Sunday 11th March – windsurf **** Platja de Trabucador – Port dels Alfacs – cloudy start then sunny – SW 10/25

28.78 knot max., 27.14 knot ave., 11.80 knot hour, 18.75 knot mile, 39.40 km., 17.36 knot alpha.

F2 Stoke 117 with Tushingham X-15 7m with 38 cm fin.

Good night on the sand spit that makes up the Platja de Trabucador on the Port dels Alfacs a huge bay on the Delta de l’Ebre. Woke to a nice sunrise with some cool clouds on the Spanish mainland but as yet light winds. The forecast is for SW 20 and as we don’t want to get up the Pyrenees on a weekend we will sit here and see what happens? Mag had an early walk on the beach but the kiters, many of whom stayed near us on this ‘no overnight parking’ spot but didn’t seem too keen to set-up! Lots of people arrived to take part in an organised litter pick on the beaches :)  After breakfast I walked over to see the kitesurfers and at 10.30 with the wind filling in there was activity at last and the first kiters were on the water at 10.30. There was only one windsurfer who was rigging 5.2 to sail in the waves in the open sea but it didn’t look that windy so once again rig choice is a bit hit and miss? In the end I went with 7m again and was on the water at 11.15. We are parked in the corner here so I had to walk out to find deep water and then I was not sure how deep this corner of the bay is? I needn’t have worried as I didn’t hit bottom once but got close a few times in water under two feet deep. It was cloudy to start and the wind was a little light but I managed to beat away from the majority of kiters and was going OK even if the wind was up and down. Then the sun came out and the wind picked up, gusting to 25 mph so planing became no problem. There was a big swell for half a mile out then you could bear off closer to shore in the flatter water where I got all my best speeds hoping I wouldn’t run out of water! I was joined by two or three more windsurfers but we were well outnumbered by the 30/40 kites! There were several bouys and small post in the water in the shallower section which I thought marked nets but they didn’t and you could sail almost anywhere:) I got on better with the F2 Stoke 117 today it just takes awhile to get used to the wider boards and after nearly 3 hours I decided to head back to the van for lunch when I came across a kite board, stopping to pick it up, I tied it to my back strap and sailed ashore and soon found the relieved owner:) He was very pleased to get it back! Mag had been knitting in the van and had been entertained by the antics of the kite school giving lessons in front of the van, she had also had some lovely messages/photos/phone calls from home sending her love on Mother’s Day:) The wind then dropped so after a delicious sandwich I decided to call it a day with several kiters swimming ashore! After getting washed and changed we decided to go for a walk along the beach just in time for the wind to pick up to 25 mph + again and there was a mad rush as the kiters went out again. It is a great spot here with a narrow 5-mile long sand spit leading out to salt lagoons and a nature reserve.  You have open ocean with surf waves one side and the calmer bay the other. As we walked along the beach the sand was taking a layer of skin from our ankles! You have an odd effect that happens to the water height, several times a day and for no apparent reason the water rises a foot and then drops back, we even had to move the van last night as we were parked a little too close to the edge! Then it was puzzle, read and cards time followed by pasta for tea and another nice sunset. Tomorrow is supposed to be windy from another direction NW so might sail again or head for the mountains we will have to wait and see?