Best Windsurfing spots in Europe
GTombleson
August-September-October
I am keen to sail all the best sites- apart from Tarifa and Lake Garda-the
obvious ones- what are the other best windsurfing sites in Europe?
Is there a book you can buy that shows the spots? I have a book for Surfing-
'Stormriders guide to Europe Surfing'- if there a Windsurfing equivalent of
this book?
Any help greatly appreciated
Cheers
Gareth
Lev Brouk
not you'll need rentals, etc.
August is epic in Portugal in terms of wind (count on some 3.5 days in
Guincho :-), but the waves are on the smaller side. Tarifa is a good
bet, but the place is notorious for weeks-long lulls, even in August,
so I wouldn't go all the way down there, unless you're going to spend
at least 2-3 weeks there, which can be pricey in August. The south of
France will give you some wind, but you'll have to hunt for it, from
Leucate to Sanary/Hyeres. If you're going to be camping, the bay of
Beaduc is an interesting option, but you have to bring EVERYTHING with
you, including water, it's 10km away from the nearest village, and the
road is a piece of shit. Expect HUGE crowds anywhere in the south
(Spain, Portugal, France, I wouldn't even come close to lake Garda).
Come September, I'd do one of the following:
- Holland or northern France (the channel)
- Bretagne
- Tarifa
- South of France may have epic Tramontagne/Mistral conditions, but
it's a hit&miss.
October:
- Holland, the water is still very warn, but be ready for rains.
- Tarifa (the Poniente time of the year), but it may be unexpectedly
cold and rainy.
- France - pretty much anywhere, the channel, normandie, bretagne
I'd particularly recommend the sites on the Contentin peninsula in
October, near Cherbourg, Sciotot on the southerlies, Siouville on SW,
and Urville on W or E. I spent my last October there, it was EPIC.
The air may be a bit cold, especially with the easterlies, but the
water is still 15 degrees or so.
Email me privately if you want to know more.
- Lev
"GTombleson" <gtomb...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<408cf5a0$0$25512$afc3...@news.easynet.co.uk>...
Florian Feuser /FFF/
> You really should post a bit more details, like your level, whether or
> not you'll need rentals, etc.
>
> August is epic in Portugal in terms of wind (count on some 3.5 days in
> Guincho :-), but the waves are on the smaller side. Tarifa is a good
> bet, but the place is notorious for weeks-long lulls, even in August,
<snip>
I concur with most of Lev's post.
Later in the year, it's a good idea to move towards the North of Europe or (from
what I hear) towards the eastern Med (Greece).
I've had a 3 - week lull in Tarifa once during August - September (Summer 91
IIRC). July is probably a safer bet for that spot.
Florian
GTombleson
Sorry-let me give you more detail..!
I grew up in Cape Town and have been wave sailing for 10 years at
Blouberg-so pretty confident in Force 6 winds with up to about 2m waves..My
wife is still learning so flat water and little wind would suit her-although
I will be doing 80% of the sailing..We have bought a campervan and are doing
August-Sep-October-before we head home to Cape Town..
So my thought were along the following lines:
-Drive from Calais to the Italian Alps(Lake Garda)-spend 3 week there in
August-maybe try and find some less crowded Lakes or spots but we want to
spend August in the Alps..
-In September head to Croatia-latest 'Boards' magazine in the UK has a whole
feature on Croatia so try and spend a few weeks there..
-From Croatia-drive to Italy to Ancona-get Ferry to Greece-Igoumenitsa-try
and catch some good Spots in North West Greece
-Get Ferry back to Italy-head down to Sicily-check out sailing in Puzziteddu
-From Sicily it will probably be cooling down around then-late
October-thinking of then heading to Spain-probably Tarifa-get as far South
as possible for late October-early November..
Does this plan make sense?? Or am I off my rocker? This really will be a
trip of a lifetime so all help greatly appreciated!!
Cheers
Gareth
"Florian Feuser /FFF/" <florian...@funnygarbage.com> wrote in message
news:20040426173...@News.Individual.DE...
chog
august - if you're in tarifa get the ferry across to morocco - essouira, moulay etc.
sept/oct - dingle bay, west coast of ireland. http://www.jamieknox.com/
Acolmanj
Ireland.
