i tried a downwinder the other day to see what all the buzz was about....
i felt no buzz....
just really sore feet...
ended up sitting down and using the paddle as a small sail 
i'd rather paddle flatwater on glass with no wind at all,, more relaxing, puts me more 'in the zone'
sorry lads, I just dont get it!?!?!
Well I've never tried a down winder but I can see how it would get the adrenaline going. Your out in the open ocean, the wind is howling, huge swells are rolling through. The wind is pushing you along pretty fast, your paddling hard trying to get onto a swell, surfing the swell, trying not to nose dive into the swell in front and then repeating. It definetly wouldn't be relaxing but it sounds like fun to me.
Windy you remind me of what some people used to say to me when I used to Mt bike alot.
They'd say why would you want to ride up those big hills just so you can ride back down again.. Where's the fun in that?. What's wrong with the smooth flat bike paths?
What board were you on Windy?.. Down-winders on the wrong board can be not much fun.. On the right board and the right conditions it's such an adrenalin rush.
The other day one of my friends rang me after borrowing the SHQ 14' Glide demo board and did a 40 knot down-winder on it.. He couldn't believe how he could catch a runner and stay on it for hundreds of meters at a time.. Planing the whole time.. He said he's defiantly getting one.
Here's a nice vid from a few years ago that shows what it's like catching runners and how fast you go.. Check out Dave Kalama at about the two minute mark and this was in 07.. The boards have come a long way since then.
I'll drag you along with us on our next big one.. 
DJ
Out of interest are the down winders that you guys are having fun with running with the swell? I find the down winders in prevailing conditions here - that is the swell running at about 30+ degrees to the wind - bloody unpleasant to say the least.
The "big" downwinders in Melbourne have been done on Port Philip Bay in a northerly launching at St Kilda and running down the coast.
The swell is all wind swell so runs directly downwind. Because the wind is offshore at the start and very slightly cross-off enroute the swells aren't all that big in proportion to the wind. The winds on the other hand have been epic at 40-50 knots.
At the landing point the swell bounces off a concrete breakwater to make for some entertaining rodeo riding. 
Perhaps in summer it will be possible to launch at Frankston and catch the southerly seabreeze coming over 30-50 km of water to create good sized waves.
Strong westerlies create big surfable slop on the east side but I don't fancy the idea of cutting straight across the middle of the bay and shipping lanes and all that scary stuff.
Hi there,
Any one tried downwinders from redcliffe across moreton or deception bay in bris?
I'm looking forward to those sea breeze down-winders this summer Gorgo, although I think Sorrento or Portsea would be a better angle. Also think a Walkerville to Sandy Point in a South Westerly would be an experience!
I think the summer sea breeze would be a very different experience to the ballistic northerlies and probably demand more a more specific downwind board to actually catch the swells in the lighter wind. On the right day it could be fantastic, I know from years of windsurfing in those sea breezes you can get relatively clean 2-3 metre swells.
Funny things the down-winders, feels almost like a different sport. At first I didn't really get it like Windy Miller but once you really start catching the swells and learning how to read the water state they become very addictive. I love the contrast to the usual surfing scene of aggro and hassles over waves ,there is a lot to it and like all of these things the more you understand the subtlety of what is involved the more rewarding it becomes.
I think that Jonathon is right, Down Winders are a very different sport to Surf SUP and it should be treated that way.
I believe it is more like stand up canoing or as it is aligned with OC1 like they do in the states especially now with drop decks etc.
I also think that Open Ocean Down Winders are very different again to Bay Down Winders and flat water is different again.
I believe from my recent research all 3 require very different boards.
I watched a 14ft glide the other day in relatively flat water and all I saw was it pushing water with the rocker?
I believe it would work better on the Bay or Ocean Down Winder?
I believe the 12ft glide would work better on flat water?
If your serious this means you need a flat water quiver as well!
Where does it all end.
Phill
i'm thinking twice about getting another dw board, reasons are there is a fair bit of stuffing around with cars transport etc. 2- i wouldn't go out solo and paddling upwind to get some dw action 500 or so metres off shore doesn't cut it and trying to organize pe
ople for a dw is hard. the time factor put in to do an hour or so ends up being 3 hrs or so when its all said and done. when you are doing dw'er they are fanastic and with strong wind and swell it is a challenge for sure, but i'm tending to find there is a lot of talk about dw, but not actually doing a lot of them and the boards aren't cheap- not sure i can justify the expanse
these are just my thoughts on whether to get another dw board
cheers
I've done less than a handful and the first few were fun but the wind dropped out the first time and the second one
was in BIG bay chop and I was on the wrong board. It was a westerly from Ricketts Point to Mordialloc.
Saturday I did another on a 35kt northerly and I used Jonathan's 12'6" Starboard and it opened my eyes to the possibilities.
