Hi all,
I started a new thread as this is a different event that what has already been talked about.
Below is for the Goolwa to Meningie race 2011.
The race will be held Saturday 19th November 2011.
I have put forward a proposal to the Meningie Sailing Club. The organizers are going to take it to a vote on weather we can enter the Race.
The committee are interested, they have banned Sailboarders from entering as the are really hard to find when missing in the lake. Kites are unknown at this stage.
One thing they asked was if we could supply a rescue boat to help look after our group.
We need to find out who may be able to help with this. ( I am willing to drive the boat as my Knee injury would prevent me from racing)
Also every entrant would have to be a SAKSA financial member. This will need to be proven on the day. NO membership NO race. We may also have to look into carrying Mobile phones ( Just in case)
The committee will be getting back to me in the next week. I will keep everyone updated. They may say NO. If this is the case it will be for safety reasons, Nothing against kiting. Insurance is the problem.
We would also need volunteers to drive from Goolwa to meningie. this takes about 2hrs from Goolwa and there is NO short way. Drivers will not get to see the race as the road does not go anywhere near the race course.
I have competed and won this race, We hold the record for the first boat over the line in the longest time 6hr 45min. The race has a 7 hr cut off time.
Danny, that sounds amazing. I'll be keen to enter and with the van's new interior I will have 4 seats so if I find a driver can fit another 2 kiters on the way home.
Keep us posted on the out come of the vote.
Great Work Danny!!!
7 hours, I might have to get into some training.
Have been discussing this with my kite buddy. Should be able to organise wives to drive, however can't help with the boat situation.
Sorry Guys,
Race record for the shortest time I think is around 2hrs.
The race is over a course of about 64 kilometres, from Goolwa through The Narrows to Meningie, and is the longest point-to-point fresh water sailboat race in the Southern Hemisphere.
Found a map of the course.... normal seabreeze at Goolwa is SE so that would make the course a beat.... or is it different on the lake?
www.users.on.net/~meningiesc/Maps%20of%20Goolwa%20-%20Meningie.htm
I'm liking this event, although thinking a mobile phone will come in handy when CBF kicks in and a little stop over at Pt Sturt is required.
Normal seabreeze is SW, Last few years has with the drought its been a bit odd. Weather has been in what would be considered normal lately.
We will need SW only for us to make it. min 12knts, Hoping for 20-25 knts
the hardest part of the race is heading into and through the narrows. Wind can be tricky if seabreeze has not kicked, This is my only concern.
If seabreeze has kicked in it will be a lock and load race. Then the only issue will be your legs holding out. You may have to ride toe side just to give your legs a rest.
I'd be prepared to offer/drive my 5.5m Bayliner "185" ski boat as a rescue boat.
- Alan
PS I'm just learning to kitesurf and joined AKSA last month.
Mate, Thanks for the offer.
i will be in contact if this goes ahead.
Still awaiting contact form the Sailing Club.
Danny
Good news. They are keen to have us compete.
Can anyone intrested please PM me so we can get some numbers.
There are still a few issues to work through. Once we have some numbers I will organise a meeting so we can finalise the issuse put to me by the sailing club.
Then away we we go.
Start praying for SW 18-23
Danny, seems good, put me down, and if I'm around, I'd like to have a go.
This is what Iam cruising, she cruises at around 25 to 30 knots.
or this if its windy , cruising speed 35 to 40 knots in rough water ,in flat water 40 + knots depending on wind strength.
HI,
Sorry guy's I have been crushed at work lately.
Latest News,
I have been down and done some testing in the river to see if we can seriously do this race.
I have some good and bad news, I believe this race will be impossible on any kind of twin tip board. The wind can be very gusty and fickly in and around Clayton and also through the narrows to Lake Albert. You will need to be able to cope with these conditions.
I tested a twin tip and had to be picked up 5km down the river before I ended up on the rocks. I just could not keep up wind due to lack of wind in certain areas.
I then went back and gave the Race board a go. The race board was a lot better I was able to get through the light sections and stay up wind. I was also able to keep a good pace.
Conditions were 12-15knts SSW.
I have also been contacted by 2 x concerned Kiters. They are concerned that if something goes wrong in the race we may get some bad publicity.
I would like to say my biggest concern is SAFETY. I have had around 15 people contact me with interest in the Race. I believe I/We may only be able to run about 5 kiters this way we can keep track of everyone.
I have been contacted by Scruzin who has offered his boat as a rescue boat. As we only have one rescue boat we can only carry so many people.
I also believe that we will have to limit the race to 5 x Competitors with RACE boards ONLY. ( What does everyone think?)
Everyone has to remember that the race is 64km. I want to be able to keep an eye on everyone.
I want everyone to comment on what they think. We will all be in this together. I want the best out come for everyone.
Also on a side note, Mike Duffeild has the race record on a sailboard. It took him 5 years before he got the right conditions to compete. We may do all this work and be sitting at Goolwa not going anywhere. ;)
Look forward to everyone's feedback good or bad. If you have concerns please let me know.
1) Safety
2) Limit number of competitors?
3) Race Boards Only?
4) Do we want to join there Race or do we want to run our own race using there course?
5) Can we actually do this Race? 64km
6) What are everyone's concerns? If any
I'm still want this to go ahead. I will be making my self available on the day as rescue crew. Happy if anyone else wants to help.
Nice one Danny, I'll be there in some capacity. Might also be worth chatting to the Milang Regatta Club as they have a safety vessel that may not be in use.
I agree on the limited entrants for the race with the tight sections however I'd also suggest that there's potential to run an sprint section within the race ie Clayton to Narrung or Narrung (Lake Albert side) to Meningie. Open wind, plenty of room and capacity for more entrants. Everyone (sailors, sailboarders, kiters) ends up at the Meningie pub... More effort but more fun for everyone.
