LA PIEDRA DEL MORO
By 6pm I was pretty sure Victor was done for the day but the word from the local crew was that a spot known as La Piedra Del Moro a few miles further up the coast was firing and, within minutes, we were packed and back in the van ready for the next leg of the adventure. Overlooked by an old Castle, this spot was much more ‘back to nature’ than the break in town and also more exposed to the swell with cross-onshore SURF peeling down the point into the small bay in front of the launch. Personally I didn’t think it looked so windy here but Victor went straight for the 4m and I soon stood corrected when he whipped out off the beach straight into a solid 30-ft backloop. For the next few hours Victor and a few local friends toyed with the waves while Mother Nature played games upwind as huge storm clouds enveloped the Sierra Nevada Mountains in daunting fashion. At 8pm we finally called it a day, even though the wind was still howling and the waves were up to logo-high everyone was tired and food was calling. When it blows on this coast it’s certainly a long day on the water with ample time for two or three solid sessions if your energy allows. We ate Spanish-style late into the evening with lots of oil on the fresh salad, cold beer and pizzas from his girlfriend, Bea’s father’s restaurant. Victor has never been really interested in the party scene and his style is to stay relaxed and enjoy a quite meal with Bea or to chill out with friends and family.
The next morning we ate a healthy breakfast on the balcony of Victor’s apartment overlooking the harbour and shimmering ocean beyond. The black clouds on the distant mountains overnight had produced fresh snow but it was already evaporating fast under the heat of the sun. First sport on the agenda was an early morning SUP session in the glassy leftover waves from the day before, while Victor was totally confident that by midday he would be powered up on a 4.7m if the forecast lived up to the prediction. After the paddlesurf we stopped back at the harbour for a quick coffee while we waited for the wind to build and right next door I checked out the prices from an estate agent selling beachfront apartments. Last year these were selling for around 200,000 Euro each but are now marked-down to well under 100,000after the economic crises – a pretty tempting investment if only I had any cash to my name!
Back at Club de Playa it was business as usual from 1pm until around 5pm when the wind finally started to drop-off as the low pressure moved away. Victor scored a solid few hours powered-up on his 4.7m and the conditions were not too dissimilar to the previous day barring a couple of notches of wildness.
The early finish allowed us a chance to visit the site of Victor’s proposed new centre. (That’s recently opened for business.) The centre’s been one of Victor’s dreams since he started windsurfing and will be stocked with all the latest North, Fanatic, Quicksilver and MFC products so all of his sponsors will be involved. The plan is to continue with his heavy schedule of travel and competition but every time he comes home he’ll concentrate on his centre and hold some clinics where possible.
