This year, we were slightly later than usual, and hoping for better winds. We arrived to find the wind blowing offshore from the West. It was cool, and rained a bit. I was tired, and did not have access to my windsurf kit or wetsuit. There were large waves close in. Not my kind of conditions.
Wednesday was westerly again. I sailed the Hybrid with 5.4m² for a short time. Not the best of conditions for El Médano, but good to get wet.
After that, no wind at all for 3 days. The Saturday was wet all day. Not good for windsurfing, or for the beach.
Sunday started with light winds, and slowly increased. I sailed all my kit, starting with 6.2m², and finished sailing hire kit 72L with 4.2m² sail. That was a good day. The airport reported 27 knots.
Monday started very windy. I have seen winds in El Médano before which are too strong for me to sail. In the afternoon, it dropped a bit. I intended to rig 4.2m² but was advised to try 4.7m². So I took my own sail on the 72L hire board. I was sailing happily in the bay until my mast broke. A passing kiter raised the alarm but the rescue service took a very long time to arrive. They reached me just before I would have been washed onto the rocks, saving my kit and myself from further damage. The water is quite warm.
The mast was a Severne Blue-line 430 mast. It was very light weight, and had been a joy to sail. It was only about 18 months old, and had not been mistreated. The replacement is heavier. I hope it will last longer.
Tuesday was very gusty. I sailed 4.0m² on hire kit. Wednesday was 4.0m in the morning, and 4.2m² in the afternoon. Thursday was 4.2m² most of the time.
Friday morning, I was sailing my 6.2m² once more, with my new mast. Others were out on smaller sails part of the time.
After that, the wind dropped entirely. The day before our departure, I had packed up the kit when the wind blew up from the West. It was sailable, until the rain came !
We saw all sorts of weather, including a lot of rain. We were able to get out most days, but a couple of days were quite cool. It was not weather for shorts in the evening. The hills were green like we have never seen them before, and much of the vegetation was in flower. Teide had a covering of snow.
In summary, I had 5 days with very good winds sailing a small wave board. and also a couple of other days in less than ideal conditions. The day I arrived, and the afternoon before departure were sailable too.
There was no wind when we arrived. Then, on Thursday 17 March, I sailed morning and afternoon using my 6.2m² sail. Good to get out on the water again. Friday was 6.2m² weather again. Then Saturday was warm and sunny. Many local people came down to enjoy the sunshine and the beach. It was good to see the town so busy.
The wind came back on Saturday 26 March. I sailed my 6.2m² again, and hung on as the wind increased. I could have sailed 4.7m² later in the day.
Sunday was windy too, sailing 4.7m² on my 78L Naish Global Wave in the morning, and 5.4m² in the afternoon. Monday afternoon was another good day, sailing 4.7m² again.
Tuesday was the day of our departure, and I chose not to sail. It certainly looked windy, but folk did not seem to be having much fun. The airport reported that it was very gusty.
As a result of the troubles in Egypt, a large group of windsurfers from Slovenia had arrived at SurfCenter. See their photos at Slovenia Windsurf
Tenerife had been unusually cold and wet. We saw no rain at all. It was very sunny, and I was slightly sunburnt. The wind was cold at times. I wore my 2mm cut-down summer shorty underneath my 3mm convertible, so I was cosy.
The Peking Garden restaurant is now closed, but the owners have opened the Amalia Restaurant. This has a better location, and a more varied menu.
In summary, I had only 3 good days windsurfing, and 2 marginal days. These were all with a NE wind, so I enjoyed classic El Médano conditions. It was a pleasant and enjoyable holiday.We enjoyed the beach, the sunshine and the restaurants. We walked to Los Abrigos, and also round the crater of Montaña Pelada. I photographed the shrikes and the kestrels at Montaña Roja. I discovered where the egret was nesting.
I had 4 very good days windsurfing from Saturday 7 May to Tuesday 10 May. I sailed morning and afternoon using sails from 4.7m² to 6.2m². We had some waves, though nothing particularly challenging.
I sail very much overpowered here. With a large sail, you find fewer holes in the wind !
After that, the wind direction changed. I tried sailing on another 3 days, but there was not enough wind.
It was warm and sunny, and we were wearing shorts in the evening most of the time.
The cactus were coming into bloom. They produced an impressive display after the unusually wet weather.
Everything around town seemed very quiet, except at weekends.
In summary, I had 4 very good days out of 15.
The first 16 days were excellent, with a lot of windsurfing on a variety of kit. The shore break was difficult at times. After that, we had 5 days of light wind and two days with no wind at all. There was some wind in the afternoon of Tuesday 26 July, and again on the Wednesday.
