Thought with the weather we have here today ( snow like blanket of frost ) this would be topical..I tend to sail later in the am in winter when its warmed up a bit ( so i often miss the best of the westerlies..
)..I think 12 degrees is the coldest I've sailed in..dont know how cold the water is but the lake gets very cold in late winter..I used to be very good at doing all sorts of contortions to stay on the board & out of the icey water but unfortunately I've lost those skills..
I think if I lived down south or Canberra I'd certainly whimp unless I had a heated suit or drysuit..
That depends entirely on how strong the wind is.
A good 25 - 30 knots will entice me out on the coldest of days.
Maybe because I know I can usually cope gybing in those conditions..I dont get enough practise in 20 - 30kts these days..
One of my best memories is skiing in the morning and windsurfing in the afternoon in brilliant winter sunshine.
For winter surfing I really like getting out in the 4/3 wettie with integrated hood and booties on a really foul day. It's amazing being in such a hostile environment but being wamr and comfortable. If it's sleeting a bit then you can tilt your head so the visor of the hood shields your face.
I carry a 5 litre contained of hot water wrapped in a towel so I can wash myself down with hot water then head for home for a glass of red in front of the fire. 
It takes me too freaking long to get to the snow.
We have given up going in Australia, but dedicate ourselves to going to CAnada every year.
Next booked trip is Whistler again in FEb.
That's not to say that a big dump would not entice us in OZ, but it would have to be a metre or more.
I live right on the Qld/NSW border, so 10 hrs drive to Sydney, then 6 hours or so to Jindy.
I'm told that the Victorian fields are actually a smidgen closer, so we might even do that sometime.
Trouble is, once you ski the big mountains of BC, everything else is too small.
Gorgo is right. I love being out in an incredibly hostile environment, snuggled up i snow gear.
I don't mind getting cold sailing, if the wind is worth it.
Not much on offer here at present though, just dead and dreary.
Last winter a friend and I foolishly tried to sailed a June day on Lake Burley-Griffen in Canberra, where the overnight lows in winter routinely dip below freezing.
I got out from shore probably two hundred metres and realised we'd overestimated the wind, so I tried to get the lumpen stumps of my frozen feet to execute a slow gybe and muffed the end. I fell into the water and as soon as my head went under I got an instant ice-cream headache. Plodding back to shore I packed up and went home.
But now back in SA, you can sail all year around...some years back I sailed 50 weekends of the year here. As long as the wind is up, I find the exercise will raise my body-temperature and keep me warm in a 4/3; after about fifteen minutes, the extremities thaw out and I can feel my toes again. I guess there might be danger if you injure yourself and have to limp home, but I rarely sail alone.
Grr.. they used to have to keep up with me..
Yeah, in some ways a lucky bugger, in some ways just well-organised, mostly meaning organisation of contraception.
We plan our holiday early and spend most of the year paying it off. Not so bad this year, as my remote work will pay for it easily, and we got some cracking deals, thank to the Goddess and her supernatural shopping ability.
Know what you mean about the sailing in SA. The winter I spent in Perth was like that. Constant northerlies coming off cold fronts. The wind was actually warmer than in summer, and having a largely night duty job, I sailed several days a week at least. I just used a short spring suit, and was always fine. Being out of the water mostly, and working lots of big muscle groups means staying warm.
If I need a wettie then it's too cold, and no I'm not being a smart arse, I really hate the cold 
Atm it's 26 here 
North Queenslanders..............
I'll be up next week, to Mareeba anyway, then either Atherton or Cairns for a couple of weeks in August. MIght even drive up and bring some gear.
Went out in 4 degrees water temp, with the win-chill factor bringing it under 0 quite a bit over the UK winter. Actually no problem in a 5/4, and everything covered except for the face. The right gear for it makes all the difference, but it aint cheap.
Tomorrow will be a sailing day for me. Here's a precis of the BOM forecast just issued:-
Warning Summary at issue time: Small Boat Alert for Wednesday afternoon.
A cold front currently moving through Victoria will move through southern NSW on Wednesday, bringing a few showers, chiefly along the ranges to the west and south of the ACT where they are likely to fall as snow.
Forecast for Wednesday: Dry with cloudy periods for Canberra, chance of a few snow showers about the Brindabella ranges. Moderate to fresh westerly winds.
Min -3 Max 9
Winds on Lake: Westerly around 10 km/h increasing to 20-30 knots in the afternoon.
Sounds cold, but it's really quite OK if you have the right wetsuit, in my case an Ion 5/4 semi-dry suit.
PS: Does this make you feel nostalgic, Trousers? 
You should all try the UK in winter - now thats cold. Doesnt stop me though. Certain parts of your body shrivel and your fingers and toes go blue but its good for your character....
On the flip side we've been having a bit of a heatwave over here so about time the UK got some decent weather... No wind though
didnt go sailing but jumps in the car this morning turn on the wipers and ..nothing .. the water was frozen .. had to use a stick to save my hands
Melbourne Monday.
Max air temp: 11.4 deg. C, bright sunshine on my 5/3 single-sided wetsuit made it feel a higher temperature, water temp 12.9 deg C, frozen hands, 20 kt northerly, 5.8 m sail /115 L board, excellent sail.
Melbourne Tuesday.
Max air temp: 10.3 deg. C, wind chill 2 deg. C, 10-25 kt squally northerly, rain, grey skies. Didn't go out and wished I'd gone to Rye.
It sounds like noone wears booties or gloves..? I wear diving gloves ( must admit I had to take them off when I had to retie the outhaul out on the water last sail as they are useless to do anything like that with).So far they have been great + booties mean my feet stay warm..I just need another vest I think..I also wear a helmet + buoyancy vest which cuts the wind..cripes I'm a whoose..
I find it really is not too cold in Australia to sail - as long as you have a wettie and it is roooolly windy so you are working hard, you are warm whilst sailing.
Major issue and I will never do it again - sailing in 6deg is fine until it hails. Having to walk in 3-5cm of hail in the carpark, barefoot, just to de-rig and get to car is painful. Literally.
Agree with a couple of others... its never to cold in Australia! Try the UK winter, thats cold! Although when you bash yourself about (which I do a lot) its pretty easy to numb the pain and keep going.
it would be great to get the northerners to come down and try our speed run at Henty River on the west coast (tas),you will find it great..... haha not.i know the vics could handle it.
plus i wear booties all year round even when it is warm. i only get in boardies 3-5 times a year for sailing.
That reminds me, one of the warmers sessions in the uk I thought I would go without the mittens, as my hands were getting cold and numb I made the mistake of bitting one just to make sure it wasn't frozen, man that hurt! Probably my brain was frozen.
Been In Sydney this week, maybe I will catch a bit of wind tomorrow afternoon.
Hi Bristol!
We'll try to back you up tomorrow - I don't know if we'll be able to handle it though (if it dips below 28 degrees it might be a shock to the system). The problem here is whether it's too hot - the water feels like a bath. Bonaire is the sweetest windsurfing spot I've ever seen - it looks like a giant swimming pool - the bottom is 1 metre deep and all white sand so the water looks turquoise. We are definitely not roughing it...
Thinking of you - you are braver than we are. Alex is putting in a good effort though - he already has a hand full of blisters and won't stop!
