Hi sailing people,
Here is a video link showing my brother out at Jimmies Beach Hawks Nest.
We sail there lots. Chances are we will be out there any day there is a nor-easter this summer.
It is not great quality but it shows the place so I am posting it with the hope to see more people sailing here as there is bugger-all these days.
Since our fine council decided to put bollards up and stop the parking on the grass near the launch spot a few years ago (where the formula events used to be set up), it has all but killed the place as a windsurfing destination.
I have heard that the place once ranked very high for a flat water sailing.
I had a stint with kites, now trying windsurfing as kites are too dodgy because it is offshore wind into the bay here with the nor-easter.
If anyone has any ideas about how to get council or sportNSW or something like that to help us get some launch spot parking back i'm all ears.
Probably a losing battle to try, but anyway.
Sometimes we park near the caravan park entrance and set up on grass there and carry gear down, but in summer that area will get busy.
A couple of other local crew like to set up with their smaller gear out to the west more, out on the Boulevard at Winda Woppa, more in the wind, but parking is limited there too now.
I have a beach permit for Jimmies Beach and like to drive on and set up right on the waters edge.
But that probably wont last forever too i guess..
And while i am here, got a big 180ltr+ board you'd like to sell?! 
Regards all,
heres to a happy summer..
Nice vid. A group of us used to spend weekends up there and had some great sea breezes. But the disruption to the parking, lack of wind and some very big men in grey suits put us off.
A beautiful spot though and the sailing is awesome up at the sand spit.
Good stuff. Used to go there every year with the family, years ago. Had some great sails there and also had a few hairy sessions as well, one that involved being rescued from the heads when the wind died and the tide took me heading out to NZ. Never saw and men in grey suits but I knew they were there. Did manage to see many dolphins and the occasional whale. Magic spot.
Just had a week's holiday at Hawk's Nest - a magic place! I was able to foil everyday - on the bay by myself! Also had a good wing session in a southerly in the chop. Just great
I'm hoping to get up there over summer and sail with some of the regulars .
Looks lovely. How much wind was there in the videos?
Select to expand quoteka43 said..
But the disruption to the parking, lack of wind and some very big men in grey suits put us off.
A beautiful spot though and the sailing is awesome up at the sand spit.
Yes, such a shame about the parking ay. Well I'm learning, so i spend lots of time in the water, and have allready had used cheap gear explode on me out there and the men in grey suits have stayed away so far. Where i go is mostly only 2m deep max, as close in to the northern side as possible, along the spit, the big fat anrgy mummas cant fit there, i hope, i like to think! Put it this way, it is so clear, that you are going to get a very good look at them if they are there anyway. Yes, try to fall off and relax in the waist deep sand at the spit, thats the idea!Did you see some?Select to expand quoteWaynoB said..
one that involved being rescued from the heads when the wind died and the tide took me heading out to NZ.
Gotta watch that for sure. Go to NZ now and there is going to be all sorts of bug / isolation/ nation / media issues! Avoid that at all costs??Select to expand quotebushfire said..
a magic place! I was able to foil everyday - on the bay by myself! Also had a good wing session in a southerly in the chop. Just great
Oh yeah, we knew about that! Was it you that a scooter ride came up and chatted to? Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..
I'm hoping to get up there over summer and sail with some of the regulars .
Looks lovely. How much wind was there in the videos?
Yeah, as i said allready, all but dead here now for regulars! If the bug keeps me here in summer then happy days, i'l be out there if it's on!
How much wind in that vid? I don't know, my brother who is sailing in the vid might chime in here..The volunteer marine radio station on the south side of the bay may be a good reference for wind observations when it is NE. www.marinerescueportstephens.com.au/weather-pic/weather.html
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..
I'm hoping to get up there over summer and sail with some of the regulars .
Looks lovely. How much wind was there in the videos?
It was about 18/20kt NE and I was riding my 255L mistral prodigy with a 7m sail but smaller gear works fine in this spot most people use 120 to 140 litre boards and sails in the 6s
Very early one morning I supped from the Jimmys launch up to the spit. Superb morning. Bout halfway up I spotted a huge dorsal fin going the other way about 20 meters off the beach. I was half way between it and the beach. I stayed 2 feet from the shore the whole way up. Have been chased out of the surf at Bennetts Beach few times too. Its a very sharky spot. But so beautiful, enjoy your self.
No doubt there is sharks on Bennett's.
I've seen them there. A big one lately.
No one has been bitten there yet though.
Different story in the bay, I've never seen them there but they are, and people have been bit in the bay.
Don't fall off and don't be knocked off and happy days!
Once while walking along Winda Woppa Beach a fisherman told us he saw a hammerhead bout 2 m long latched onto the rear of a Sea Turtle. Don't know what happened to it. Hoped it got away.
