I am travelling down to Mackay from Townsville for 4 days over xmas. Is it worth bringing down windsurf gear and I beleive there is waves as Blacks Beach, can anyone confirm this as I have never been to Mackay before. I assume a stinger suit is mandatory. Any other good spots worth the visit in Mackay - Town Beach?
I do have a 68 litre wave board in the quiver but will not lug along if that is too much of xmas wish list.
Any feedback appreciated.
Hi Gaz63,
Unfortunately there are no waves at Black's Beach but a good speed run in a northerly...unless there is a cyclone then there will be a storm swell at high tide everywhere.
Definetly go the stinger suit although in rough conditions the risk is lower (consequence is the same though) . My wife recently got a photo of a croc at the mouth of the marina also but I woundn't be too concerned.
I would worry about the 68l unless there is a cyclone then it would be the weapon of choice for sure.
Great places to go: (remembering 6m tides in Mackay so large expances of sand at low tide on some beachs are not uncommon)
Blacks Beach - great speed strip in northerlies
Harbour beach (small waves if you have some imagination)
Town beach - most windsurfers go here but mid to high tide only
Salonika Beach - my favourite as I live there so it is easy to get to
Sarina Beach
I think FSW boards go great in Mackay, there is some great bump and jump, otherwise big sail and big board for lighter conditions.
Cheers Bluedog76,
That's a fantastic update and will have to check the map for the locations you mentioned. I will bring my bump and jump 86lt plus 2 sails (my only 2) 5.0 & 6.0
with my xmas wish for 13 knots or greater plus a tide chart.
How far is Salonika Beach drive time from Blacks Beach (our accommodation)?
If you see a guy with Tushingham sails and a Kinetic board come and say goodaye.
I'll get their evening 24th for 4 days.
See you on the water.
If you want to sail with other people you really only have one option in Mackay and that is Illawong beach, shown by the green dot in the pic below. Nice grassy rigging area across from the beach volleyball courts. Beware though, it feels up to 5 knots stronger on the grass than it is on the water.
Town Beach is where the red hatching is and if it is more than 15 knots there will be 7000 kiters displaying their plumage to each other in about 500 sq m of water. If it's mid to high tide and over 12 knots from the SE you'll be very likely to see a sail in the green area.
Blacks Beach is great in a northerly. I haven't sailed it in a SE but I think most of the beaches north of Slade Point would be shadowed somewhat by headlands.
Sailing off east point (head to the harbour, turn right and go past the surf club and car parks and follow the dirt road to the end) in a SE is great if the tide is too low for Illawong. If you like waves Harbour beach can get overhead onshore conditions in 20 knots +. If there is a big swell down south you can even surf here! This is near the surf club at Harbour beach earlier this year
When I was up there a couple of winters ago I sailed from Illawong and there were a few kiters out but no windsurfers. It was when everyone else should be at work though.
Don't do what I did and sail over the rocks at the entrance to the river. I didn't realise how big they were and how they go all the way along the entrance. I broke a fin off (luckily I had another one in the board!). Later I took a walk out there to see if I could find it (I did) but I was surprised that the rocks were more like boulders.
I think the mistake I made was that the tide was going out and it started to get a bit shallow on some runs. It is amazing how the sand flats are so deep and as it was it was a bit of a walk back to the car from where I got back to the beach.
I also stuffed up and when sailing back to where I launched from I had no idea which beach was which 
Next time I will take a flag!
As Bluedog says, it sounds like Salonika is much less tide affected.
I hate to say this, but I think if I lived up there I would take up kiting...
Thanks heaps Squid Lips & FormulaNova some invaluable advice that would have taken a heap of time and false starts to find out. Shame about so many tea-bags crowding the water with their 30m lines. I am a traditionalist and enjoy that I am not restricted to the red zone marked on the map and like to wonder out a bit.
The photo of the waves looks a good launch platform for a bit of fun air time.
With all the talk about tides I have invested in some booties for comfort and reckless garbage.
Thanks again I'll print out the map and all the good info for my trip.
Seabreeze website - what a winner!!!!
Sorry, I got my beaches mixed up...Illalong is the windsurfers hang out. I used to head out a blacks beach a lot when I lived there......my personal preference is blacks beach over Illalong but it isn't very often you get more than one person out there if any. I have included a few pictures from Blacks Beach in a northerly (behind a sand bank - the other side of the sand bar has some breaking swell and bump and jump). The sand bar you see in one of the photos is coverd up a high tide -these photos are probably at about mid tide in 15/16knots on an 89lt JP freemove and 6.2 NP expression
Take up kiting....you should wash your mouth out Dale!!
Next time I will take a flag!
thanks again guys, photos are awesome and even better - I am actually
staying at Black's Beach, so let's hope for sunsets and wind as your photos depict.
I'll just have to buy my lady a good book for xmas so I get loads of time on the water while she improves her tan.
Gaz
This is what Salonika Beach is like out of interest. It is about 45-55 mins south of Blacks Beach (around 25 mins south of Mackay city gates).
I will try and get up to Blacks Beach if the wind is up. It would be nice to have a sail back up there again.
