The idea was to rinse the windsurfing equipment used in Imperia the day before in fresh water, with a quiet session at the lake. And instead Mandello del Lario (Lake Como) staged a really strong Foehn day, with a very rough water surface!

 

Windsurfing, report: Mandello del Lario, April 9, 2022. 3.4 Wanted! 

Again 3.7 and 80, for the second day in a row. Also at Mandello, as in Imperia (read report), I would have needed 3.4! Yesterday, Lake Como reminded me of the best Urnersee!

MeteoSwiss seemed to have scaled back the forecast slightly, downgrading the intensity of the predicted foehn from stormy to very strong. Given the direction from NNW, I chose to go to Mandello, also to take advantage of the possible high and regular chops, Garda style, and make some jumps.

Upon my arrival on the spot, around 11.00, I found a wind that was already quite intense and well spreaded. Fresh air, but, in the sun, sheltered from the wind, very pleasant temperature (about 18 degrees). The April sun begins to heat quite well.

I quickly discarded the hypothesis of rinsing the 4.2 from the sea sand, and went directly to rig the Ezzy Elite 3.7, with the Tabou da Curve 80 2016, still with the three K4 fins of the day before ... 6/5/4 Wetsuit, hooded, boots, helmet, and off to the water. What a difference compared to the warm Ligurian sea!

 

The first rides made me feel confident. Sail still in control, with the possibility of maneuvering quite well. Cold water, but overall conditions more than acceptable. But the party ended early ....

After a slight push and pull, with bad gusts alternating with pauses, where to place the maneuver, or riding with a proper stance, the Foehn entered really strong on the whole spot, allowing only occasional and very short breaks. The water level became wonderful: nicely roughed, as I like it, here in Mandello, with waves of at least 1 meter, ordered and spaced, with the possibility of some hints of surfing, and some jumps (even if the direction of the wind on the wave wasn't perfect for jumping, yesterday).

I went into the water twice, the last of which was with the 3.7 oversheeted. The fatigue of the day before at Spiaggia d'Oro clearly appeared, but above all, it became almost impossible for me to keep the riding in full control. And I hate to ride out of control .... And even more to maneuver so much overpowered. In jibing, it was difficult not to have the sail already torn off while bearing, and even if we succeeded, after the change of tack, by closing the sail, the board immediately tended to point upwind. When tacking, it was often enough to pull back the sail to immediately slip into the wind; or it was enough to bring the front hand to the handle of the boom, to set the maneuver, to have the sail torn off. In short, a few closed maneuvers, for me ....

On the spot, at least fifteen other riders, including slalom rider Roberto Pasquini, who, having left the slalom equipment in the car for once, had a lot of fun (see video and photos at the end of the article) with wave sail and board. With his weight, and his bulk, he managed to keep a 4.7! Also kudos to the guy with the white Severne in the photo, who showed a nice technique.

In the early afternoon, I went for a walk with my wife, to enjoy the breathtaking view, and the magnificent and clear sunny day, on Lake Como, with spring making its overbearing entrance. And the lake, even from above, made a good impression!

Aloha. Fabio

Click here, for the slidegallery of the day.

 

The video of session!