Surfing at Bennett's Beach we had a pod of dolphins go north chasing fish. Five minutes later a big shark came past heading in the same direction, we all got out of the water pretty quickly.
Also while carrying my gear from the car park/rigging area to the water an eight foot Python went across the path and up into the sand dunes. A magnificent creature indeed. Told the kids playing near the dunes but they didn't believe me. Just kept on playing, so I went for a sail.
Filmed by a drone? Very nice video.
Would you mind sharing the gear (drone/camera) you used?
Very pretty part of the world.
Select to expand quotebushfire said..
dmobbsy : Yes that was me, scooter guy! How did you go getting a foil set?
The naish one I was looking at sold before I could get it, still looking
I used to be a hawksnest regular, did about a decade of summer weekends on the boulevard. At the tail end of it the wind wasn't as co-operative.
Its a great spot and your can even go sup surfing in a SE swell in the bay at the south end.
I might give it some visits this summer if the winds start to co operate more often.
Ahhh, lovely. That was my home beach as a kid growing up at Winda Woppa. Back in the windrush storm 10 days. Was looking forward to a trip down south next summer but thatll depend on borders etc. Thanks for the vid, fond memories. ps saw soooo many dolphins in the bay, rare to see see a shark unless down the other end near fame cove.
Awesome place. Pics taken at the same spot as dmobbsy's drone vid at about 0.30 Sec
Select to expand quoteRoger303 said..
Awesome place. Pics taken at the same spot as dmobbsy's drone vid at about 0.30 Sec
Great shots! It looks like fun..
Great video, I'll be heading up there for a week in the school holidays with plans to windsurf and also start to learn with a wind wing. Will look out for you!
Select to expand quoteTequila ! said..
Would you mind sharing the gear (drone/camera) you used?
That was a DJI Spark, tiny little base model. I didn't even have an SD card in it so footage had to stream to the phone. I don't use the drone alot. From out there on the spit i found it a struggle to get it up and out with time to find subject and get a few shots and back to land before battery was gone. Hard, but easy!
Thanks for the replies people. Great to read them all.
So far, it's looking good, there have been a few nor-easters allready which got us out there for a go.
I guess that's a good start for September.
There is a decent sized carpark between the caravan park and The Boulevard.
A fresh water shower is there (the Mullets clubhouse - swimmers). We gave that a go and it wasn't too bad there, but only just one little patch of grass to set up on there, so that will make it hard from there in summer.
Access is going to be hard anywhere here in summer. It was getting hard allready, and the bug (covid) is going to make it harder. Aussies are travelling oz, and many of them like the beach.Select to expand quoteRoger303 said..Awesome place. Pics taken at the same spot as dmobbsy's drone vid at about 0.30 Sec
Great pics! Yep, right off the spit.
Day before yesterday was a good day.
Today shaping up to be better than good.
We'll see...Wind allready here! That is rare. Is it a seabreeze, i dunno. But it's north and it's windy at 9am.
Day before yesterday..Success!
I managed to rig my gear half properly i think right and got out there, blasting - woohoo! Well planing anyway, is that blasting? Idk. Was fun though. Now gotta learn to turn.
Dashas 12 step for breakfast quick i think! I stood up out on the spit for a rest.
Old timer (Ian) was very friendly in offering advice. He politely shed some wisdom to this young grasshopper.
He says to me,
"enjoy bro, have fun, rule 1 -don't be here and stuff up in a honkin westerly, or you'll go to sea in a bad way.
rule 2 - "go in before the wind poops itself late in the arvo"I lift my sail and take off for few more runs.
Next approach to the spit i am looking at a fin diving off the edge of the sand, hmmm, its not coming back up. I pull up agin in wasit deep water. Ians mate assures me it was a dolphin. Sweet!
I see Andrew launching from down the beach. I keep going for a few more runs while he is out too.
Two others come out. Just as i notced the golden glow on the water of low sun, i realise old timer Ian and his mate are nowhere to be seen. The've gone in. Should i go in? Another couple runs, yes i'll go in. That'll do.
Three still out. Andrew comes in leaving two more. Lauchlan, a guy i just met in the caravan park, and Peter.
Lachlan is about same level as me, just learning to plane. He has his 125ltr board smacking along on the plane, not caring where he is going as his excitement levels were high. So he wound up landing on the beach down wind. Way down past where he parked his car at caravan park. I think he came in somewhere on the boulevard and had to get his car to fetch his rig.
Peter on the other hand, somehow managed to steer his tiny board (75ltr i think and 5somthing sail) way upwind, in hardly any wind, and landed way up from his car.
With rig upright i saw him having no trouble to walk it on water back down to his car at the fish launch spot (the big carpark off the side of road just before the boulevard - where the wooden fish is, and shower).
Yep, the wind backed off.
Thanks for the tips Ian.Lets see what happens today...
