With a window for a holiday coming up, I tend to spend a lot of time looking at Windguru or Windy to try and figure out where the best place to go will be. In this situation, the North West of Spain (Galicia) was looking quite promising.

With that decided, it was time to get some flights and looking online, we managed to book a couple of tickets from Zurich to Santiago de Compostela at a reasonable price, flying with Vueling. It took some further phone calls to arrange our excess baggage through Vueling customer service.

Booking last-minute to follow the wind does not usually leave much time to pack. This means getting Windsurfing, Kitesurfing and SUP gear all ready to fly last minute is a bit of a challenge. How much goes in what bag, are the bags underweight? What problems will we have at check-in? All these issues lead to some stress until that moment you drop everything off at the oversized baggage counter, and the holiday can finally begin. Luckily on this trip, everything went smoothly, and before we knew it, we were picking up our rental car in Santiago de Compostela and finding our way to our first overnight stay in A Coruna.

It felt really great to walk on the beach in A Coruna and breathe in the salty air. The first evening in A Coruna was spent checking weather forecasts and deciding where to go the next day.

Galicia

To cut a long story short, we were not lucky with the conditions in Galicia. We discovered an amazing coastline with beautiful villages and a huge potential for windsurfing, but unfortunately for us, the forecasted wind never materialised. We will definitely go back again, but on this trip, we made a tactical decision after a couple of days to head south to Portugal. The Portuguese coastline benefits from the Nortada effect, which thermally accelerates any northerly airflow in the region.

Having been there once before, I knew that Viana do Castelo was not far away and benefited from the Nortada. Recently, a PWA Slalom and Freestyle event had absolutely ballistic conditions here, so it felt like a safe bet to cut our losses and head there.

Viana do Castelo

Arriving in Viana to find many kites in the sky, we immediately felt we had made the right choice. We rented a kitesurf and windsurf locker on the beach from the Viana Beach Centre and then went to get something to eat and get a good nights sleep for a promising forecast the next day.

The Town

Viana is a bustling harbour town on the north of Portugal. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the town, and finding something to eat for pretty much every taste is easily possible. The town is on the north side of the Limia estuary, and the beach Windsurfing/Kitesurfing area is on the southern side of the Estuary. There is one bridge to get across, but you will need a car to get around unless you leave your gear (or rent) at one of the beach centres. There is also a water taxi from the town across the estuary to the beach areas.

Conditions

As already mentioned, Viana benefits from the Nortada. If the weather is sunny, any northerly airflow will be strengthened, providing perfect cross to cross off-shore wind at the northern end of the Praia de Cabedelo. The further south on the beach you go, the more side-shore the wind gets. The wind can be a little gusty on the first day of a Nortada, but as the days go on it tends to get stronger and more consistent. In the time we were there, I was sailing 4.7 and 5.3 on my 85-litre wave board, and my Partner used everything from a 6m to a 10m kite.

As the wind gets stronger (or there is a swell running), the waves get larger the further down the beach you go. Right up by the Harbour wall, the waves are usually (depending on swell direction) somewhat smaller, and they increase in size as you travel south along the beach. This provides a great possibility for people to start out sailing wave,s and as they feel more confident, they can move further down the beach.

The shelter of the harbour wall provides really flat water (but somewhat gusty winds if you are a windsurfer) if you stay right at the north end of the beach. As you venture out past the shelter of the wall you start to get more of a rolling swell which is good for practising small jumps.

The Viana Beach Centre provides tuition in Windsurfing, Kitesurfing and Surfing, and we were pretty impressed with the set-up that they had there. There is also another water sports centre attached to the Feel Viana Hotel, a little further south on the beach. At the time of writing, we have not yet gotten to stay there (although we do plan to go back)

The Viana Beach Centre has equipment from Duotone (Kites and Windsurf Sails) and Fanatic (Windsurf Boards and SUPS). The Feel Viana centre has mainly JP and Neil Pryde equipment with Cabrinha Kites. Both locations also have surf shops where you can pick up anything you may have forgotten or broken.

Summary

Viana is great, it offers windsurfers and kitesurfers who travel together the opportunity to share time on the water. (not always easy) We really enjoyed the atmosphere (and the food) around the Beach Centre in Viana. The storage facilities were great and saved the long walk over the boardwalks with our equipment each day. It is definitely a place we plan on going back to.

