Kitesurfing Douglas River and downwinder to Bicheno

Session 427.  Tasmania kitesurfing trip Day 3.

Some wind on the East coast! We headed up to Bicheno and stopped for a look at the Blowhole.  We were lucky to see some whales were breaching far out to sea.  There wasn't much wind about so we continued up the coast as far as Sneaker Bay where there was a good beach.

Kitesurfing Douglas River

Bicheno Blowhole

The crew at Bicheno Blowhole

Bicheno Blowhole

Whale

Lunch in Bicheno

Sneakers Bay

Sneakers Bay

Sneakers Bay

We returned to Douglas River which looked like the best spot.  The beach has amazing white sand and the wind was over 10 knots.  Mike and I drove back to Bicheno to leave a car there then returned to Douglas River.  I took out my Flite 14.5 and had plenty of power to get out through the surf.

There were some good waves and the deep water was dark blue.  A couple of kites were down in the surf, it seemed that nobody was ready for the downwinder.  I sensed the wind was dropping so I headed off, glancing back nobody followed.

There was a rocky section of coast were swimming in would not be fun so I stayed out of the waves and concentrated on keeping a good line towards Diamond Island. It was a relief to make it the beach then the sand isthmus that connects the island to Tasmania, but the wind dropped out there.

I landed the kite and looked at the endpoint about 600m along the beach, still no signs of the others.  The wind picked up so I relaunched my kite and continued to the end of the tour.  There were some bigger waves closing out and not enough wind for more kitesurfing so I landed, very happy to complete the downwinder.

I packed up my kite and returned to the beach for a look - kites were coming in the far distance!  They all made it to the island beach (just).  I walked over to say hello and then back to the car.

This downwinder was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

On the downwinder

Diamond Island

Here come the others

South to Bicheno

GPS Log

Kitesurfing Stanley East Inlet, flat water speed runs

Session 426.  Tasmania kitesurfing trip Day 2, second session.

The wind dropped soon after we arrived at the East Inlet so I swapped to my big Ocean Rodeo Flite kite. We all waited on the shore for a while until it picked up a bit, then we took some turns doing runs with my kite.  When it got stronger everyone headed out again on their own kites.

The tide was coming in so getting around got easier.  I did a run a long way up the inlet to the South then returned out through the mouth towards Stanley.  When I turned the wind dropped out again!  I ended up walking back along the beach then crossing a sand isthmus to get back to the lagoon and kite back to our base location.

It was really good to get some solid kitesurfing in.  Stanley is a good location for kitesurfing in Tasmania as most wind directions are possible within a short driving distance.

We stopped at Fish Frenzy in Burnie on the foreshore for a good feed on the drive back to Swansea.

GPS Log

Kitesurfing downwinder from Peggs Beach to Stanley East Inlet

Session 425.  First kitesurfing on our 2017 Tassie trip cured my cabin fever.

Tasmania kitesurfing trip Day 2.

The wind forecast dropped out on the East Coast - a large stationary high pressure system over the Tasman was playing havoc with the wind.  So we drove 4.5 hours to Stanley and scored some wind.  .

Stu and I rigged up and did a nice downwinder from Peggs Beach to the East Inlet at Stanley.  The rest of the crew drove on to the East Inlet.

The water was clear and the scenery stunning.  The waves were not huge but provided some variety.  I had enough power on my 10m kite to enjoy the trip.

We went past the inlet then back in it to join the others.  This was a nice 13km run, a worthwhile tour.

More photos

GPS Log

Coles Bay SUP and kayak tour

Tasmania kitesurfing trip Day 1.

There wasn't any wind for kitesurfing on Friday afternoon so we headed to Coles Bay and hired SUPs and a double kayak from Freycinet Adventures to do a short tour around Honeymoon Bay in Freycinet National Park.  

The water is clear and the granite peaks on the Freycinet Peninsula provide a dramatic back drop.  There was some wind as we paddled across, some on a SUP for the first time. 

The wind dropped for our return journey and a thunderstorm brewed up to the South.

More photos

Kitesurfing Sandy Point surf is a sublime experience

Session 424. Sandy Point delivers again - what a fantastic location for kitesurfing!  I got to the beach around 4 p.m. with the wind building.  There were a couple of other kiters out and 3 windsurfers were enjoying the waves too.

With my 10m kite being repaired, I was lucky that the wind was good for my 8m. I had plenty of power to get out and and around and not too much for surfing in.

The Sandy Point surf is excellent for kitesurfing - the waves don't close out so its easy to get out the back.  You can score some nice rides coming back in.   There is heaps of beach and its not crowded.

If you haven't been there its well worth a visit.

GPS log