i took my Mana out yesterday at Sorrento when the wind was blowing a gale just for fun and it was interesting to see how fast you travel on a downwinder! I went about 1.5km in about 6min not including all the times I fell off but I got a few runners and it was good fun.
BUT then I had to walk all the way back to my partner pushing my board in the water and I did it again and again but not the full 1.5km. All was good fun until I had to take my board out of the water to by gear with a 35k+ wind in my face, I pointed the nose into the wind but it eventually spun me around again and again, of course my partner thought I looked funny but I was not laughing!!

So my question is, if I struggled with a 10 footer how do you guys move your 12 and 14 footers in the same conditions? I mean you still need to get to a beach walk to your car and put it on the roof by yourself, or do you? Advise needed or I will stick to dead calm days and paddling glass.

DaveSandan said...


So my question is, if I struggled with a 10 footer how do you guys move your 12 and 14 footers in the same conditions? I mean you still need to get to a beach walk to your car and put it on the roof by yourself, or do you? Advise needed or I will stick to dead calm days and paddling glass.

You should stick to dead calm days and paddling glass IMO..

Paddling in strong winds alone can be very dangerous and it's very easy to damage your board.. We help each other getting our boards on and off the car and very careful if leaving a board on the ground unattended.. You need to be very careful regarding wind direction and weather forcast predictions etc.. There is a big difference between doing downwinders on downwinding equipment and paddling a surfing board in a strong wind.. If you are keen to start sup downwinding I'd recomend getting a board that's suitable and find others with experience to join.. You are more than welcome to join our DW groups but depending on the conditions you can't just turn up expect to join in.. We often insist on things like leash.. PFD of some kind.. and bright paddling clothing so you can be seen easy.. Plus you need to have a certain amount of paddling skills and DW knowledge.. It's rare that we ever turn anyone away but it has happened on the odd occasion..

I'm not sure if that answers your question or not.. or if your main question is just how we get back to where we started from..

Dave,
Like the safety slogan says : "A PFD never ruined a day on the water"
Better hot than drowned.
I've been downwinding for 2+ years now, and have ALWAYS worn a vest type PFD. (leftover habit from 45 years of sailing).
I've just moved to an inflatable waist-band type, but I will probably revert to use the vest PFD in winter (10c water temp in Melbourne).
Don't underestimate how quickly your circumstances can change from "fun" to "disaster".