Has anyone done a down winder from southport to henley ?. I am really keen to organise one with a barbie and beers at the end. Just not really sure if it is possible. Would be a good chance to get some heads together and give everyone a chance to meet some new people and ride some different spots.

mate i'm keen , but is that a fn long way??

yep, sounds great

you'll find that southport to henley would only be possible, in a frontal SW-W direction. The SE comes in quite quickly along the christies to seacliff stretch.
the best option would be to go from Seacliff to Bauer Rd or North haven. much better wind and safer all round if the wind goes to ****z.

cheers for the enthusim geoff.

New BBQ's at Pt Malcolm, 2 mins walk SOuth of Bower Rd /Esplanade cnr!

hey crew.
ive done plenty on a sialboard, doesnt take long, so i reckon a kite could take about 2hours of fun go easy riding.
des's buses could be a good idea.
big word for geoff too. keep up the cheer

let me no where your gonna ride, im in on sunday.
peace
fletch
0407716635
give me a buzz

I have some mates who have offered support boats. People are also volunteering for other roles. Sounds like there are alot of keen lads. Sick!!!!! The date and details will be posted here in about ten days- keep an eye out. Should be late january. Cheers !!!!

Hey all- the day is set, 21st of january- make sure you keep the day free. I will post more details about times and stuff as the date gets closer. It is quite reliant on the wind forecast for that weekend. Even if there is no wind an afternoon barbie would still be an option cos we all love meat and beer (except vegos). Cheers all hope to see you on the water soon !!!!

awesome, everyone spread the word

Word is spreading in the AKFA crew - we are keen.

We often do a couple of Henly to Semaphore downwinders in an afternoon, so Seacliff to Semaphore should be a breeze (!).

Just wondering how it will fit in with the Airport no-fly zone and the ban around Glenelg / Seacliff?

If we could organise for the media to be on the end of the Glenelg Jetty when we go past, that would make a good "End of News" story.

Yeah, in Oz it's illegal to fly a kite within 4km of an airport boundary fence. Then again, the Torrens outlet is only about 2km from the airport so it's obviously not strictly enforced at the edges.

If you want to cross the flight path legally you will need clearance from CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) which may be a problem because those guys are rule freaks. I once flew down the coast in a Cessna with a pilot friend and although we had an approved flight plan and no aircraft were visible we still had to radio the tower to get permission to cross. I suspect they won't allow a group of wind powered junkies into the zone unless you can tell them a precise time and all cross in a tight group (& maybe even announce it with radio contact). In other words, I think they'll say no.

Don't let that bring you down. If they say no, just head out to sea between Glenelg South & Henley (yay for chase boats ). It's important to ask for clearance though because our actions reflect on the sport. It will show them we are aware of the rules and respect them. If you rely on ignorance and decide to bomb past inshore, then someone with authority may arc up and bring down the hammer on all of us (usual story).

Be interested to see how it pans out. I've always wanted to downwind here it but never bothered because of the airport regulation BS.

i think the problem with the airport is u are not allowed to jump as it pops up on the radar and freaks the guys out in the tower so we should just cruz past that bit as quick as we can and dont do any jumps till henly

Has anyone noticed theres no enforcing of these bans or is it just me, have kited at west beach boat ramp a few times including a quick fly by yesterday. No problemo.

Spacemonkey, the airport exclusion zone is not a local kite ban. It's an Australia wide law and is there to ensure safe aviation. If they decide to police it here & keep kiters out ---> no more Henley.

I don't test the limits on the ban and stuff I just have realised that the council really don't give a stuff, It's banned at Semaphore, that doesn't stop people. I've only seen signs from the council, no action. Pretty sure the council have more to worry about that a couple of people having fun kiteboarding.

hey crew.
sadly i won't be riding in the down winder im in the US and it is gonna be a bit hard.
geoff the problem wiht the airpot is a croc of poo. a kite surfer kite sits not much higher then a mobie tiger mast (for radar purpose) and they sail every weekend at adeliade directly inline witht he airport.
dont worry about ti and if you talk to the airport they'll just make sure nothing happens.
making sure theres cold beer is a bigger problem, let me know how it goes.
peace lads
fletch