TOO GOOD?
Make no mistake! Thurso East is a world-class wave. A huge slab of perfectly positioned flagstone that can mould giant arctic swells into reeling, thick, Indo-style barrels peeling for 100 metres. It is without doubt, one of the best breaks in Europe. An amazing wave for surfing – and almost ‘too good’ for windsurfing. TOO good you say? Well, yes. The problem with this spot – and one other I know in the UK – is that even when it’s seriously big and seriously windy, it still has the precise bathymetry to throw a perfect, very surf-able barrel.
Windsurfing Thurso East is something of a Holy Grail for UK windsurfers. It’s a right-hander, so requires wind from the East, but faces NW, so needs a swell from pretty much the opposite direction. Rarely do the two combine, at least with any real force. I’m not sure anyone has windsurfed Thor’s River (its other name and a clue to the water temperature!) when it’s truly been working, if at all. I’ve had my eye on the necessary forecast for years and it hints at it on an almost weekly basis through the winter, but then fizzles out before it ever happens. It might blow Easterly, but only for half a day (10 hours driving each way for half a days forecast, mmm I’ll pass!) and it might blow easterly, but be accompanied by impossible temperatures, even for someone who doesn’t mind a good dose of hot aches. It’s the most elusive forecast out there and maybe early 2014’s endless epic days were the reason the odds tipped in our favour. I’d heard it mentioned that some of the chargers in Maui were watching this forecast along with the more obvious Cape Verde. Seriously guys, forget it ever happening!
“ MAKE NO MISTAKE! THURSO EAST IS A WORLD-CLASS WAVE ”