Great swell, plenty of launch sites for all wind directions and
levels, never crowded except for when the PWA tour arrives, and the
best guinness in Europe.
http://www.jamieknox.com/WEBPILOT/LIST/DETAILS.ASP?l=9&contentid=62&header=6
John.
GTombleson
Is the weather not a bit chilly over there? I dont mind cold water (Im from
CTown!) but I do like it to be hot weather!
"Acolmanj" <mccu...@ie.ibm.com> wrote in message
news:fda78a4a.04042...@posting.google.com...
henq
"GTombleson" <gtomb...@hotmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:408cf5a0$0$25512$afc3...@news.easynet.co.uk...
Gareth,
The wind in most spots mentioned so far are weather-related (hi/low
pressure). Therefore there can be lulls of weeks on a stretch. Thermal winds
are much more wind secure, look where the surf organisations have their
stations:
* Greek Islands (Rhodes, Karpathos) and Turkey. (best : august)
* I would also consider Egypt/Red Sea (best: sept/okt)
See:
Happy: www.happy-surf.de (german, but click 'reiseziele')
http://www.sunandfun.de/
Mistral: www.club-mistral.com
Rhodos: http://www.procenter-rhodos.com/
Planet http://www.planetwindsurfing.de/
Plan your flights carefuly, as a lot of the charters only fly north-south
(from cold to warm and back).
Happy stay in Europe!
henq
Wolfgang Soergel
>
> Thanks to both of you..
>
> Sorry-let me give you more detail..!
>
> I grew up in Cape Town and have been wave sailing for 10 years at
> Blouberg-so pretty confident in Force 6 winds with up to about 2m waves..My
> wife is still learning so flat water and little wind would suit her-although
> I will be doing 80% of the sailing..We have bought a campervan and are doing
> August-Sep-October-before we head home to Cape Town..
OK, sounds like you'll be able to find ample opportunities for sailing
for both of you, including a great trip through Europe.
> So my thought were along the following lines:
> -Drive from Calais to the Italian Alps(Lake Garda)-spend 3 week there in
> August-maybe try and find some less crowded Lakes or spots but we want to
> spend August in the Alps..
If the winds cooperate, a first stop could be Wissant just next to
Calais for a few days. If not: On you go. As far as sailing in the Alps
is concerned, Lake Garda certainly is the center and best known (and
quite full, expect to wait in line for a spot on the lake-side
campgrounds) But there is a fair chance for thermal winds on many lakes
in the alps, especially those in a valley with north-south orientation.
Lake Silvaplane near St. Moritz, Switzerland gets some thermals in
summer, enough for a PWA recognized freestyle event and it's very
scenic. Reschensee at the Italian-Austrian border also gets a bit of
wind, as well as Achensee. But those would be more like roadside stops
for a day or two if conditions are OK, otherwise there are other things
to do. On your way east from Garda, Lago di Santa Croce (sp.?) could be
worth a stop.
> -In September head to Croatia-latest 'Boards' magazine in the UK has a whole
> feature on Croatia so try and spend a few weeks there..
Certainly off the beaten path with nice locations. Wouldn't expect the
winds to be really reliable there except at some places with thermals
(Bol/Brac)
> -From Croatia-drive to Italy to Ancona-get Ferry to Greece-Igoumenitsa-try
> and catch some good Spots in North West Greece
Would be a long way and i don't know wether North West Greece has as
much to offer. Afaik the winds in Lefkada are thermic so September might
be a bit late already. But i've never been there..
> -Get Ferry back to Italy-head down to Sicily-check out sailing in Puzziteddu
> -From Sicily it will probably be cooling down around then-late
> October-thinking of then heading to Spain-probably Tarifa-get as far South
> as possible for late October-early November..
Sicily sounds good. Getting from there to spain however is a long way. I
don't know wether there are ferries but i'd expect them not to be too
cheap. Get informations before! The alternative would be to drive up
through Italy along the left coast, possibly by the way of Sardinia and
Corsica and then down to Spain via southern France. Lots of things to
discover on your way. Then from Tarifa up via Portugal and the North
western part of spain (very remote but supposedly quite good) and along
the french atlantic coast, from Biarritz , Bretagne and Normandie...
> Does this plan make sense?? Or am I off my rocker? This really will be a
> trip of a lifetime so all help greatly appreciated!!
The trip as i have described it above will probabely be too long for 3
months, especially if you want to do anyting besides driving, sleeping
and sailing (or waiting for wind). It would probabely be wise to either
skip Greece and/or Croatia or Spain.
