winter-most suck and northerly best place is Rye (far)
otherwise-St kilda (dirty water)-anything with south.
-Brighton-anything with south and west.
-Altona-anything except north.
Another choice is go down to Goolong. See detail from person below

hey spider thanks for your email and for starting this page.
after hearing about Laurie at gnotuck and hearing how experienced he is i thought, would i have seen the squall coming,what tell tale signs do the more experienced guys pick up that the rest of us miss.
Till now any wind that gets me out there is good wind and the cloud coming towards me brings hope of a good session not danger.so;
can you kite in the rain ever?
can you kite in a westerly in winter ever?
is nw and sw out to?
in a squall ide dive the kite at the water then pull the release ball(recon). is that right?
been too busy learning all the cool stuff to worry about all this boring stuff but after reading these pages and what can happen so quickly i need to stuff more inside my head the protect it with my shinny new helmet!

You can kite in winter be it W, SW, NW or any other directions. But generally W and NW winds are associated with frontal systems and can be more unpredictable and dangerous.

Kiting in the rain isn't always a problem. It isn't the most pleasent time to go out so it shouldn't be crowded. However if it is raining the wind will be less consistent and very up & down. Big gusts and big lulls. Usually when the rain clears the wind becomes more consistant. It may drop out or pick up in strength depending on a bunch of different factors.

Clouds aren't all bad either. The one's to look out for are cumulonimbus which basically means thunderstorm and very unsettled air. These cells usually travel east which means they are usually accompanied by westerly winds. Check the link out. This site will teach you all you heaps about this.
www.australiasevereweather.com/techniques/moreadv/storms.htm#1
Remember if it fully overcast it will be harder to identify these cells so look out for flat bottomed dark clouds. Dark clouds mean the cloud stretches very high from base to top not allowing much light through.

NW winds are more common in winter in melbourne and can be fun days on the water. They are very similar to north winds over summer and will blow harder in the morning and ease off in the arvo (sunny). This might happen 2 or 3 days prior to a cold front/LPS (low pressure system). As the LPS approaches the NW winds will get stronger and tend more westerly. At this time they will get very hard to predict and squalls will be more likely. If you are not confident reading the conditions it would be advisable to not head out the day a front is meant to arrive. Especially if overcast.

SW in summer and winter is usually OK but during winter isn't nearly as common. It may blow SW during the initial front of the LPS but as it dies out it usually goes more W followed by W or NW the next day.

If you get stuck in one of these squalls get rid of the kite. The only thing that will hurt you is the kite. It has almost happened to me before when I wanted to protect the kite and almost got hurt. If it is cross shore and you are out to see you shouldn't panic. You are pretty safe in the water. Fly your kite out to sea and check if the weather is looking like hanging around. It may only last 5 minutes or less. Otherwise dump it. If the worst happens and you get launched into the air, don't panic and remember you can still control the kite just like jumping. Once you are on or close enough to the ground get rid of the kite. Avoid flying the kite directly over head to minimize the chance of it happening in the first place. This could be a matter of opinion but thats mine.
Everything happens very fast in these situations.

Hope this helps. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong in any way.

Thanks Spider. I'm speechless (literally).
Good stuff.

great post.

I was just about to post a thread asking where in vic might be decent in winter months.

Gusts = NO NO NO



(edited so people don't read this and get the wrong ideas. read Spiders suggestions below)

you can get away with kiting northerlies at frankston and seaford.
there are also heaps of good spots between frankston and mordialloc when the breeze is coming anywhere from the south right through to the north-west. the water is much cleaner along this stretch than at the northern bay beaches and there is less attitude.
hampton is a great beginners spot in a southerly/sou-wester as the beach is over 50m wide near the lifesaving club and it rarely gets crowded.
always check the bom marine forecast for port philip, its issued at 5am and updated at 1050 and again at 1625. watkins wind site (someone please help me out with the addresses, i am *** hopeless with this stuff) is excellent for the latest wind readings around the bay. its available on mobile phones too but dont ask me how.
as the weather generally moves from west to east, i reckon its a good move to check what the wind is doing on the west coast so you have an idea of whats on the way. ozwind and watkins site are good for this

have respect for the elements

Spider,

Re: A mate sent me this link.

I'd remove it pretty quick smart if I was you....

It's removed. Sincere apologies...I was just trying to add some humour but obviously it wasn't hunorous.

I have added another link to my original post above which is what I use along with Watkins. It's more help during winter or when fronts are approaching to estimate arrival time of the front. Gives an idea or heads up on what might happen later.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr Plow

Nice one! You can claim your cred back.

BTW - you are not 6'100" and covered in appallingly bad tatts by any chance?

---

Mr Plow likes 'em rough

Spida Everitt

Kenny Everett was a gay comedian who died from Aids...

Spida Everitt is a gay comedian who plays footy for Hawthorn...

No similarity whatsoever

OK OK OK.....Back on the topic.

Another little tip for those that kiteboard in E or SE winds in
the bayside area over summer. (ricketts/mentone etc)

If you are at the beach and it is blowing light E or SE about 5 to 10kts
and you look towards Frankston & Mornington and it appears to be hazy and not very visible then the wind is not likely to pick up. However in the same scenario Frankston is very clear with no haze then you could well be in for a windy afternoon.

Another edit: You don't necessarily have to be at the beach to check this. Check the live Frankston cam @ www.triggerbrothers.com.au/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 and if it's clear bright blue sky over the houses then it could be on in the arvo.

This will usually mean you are in for 2 to 3 days of honking SE'ers tending more E on dusk.
(do beware at Mentone LSC on SE. You will probably get some of the biggest jumps ever but I have been lofted......)

Usually BOM will forecast E or SE winds a few days out and under estimate the strength - 10 to 15kts. If the weather is meant to be fine and warmish (25 to 29 degrees) then expect the winds to be stornger - 20 to 25kts+.