Only a few hours from mainland France by boat, the Mediterranean island of Corsica lives up to its name as the “Isle of Beauty”. It offers a range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, from public campsites to 5 star hotels and perfect conditions for slalom and freeride windsurfing. This year, PWA slalom sailor Benjamin ‘Babou’ Augé took 3 young sailors, Julien Mangel (15), Antoine Tavan (14) and Esteban de Cruz (13) on a trip to the island to explore its southern shores and offer them some coaching at the same time. Eric de Cruz tells us more.
LA TONNARA
La Tonnara on the SW coast is one of the windiest spots in France in summer. It is easy to get to and offers plenty of space to park your car and rig your sails and you can eat on-site at one of the two ideally situated beach restaurants.
The spot is at the mouth of a large bay, renowned for its big waves during strong winter Mistral winds, but it’s also a great slalom/freeride spot in summer depending on wind conditions and suitable for intermediate and above; beginners should stick to the shelter of the cove. A thermal wind often kicks in by mid-afternoon giving you great blasting sessions until sunset. It also works with east winds, but watch out as these are offshore.
You can also launch from la Punta, just across the bay from la Tonnara. To get there, go past the kitesurf learning area, head towards Pianotolli and you will find a recently resurfaced path on your left (look out for a small ruined house), it will take you straight to a beach you can sail from. The wind blows in a few knots stronger here, but it’s not recommended for foils due to the shallow, rocky waters. But foiling can be done at la Tonnara. After sailing out of the channel, you can sail effortlessly within the bay and the more motivated may even want to ride upwind to Figari bay.
In peak season, beware of swimmers and kitesurfers. The beach is small and can get overcrowded too.
Denne historien er fra Issue 381 - November/December 2018-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 381 - November/December 2018-utgaven av Windsurf.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
