El Médano is famed for its strong summer winds. This was my first visit in summer. I expected to find things very different, but was surprised so find it very much the same as in winter. It was warmer, and the beach was busier. There was more wind too.
El Médano is a friendly place, at least on the water. Windsurfers who visit tend to come back many times. There are also a lot of resident foreigners. If you meet someone on holiday, you may well see them again next year!
It was very warm most of the time. We wore shorts on the beach and round town. A shortie wetsuit was sufficient on the water. There was some cloud, which provided useful protection against a strong sun most of the time.
For protection against cuts and sunburn, you might be well advised to take a convertible wetsuit and boots.
A number of pretty buoys have appeared in the bay, in different colours and sizes. One has already escaped its moorings. From certain viewpoints, they appear to form lines. On one day, the coastguard was moving swimmers away from the part of the beach where windsurfers launch, told me to keep to one side of a particular set of buoys, and even helped a kiter with a kite which had landed on the water. I think that was the day El Medano beach had its final inspection to gain its blue flag status.
One of the requirements of a blue flag beach is that there is no construcion in the vicinity. Work on the new blocks of apartments on the beach continues to progress. Within days of the awarding of blue flag status, an enormous green crane appeared within yards of the flag.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 5.3 | 6.6 | NS | ||||
| 6.6 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.5 |
| 5.0 | NS | NS |
Arriving on Wednesday, there was good wind, but I was too tired following the journey to windsurf that day. The following day, there was no wind until late in the day, when I was happy to sail a 5.3m. Friday had wind all day, but needed a large sail. Saturday had no wind at all. I managed a sail on Sunday with a large sail. Monday was better, with wind all day.
These were not the winds I was expecting in Tenerife in July. They served well enough to get me accustomed to the conditions. South Bay windsurf center have several boards suitable for light winds. Perhaps the best was the 98L 251 Naish Vector, which is very wide compared with the boards I sail at home.
The wave boards are all fitted with small fins, and most suitable for sailing with sizes of 5m or less. If you need a larger sail on a wave board, the 85L 248 Naish wave board seems about the best. Many of the larger boards seem intended for heavier sailors rather than lighter winds.
Following this introduction, the wind picked up, and I was able to use sails between 4.0m and 5.0m for the next 9 days. Waves in the bay vary in size, up to about mast height. The waves in the bay are very non-threatening rolling waves, a delight to sail on. I quickly discovered the Naish 69L 240 'expert' Wave board. It fully justifies Naish's description as a favourite board for all conditions. It handled a 5m sail well enough. In the salty Atlantic waters around Tenerife, it did not sink. Your experience may vary!
The following day, Thursday, the wind blew even stronger, and I sailed a 3.7m sail very happily for about 5 hours. The waves were not quite as high as previously. The airport was reporting low humidy with temperatures of 36°C and wind speeds of 27 knots. On the beach, the wind could well be 10 knots more.
Friday was windy again, but I was unable to get the power I needed from a 3.7m sail. I tried a 4.0m sail, but by then the wind had picked up, and I was not successful. The D'Light web site was reporting 39 knots that day, with a maximum of 49 knots.
The wind blew all night, but the Saturday morning was cooler and more humid. As on the previous day, I was unable to get the power I needed from a 3.7m sail. Perhaps a larger sail might have been more appropriate. I sailed a 4.5m in the afternoon.
On Sunday morning, I had an hour's sailing with 5.0m, and then the wind dropped. There was no more wind for the rest of the holiday.
All in all, it was a remarkable holiday. I must go back next year, though perhaps not for so long. In total, I scored 17 sailing days out of 20.
The Atlantic Playa Hotel is currently closed and being refurbished. We saw few English speaking people, and not as many German windsurfers as I would have expected. The beaches are mainly full of local people, Spanish, and many other nationalities.
In previous years, I had experienced light winds in October. This year we changed our routine, hoping for better winds.
The night before we arrived, Tenerife experienced Tropical Storm Delta. One of the storms which sometimes produce hurricanes over Florida instead travelled over the Canaries, leaving a trail of destruction. El Medano was not badly effected, apart from some missing supermarket signs and damaged fishing boats. Parts of the island were without electricity for several days. Shops were damaged in Santa Cruz. Tenerife North airport was closed for a time.
For the first week of the holiday, we had very little wind. I had only one decent day's windsurfing, the day after we arrived. That was with a 6.0m sail, on rough water.
The second week was much better. Usually I sailed 5.7m, but on rough water, and in conditions where I would be using a smaller sail at home. Only on two occasions did the wind reach the necessary strength so I could try the 69L wave board again. The best of the wind was between 13:00 and 15:00. I missed the best of it, as I took a lunch break at this time. In future, I'll need to arrange things differently.
After 4 days of moderate winds, the wind disappeared for two days. There was dust in the air and poor visability. Then the wind came back late on Monday afternoon. On the day I was leaving, the wind was blowing strongly. It would have been a good day.
The real discovery was the Naish Hybrid 89L board. I sailed this with 5.7 and 5.3 sails on very rough water. The board is fast, yet takes the conditions well. It goes up wind well, and down wind too. It gybes on the waves, accelerating as it is turned off the wind. It is a very light board and flies over the waves, tempting you to get air under the board. I found it an easy board to sail. The volume. just 89L and chop nose mean that you have to be careful, especially if you lose power in a gybe.
The Atlantic Playa hotel was closed for refurbishment, and it is clear this will take some time. This could be a problem for FunFactory, as some of their clients usually stay there. The Playa Grande apartments are being offered for sale.
The Avencio restaurant was also closed. We very much enjoyed the roast lamb with honey at the Braseria.
The D'Light site has a very good weather report and web cam. The Cabezo surf shop is a good place to buy any extras you may need while on holiday.