Select to expand quoteHooksey said..
We do a couple every year as warm up for the LtL / ocean classic. We usually do them from leighton / dutchies to scrab.
I remember doing on last year with Tom and robbie. I think they were on 7somthing and I was on a 9.4 KA race. As we headed off from dutchies I was well powered up and they were slugging along. As we passed city beach the wind had picked up and they were powering along and I was waay overpowered - I could not hold on heading down wind and could only sail up wind. Ended up on the beach half way between city beach and Scarborough .. Very tired! Luckily I could hitch a ride with one of the dog walkers and she dropped me at Scarborough..
I would deff recommend making sure that you bring flares, mobile telephone etc in case you get separated!
I'm up for a few of those whenever you are keen!?!
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said..sboardcrazy said...
I used to do them on Lake Macquarie. Sail upwind on our boat then get dropped off and sail the length of the lake.Don't have a boat now + gear more fragile and complicated to carry these days.
I think we did one with a car shuffle from Nobby's to Dixon Park once back in the 90's- not a lot of distance but the wind was generally stronger at Nobby's than Dixon Park which would make things more difficult.
I've done the downwinder from nobbies to dicko many times, mainly in the late 80s. A 3/4 reach is really good fun, especially in the open ocean. Also in the 87 I did a down wonder over 7 days from Mackay to Airlie Beach, via Brampton, Goldsmith, Lindeman, Hamilton and Daydream Island. These days I often work upwind on my longboard and enjoy a great downwinder coming home.
Scotty , did you miss the Nobbys Redhead run.
Re the Whitsunday marathon, I think the motto was hook in and hold on. And yes there where at least 4 days of downwind sailing. From what I remember the bigger the gut the bigger the sail and the faster you went. There may have been some epic days but it was always hard work with a hangover. Also coral cuts were an ongoing problem, but luckily we had a sadistic doctor with us who took great delight in pouring iodine over our feet every morning.
Are they ever going to resurrect the event and have a geriatric division, will put away the kiteboard for the week.
I did an up winder and downwinder last summer at my local. A mate did it (with no GPS), so that inspired me. Normally B&J on a smaller FSW board, I decided to do an upwinder on a bigger board with straps out and a largish sail.
Up wind was no problem
But going down wind smashed me. Over powered.. and was very girly. I spent most of my Windsurfing time over the years trying to bash up wind, so hopeless going down wind. If you let your concentration elapse in the chop, it can result in an explosive crash and a long walk back with busted gear 
I mate of mine who sails slalom gear when everybody is on wave/FSW stuff showed me how to do it a few weeks later hehe :)
Next summer, I might ask a few people to have a race From Semaphore to Grange and back. I'll throw in a slab for 1st prize 
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said..
I've done the downwinder from nobbies to dicko .
seriously?
Select to expand quotekb53 said...John340 said..sboardcrazy said...
I used to do them on Lake Macquarie. Sail upwind on our boat then get dropped off and sail the length of the lake.Don't have a boat now + gear more fragile and complicated to carry these days.
I think we did one with a car shuffle from Nobby's to Dixon Park once back in the 90's- not a lot of distance but the wind was generally stronger at Nobby's than Dixon Park which would make things more difficult.
I've done the downwinder from nobbies to dicko many times, mainly in the late 80s. A 3/4 reach is really good fun, especially in the open ocean. Also in the 87 I did a down wonder over 7 days from Mackay to Airlie Beach, via Brampton, Goldsmith, Lindeman, Hamilton and Daydream Island. These days I often work upwind on my longboard and enjoy a great downwinder coming home.
Scotty , did you miss the Nobbys Redhead run.
Re the Whitsunday marathon, I think the motto was hook in and hold on. And yes there where at least 4 days of downwind sailing. From what I remember the bigger the gut the bigger the sail and the faster you went. There may have been some epic days but it was always hard work with a hangover. Also coral cuts were an ongoing problem, but luckily we had a sadistic doctor with us who took great delight in pouring iodine over our feet every morning.
Are they ever going to resurrect the event and have a geriatric division, will put away the kiteboard for the week.
The sadistic doctor was my brother! Only six people know this story. We're you also on Cowboy back in 87
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said...John340 said..