A very enjoyable holiday, with a lot of windsurfing on warm water. July is peak season. The town was very busy. The hire centres were fully booked. There was a PWA event at Cabezo while we were there. They had wonderful conditions.
Arrived to a forecast of wind force 6 to 7 for a week, which was a surprise as I normally expect gentle winds in October. The forecast changed, and I was sailing my 6.2m² sail on the morning of the first day. In the afternoon, I put the 5.4m² sail on the 78L wave board. This is a big sail for the board, and the water was very rough. These are the conditions that break kit.
The following day, rigged my 6.2m² as usual. On the first run, my Aeron aluminium boom broke!! SurfCenter kindly loaned me a boom for the day, and I bought a replacement from Cabezo Surf Shop. The new boom is slightly longer and heavier than my Aeron. Hope it does not break so easily.
I brought a new mast and boom to Tenerife in 2009, and first used them in October. The mast broke on 31 January, and now the boom has broken too. If I had been heavier, or a more aggressive windsurfer, they might have broken even sooner.
We had 3 days of good wind for my 6.2m², followed by two days when I managed to sail in the afternoon for a time. Then the wind went Westerly for a day. Conditions at Tejita would have suited a 4.2m² on a wave board. Folk were enjoying the flat offshore conditions in South Bay using large sails.
Two days without wind, then a further 2 days of pleasant 6.2m² conditions. There was some wind on the following day too, but I was not tempted to sail.
Total of 7 sailing days from 13 days holiday. Apart from the first two days, the only sail I used was the 6.2m². The wave board was on the water just once. In all, more sailing than I expected at this time of year. Some stronger wind would have been nice.
At the end of the summer, this part of Tenerife is very dry. The prickly pear cactus which were in flower in May are now carrying heavy fruits.
On the days without wind, I photographed the shrikes on Montaña Pelada. The egret is still here too.
October is a very pleasant time here in El Medano. It is warm enough for shorts all day, and sunny, without being too hot for walking. The water is really warm. Yet it is a quiet time, with not many people around town or out on the water except at weekends.
The Bar Restaurant El Pescador was closed when we arrived, and re-opened under new management on 1 November as the Bar Restaurant El Trillo. There have been some changes to the menu and the decor. The new operators are eager to please.
The Familiar Restaurant was closed for holidays when we arrived and re-opened on 5 November.
Construction work is in progress on the point near the power station. This could be the first sign of the new commercial port. This could mean considerable changes for El Médano.
We had remarkably good winds throughout this holiday. Unfortunately, I was ill with a nasty cold for the first week, so missed some of the best days. The wind was only gentle enough for a decent walk on a couple of days. Th wind blew from the NE, which is the best direction.
By Sunday 4 December, I was well enough, and the wind had dropped sufficiently for me to go windsurfing. We had 3 days of 4.7m² weather. On the last of these days, I fell on my sail and put my knee through it. It is an old sail, already damaged when I broke the mast in January. It has served me well.
Of the kit I brought to El Medano and first used in October 2010, I have broken a mast extension, a deck plate (UJ), a mast, a set of harness lines, a boom, and now a sail. The mast, boom and harness lines were new. Things break here.
I bought a second hand Ezzy Wave Panther from Cabezo Surf Shop. It is a bright yellow/orange, so folk will know it is me! It rigs on the same 430 mast as my other sails. It is a very powerful and very solid sail, which I expect to give me lots of fun.
The following day, the wind was light, but I still managed a short sail on 6.2m². Then two days on 4.7m² The following day, the wind was a bit strong for 4.7m². It was cold, and the sky was obscured by high level dust. The following day, I sailed a 62L Naish Wave hire board from SurfCenter with my 4.7m² sail. Three further days on 4.7m², the last of which, I used the 62L hire board again.
I summary, I sailed every day from 4 December to 14 December excepting 10 December, when the wind was too strong. I used the 4.7m² on every day but one. I took out a 62L small wave board twice. The 6.2m² sail was used on 4 days in all.
It was very much colder than my previous holiday in October/November. I used my thickest shorty wetsuits. In the evenings, we wore sweatshirts and long trousers.
Construction work is in progress near the power station. I believe they are building the new commercial harbour. When complete, there will be cargo handling, refineries, and probably new power stations. This may mean many changes for El Médano, but not for many years yet.
The winds were very much better than we have had for many years. This follows an upturn in sun spot activity. The latest three observations have been higher than expected. I very much hope this means we will have good winds for windsurfing in the coming winters.
See my photos from this holiday
More photos on Flickr
Join me on Facebook
See Windsurfing in Tenerife and Tenerife Photos.