rat of vengence Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Hello all, a mate and I have recently bought a Maricat 14 from evilbay, and are looking for good places to sail it within a reasonable time of Sydney. In fact I am hoping to take my nieces out this week. Is there anywhere in particular people can recommend for me? We have taken it down to Lake Illawarra (a fair hike from my side of Sydney) and am considering Narrabeen, but I worry if it is too reedy and shallow. What are your thoughts? Thanks , Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TornadoSport260 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Kurnell is always worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knobblyoldjimbo Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 and of course Michael should have said Mannering Park on Lake Macquarie. There must have been about eight 14ft cats last Saturday for a very nice race around Pulbah Island. They sail dinghies on Narabeen and the racing rudders (ie the long ones, not the funny disk shaped things) won't go as deep as their daggerboards. Many of us have auto release cleats on Mari's, I just got a pair, from the UK, A$35 including post, they release if you hit the bottom. There's a guy who comes up every weekend from west Sydney. We're about an hour from Hornsby, freeway pretty much all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointed Reply Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 To repeat an old story. You should always try to sail where there is help at hand. It may cost a couple of dollars to sail with a club but you have the HUGE benefit of having a rescue boat on hand to assist. You never know when that swag will break or pin fall out. It is very embarrassing to get the Wecpac helicopter to get you !! Club members will also give you lots of advise (if you want it). Manno is a great place to sail a 14ft cat.........well worth the 1 hour drive.........actually well worth a 7 hour drive !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethrow Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Hi Rat, I admit I don't sail there yet but Palm Beach is very Mari friendly and not far from Narrabean. Where are you coming from? (edit) If you are just after a sail, Bayview boat ramp is a great launch spot as well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Nelson Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 HI There You can visit the PBSC website www.pbsc.org.au Watch this space for some news on our 14 fleet.. Cheers Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmessee Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Just to go for a blast.... Balmoral Beach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Planet Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Hey Guys, IMHO - Clontarf Reserve winsevery time - 1/2 hr at most from the CBD - with easy access to the water – is the easiest and nicest / most picturesque place to launch on Sydney Harbour... well, Middle Harbour to be exact... you can then (if you want) sail over to Balmoral for lunch, or even to Rushcutters Bay or Manly - providing you take a few dollars with you... or if you are at Clontarf on the weekend during Summer - the canteen is open for food and drinks/snacks... there are free showers too... with BBQ facilities to make a day of it... The trick is this - get there early, unload the boat at the main entrance to the beach, then take the trailer round the other side, and dump/park it and your car - that way you don't have to pay for parking at the main reserve etc... Really, it's all about timing and knowing how to work the system down there... BUT it is a really nice place to sail in a North Easter, or a testing Southerly - riding the swells back in from the heads in a good breeze is exhiliarating too... Of course Balmoral is OK - BUT too many boats to navigate around to get out... and in certain winds can be sheltered and hard to get out... Cheers, Rohan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmessee Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I would agree with that Rohan. Clontarf is a sleeper for sure. Great park for the kids as well and if you get there before 8.30 parking is a breeze and so it getting the boat on the beach. I don't find the moored boats at Balmoral an issue except in a sou'easterly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Planet Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 The real issue with Balmoral is the parking charges - you just cant escape them - but at Clonny, if you're canny/lucky/early/tight - like me - you can side-step them... by tsking the trailer & car to the other side - where parking (for now) is still free... Also, I guess I just like the 'feel' of Clontarf - it's generally not so crowded - and launching off the beach is just really simple and hassle free... regardless of windstrength or direction - of course if you wanna be a stoopid poser (like I used 2b) you can fly hulls all day long right in front of the beach, and impress every1 with your boat-handling skills – and if you're REALLY silly, do the high-speed beach landing... Pretty spectacular on occasion – just watch out for small kids and the elderly - they can't seem to move out of the way kwik enuff – I've ended up 30ft up the beach on some occasions - just make sure you flip the rudders first - or at least bring one rudder up half way first – easy on a Windrush 14 - not so on a Maricat - maybe l8r step up to a Windy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rat of vengence Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hey, thanks for the replies all, it is much appreciated. We have taken the cat down to Lake Illawarra a few times now, it's a good spot, but a fair hike to get to. We are actually staying at Mannering Park at the end of February, other side of the peninsular from the club there! I think we will try to drop in. Are casual visits okay there? thanks for the tips on Palm Beach and Clontarf, I think I wil give them a go Cheers fellas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iOrion Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I 100% agree with what Michael is saying in regards to the rescue boat. If it wasn't for the rescue boat, I would have had to limp back to shore with only my jib after todays incident. My personal favourite spot so far in Sydney is Palm Beach. There's two places to launch both on the beach. It's nice out there, a little choppy at times, but you learn to deal with it. Watch out for cruisers on their way out to sea though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iOrion Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 ... and you should head down to Koonawarra on the 12-13th of Feb... 14 foot Cat Regatta and you should definitely stop by at Mannering Park some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xnomad Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Hi, I second Clontarf as a good spot but maybe not the best for beginners as Middle Harbour can get pretty crowded at times, plus you'll need beach wheels if you are soloing to get from the boat ramp to the water. I also park on the other side of the wall but when soloing I worry that something might get pinched whilst I'm off parking! I sail Narrabeen lake too but it is very shallow so the usable size of the lake is actually much smaller than it appears. I like it as there's no other traffic but I'm worried about capsizing as the possibility of getting the mast stuck in the mud is pretty high and not much help around, but it's so shallow you can walk back :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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