The Babaomby Lodge windsurf centre.
This trip got off to to a good start - two windsurf bags checked in for free instead of only one, a priority access to avoid a thirty minute wait to board and free car parking! Since our arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, we knew that the planets had aligned and it turned out they would stay that way during our entire Madagascar trip. After a ten hour flight to Antananarivo (the capital of Madagascar) and a two hour domestic flight, which we spent admiring the thousands of glowing red hills, our plane landed at Diego Suarez, a city in the far north of Madagascar. Nicolas (Nico) Martin, the boss of Babaomby Island Lodge, who organized this trip, was waiting for us on the tarmac. Fourteen years ago Nicolas organized the famous “Windsurf Challenge” with Baptiste Gossein. In love with this spot, he took on the crazy and ambitious challenge twelve years ago to build a windsurf club in the Emerald Sea.
IT ’S ON!
We quickly unpack and make a quick visit to Diego Suarez before the last, but by far the most magical and exciting part of the trip, the part which connects Diego Suarez’s port to Babaomby Island. The small port is located in front of an open air slaughterhouse for zebu (humped cattle). Zebus are a national emblem in Madagascar, along with the baobab (a type of tree) and lemur. One thing’s for sure, you’re better off being a cow in India than in Diego Suarez!
AT SEA!
This story is from the Issue 393 - March 2020 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 393 - March 2020 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
