Could the wind be missing in Sardinia on the Easter day? Today, a nice Tramontana has blown on the whole east coast, and we went to try the spot of S'Ena 'e Sa Chitta, which gave us a fun windsurfing session among good sized waves and side / side off wind.

 

WINDSURFING, SESSION REPORT: S'ENA 'E SA CHITTA, OROSEI, SARDINIA - 17/04/2022

The east coast of Sardinia offers a little less wind than the mythical west coast. But in these Easter holidays, in which we came to explore the Orosei area, and its spectacular hiking routes, we also had the opportunity to test an excellent spot on this coast, with respectable wave conditions (read full spot review).

The forecast was for a strong north wind early in the morning.

After having a look at Cala Liberotto, where yesterday there were magnificent surfing conditions, but where today the strong wind had already smoothed the waves, I went directly to S'Ena 'e Sa Chitta, about 30 km north of Orosei. While driving along the beautiful Route 125 (Orientale Sarda), I immediately noticed the sea foaming beyond the green hills, and the spurs of reddish granite, of this beautiful stretch of Sardinian coast. And I started to worry a bit that the wind might be too strong.

But when I arrived in S'Ena, I immediately sent a WhatsApp message to my friend Paolo: today, we are going to have fun ....

The spot turned out to be very interesting: parking in a meadow close to the beach, rocky seabed upwind ideal for the genesis of the waves, and a sandy beach downwind. Nice strong side wind, and fairly neat waves both upwind and in the middle of the bay.

Paolo and Carolina joined me from Palau shortly after, and Corrado, that I met in Capo Mannu last summer, also arrived at the spot. We joined the large group of German, Swiss, Austrian riders, and after the greetings and chat, we started to rig ....

And once again (and there are 4 in a few weeks) I had to rig the Ezzy Elite 3.7 2019 and the Tabou Da Curve 80 2016, set as a thruster with K4 fins. Wetsuit 5/4 and bare feet and hands; and helmet ...

I went into the water, among the first, and I immediately felt at ease. 

 

 

 

In S'Ena, getting into the water is relatively easy. If you enter upwind (and not in the middle of the bay), the shorebreak is not big, and despite the weaker and more unstable wind in this area, it is not difficult to overcome it. Once offshore, I pleasantly found that I was rightly powered, and I rejoiced at the beauty of the waves.

In the first session in the middle of the morning, the waves looked really nice and clean in the middle of the bay, while they seemed more foamy upwind. So, I started surfing some of them there, with some success. The waves, a hundred meters from the shore, were also good for jumping; and what jumps! On those 2/3 meter ramps, if you wanted, you could fly several meters from the water, very often.

I returned, after half an hour, to the beach at the center of the bay, to go and get the GoPro. But I made the mistake of ending up in the Posidonia "soup" on the shore downwind (I paid the price of not knowing well the spot ...).

Meanwhile, all the others got into the water, in turn. Paolo introduced me to Arian, a very nice German guy, who turned out to be an excellent rider in the water.

I went back into the water a second time, and I stayed more upwind, listening to friends' advice about this spot. The wind, meanwhile, had increased in intensity, making the 3.7 a bit 'big, even if not yet unmanageable. I should also remember to sheet the downhaul and the outhaul when necessary. It is an operation that we often do not do, out of laziness. But when you need, you must!

The waves in the second session were better upwind, and more foamy in the middle of the bay. I took some of them, on the shoal in front of the cliff, even if the problem soon resulted from the too much speed when riding down the wave! Like in Imperia , a few weeks ago ....

Moreover, the spot is a port tack one, and I am a regular (and not a goofy) and therefore, in these conditions I suffer a little .... Probably, I work worse in the bottom with the left rear leg.

After another hour in the water, I went out to eat (as it was 13.00).

Paolo also came out of the water and decided to put an end to his games, having had a 36.8 ° C temperature the day before ...

Bread, pecorino cheese, and fried zucchini, a few photos and videos, and off to the water again for the grand finale!

In the third and final session, the spot gave its best, in my view. The wind has veered a bit from NNW, and in the area of ​​the shoal in front of the cliff, it has even become side off! And, at least near the shore, it turned out to be slightly less strong. Much cleaner waves near the beach, with some really nice sets, around a couple of meters. Offshore, on the other hand, the wind was always very strong, and the sea was messy, with windswells and swells overlapping. A puzzle, for me, to jibe it there ... 

 

 

In retrospect, I have thought that I should have started even more upwind in these conditions, to surf the waves, being able to ride, then, more parallel to the coast and the waves wall, when starting to surf them. Instead, I kept a compromise position, without going upwind too much, and without ending up too much in the middle of the bay, a position that probably wasn't the best choice. The spots must be known.

I often found myself on the waves with others (however, few - that's also the beauty of Sardinia ...), some of whom showed excellent technical skills.

S'Ena 'e Sa Chitta will also grant an encore tomorrow, Easter Monday. But in these area there is too much beautiful stuff to see, and we will go and discover the Gorges of Gorropu, or the Archaeological area of ​​Monte Tiscali.

Magical Sardinia.

Aloha. Fabio Muriano

Click here, for the session slidegallery.

 

 

The video of the session