See we do head out of our little paradise occasionally!
Due to popular demand, Freerace is heading to Brisbane in March!
With special thanks to Padi @ SurfConnect, we will be racing pretty much out the front of his shop at Sandgate, Padi is generously helping out with boats/buoys/permits (all the hard stuff!) and a BBQ and Prizes to follow!
It's a great location, perfect for 'non sailors' also with a great pool with slides etc for the kids right on the foreshore, parks for the little ones, flat coastal walk/bike/skate/scoot path Fish and Chip Shop nearby , nice pubs nearby also.
We have 4 Sundays in March to aim for (last Sunday is Windfest) with a combination of mid morning and afternoon high tides to work with.
As always with Freerace, its Wind determined firstly, not date or tide, so after we have discussed upcoming wind arrangements with the wind gods closer to the date we can determine best times to work with tides etc then, statistically we should have a pretty good chance of some decent SE winds.
Sailing wise Sandgate offers on/cross shore winds, is very open to get full wind, not gusts, and is shallow and baby little bumpy waves nothing serious , but enough to make it more interesting!
Stay tuned here and Facebook site for further details as dates get closer.
Forecast for the weekend is looking positive for Freerace Brisbane at Sandgate (out the front of Surf Connect Location), way too early to call just yet as the weather will be dictated by that Low up Nth, afternoon High Tide for Sunday, stay tuned here and Face Book.
Both Freerace (at Sandgate) and Bayside Slalom (at Manly?) events have been scheduled for Sunday this weekend. Is it possible for these 2 events to be scheduled so participants can attend both?
Hi John,
It could be possible. If you peel off Bayside racing at 3pm from Manly, it's about a 35k or 1 hour ish downwind run to Sandgate.
John,
If you were to pull a stunt like that I'm sure it would be acknowledged as per the freerace philosphy.
Is there a tide analysis available for this event? I think we need to know when it is expected the spot will be sailable.
High tide at 4pm is 1.5 metres. Not very high. Is the race committee looking at starting the event late in the day?
Padi, who basically lives at the spot 24/7 assures us with a 4pm high we will have no dramas with a 2pm race start.
Think the kites will be in closer to shore and the course will be out the back a bit more, so deeper again so shouldn't be any drama with depth, obviously may new to walk gear out, but that's no different to Lake Weyba for example.
Plan is for a more 'defined' boundary with markers for this one.
HI John,
Manly to Sandgate sounds like a great run, maybe an idea for next year!
We may have a situation of the 2 events on the same day, has happened couple of times this year, have tried to avoid in the past and hasn't worked, we just have to go when the wind gods say Go.
Saturday's (with exception of the last 'bonus' FR at Lake C which was a different set of circumstances) have proven to be a bit of a dud in the past..too many people have too many other commitments on Saturdays be it work or Kids sporting activities etc.
FR and Slalom are 2 different disciplines, not going to debate Pro's and Con's here of each type here, but needless to say we think the success of the series this year is just the beginning!!
Besides that we bribe you to attend! We have given away a bucket load of great prizes already this season (All Random draw) with more to come, (Just received a great Ezzy Kids Rig this week for later in the season! RRP $450+!!)
Goodtime $50 vouchers, Black Project Fin's, Severne Mast Extensions, Seabreeze T Shirts and Sunnies, Rash Shirts, Aqau Packs and more!!
I'm Sure Padi has a few goodies tucked away for Sunday also!
Isn't it great that there is all this windsurfing activity choice happening now in QLD, it's all just all good!
Here is the current ladder, for those that haven't seen the latest..
I understand both organisations have to prioritise their racing. I will just have to choose.
Still looking good for Sunday, another 24hrs BOM should be able to provide a more accurate forecast, still very dependant on that Nth Low, at this stage it look like it's going to put a 'squeeze' on the southern high, which should make for good E/SE winds!
The wind gods have been co operating with the series, we are managing to score plenty of proper windy days, which is what it's all about!