Nearest Airport: Porto, Portugal, although Santiago de Compostela is also possible.

Accommodation: If you can get a room there, it’s hard to beat the location of the Feel Viana hotel. (but will be staying there in 2020) We were too last-minute to stay there and stayed instead in the Absolute Design Hotel and Hotel do Parque. (booking over booking.com last minute) Both hotels were of acceptable quality, but the Hotel do Parque was starting to look a little tired. Absolute Design Hotel is in the middle of the Town and Parking may sometimes be a problem.

Kitesurf or Windsurf: Both.

Wind/Kite Surf Schools: Viana Beach Centre or Feel Viana

Car Rental: We rented from the airport in Santiago de Compostela, and although it was further away than Porto, car rental at the time of visiting and writing did seem to be cheaper from the Spanish Airport.

Wind: Prevailing wind in Summer is the Nortada can blow 20 to 40 knots side shore from the right. With more days of strong wind or with any swell from a westerly direction, it can get quite decent waves.

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Living in Switzerland, I have long been looking for a “go-to” spot for windsurfing. I’d been to Corsica and had a few sessions there, but for some reason, it just didn’t quite gel with me (yet). Then, a few years ago I saw a photograph on social media of ex wave world champion – Kauli Seadi boosting an aerial over a huge section of a perfect starboard tack down the line reef break. Thinking this must be somewhere like the Mentawais I was surprised to find out that it was in fact Sardinia!

After a little research, I discovered the spot smack bang in the middle of Sardinia’s west coast. With a bit more time online I discovered that getting to Sardinia from Switzerland was surprisingly easy… I decided it was time to pack my car and take a road trip to find out what Sardinia is all about. I’ve now been back many times. Sardinia offers a wide variety of conditions in beautiful surroundings, with a reasonable infrastructure in a location that is surprisingly easy to get to from Central Europe

Getting There

I generally opt to drive to Sardinia for a number of reasons. It’s only a 5-hour drive (from Zurich) to Genoa, where there is an overnight ferry directly to Sardinia. If you take the ferry at 8 pm you arrive well rested in Sardinia at 8 am the next morning. After boarding the ferry, there is time to eat something, get a good night’s sleep and wake up the next morning ready to go. For me, that counts as only 5 hours of effective travel time to get there. There is no time lost picking up a rental car, no airport security and no long check-in lines. In general a much more relaxed travel experience. I can get off the ferry, having had a good night’s sleep and go straight to my spot of choice.

The ferries have also (so far) proved to be very uncomplicated to book. I usually book my ferry last minute to the port which is closest to where I want to sail on the first day. Porto Torres for anywhere North, West or South or Olbia for the North East.

The Island

Sardinia is an island of about 210km long and 110km wide with a coastline of 1849km and many beautiful beaches. The climate is Mediterranean, so even in winter it is reasonably mild and sitting in the middle of the Med it tends to experience most of the usual winds of the region from Mistral to Scirocco to Tramontana.

Many people think immediately of Porto Pollo when they think about wind or kitesurfing in Sardinia. While this location does benefit from strong winds funnelling through the Straits of Bonifacio, I find Porto Pollo to be overcrowded and quite clichéd. Add that to parking difficulties, attitude, crowds and the last time I was there, theft from parked cars, it is definitely a spot I tend to avoid when visiting Sardinia.

Windsurf/Kitesurf Spots

Below, I will attempt to list just a few of the potential wind and kitesurfing spots on the island. This list barely touches the surface of the spots which can be sailed on Sardinia. There are many more spots in between these locations, which, in certain conditions, would deserve a mention. The Kite and Windsurfing Guide of Europe can be a great starting point for discovering the island. But, we’ve also sailed a number of places not listed in the book and had some fun sessions.

Porto Liscia: This spot is windsurfing only but offers similar conditions to Porto Pollo, although sometimes can be less crowded. Works in Easterly and Westerly winds and in my experience, had pretty flat water.

La Maddalena: This is an island (along with Caprera) which can be reached by ferry from Palau. There are a few places on the island that can provide the possibility to launch, depending on wind direction. During high season be aware that many beaches have buoyed off swimming areas which should be respected. Having said that if you look around you may get a chance to get on the water without any crowds.