Have a great trip!
--
Wolfgang
arge
has the best windsurfing reputation (some prefer it to Garda). That is
because the channel between Sardegna and Corsica is a wind channel.
After a very short search I came across the following link:
http://www.quipalau.it/windsurf_portopollo.asp
Many friends that have been in Sardegna consider it second to none.
My home spot used to be Ostia Lido (which is the part of Rome on the
Mediterraneo). But good wind is rare on summer time. I had some good
windsurfing memories in the Gargano in Puglia.
Enjoy,
Paolo
Florian Feuser /FFF/
> Sicily sounds good. Getting from there to spain however is a long way. I
> don't know wether there are ferries but i'd expect them not to be too
> cheap. Get informations before! The alternative would be to drive up
> through Italy along the left coast, possibly by the way of Sardinia and
> Corsica and then down to Spain via southern France. Lots of things to
> discover on your way. Then from Tarifa up via Portugal and the North
> western part of spain (very remote but supposedly quite good) and along
> the french atlantic coast, from Biarritz , Bretagne and Normandie...
That's a great plan. By all means, drive up through Italy and see some sights:
Rome, Florence (also Venice) are all on your way and the best time to visit them
is late winter/early spring. Around that time, the Mistral should still be
firing in southern France.
I'd zoom right past the crowds at Lago di Garda (but do spend a few days in the
area - e.g. Bergamo. It's beautiful and the food is justly famous!) and go
skiing for a few days.
Wolfgang: I spent a few days at Lago di Rescia (Reschensee) in a kid's camp once (
and brought a board(!). Great if you want to get your jibes wired: you can only
go for about 10 seconds before you hit the embankment...
That trip sounds great, Gareth,.. can I come along?
;)
florian
Wolfgang Soergel
>
> On 4/30/04 5:13 AM Wolfgang Soergel wrote:
> > Sicily sounds good. Getting from there to spain however is a long way. I
> > don't know wether there are ferries but i'd expect them not to be too
> > cheap. Get informations before! The alternative would be to drive up
> > through Italy along the left coast, possibly by the way of Sardinia and
> > Corsica and then down to Spain via southern France. Lots of things to
> > discover on your way. Then from Tarifa up via Portugal and the North
> > western part of spain (very remote but supposedly quite good) and along
> > the french atlantic coast, from Biarritz , Bretagne and Normandie...
>
> That's a great plan. By all means, drive up through Italy and see some sights:
> Rome, Florence (also Venice) are all on your way and the best time to visit them
> is late winter/early spring. Around that time, the Mistral should still be
> firing in southern France.
Yes, spring is beautiful there. But fall isn't bad either and the water
is warmer then.
> I'd zoom right past the crowds at Lago di Garda (but do spend a few days in the
> area - e.g. Bergamo. It's beautiful and the food is justly famous!) and go
> skiing for a few days.
Hm, he wants to go in summer so the skiing options would be the
glaciers. I'd prefer some hiking or mountain biking instead.
Crowds&Garda: Right, i've never actually been there for sailing for this
reason. Otoh. people are going there over and over again so the could be
some reason?
> Wolfgang: I spent a few days at Lago di Rescia (Reschensee) in a kid's camp once (
> and brought a board(!). Great if you want to get your jibes wired: you can only
> go for about 10 seconds before you hit the embankment...
Is it really that narrow? Never sailed there but from looking while
passing by on my way to the mountains it seems wide enough. Lots of
kiters btw. and the sailing spot is also quite scenic: It's next to a
church tower sunken into the lake (it's an artificial reservoir) which
also attracts lots of tourists.
Oh, i do know narrow lakes btw: The small reservoir at Happurg near
Nuernberg where i learned on did not really allow jibes on both ends of
a reach. But there was a funnel effect in NNW winds. Unfortunately
really only in that direction, all other winds were actually blocked by
the mountains. So it's actually a crappy place and we were happy once
our new lakes were ready. But then rumor was that the Simmer borthers
actually learned to sail (or sailed once?) at this lake before going to
Hawaii. Don't know wether it's more than a rumor 'though.
> That trip sounds great, Gareth,.. can I come along?
> ;)
Oh yes... But as stated before: 3 months won't be enough for a relaxed
trip to all the places mentioned. You'll need to pick out what you're
interested most.
--
Wolfgang