Though the forecast was good, this holiday proved disappointing for wind. There was some wind the day we arrived, then nothing until the following Saturday, when I sailed the Naish 78L Global Wave with 4.7m² sail. Monday and Tuesday were windy too, then nothing until the next Sunday. Tuesday was 4.5m² weather. One Wednesday, I sailed the Naish Hybrid with a 5.7m sail. I could have done the same again the following day, but the wind was not forecast. Then no wind again until the day before my return, when I was able to sail the Naish Prowave 65L board with a 4.2m² sail. On the day of our departure, the wind was blowing stronger than on any day of my holiday! In all, I could have sailed 8 days from 22, of which 6 days were on wave boards, but only one was suitable for the 65L ProWave.
As December, Tenerife was colder than usual at this time of year. It was said to be the coldest and wettest winter for many years. All the desert plants were covered with green shoots, and there were green seedlings sprouting in the most unexpected places. The weather, much like a British summer, could switch from cold, overcast, and threatening rain, to warm and sunny. The wind was cold, when there was any.
I hired from Klaus and Marion at SurfCenter. The OTC windsurf hire center has now re-opened following a period when it was closed for alleged paperwork irregularities. Some windsurf storage facilities are also closed. Let us hope they can resume activity before the busy summer season. If you want to sail from Cabezo beach in North Bay, you may be able to store kit with Cabezo Surf Shop, or you may be able to keep kit in your apartment.
I discovered Gofio. This is a local toasted flour, which can be mixed with water and a little sugar to produce a tasty snack meal. It is high energy and slow release, so an ideal substitute for the shortbread you might normally take with you on a walk, as a snack when windsurfing, or as food for a plane journey.
There is a 'laboratory' to promote thermal solar power generation, on the road up the hill from the Arenas del Mar hotel. They have spent many months constructing a very large reinforced dome from iron struts. Suddenly, they have cut the dome into small pieces! I am told that I am not allowed to take photographs of the site, even though it is in clear view from a public road. More information from Lysply.
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This winter has been one of the coldest and wettest for many years. Winds have not been great either. It was certainly good to see everything looking so green. Temperatures were notably more comfortable than January. When we arrived, the forecast looked good, and it seemed the winds would return.
There was no wind when we arrived, or on the following day, but the wind blew up on Tuesday, and I sailed the 78L Global Wave with a 4.7m² sail. No wind the following day, followed by 4 good sailing days, using a 4.2m² sail on Friday and Saturday. Following this, the wind disappeared for 5 days, though on at least 2 of those days there was some Westerly breeze, during which I could have sailed with a large sail on flat water if I had wished. Then we had another windy weekend. Klaus of SurfCenter has just bought new boards, and I was able to test the new 78L Global Wave and 72L Pro Wave. Then the wind disappeared again, though once more there was some Westerly breeze on maybe 2 days, when I could have sailed if I had wished.
In summary, I sailed 7 days out of 17, of which 5 days were with 4.7m² or better on wave boards. Conditions suited a 4.2m² sail part of the time on 3 days, though I actually used a 4.7m² on one of those days to test the new ProWave board.
I am particularly pleased with the new Naish boards at SurfCenter. Subjectively, the boards feel very good. A new fin certainly helps! The 78L Global Wave was very comfortable with a 4.7m² sail. It is a very fast board, turns well, and copes well with small chop. It is supposed to carry a 5.7m² sail, though the old board was never comfortable with anything bigger than 4.7m². Perhaps the skeg was too small. The 72L ProWave board seems a more suitable size for me. The old 75L board was too long, and the 65L board too narrow except in very strong winds.
The Naish footstraps are designed to be comfortable to sail with narrow bare feet. It was not a problem to move one end of the straps to make them suitable for larger feet.
OTC was closed from 19 March by the local police, and the doors sealed. I hear they hope to reopen soon. There is currently no information on the website either to acknowledge that they have been closed or to say when they will reopen. The tourist authority is well aware of the importance of OTC and windsurfing to the local economy. I hear they reopened on 1 April.
The major sewage works begun before Christmas were suspended until mid January, when they resumed. We faced significant noise and disruption, as did local residents and businesses. The road works outside El Pescado restaurant in the Old Town are now nearing completion. The road works by the harbour will take at least another few weeks.
A very enjoyable holiday. Very hot most of the time, wearing shorts and T shirt even in the restaurants in the evening. The beach and town were very busy, and there were lots of windsurfers too. No one would guess that there is an economic recession.
The main square was particularly noisy at weekends, far beyond an acceptable level. The noise and thumping amplified drumbeat from the square was so bad at times that I could not continue windsurfing out in the bay ! Restaurants near the square became off limits.
We had some excellent meals at the Peking Garden Chinese restaurant, and the Casa da Bacalao restaurant/bar near the main bus stop. The menu for the latter is hand-written on the board outside the restaurant. If your Spanish is no better than mine, you may find it helps to copy the menu before you go inside.
