Tuesday 21st February – windsurf **** Playa Villananitos at Lo Pagan – sunny

F2 Ride 282, 34 cm fin, Tushingham Lightning 6.5 – wind Levante – NE 15/20

Max. 27.25 kts,  ave. 25.50 kts, 40 km (24 miles), mile 22.10 kts , alpha 18.56 kts , hour 17.20 kts.

Another good night by the beach at Playa Villananitos at Lo Pagan but woke to sunshine today with Mag even doing her exercises on the beach before breakfast:) Definitely not as windy as yesterday and with no locals about I decided to rig the 6.5 and go out by myself. I was on the water at 10.30 and had about 1hr. 40 mins but it was the worst day of the three I have had here:( I had trouble getting my harness lines sorted, the wind was very gusty, you had trouble staying in the flat water heading back and it was difficult to plane out of the gybes in the lighter winds. I also hit the net on the way out and I knew where it was!! It would have been 3 stars had it not been for the Spanish air force display team putting on a show right above my head with the highlight being a huge heart in smoke.

I wobbled ashore as the winds went light with still no one else on the water. I packed up with more people about on the prom today as the weather was a lot warmer.  Had lunch and headed off to pastures new. First stop was the Lidl at Santiago de la Ribera before driving around the Mar Menor to Les Nietos where a local windsurfer was going out but we couldn’t park so returned to the outskirts of Los Urrutias where we found a huge carpark. It had apparentally been made for a couple of hotels that have not been built! We parked right by the beach but over this side the wind is dead onshore making it noisy and cool. There was a Belgium windsurfer out having fun sailing miles up and down the coast and it looked good for a blast tomorrow. When the sailor came ashore surprisingly it was lady who must have been well into her 60’s and she was in a campervan all by herself. I had a chat with her later and she said you need a weed fin as the water is shallow with loads of fishing nets so might have to give this a miss and treat myself to a weed fin when I get home ready for next time! We have two more days of Levante forecast but I am knackered after three days sailing covering nearly 200 Km so could do with a rest, English radio said it might rain too :(

Went for a short walk along the prom then back to the van to move up the carpark behind a building to shelter from the wind. Top tea of pork chops and fried potatoes.