The Dragon Island Downwinder: What To Expect

Twenty-five kilometres of empty lagoon, a boat behind you and flamingos on the sandbanks. Here is how the day runs.

The shuttle up

We leave the school around ten in a 4x4 with the kit on the roof, and drive up the inside of the lagoon for forty minutes. The boat leaves at the same time and meets us at the launch. Everyone rigs on the sand at Dragon Island itself, which is a low rock outcrop with a shallow bay behind it.

The run itself

Twenty-five kilometres, mostly flat, with the wind behind your shoulder the whole way. There are three or four natural stopping points where the group regroups on a sandbank. You will pass the oyster farms, and between November and March there are usually flamingos standing in the shallows a few hundred metres off your line.

What you need to be able to do

Ride upwind and self-rescue. That is it — the run is downwind, so there is no upwind grind, and the boat is behind the last rider at all times. If you can hold a heading for a few hundred metres you will be fine.

Practicalities

Bring sun cream, a hat for the boat and something warm for the drive back. Lunch is on the island — grilled fish and bread — and we are usually back at the school by six. Kit rental can be added if you are not travelling with your own.

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