CONDITIONS
The conditions offer some of the best sailing to be had anywhere in the world. The surfing is world class and some of the spots we surfed were empty and pumping, which in this day and age is hard to find. A few spots you’re even happy to see a few faces in the water as some of those exposed reef breaks out on points start to feel a little “fishy” on your own.
I was lucky at the start of the trip, James Broomhead from Severne kindly put me up on his sofa in Perth whilst I was doing the van up and we sailed most afternoons (cheers Milky!). The wavesailing in Perth can be limited, for flat water blasting or freestyle it’s pretty good though. The sea breeze comes in strong but waves are limited thanks to Rottnest Island. This meant heading an hour north to Lancelin. The place can be a little hit and miss. How the wave breaks and how predictable it can be is really affected by the tide. Definitely for the guys that haven’t quite worked the place out it can be a bit of a love/hate relationship. It feels a little like an ocean pass out on the corner of a reef.
The sweep and current is strong, meaning you need to be really powered up in the lagoon to stand a chance on the reef. The wave if you find the right one can really bowl up and offer some of the funnest sections around. It can also however totally disappear, leaving you a little confused as to where on earth the solid lump of swell you’d committed to out back has gone! After a week of sailing I’d got to grips with “Lano” and really enjoyed the sailing.
When the van was finished I headed further north to Geraldton and Coronation beach. “Corro’s” has to be one of the best places for windsurfing in general I’ve ever seen, you can have logo high sets out the back and completely flat further inside. I’ve never been anywhere else that a total beginner all the way to world cup pro and everything between can enjoy the same spot and come off the water revelling in the same amount of stoke. It can get pretty busy, but it’s a big playground so with a bit of upwind or downwind sailing you can normally find a quieter peak.