Just a quick post to get everyone up to speed on whats happening to the bottom of the Murray! We sailed at Goolaw yesterday, good solid SW winds, best conditions for Goolwa. But there was one thing missing! WATER! The lake is such a poor condition now that you can only sail in the channels, click on Google earth and have a look if you get time!
Yesterday we had to sail from Hindmarsh Island, Rankines Landing, hop out into the channel and down to the barrages. Now this was OK as the wind direction made it perfect, but the channel is only 60 metres wide, so a slight shift east of west in the wind would spell and end to sailing for the day.
I was devestated that the place I learned to sail, over the last 12 years or so had now become a sand bank, people were even riding motorbikes down at the barrages, I even saw a couple walking slap bang in the middle of the lake.
I really dont know what the solution is, or wether this is the end for this place, but it is such a shame.
Looks like some sailing in the ocean is the only option.
PS: with the sailing in the channel yesterday, I felt like Finnian Maynard! Kym was Karin Jaggi......
looks like somebody should have come down to seacliffe!!! hahaha was perfect down there mate! it is sad to see the mouth like that but the truth is that we only really have ourselves to blame!!!!! just stick to the sea!! there will always be water there.... i hope!
That just awful - all I can see is sand from the footage with a channel - it's normally a huge sailable lake with a great waist deep area to learn - in fact where most of us took our first tentative arm breaking back stretching attempts to sail
Certainly looked like you had some blasting fun on that angle though - I just don't now where to take the kids to try out - might be Seacliff at low tide.
Great movie Divaldo. I shoulda gone...there....or Seacliff...or the Chicken Shop or
SOMEWHERE ELSE. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.... As my Mum used to say Damn and Blast it!
There's always NEXT time.
all I saw was cowpoo, a big tiger snake 
and mud and it was WAY too windy
I had ONE run on my 4.2 and then my whole rig did a triple forward loop without me. 
And then I had to leave early to babysit my TOTALLY GORGEOUS grandson and that made up for it 
And that was my one day off. And THEN my boss says "Are you going away for Christmas?" I said yer right, you only gave me Christmas Day off!!!!! Its a little difficult to go away just now Mr Boss Sir. Well, that's my Blah Blah for today. I'll shut up now.
Looked prity bad Dave. If you bothered going to goolwa you should have gone to the murray mouth at sugars beach, hindmarsh island. We're heading down this saturday for two weeks which will be sick so if you heading down there at some stage let us know (send email or something). I sailed at the mouth a few weeks back and it was awsome. I reckon it's better than boggy lake and goolwa at their best. Only disadvantage is you cant stand up everywhere but if you get into trouble you just drift into the beach hundred meters down. Going to have to learn my deep water starts prity quickly i reckon.
Bubs
The River is in a sad state of condition. Its been 10 years since i sailed on the lake at Clayton Bay but 24years since i used the lake for learning. The river has been a special place for me for years and my parents still live there, they recently sent photos to show the low levels and it is sad. It can not all be blamed on the drought either.
What a great place to learn and it might be all over?
I sessioned the mouth then boggy it was sick, you should of sailed the mouth last sat when it was ripping over the speed strip at 30+, i looked at goolwa on the way home it certainly was a sorry sight.
even though Goolwa has been average, I have sailed it all week......got some nice runs, pulled my first real gybe!
Bubs, where were you? (post whore)
Think I saw you guys out there (from the comfort of the balcony) one day. Was that Kim with a pryde and a red harness ? Assume you launched from the island. I only had an old waveboard and a 5.0 down there just in case, but it was a bit light on.
Really sad seeing that low water. Been going to Goolwa since 1978. First windsurf lesson there, teak booms and all, in 1980. Learnt there in 1981. Spent 90% of my uni holidays hanging out at the lake. Dog's ashes scattered on the water there.
Time for some government action and less talk
Hey guys - not sure how true - a fellow was sailing at goolwa on saturday when we we teaching our kids - he said some guy tried to charge him $15 to sail from near the Hindmarsh Island boat club?
The girls (11&12) had a learner session on a Tyronsea 330 - slippriest wobbliest thing ever - no where near as steady as my Skate 112 - and both got going after half a dozen uphauls - they panicked as they disappeared into the channel and jumped off - they were very stoked look out for the 12 yo girls with attitude and not a lot of fear they'll be blasting at a lake near you soon!
we even had a couple of runs across to H/I 6.4 Severne and the skate - I am sure I scraped a fin in the middle of the lake as I gybed!
Russ, could have been someone trying to charge for a carpark for the jazz show they had on the Marina on the weekend, we just drove straight past and pitched at Rankines landing,
This spot is growing on me, good for S, SW, sailing in the channels
. He wasnt happy at all. But we did fix the big sail in the end which was good. Started gybing aswell and was so close to pulling off a few of them. Waterstarting consistently now aswell.
Oh yeah also. The lake is sailable im sure. But i didnt see the point in sailing there when you could sail at a flatter, windier, more consistent and safer spot around at the mouth.
Bubs
Far out bubs, sounds like you met some crabs close up with the grazes you described! I take it you wont be sailing tomorrow? Rest up mate, I reckon its going to be a good windy summer.....drop in some time
Sorry to hear that Bubs...great to hear you're waterstarting. Glad you had a great few weeks anyway.
Yes i herd that to susie (from a real estate agent so not so sure about that) but i think that it would just affect to much up river. They never should have put in the barrages in the first place. Apparently in the 1920's and 30's they used to catch mulloway in lake alexanderina so it must have got prity salty naturally before they put in barrages.
Open the gates i say. Goolwa itself is already so salty anyway because its leaking through. Their constantly filling in gaps there now because its not used to the presure coming from the other way. Apparently theres been some salt water fish in goolwa, thats what the bloke said anyway.
Bubs
hey susie.
looking at the weather graph for SA, i'm guessing you might be working tomorrow...
if you weren't there'd be no wind!
Murray Mouth; heading down there reasonably early so hopefully get a full day's sailing.
Lets hope that when they open the barrage they dont decide to extend the coorong
. Is there an 8knot speed limit in the channel at goolwa?
I thought she said 4 knots. There is often jetskis on the other side near the aqua cafe right next to the sign banning them, but I've never seen anyone policing it.
Select to expand quote
Ha Ha. I looked at the graph and told my boss I wanted the day off!!!!
He knows. It was fun, 4 hours I think. I'm still trying to figure out if I have whiplash from my nose plant at full speed though.
gf Every time I look at your avatar I think "big cheese" I can't believe its a Kangaroo.
he he. i know. they look like hairy figs dont they!
that was rubbish about your board.
i had a great day yesterday. woke up this am stiff as a board, but grinning and itching to go sailing again. sodding work allways cocks that up for me though.
