Just wondering if any one has down winded on either lake Weyba or Cootharaba, near noosa?
For those unfamiliar with them weyba is 3km long x about 1.5km wide and cootharaba about 10km x 4.5km.
Being new to downwinding I am looking for easy places to learn the skills. I did my first ocean DW'er on the weekend, and really struggled.
Does it work in lakes generally speaking?
Thanks,
Ken.
I was reading a thread on 'zero fetch downwinders' on the standup zone forum which was interesting reading.
I was mucking about in the river with less than 1km fetch in 25 knot gusts and it was 'almost' producing small runs on my 14 footer.
How would you get access to upwind/downwind ends? boat?
Cootharaba would be fun in a northerly for sure, but not sure the access to each end would be suitable..
Ive kited there in a SE and its pretty crappy. When DI is hitting 30Knts NNE the lake would be cool fun. the sweel by mid lake would be well rideable.
what sort of board r u downwinding on and what are your board specs and your hgt & weight . Only real way to get used to downwinding is to persist in the ocean. It is hard at first and then it just clicks and the fun begins !! but it will depend on if the board is suitable to learn / start . If too narrow you will struggle for a lot longer and be limited in some conditions as well.
Kenny,
There is a group of people, with various board types, who downwind from the souhern end of Weyba rD back to Quamby Place,
They genearlly take a car down to near the airstrip and leave one at Quamby.
I havent seen them all winter but see them regulalrly in summer.
Re Lake Cootharaba, I often paddle with my wife and two friends up to Harrys Hut from Elanda Point. They are in Sea Kayaks and I am on a 12'6" Fanatic.
We mostly do this in summer so that we get the North Easter on the way back. They have small sails on the kayaks and I generally get back before them. I am no guru at it at all but it is fun. i am buying a 14' er soon and think this will be much better.
Cheers.
ET.
hey kennyk, I started with some DW river runs at Cotton Tree (twin waters to the cod hole). Have taken friends on this paddle now with no ocean experience. Fun little run, just make sure the tide and wind are from the same direction.Here is a clip of that run.
and this one on my friends first ocean DW (mooloolaba to Alex) had to paddle out a bit to get the wind and swell on our backs. Hope this helps.To understand more about what I'm on about.. Watch skebstebamal's DW vid that he posted today ''2014 Fanatic Falcon DW vid' and skip to the 5.05 mark and stop it.. You will see a wave almost breaking way up ahead.. Keep watching it and it seems to come back to you.. It's not till about the 5.35 mark that he's on it.. I'm thinking he should have headed a little more to the right to line it up better.. Shame he fell at that point... I often do the same [fall] because you go to take a big stroke to catch it and pull yourself off balance and fall.. Anyway.. At that 5.05 mark that's about the distance ahead that I'm always looking.. Never back.. (Unless I'm looking to see where others are). Never right in front.. (Unless I'm about to pearl)..
DJ
Yeah, ok DJ that's good to know, I think I was probably staying too far back last weekend.
But the nose on my board doesn't have lift like the naish glide or the new falcon does, so it just seem a bit daunting.
Cheers,
Ken.