Been in Melbourne for 3 years now and have only just got around to transporting my kit up from Tassie. Haven't been out in over a year so I'm keen to get back into it.
Where do people like to sail and what kind of windsurfing is around (waves, speed, slalom etc). Anything I need to know?
Bump and Jump type sailing all around the Bay. St Kilda, Elwood, Brighton ( Dendy Street), Hampton, Beaumaris, Bonbeach all good in a Seabreeze direction, generally windier closer to the city. In a Northerly Brighton ( Green Point), Bonbeach ( or that whole strip right down to Frankston) and Rye can be good.
In the more frontal SW..WSW direction Frankston, Mt Martha and Safety Beach are good and in a Westerly pretty hard to go past Ricketts Point in Beaumaris as well as in an Easterly.
Allways a few crew at most of the spots
Select to expand quotemr love said..
Bump and Jump type sailing all around the Bay. St Kilda, Elwood, Brighton ( Dendy Street), Hampton, Beaumaris, Bonbeach all good in a Seabreeze direction, generally windier closer to the city. In a Northerly Brighton ( Green Point), Bonbeach ( or that whole strip right down to Frankston) and Rye can be good.
In the more frontal SW..WSW direction Frankston, Mt Martha and Safety Beach are good and in a Westerly pretty hard to go past Ricketts Point in Beaumaris as well as in an Easterly.
Allways a few crew at most of the spots
Good summary. Just throw in Parkdale in most conditions as well.
Thanks for the responses!
Is it all bump and jump or are there some flatter areas around too? Haven't been on the board in over a year so may need some time to calibrate.
Are there any spots where tide is an issue and which spots tend to be the most crowded on the water?
Select to expand quoteMmeyer said..
Thanks for the responses!
Is it all bump and jump or are there some flatter areas around too? Haven't been on the board in over a year so may need some time to calibrate.
Are there any spots where tide is an issue and which spots tend to be the most crowded on the water?
Swan Bay over the West side near Queenscliffe can be flat. Also Pt Henry in Geelong and Rye between the sandbars in a Northerly...but mostly Bump and Jump. Nowhere gets too crowded on the water, maybe Ricketts Point in a big Easterly. Hot days can be an issue parking in many areas though.
Select to expand quotekato said..
Inverloch, Sandy Point and Swan Bay
These are the flat water spots. 
Sandy Point the tide needs to right... mid to low.
Around the Eastern side of the Bay...Beaumaris (Ricketts North and South) can be a bit sketchy in low tide due to the reefs...still sailable but you need to be careful and have some local knowledge or you will lose a fin.. Lower tide at Rye brings out the sand bars which means flat water in between however it is also a bit sketchy as it can be dangerous fanging in the shallow water.
Most other places there is no an issue with tides. At the Northern end of the Bay the water can be less messy on an in-going tide, when it's outgoing it flows against the wind chop which stands it up and it gets bumpier.
I am not familiar with the Western side of the Bay.
