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.
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.
Bu hikaye Windsurf dergisinin Issue 371 - November December 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Windsurf dergisinin Issue 371 - November December 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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.
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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.
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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!
