This may not apply to everywhere..but there is a group of us that go.ocean sailing .
we alway go with the out going tide ..winds slightly stronger and it starts flattening off.

Hey Stu .what type of board and sail do you have .
reason asked .is you need a board that will soak up the. Bumps .not to sharp on the rails .
we have 120 's Naish GT sports .125 Tabou rockets . .and use 6.5 -7.0 .you have to uphaul sometimes.as the swell will block the wind .
and you have trouble flying your sail .Its not always the case.
we sometimes sail 4 mile out.then turn around come back .our best time .riding ocean swell on the way of course .is 8. minutes.one way.

JustinL said..
Bring back surf slalom.

Actually i want to raise it at the nsw meeting on tuesday.

www.windsurf.co.uk/living-fast-n-free-110-litre-freeracefast-freeride-board-test-reviews-reports/

Back in the day (late 1980s), all the sailors making there first ventures into the surf would do it at Windang. Back then the entrance was often on the south side, and lined up beautifully in a NE wind, really shallow, with a sandy bottom and only knee high waves. From there is was a good place to build up confidence and familiarity with surf, before getting into something more serious.

I have no idea what is like now with the deeper channel and breakwaters which head to the north side of the island. Might be good in a SE??

I think it is about location as much as conditions. Try Gerroa on a NE (often the waves will be only knee high) and it is pretty smooth for ocean sailing. If you go to Gerroa and it is over 15 knots there will always be company if things don't go as planned. The south side of Sandon Point is another place which is a bit more sheltered from larger waves and chop in a NE breeze.

It is also critical to be really confident with waterstarting smoothly, esp with a cammed sail in the surf. I'd also suggest a shorter fin so you can do the inside gybe and beach starts on the inside of the breaking wave zone.

Clarence

One word of advice. Don't launch in iffy conditions as 9 times out of ten you'll get munched by the shore break and slalom gear doesn't take too kindly to the impact zone (I've become an expert at repairing snapped battens). Also direct onshore wind can come with its challenges but all in all racing in open ocean is a great way to improve your sailing.

Thanks guys, sorry for the delayed reply, been on night shift. Some good common sense tips in there. Basically avoid shore dumpers and big surf and get out and have a crack. I looked at Windang the other day but surf looked too big. I think I just need to give myself a kick up the butt and make the trip to the beaches more, which is hard when the lake is 2 mins from home. Always liked the idea of a massive downwinder with a group, say Sandon to Bombo or something like that.

Shifu said..
Great photo. Wish I had been there.

Thanks. I think it was about 18 years ago from memory.

So true .mastbender. .many a time we have driven down and said no to dangerous today ,and gone home .safety first .
but the wind is clean in the ocean ..nothing in its way to distort the breeze ..
swell ..sometimes it is tough going one way ,but you know on the way back you will have the wind at your back
and slide down those perfect swells ,feels like you double your speed! and you have no sail in your hands..because your going faster than the wind ..it's a great feeling .Its a great feeling when you overtake boats at full speed ..they look at you with their mouths open...yep we skip over the swell no smash through it.
I hope you get to sample the ocean soon stu7777.

For the Victorians - how does the ocean compare with Port Phillip?

MrCranky said...
For the Victorians - how does the ocean compare with Port Phillip?

Grew up sailing in Vic. The bay can get wild every now and then but there's still no swell so it's a fair bit different to sailing somewhere like the Surf Coast. I'm not a great wave sailor in any sense so I don't spend heaps of time in the break zone but I'll take a good blast in open water over any other type of sailing if I get the chance. Unfortunately I now live in Brisbane inner west

Ideal conditions?
17-22 knots SSW
1.5-2m SW Swell.
90-100L board
6.2-7m sail.

The pirate has it nailed on gear.
I use an Atom 100 and a 7m but that could easily be a 6.5, the Atom is capable of 30knts so that's more than required!
General winds would be 15-25 range, as previously mentioned tides to play into also mainly to try and get a situation that avoids savage shore breaks or close out waves on the banks as you leave shore.
Ezzy cheetah, no tube battens, massive wind range, xply construction, there are few other brands that do similar style sails, Sailworks Retro, Naish Noah, the Tushingham bolt looks pretty good too.

MrCranky said..

Shifu said..
Something like a Futura is still a bit too racy on a wild day in open water. Ok for those supermen who really like to ride the ragged edge, but an FSW type board is a better bet - especially if you want to sail all day. Stick a slalom fin in and you'll get good speed too.

Everyone here is right - open water with swell and big chop is the real thing. Flat water isn't so tempting after you've mastered the rough stuff.

So something like a big Tabou 3S?

I sailed Inverloch for the first time a couple of months ago. After Port Philip it was effortless.

Great choice mr cranky .3S ....I use the 105 & 125 rockets..great ocean boards ....(96kgs)