Lost In The Van

Going against the grain of forecast based windsurfing trips, Sylvain Demercastel casts plans aside and in an act of spontaneity takes a wrong turn but ends up exactly where he needed to be. Read on as Sylvain shares his story of an unexpected but memorable session in Asturias , NW Spain.

- Sylvain Demercastel

When it comes to travelling for action sports, ‘Road trips’ are part of our culture and vans a symbol of liberty. Offering the freedom to explore and the option of sleeping where you park they allow us to make last minute plans based on forecasts. I was desperate to windsurf and keen to get in the van and start a wind hunt. I wanted special conditions. I don’t like strong wind, I love waveriding and preferably no crowds. I kept having bad luck on my road trips recently though - rainy days and no wind. I went to Portugal, drove 15 hours, found onshore light wind and mushy waves. So after a while and a lot of disappointment, I decided to go back home. Frustrated and feeling like I was jinxed!

LEFT TURN

Somewhere on the way home, in the middle of Spain, I just decided to turn left towards the north coast. I was going to try a different plan, just get lost! It was too late to go to Galicia and I only had 2 more days left, so I felt like trying to see some new places. Maybe I’d find some small waves to surf or SUP; I’d already given up the idea of rigging a sail. The idea was really just to forget about the Internet forecast and get back into the spirit of the old days... when the journey was almost as important as the actual conditions you would find on arrival.