WeirdEd said...


Hi seabreeze,
I was just wondering which weather station to use before heading down to Brighton during northerlies? Fawkner beacon shows the clean, undisturbed "true" wind (currently NW) and St. Kilda shows gusty and probably deflected wind (currently N).
How does the wind usually get affected by the Brighton coastline and which station is more reliable? I don't feel like drifting all the way down to Rye if something goes wrong.
Also: What happens when it's W (dead onshore) in Brighton, is there an additional risk of getting lofted due to the "cliff"?

Thanks.

I generally avoid Brighton in a northerly and will only kite there if there is some westerly in it. I.e. NW. That said, in winter its always gusty. Fawkner is slightly offshore so the wind is generally a couple of knots lower at Brighton unless you kite out a fair distance offshore.

Westerly is always dodgy in winter (gustier wind direction due to the type of wind rather than the wind direction itself) but because its direct onshore, its difficult for beginners to kite there (waves with direct onshore and deep water make it difficult for them to get out). That said, anyone could get lofted in winter if the gust is strong enough so its better to get a bit upwind and leave yourself some room downwind in case things go pear shaped.