CHANGE
Windsurfing wise nothing much has changed on the island really. There are years with more wind or waves and years with less, there are still the same amount of people on the water. One difference is kites, at some spots they go out between 20-30 windsurfers where there is not really space enough for them to keep a safe distance away to others. But at most spots they have alternatives and they are getting banned more and more.
Non-windsurfing wise more has changed; population and tourism has grown and with that the infrastructure. With the new motorway it’s 20 minutes into Puerto Lajas, which used to take 30-35 minutes. Despite the growth, there is still enough space; the island is nearly as big as Tenerife, but with only a 1/10th of the population. In the old days we´d have beach parties with a fire and we could drive our 4×4´s on the beach. Lajares has grown to be the surf city of the island, probably the only surf city in the world without a beach. Life on Fuerte’ is not as smooth and well organised as it is in western European countries. You learn to become patient and grow a thick skin. Simple things can be quite difficult to organise. On the other hand, you will need to look very hard to find someone in a suit with a tie and no one looks at you if you wear boardshorts and flip-flops.
WILL WARD – UK RIPPER
I came on a holiday with Andy Funnel and John Skye and never left. The original plan was to spend a year on each island, but that never happened. Basically where I lived in the UK was horrible, far away from any sea and I had to get outta there. The warm weather, consistent winds and waves was a dream to me. Fuerte’ is great but sometimes you gotta leave to make you appreciate it again. But that’s good, sometimes it’s cool to visit other places and be happy to come back as well. Now I tend to pick the good days to windsurf and I go motocrossing, downhill mountain biking or tow-in surfing as an alternative.
“I came on a holiday with Andy Funnel and John Skye and never left.”