by hour and also pick up the variations around the bay. BOM say that this forecast is not just computer generated but overseen by the BOM staff. I think it gives the most accurate forecast, the last downwinder that we did there was a change and they got it spot on. Also the one we used for the Mad Paddle and that was spot on too.

http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/localwaters.shtml

Just click on the day and the time in the bar at the top.

I also use this one, which looks similar to Jonathan's. I was told by BOM staff that this one has human input into the forecasts and isn't just computer modelling.

www.bom.gov.au/australia/meteye/

It is looking good at about 10 - 11am, with a touch of W in it to give a good direction down to Sandy. I'd be there, but I hope to be half way to Merimbula by 10am!

looks like there will be at least a couple of groups doing a similar run at various times tomorrow morn.
We might be having an after paddle coffee before you guys hit the water....and before the wind gets too much west in it.
Might depend upon how many refreshing beverages are had this evening
Northerly has already kicked in.....blow baby blow!!

Great, I know that Felicity, Kirsty, Dave, Ann, Mark and myself will be there. Lets hope the Westerly doesn't kick in early. Happy to drive my car with a load of people.

Today's DW'er was mega.. with about 20 paddlers... Awesome..

Thanks to SHQ for the lift up to the start.

DJ

Thanks Luke for the transport and also the use of the JM 12.6 along with some sound advice whilst using it.Nice way to finish off at the cafe for a relaxed coffee

Thanks Bruce and Dj, great photos... Today we broke the record for the most paddlers on a St Kilda to Sandringham downwinder with 19! It was a really straight run down with a perfect Northerly gusting to 25knots and plenty of long runners to be had.We'll do it again soon and hope to get 30 next time... Well Done to Kirsty and Fred who did really well on their first run! Luke

Great to see so many people out there yesterday, thanks Luke! Pretty scary precedent you have set now, can you please put one of those on every weekend...

Great video DJ, really captured the feel.

And this is what Mike and I did before the Mega Downwinder, a calm dawn reconnaissance run.

Big Thank you to all for taking young Jono along for his first real downwinder. He had a blast and seemed very tired later that day, which is a very good thing!!
Cheers Mel

Both great vids DJ and JC . The ski sits beautifully on the top of the runner while you tap it along, looks like fun! and DJ thanks again for another day in the life of DJ.