WHAT ABOUT ICARAIZINHO?
The second windsurfing jewel in Ceará’s crown is just a few hours’ buggy ride down the coast. According to locals, Icaraizinho was established “many decades ago” by fishermen and coconut farmers, who lived by trading with countryside towns and transporting their wares vast distances by caravans of donkeys. But as far as the windsurfing world is concerned, it first came to light in 2007 when 13 PWA riders, including such luminaries as Robby Swift, Kauli Seadi, Kevin Pritchard, Marcilio Browne and Andre Paskowski, got together to explore the 300km of coastline from Fortaleza to Jeri in search of another paradise. After checking out countless beaches along the way, at the end of the trip all the riders were unanimous that Icaraizinho was the best spot.
Like Jeri, Icaraizinho is a fishing village that sits in a gently curving bay, framed by palm trees and dunes. Unlike Jeri, its sands are delightfully deserted by comparison. That’s not to say that since 2007 it hasn’t become busier, because it has. But not by much.
Although Icaraizinho has evolved with the addition of a ClubVentos centre and a few new pousadas, there’s still a relaxed, fishing village vibe to the place, and the pace of life is so slow as to be almost undetectable.
Icaraizinho has changed very little over the decades, with most things still being done in the traditional way (you’ll notice, for example, that ox-carts outnumber pick-up trucks as the delivery vehicle of choice). It’s a perfect place to just unplug from the world.