Winds in June were not good, but the usual July winds returned shortly after we arrived. I sailed every day for the first 16 days. I sailed the Naish Hybrid when the wind was light, and the 72L Naish Pro Wave when it was stronger. I took my own fin, slightly larger than that supplied with the board, and I was able to sail this board even with a 5.3m² sail. It is a beautiful board for the conditions, though slightly too large for my weight. Conditions suited sails from 4.2m² to 5.3m².
Then the wind dropped for 3 days, and it was not worth going out. The next day, I sailed the 72L wave board again with 5.0m² sail. After that, the wind turned more northerly, the humidity dropped markedly, and the wind became very much more gusty. I struggled with small sails for the final 3 days, but the wind was too strong and gusty.
For many years I have been happy to hire windsurf equipment from SurfCenter. Now I have invested in my own equipment, which I stored at SurfCenter for the duration of the holiday. My equipment covers light wind conditions where I benefit particularly from specialist sails and a light weight mast.
Winds were particularly light this October. There was hardly any wind at all. Fortunately, I have my 6.2m² sail, so I can make the most of light winds.
The weather was hot and sunny, though not unbearably hot. We wore little more than shorts and T-shirt for the entire holiday, even eating outside in the evening at the pavement restaurants.
On the very last day of October, I was sailing with my 4.7m² sail and my wave board for the first time. The following 2 days the wind was stronger. I hired a 72L waveboard from SurfCenter. Then another day on my 4.7m².
After many years of expansion, the recession has hit El Medano. Some of the smaller shops have closed. The Casa di Bacaloa bar/restaurant has closed. The MaxCoop supermarket has closed. It is disappointing to lose these old favourites, but there are still plenty of restaurants and supermarkets. There are still 5 large banks, should you have need of one.
If you do not like noise, you are advised to avoid the main square at weekends. There was a "health awareness" event which involved exercises for children accompanied by noisy music. The volume of the noise was such as to put the health of the children at risk.
In summary, an enjoyable warm and sunny beach holiday. Winds in October were more suitable for beginners than for advanced sailors.
There had not been much wind for a while when I arrived on the Monday, but by Monday afternoon, the wind was blowing. Rigged my 6.2m² and sailed on the Hybrid. As the wind got stronger, I changed to the 5.4m² on my Global Wave 78L.
The following morning, started with the Hybrid with 5.4m² and changed to GW78 with my 4.7m² sail. The afternoon was even stronger. I rented a 72L Naish ProWave hire board with a 4.2m² sail from SurfCenter. A plastic clip on my trusty old harness broke. I bought a new harness at Cabezo Surf Shop
Wednesday, I sailed my GW78L with 4.7m² sail in the morning, and with 5.4m² in the afternoon. I had lots of power, and the sails were going really well.
Thursday, started with GW78L and 4.7² then switched to the 72L ProWave hire board, which was better suited to the conditions. 72L with 4.7m² again in the afternoon. My 4.7m² was very fully powered - some folk were sailing on 3.7m² sails.
Friday morning started with the Hybrid with 6.2m² and 5.4m² sails. The afternoon was GW78L with 5.4m² The wind was gusty and patchy, and the wind was had become quite cool.
The first 5 days of my holiday were fantastic. I had sailed all my own kit, and some hire kit too. Sailing my own kit in Medano was a wonderful experience. The Gaastra sails perform really well. The light weight SDM mast is a delight. The 6.2m² Gaastra Poison gives the extra power that Medano conditions demand in light wind. The Global Wave 78 with a larger skeg sails well with a Poison 5.4m². All the sails have a tremendous wind range.
After that the wind dropped. Time to enjoy the sunshine and relax. Tenerife was warmer than usual at this time of year, so shorts or swimtrunks all day long.
After a few days with little wind, the wind direction changed to Westerly. It became cool and cloudy, and we had rain at times. We also had some warm sunny days.
We sometimes use the TITSA bus service, but a strike had been called, and there was uncertainty about whether the buses would be running. With the rain and Westerly wind, the weather in Los Christianos and Granadilla would be worse than in El Medano.
More than once, we walked along the coast patch to Los Abrigos. We passed a shelter, constructed from rubbish, guarded by a couple of good looking well kept dogs. On the first occasion, we passed without trouble, but they barked at us after we passed. On the second, a car was present, with two people, possibly related to the shelter. The dogs barked and chased after us, and finally bit one of us, not seriously. I confronted the people in the car, who told us the dogs are wild, and not their responsibility.
Towards the end of the holiday, the wind became stronger, and folk were sailing in the westerly wind. My kit is not really suited to gusty offshore wind, and I do not much enjoy flat water. We were intending to come home on Thursday 17 December, and I was looking forward to going home.
The news on Wednesday night was that the FlyGlobeSpan airline had collapsed, planes were grounded, and my flight home had been cancelled. I quickly rebooked with RyanAir for Saturday 19 December. Fortunately Pauline allowed us to extend our stay in the apartment.
The wind continued to blow from the westerly direction. By this time, my mind was set on coming home. Meanwhile, the new arrivals were enjoying the windsurfing.
Luca Orsi has set up a windsurf school by the Playa Sur Hotel. This may be of interest if you wish to hire kit for an afternoon. He uses Secret Sails. Further information on Secret Sails Blog.