At Port Macquarie (Mid North Coast NSW), on an average sailing day of, say 12-15kn, we would have 2-3 sailors and 5-7 kiters at the local spot.

Once the wind picks up (15-20kn and 20kn+), the kiters thin out to 4-5 and sailors increase up to around 4-5......get to see some vintage gear on those days where the non-regular sailors drag out the archives

Now the above is just for wavesailing, if we include the river/lake speed fellas, well i guess ad another 3-4 regular sailors, so in total around port there is prob a 50-50 ratio of sailors to kiters. I like the current crowd, good blokes/girls and not too busy

The most I have seen in Redcliffe is 10 Windsurfers, It used to be 3 or four. The word is getting out. Tea bags stay in close so you only need to watch them in the last 200-300 m. Bit scary out back for them

I remember living in Sydney in the mid to late 80's. Windsurfers went in the Harbour around Five Dock after work in the summer months. There were 20 on a low wind/cloudy day and about 100 on a clear sunny afternoon. Those were the good old days (bit too crowded). Daylight saving helped after work. Here at Lake Cootharaba there can be between 3-15 in summer on the weekends depending on how much wind there is.

Mark _australia said...

I'm going from zero to about 150 soon so we shall see how that goes

I think you will be pleasantly surprised Mark

poleys must be w/s ers and bag ladies kiterrs :-)
not a terminology used in kanada

i w/s alone - one spot is too small and too "polluted" for others
the other is too small , some wind shadow and some rocks

when i go to the busy sites on a busy day i ask myself whether i am really getting away from it all :-(
no parking, hard to find a rig spot and are there rules on the water ??

these spots are on the local river - sections of the St-Lawrence

the dedicated windsurfers head off to a larger body of water called Lake Champlain
thinkin of goin there this year
however, rig spots n poison ivy are the pains over there :-(

how much to fly down to the AUZ ??

joewindsurfer.com

joe windsurf said...
how much to fly down to the AUZ ??
joewindsurfer.com

I dunno, but more if you wanna get to the best side

Can't say i've sailed in a crowded spot, My local never has more then a few people out at anytime and you can find yourself alone quite a bit. I like to sail with lots of people, I guess it's different for wave sailors as they want good clean wave with long rides and no one in their way but for the flatwater sailor there's plenty of room.

Enjoyed here....really fast, guys and girls ripping past each other, popping loops here and there, a lot of fun.





My local....on a busy day.

Melbourne: max i counted in one go was c. 40
Northerly @ Green Point, last year

hoop said...

So Shannon, how is Fluffy these days?
Oh sorry ,that's right I forgot.
Sorry.

karma hoop karma

wormy said...

ULF said...

The most I have seen in Redcliffe is 10 Windsurfers, It used to be 3 or four. The word is getting out. Tea bags stay in close so you only need to watch them in the last 200-300 m. Bit scary out back for them

8 polies on a good day.
Same here, why don't they get past knee deep water. Asked our local bag ladies and they say "bities out there".
Less and less bag ladies around here. Now only one or two locals.

This is my 'local' spot Zushi (Japan).


This is a pretty empty day - plenty of room (first 20 secs). On a weekend, it's get as crowded on the water as Circular Quay - hard for beginners like myself. ps what's a "bag lady"? (female kite surfer?) (Sorry, long-term aussie expat.)

pm01537 said...

wormy said...

ULF said...

The most I have seen in Redcliffe is 10 Windsurfers, It used to be 3 or four. The word is getting out. Tea bags stay in close so you only need to watch them in the last 200-300 m. Bit scary out back for them

8 polies on a good day.
Same here, why don't they get past knee deep water. Asked our local bag ladies and they say "bities out there".
Less and less bag ladies around here. Now only one or two locals.

This is my 'local' spot Zushi (Japan).

This is a pretty empty day - plenty of room (first 20 secs). On a weekend, it's get as crowded on the water as Circular Quay - hard for beginners like myself. ps what's a "bag lady"? (female kite surfer?) (Sorry, long-term aussie expat.)

Japan a good place to Windsurf? How is the water quality? Temp? Winds? Gear costs?

K Dog said...

pm01537 said...

wormy said...

ULF said...

The most I have seen in Redcliffe is 10 Windsurfers, It used to be 3 or four. The word is getting out. Tea bags stay in close so you only need to watch them in the last 200-300 m. Bit scary out back for them

8 polies on a good day.
Same here, why don't they get past knee deep water. Asked our local bag ladies and they say "bities out there".
Less and less bag ladies around here. Now only one or two locals.

This is my 'local' spot Zushi (Japan).

This is a pretty empty day - plenty of room (first 20 secs). On a weekend, it's get as crowded on the water as Circular Quay - hard for beginners like myself. ps what's a "bag lady"? (female kite surfer?) (Sorry, long-term aussie expat.)

Japan a good place to Windsurf? How is the water quality? Temp? Winds? Gear costs?

I've never windsurfed anywhere else so difficult to say. Generally, though I think conditions are pretty mushy (inconsistent). Nothing like what you'ld get at Dahab or Southern Rhodes or Maui. Check out Zushi or Miura in Japan at Windguru if you're interested.

Intersesting. I was expecting reports of numbers like 50 or 100. Has anyone checked in from Melville beach or Safety Bay? I only ask because when I bought my first Wally from Court Yachts in Nedlands in 1981 there would only be me and my mate on his "Sodim". By the time I bought my new "Storm 10" in 1983 it was packed there on a weekend. I was just curious what it is like now.
Similarly, I haven't sailed at Safety Bay for a few years, but getting out via the lagoon was a bit hairy, probably 60 windsurfers and half a dozen seagull poop encrusted moored boats.
On a broad average I estimate from this thread the number of windsurfers out on a windy weekend is less than 20 ?? That does indicate windsurfing is quite a niche sport.

Windsurfing off a seal colony ensures numbers are low and no kiters.

In 'Angelus' (Tim Winton fans will know where I'm talking about!), haven't seen another windsurfer on the water at the beach I usually sail from in prevailing (E-SE) seabreeze direction for at least a year! Occasionally, there would be a couple of kiters out near where I launch from as well as some further down the beach in Ellen Cove (most poleys and kiters in the area usually sail on the nearby harbour or out of town).