If you are interested in trying Moulay, in Morocco, for windsurfing, read this review sent to us by Giuseppe Polix, a Roman rider, and recently integrated by us. Giuseppe tells us about a spot that ensures wind and waves, even in the height of summer.
WINDSURFING, SPOT REVIEW: MOULAY, ESSOUIRA, SIDI KAOUKI, AND SURROUNDINGS, MOROCCO
Read also the article on our recent vacation of June 2022, in Moulay, in the light of which we have integrated the article with further valuable information (see part in italics in the middle of the article, below).
The start
After South Africa (read review), we threw ourselves into a new adventure, accepting Gigi Le Carrò's invite. He is a good friend, as well as a great professional instructor, who organized from 26 May to 2 June a wave refining clinic at the Moulay, in Morocco, home-spot also of the very strong PWA/IWT athlete, Boujmaa Guillol.
I start from Rome Airport with Ryanair, with a friend of mine, while the other guys leave from Milan Malpensa with Easyjet. The appointment is at the airport of Marrakech, where, once completed the entry procedures and rent a Fiat Panda, we leave for Moulay. The journey is quite long, about 200 kms. Along the way, we see bizarre episodes: people traveling on horse-drawn carts, donkeys grazing at the side of the road, and along the villages encountered, people crossing roads without too much notice to local traffic.
Accommodation
We opt for comfort and proximity to the spot, instead of a more touristic and lively place (Essaouira): we stay at the Lawama hotel, located directly on the spot.
The hotel is not really a 5-star hotel, and you need to have to be tolerant, and do not pay too much attention if some fly flutters in the structure.
The hotel has 4 double rooms, and a multiple room, with 5 beds. It offers a beautiful terrace where you can relax in the central hours and get some sun, and enjoy beautiful sunsets, in the evening, at the end of the session. Breakfast in the morning is very rich: croissants, nutella, toast, butter and jam, orange juice and espresso. Even in the evening, if you do not decide to go to Essaouira it has many dishes served in different alternatives.
Conditions of the spot, and suggested equipment
The conditions of the swell and the intensity of the wind can vary greatly. It is enough to remember that in April, during the PWA, there was a real storm with waves that exceeded the 4 meters abundantly. We were lucky, catching only the first day 20 knots with sails from 4.7-5.0, and for the following days, 25 knots as average with peaks of 30, and gusts up to 35 knots; waves could range from one meter up to peaks of 2.5 meters.
In the water, personally, I mainly used a 4.2 sail, and sometimes even the 3.7. The wind is mostly side, even if, sometimes, it was a bit from the sea (side-on) and gusty; at other times, almost always in the afternoon after 4 pm, you have side-off wind condition, reinforcing and offering good level waves of about 2-2.5 meters.
The spot works on starboard tack. Recommended boards: 75-80 liters (for intermediate weight riders), and not too radical boards to overcome shorebreak, and wind holes.
School and storage windsurfing centers
Moulay is not a real village, but a small grouping of houses; so, do not expect Saint Tropez.... But if you love to immerse yourself in the wilderness, exchange a chat with the champion Boujmaa, and you want guaranteed wind, and wave, in the months of June, July, and August, then you may like the place.
As I said, there are two centers for renting equipment. First of all, you have the BoujXsports center of the homonymous champion, which has Starboard boards and Severne sails. For a week, 300 euros are required for renting the equipment.
A little further on, there is the Magic Fun by Bruno and Cecilia, which features Fanatic boards and North sails. Take note that on the second floor of their structure, there is the largest meeting of surfers, to have lunch with snacks and salads served by the kind Cecilia. The food is very cheap.
The local currency is the Diram which is worth 1/10th of Euro (change rate for summer 2018). Thus, 100 Diram are traded at around 10 euros. They also accept euros, and the cost of a salad is 50 diram/5 euros.
Below, we add, highlighting them in italics, some of our considerations, based on our trip to Moulay in June 2022.
Tides, wind, and reefs
The spot, as mentioned, works with the North East trade wind, which blows if the high pressure is positioned off the coast of Portugal or Morocco, and if Levante does not blow over Tarifa. The wind is weaker in the morning and stronger in the afternoon (thermal reinforcement). With smooth waves, regular water surfaces, right tidal conditions, and weaker winds (and less crowding), the morning session is sometimes really beautiful.
The spot works best at mid-tide, especially if rising.
In such conditions, the best waves are in the windward reef (in front of the asphalted parking lot). With the mid tide (especially rising) and high tide you can also get close to the shore, passing over the reef, which, in the part near the beach is covered with algae, and "soft", if you put your feet on it. The undersigned has always surfed barefoot, except with low tide and close to the low tide peak. At the exit to offshore, from here, however, be careful and do not go too fast, because some rocky spikes are present.
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