May 15th 2014, 19.40pm: Our EasyJet flight is just about to take off from Bristol. I was somehow cajoled into accompanying Timo on this ridiculous journey at 1pm and was already on a ferry leaving the Isle of Wight at 2.15pm. Another two hours, two bacon rolls, bag of crisps and a Twix later we were at Bristol Airport ready for check in. The flights had cost £170 each at the last minute, plus £30 each way for the windsurfing equipment and another £30 for an extra check in bag. Timo had also booked a car via Easyjet which was another £35 and had sorted accommodation with some friends who live in Tarifa, up in the mountains overlooking the beaches. All the gear was squeezed into one board bag and consisted of a Severne Blade 3.3, 3.7, 4.2, two masts, a boom, Mystic harness and wetsuit, plus a Starboard 74L Quad; just enough to keep below the 32 Kg limit allowed for sporting equipment on the plane.
20.30pm: With two hen parties and a stag do on our flight headed for Malaga, it seemed rude not to drink a Stella and join in the party atmosphere on board. Our destination was the European ‘Capital of wind’, Tarifa, one of the ‘must do / bucket list’ locations for any windsurfer. Summer time has the strongest, most consistent winds and within a range of 60km’s between Gibraltar and El Palmar there are beaches to cater for every type and level of windsurfing from beginner to freestyle to bump and jump, slalom and hard core waves. Many windsurfers with a taste for adventure head down to Tarifa by camper van for months at a time, with even bolder ones using it as a gateway to head to Morocco. These days, kite surfers call Tarifa the kite capital of the world but the likes of PWA stars, Ben Van Der Steen, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, Ludovic Jossin and Thomas Malina have helped put Tarifa back on the map by making it their home or training ground for much of the year.
“ Strategically positioned between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, Tarifa’s wild coastline is without A doubt one of the Meccas of windsurfing ”
