For people who are fairly new to stand up paddle boarding, the idea of howling winds and whitecaps in the bay might sound intimidating, but when perfect wind and swell directions line up, experienced stand up paddleboarders (SUPers) get excited and start organising a “downwinder”.
Downwinding involves paddling down-wind on the open water in very high winds that create large swells in the water, which you can ride. It is similar to surfing in some ways except you are travelling in a straight line for relatively long distances.
With an anticipated 20 knot wind blowing south-south-east, conditions were perfect for a fairly relaxed downwinder from Cleveland Point, past Wellington Point, and on to Manly. We set the meeting points, coordinated the car shuttling was coordinated and were on our way!
We started off near the Cleveland Point lighthouse as the wind lined up beautifully with Wellington Point. The feeling of the wind at your back, and your board being pulled along by the swell in front of you is exhilarating. You chase the bumps and runners, cheer when your mates catch a good one, and laugh at yourself when you end up in the water when your timing is off. We stopped at Wellington Point for a quick break, continued across the bay in front of Thorneside and finished at Rose Bay on the Manly foreshore.
In case you’re wondering, downwinding is a worldwide sport and not just for small groups of thrill seekers. There are famous races around the word including Hawaii’s ‘Maui 2 Molokai’ SUP race, Western Australia’s ‘The Doctor’ and Queensland’s ’12 Towers’. In 2016 the ’12 Towers’ race was relocated to Moreton Bay and as the name suggests, the course usually travels past 12 lifeguard towers. The sandy beach starts from Raby Bay for the long course, and Wellington Point for the short course, meant the Redlands got to show off its ‘best kept secret’ appeal to visitors.
Safety precautions
Throwing yourself out into the ocean isn’t something you should take lightly in challenging conditions. My team had logged our route, anticipated timing and personal details with the local Volunteer Marine Rescue and we all carried our phones in waterproof bags and wore portable flotation devices and leg ropes attached to our boards. My team also used a GPS tracking app so our partners could see our progress and locate where we were. Conditions can change unexpectedly and it’s always best to take precaution when out in the ocean.