Don't forget if you haven't signed up for a previous event or paid a season pass, individual fees can be paid on line via links on website link below.
You can pay and sign up on the day also, just makes it so much easier if it's done on line, means less for the organisers to do on the day and we can concentrate on the event as such.
This is our first BRISBANE event, and it's been selected by popular request to hold some Brisbane events rather than just Sunshine Coast,
so we are looking forward to seeing lots of new Brisbane windsurfing faces. It's all very low key, no pressure but also very challenging so if you haven't done a Freerace before come and join in!
Round 7 of Freerace series continues Sunday 9th
2.00Pm Start Wind permitting , Sign on from 12.30.
Location Sandgate Beach, Flinders Pde in front of 'Surf Connect'
All details, sign on forms, on line payment can be found on website. http://www.freeracequeensland.com/prizes-faq-s-1.html
Also follow up dates on our FaceBook Page www.facebook.com/freeraceq
PM us here on Seabreeze or Message on Face book with any questions, if you need a GPS let us know we may still have a spare to loan, all our retail sponsors have them in stock also!
Surf Connect (you could get one on the day!) Board Crazy, Sunshine Coast Sailboards, Caloundra Wind & Surf, Goodtime, Surf Sail Australia.
See you there.
Hey there, as a fairly newbie to Windsurfing (last few years) what is freerace? and what level of competency is required?
I.e Gybing is still an issue for myself. 1 out of 5 
Hi Agraylin,
The website has all the details and info on it, http://freeracequeensland.com
Basically FR is free sailing for 1hr but you try your best to sail as fast as you can for that hour, you can gybe as often as you like or dislike! no set course or angles to achieve just a set 'area' so you sail where ever you like in that area.
Somewhere like Sandgate is perfect if you don't gybe that well as when you come off you will be able to 'touch bottom' for a lot of the sailing area!
At the end of the hour you hand your GPS in and it calculates how far you sailed, average speed etc, so you an track your own results and speeds PB's etc can be a totally private battle!
But the results also rank everybody against each other who sailed in exactly the same location and conditions as your self, so you get to rank yourself against your peers.
If you don't have a GPS let is know before hand via a PM message here or message via Facebook and we will see I we can help.
It's all low key, or hard core , just depends on how you sail the event, choice is yours, it's a lot of fun and very catchy!
Hot off the press, some encouragement from Black Project Fins, the 'most improved' sailor of the series will be rewarded with a Brand New 32.5 Type R fin, so some extra motivation to come and give it your best shot over the hr.
Thanks to Padi and his staff at Surf Connect for hosting us at Sandgate today, rescue boat, setting up the massive buoy, boat and Sausage Sizzle!
It's a great location, nice bumps with smooth runs in between, unfortunately we only got a few tastes of decent wind, and in the end it dropped literally to zero knts!
It's a great natural Freerace location with the Jetty making a great boundary point, plenty of parking, shade, parks, pools etc.
Everyone walked away with a T-Shirt, DVD, harness lines and soon to announce someone has walked away the lucky winner of a Brand New fantastic Chinook RDM Mast, constant curve 60% 430, an awesome prize thanks Padi.
Freerace now turns its attention towards Burrum Heads and Speed week, wind gods on our side we will run a race Sunday 30th.
It sounds like a great spot. Who would have guessed it was going to be such a fickle day. Looking at the charts you would have expected to be breaking some records but you can never predict what will happen once there is such a heavy cloud cover.
Sounds like you all had a good day all the same.
Congratulations to Glen Young, lucky Prize winner of the great Chinook Mast (430 RDM) for the Sandgate Event, with thanks to Padi at Surf Connect.
* Glen, Catch up with us at the next FR to pick up your prize!
Select to expand quoteFreeraceQLD said...
Congratulations to Glen Young, lucky Prize winner of the great Chinook Mast (430 RDM) for the Sandgate Event, with thanks to Padi at Surf Connect.
* Glen, Catch up with us at the next FR to pick up your prize!
Thanks heaps !