I had a shot of DJ's 14' Glide as well during the same paddle. It's now more clear to me what boards would work well, both
the Naish and Starboard had there strong points. It will be interesting to see how design goes over the coming years.
Here's my take on it:
- Bay downwinders will be around 12'6" with a little more width for stability and float. Also a narrower nose and wider tail
- Ocean paddlers will be along the lines of the Naish Glide but with slightly less aggresive rocker
Downwinders may not be for everyone but some people will make the most of whats at hand, and getting down the coast
for a surf may not be possible. For some, paddling on flat water around cliffs, rocks may be interesting while others will
enjoy the thrill of tackling 30-40kts in a downwinder.
H
Hi Lacey,
I also hear the term Downwinder, but I am not convinced that what a lot of people are doing is actually the same state to state.
I believe what you and Dale are doing is very different to what DJ and Jonathon are doing in the bay. One is social the other is very serious competition.
I also think after extensive research I would be more interested in SUPsploring than downwinding.
Phill
Downwinding rocks. But don't kid yourself that going out in a lazy 25-30 knots is the way to do it. Its a sport that really comes alive above 40 knots. Below that is just paddling on a windy day. Sure you can get a few runners and stuff but if you're not a bit afraid then its not the real deal.
My rule of thumb is that when it gets too heavy for the kiters thats when you want to be out there. I've done all the sports and IMO this is testing yourself against nature at its most extreme
It's all starting to sound a bit snobbish, picking up on the differences between downwinding, surfing, supsloring etc. Doing extensive research on the subtleties is just over thinking the situation. The prevailing conditions are beyond our control and will inevitably dictate the activity you do on your board.
AFAIC standing up on a board and paddling is all good. I'd probably prefer to be surfing perfect conditions all the time, but that doesn't happen that often. When it's blowing a gale in the right direction it's a no brainer, if you can organise the car shuffle, to get out there for a downwinder, if there's the swell and the wind is favorable, go for a surf at your favourite spot. For other conditions supsploring (I like that word), finding an island to go fishing, or just paddling for fitness sake and taking in the outdoors works a treat. It's all about getting wet - or is it about staying dry - now I'm confused.
Hey Oliver,
The over analysis is prolly due to the drugs
.
I have been trying to work out what board if any to get to do what bit and when.
Then as I said the Supsploring concept seemed to get me more excited. I guess I just want to know whats around the next point or in the next bay etc.
I did some Supfishing recently after seeing some of your posts, I used a silver slice attached to my legrope attachment point and that worked a treat on salmon and was great fun! (Big Thumbs Up)
The Downwind racing / paddling has way more to it than most people understand is the point I was trying to make. To get the most out out it you need to exploit the subtle aspects of each board.
To me the more I looked, I realised the less I knew
It also showed me how much skill is required to do it well and I dont believe most people give the downwind crew enough credit for what they actual achieve.
Phill
Tim, Mark and I were "lucky" enough to demo/borrow a 12'6" DC, 12'6" Naish downwinder and Sam's own 14' Naish on Sunday. The forecast was for a building NE'r so we paddled from Brown Water (north of Long Reef) to South Steyne (southern most part of Manly beach). Total distance would probably be in the region of 9-10kms.
We can all SUP surf so thought it would be reasonably easy. Sam thought it would take us an hour with the wind pushing us. Unfortunately the wind never eventuated and we had everything from N, NW, W, SW and E!! We also had swell coming across the left shoulder (45 degrees) with rebounds from where the waves came back off the headland.
It ended up taking us 2.5 hours as we continually fell off. There were times we were kneeling, and on occasion paddling like a kayak. By the time we got to South Steyne we all agreed that as nice as it was for Sam to lend us some boards - we would never do it again.
Downwinders are hard and I take my hat off to people who can do them well. My view of SUPing is that I'll use one for the waves, one for rivers/lakes and if it's over 10 knots I'd rather be wavesailing.
We have some pics of the boards that we'll post so you can compare them.
Cheers
I don't think it's been said before but anyone who's a keen down-hill snow skier or snowboarder will appreciate what down-winders are all about.
It's just like going down a slope or mountain.. Looking for that perfect line and linking up turns etc.. and sometimes stringing together recoveries.
But unlike snow skiing the run is not over in about 10 minutes before having to get back on the chair lift.. Our runs go for at least one or two hours at a time.
We also don't have to pay $100 for a lift ticket and travel hours to get there.. We just have the minor hassle of a car shuffle.
DJ
What ever float your boats
I like excitement and adrenlin thats why when I mountain bike its the downhill variety, through rockgardens, jumps, steep drops etc. Google my mate Sam Hill on you tube and see what he gets up too
If I lived in Melbourne I would be doing downwinders for sure, it looks the perfect set up for them, Dj has been windsurfing that bay for years, so he would know the perfect conditions for doing it in.
I reckon its exciting checking out the pics and stories after they have been out, well done lads, hard core right there