Rena Majore: Rena Majore works best in a Northerly wind after a few days of Mistral have sent waves into the bay. I’ve tried to sail here in Northwesterly winds, hoping to get enough angle to get out, but found it too onshore. It’s a beautiful beach with stunning surroundings, but difficult to get good wave conditions. In my experience, a more bump and jump location than a wave spot.

La Ciacca: This spot works best in a Westerly wind, which brings port tack side shore conditions. There are reefs on both sides of the beach which can pick up quite small waves even with just windswell. If there are any waves running, there is quite a strong current here so you should be quite sure in your launching and coming back to the same spot. Launching a kite here is difficult but not impossible. On a good day, expect to see a large number of windsurfers on the water.

Platamona: Platamona is a long beach to the east of Porto Torres. It should work quite well in easterly or westerly winds, but as soon as there is any swell running, the currents are quite strong and the wave period is very small. Getting out requires a reasonable amount of power and some good timing.

Stintino: La Pelosa beach sticks far out to the north and gets strong easterlies that do may not make it the whole way into Platamona. The wind is almost directly onshore at the launch. But, once you get into the lee of Isola Piana the water is a little flatter. If you get upwind from the beach at La Pelosa (or from the windsurf centre) you will find nice bump and jump conditions. Further out, just to the south-west of the Island, there is a small breaking wave, but the wind is directly onshore with respect to the wave.

Alghero: In a southerly wind, Alghero can become a great wave spot. The lighthouse directly out from the main beach has a reef extending off the north end. With a decent swell and a strong southerly wind, this can offer some really nice down-the-line wave riding. It works best if there is some time for the swell to become organised; otherwise, the sections are scrappy and do not link together well. But, with the right conditions, it can be a perfect down the line port tack reef break. With northwesterly winds, Alghero can also be quite a good freeride spot.

Funtana Meiga: With northerly winds, Funtana Meiga can provide really nice starboard tack side-shore conditions with some great wave riding. There is a current running which can make it difficult to get going on the way out unless you rig big. The launch is relatively small, and the coast to either side is rocky with many sea urchins so getting back to the same spot is a skill that is quite important. The wave is not super hardcore, though, so definitely a fun place to go for a wave session.

Porto Botte: Porto Botte is a nice freeride spot in Northerly or North Westerly winds. The water here is relatively sheltered from the island at St. Atioco, which keeps the waves from breaking here. When it is lighter, it is possible to go out to the northern end of the bay, where it is a little less sheltered. But, be careful if the wind is fickle! We’ve had a long swim from here when the wind suddenly dropped and veered more offshore.

Chia: Chia can be an amazing wave spot in Northerly or Southerly/Southwesterly winds. Its exposed location can make it quite dodgy though (especially in northerly winds). When it’s side offshore with a swell running it can provide super clean waves for down the line wave riding.

This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list, but it is hopefully enough to whet your appetite and make you think about exploring the island if you do decide to head to Sardinia. In all the trips we’ve had there, we’ve truly started to fall in love with the Island. The scenery is stunning, the climate is mild, there are reasonably consistent winds and loads of beaches to work in any wind direction. Furthermore, it is possible to travel there easily on the weather forecast from Central Europe. My advice is to get your kit together and go explore.

Other Sports

The scenic bays in Sardinia are perfect to explore with a SUP board, and sometimes you will even find good waves for surfing. We’ve also experienced some nice mountain biking on the island so definitely a place to bring more than just your wind/kitesurfing gear if you plan on making the trip.

When to Go

The best time to go to Sardinia, in my opinion, is out of the main season. During the summer months, the beaches tend to be incredibly crowded, and traffic on the island can be quite heavy. The volume of people and traffic will make getting to spots with your gear quite difficult. In Spring and Autumn, there are a lot fewer people, and it’s possible to find really nice spots all for yourself.

Summary

Sardinia is a beautiful island exposed to most of the winds that are prevalent in the Mediterranean. Off-season hotels can be quite cheap, and the island is largely uncrowded, which makes it a really nice place for an off-season wind or kitesurf trip. All Winds Adventures visits Sardinia regularly, feel free to contact us for more information

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