My thoughts on some of Danny's questions above:
1)In general I'm thinking 12-15 knots of wind is insufficient and we should only participate if the forecast is solid 16++ knots and the wind direction is favourable (eg SW, SSW, W, WNW, NW).
2) Limit of 5 out 15 seems low, but it should definitely be limited to experienced ppl only. Maybe we should have a shorter qualifying race first through the gusty sections eg. Goolwa to Clayton?
3) Once there is sufficient wind, going upwind on a twin tip is not a problem. I think there should be a dependency on the wind forecast as above.
4) good point – or have a completely separate race on a more favourable course eg Clayton to Milang or Milang to Boggy and make it on a day with 15+ knots forecast (ie. not a fixed date). This could be a subject of a separate thread if there is any interest.
5) yes - with the right wind strength and direction. Those guys who do GPS speed sessions would know that it's not unusual to clock 64km PER SESSION on the GPS (and some sessions are over 100kms). Admittedly it is not the same as doing the same distance point to point – that's why I said the wind direction/strength must be good.
6) Main concerns:
a) insufficient wind and dead spots
b) inexperienced competitors
c) equipment failure
Hi All, my concerns are that-
1-the wind strength will more than likely be too light in the morning .
2- the wind is gusty and shifty which also can have big dead holes along goolwa to clayton.
3- wind direction has to be correct.
4- safety , if someone drops a kite on the river you dont want a boat to run over the lines etc.
I feel that a race on the ocean would be a better bet ,say Thompsons or Parham to Ardrossan for a crossing or maybe an off the wind race semaphore to Parham.
Maybe windsurfers and kiters racing together ,sounds bloody awesome to me.
Could be made into a big deal if organized correctly with big sponsors etc. The Parham sporting club have indicated in the past that they would be keen to help with a kiting competition/event at Parham.
It would be great to get some South Australian based events on the go so we can all get out and have some fun where everybody who wants to can get involved.
Cheers Tim
Sounds like most people are on the same page, personally I agree with the Dagodfathers comments. In 12 to 15 knots it isn't going to be much of an event for kiters, and could create bad publicity if the wind drops out more during the race. Kiters should only enter if winds are favorable.
I much prefer the idea of joining the sailing race on the lake. Yorks to Pazza sounds like a great challenge however without a sailing club to lean on it may be too hard to organise.
I don't own a race board, so I guess I will be watching this event unfold on the pages of seabreeze. Hope you guys can take it up to the windsurfers.
OK, another safety issue - overhead power lines.
Check out the photos of Narrung Narrows through which the race will be running:
if a boat mast can go under the power lines so can a kite.... an 11m kite would be no more than 4m tip to tip.....
I find it difficult to understand how people are discussing concerns about race safety and in the same topic contemplating methods of flying a kite under power lines while on water.
Many discussing this are very experienced kiters.
I do not doubt that there is a high level of rider expertise and kite control!
What I DO doubt is your ability to 100% guarantee that nothing can go wrong with such an inherently dangerous manoeuvre during a race event.
Being in close proximity with power lines is a definite HIGH RISK situation.
There is legislation to govern working near power lines and although it does not specifically cover kiting etc. it is very specific regarding working near lines.
This next paragraph is cut from an ETSA publication.
Boating safety
Sailing or moving boats near power lines can be dangerous as many yachts exceed the standard safe clearance height of 4.3 metres. The main risk when boating near power lines is the mast tangling with overhead wires,
potentially causing injury or death for the crew or others near the boat.
Launching or retrieving boats from the water using a trailer is also hazardous as many people forget to check for overhead
power lines near water. There are often power lines in car parks or near boat-ramps at marinas, and these should be observed
by sailors before entering or leaving the water. Motorboats with large aerials or radar equipment should also avoid travelling near power lines. Another rule for safe boating is to carefully monitor the weather. Yachts and boats can easily be blown off course into overhead power lines during a storm or gale.
ETSA Utilities
Correct at time of publication October 2009.
A comparison between a fixed height boat mast (accounting for wave movement) and a kite, which is manoeuvrable from 0 to 25 metres high is not in a correct comparing context.
E.g. if a rider falls, gets distracted, held up by the ferry, cops a wind gust etc. and momentarily loses control of the kite the risk height calculation must immediately include its maximum flight height.
As a test of the risk management of this item I suggest you pass the notion of "flying a kite under power lines during a race with a calculated safe height margin of 0.3 metres" by ETSA and the insurance company that you are proposing to cover this event.
I will gladly withdraw all of my comment regarding this if the insurers and ETSA pass this as a low risk, no problem area of safety that will be fully covered for the event.
To mitigate this risk, perhaps a section of the Narrung Narrows, 200 metres either side of the said power lines could be classified as a NO FLY zone.
Competitors can have crew stationed before this section and SAFELY land their kites, then move and re-launch at a safe distance away from this site.
Yes, this does add a degree of embuggerance but it may also provide a chance to rehydrate and perhaps snack during this compulsory, set time “pit stop”.
OR perhaps only run the race up to or from one side of the Narrung Narrows.
Cheers
Fossil
Hi,
When I posted this I thought I had covered all the bases. Proves you should always ask for others input.
I had NO idea there power lines that crossed the narrows. I had never taken any notice.
My old Boat had a Mast height of about 10.5m above water level. We were nearly always flat out through the narrows never really looking up.
Not sure what to do the race is from Goolwa to Meningie. Stopping half way kinda defeats the purpose.
I will contact everyone over the next couple of days to see if we can get together and talk this through.
cheers
Danny