I've done the downwinder from nobbies to dicko .
seriously?
Come on Mark, mind out of the gutter please, but I see your point.
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said..sboardcrazy said...
I used to do them on Lake Macquarie. Sail upwind on our boat then get dropped off and sail the length of the lake.Don't have a boat now + gear more fragile and complicated to carry these days.
I think we did one with a car shuffle from Nobby's to Dixon Park once back in the 90's- not a lot of distance but the wind was generally stronger at Nobby's than Dixon Park which would make things more difficult.
I've done the downwinder from nobbies to dicko many times, mainly in the late 80s. A 3/4 reach is really good fun, especially in the open ocean. Also in the 87 I did a down wonder over 7 days from Mackay to Airlie Beach, via Brampton, Goldsmith, Lindeman, Hamilton and Daydream Island. These days I often work upwind on my longboard and enjoy a great downwinder coming home.
Seriously!
Mackay to Arlie! No way! How many did that? How? That's insane....lets do one next winter!
It was an organised event held every May for a number of years during the 80s. In 87 when I sailed it, 40 odd sailers participated. We sailed during the day from island to island, sleeping on yachts, which followed us, during the night. As KB35 said, it was basically a pub crawl from resort island to resort island. I think I averaged 3 hrs sleep a night for the week. We sailed on race boards. The best leg was sailed from Brampton to Goldsmith in 20+kts and 3m swells. I have this memory of surfing down the face of the swells in the back foot straps with 12ft of sail board bouncing round in front of me, ploughing up and over the back of the swell in front to surf down the next one. The wind eased over the week and we drifted into Airley Beach on the last leg. We had good winds for the event. Other groups were not as fortunate. The event was modelled on the Jonny Walker Hook In and Hold On which was held in the British Virgin Islands at that time and I believe still being held now
The downwind run from Hookipa to Kanaha is a pretty popular thing to do in Maui....
Select to expand quoteHooksey said..
I think they were on 7somthing and I was on a 9.4 KA race ............ I was waay overpowered - I could not hold on heading down wind and could only sail up wind.
Its probably not the size of the sail that stoping you heading downwind when you are overpowered, its the size of the fin.
Hey John340, I did that Mackay to Airlie marathon too. Wasn't it a hoot!
If they ran that every couple of years I reckon it would be big again.
did a down winder with a good mate last xmas from drummonds to Corro, certainly opened up his eyes to the possibilities, shame he was on a 4.0, his arms were ruined, should have been on a 3.5!
A typicial downwinder from Lanno to Wedge Island (As the crow flys) is approx ~22kms.
One of the lads takes his GPS on the downwinders and each run is approximently ~50 to ~55kms.
This takes around 3 hours.
It's a combination of outer reefs, big waves, small waves, beachies, closeouts.... you get the idea.
It's a bucket load of fun- and alot more fun than the Ledge to Lanno race, afterall thats just open water kiting.
And also.... Its just too easy to get 10 quality copetent kiters in one places to have a decent day out.
I have to admit, that all sounds pretty good! One advantage kiters have in the scenario you described is that you don't have long fins to snap off on reefs.
Fin snappage is an ever present danger doing downwinders on the WA coast windsurfing, especially on slalom boards with longer straighter fins. Once you snap your fin, you're cactus.
Obviously the same applies to the mast and boom, neither of which kiters have.
Less stuff to break = safer downwinders.
Another safety advantage for kiters is that it easier for them to spot each other.
Select to expand quoteJethrow said..
Hey John340, I did that Mackay to Airlie marathon too. Wasn't it a hoot!
If they ran that every couple of years I reckon it would be big again.
I did it once in 87 and yes, it's the best fun I've had standing up!
It was run by a local sailer / windsurfer from Airlie, I can't rember his name. I think he was over it by the time it stopped. I think the issues that finally defeated included
-Significant safety concerns with a large number of sailers spread out over a large area of open ocean
-Variable wind conditions, some years had good wind, some years didn't
-The variable abilities of participants
-Reduced numbers participating
-It was limited to longboards whose popularity was waning
I agree it would be a good idea to revive. Some thought should be given to the format to address the above as well as the changes that have occurred in equipment since it was last held.
What does the forum think?
