I don't even remember anymore how long I hadn't been windsurfing at the Spiaggia d'Oro, in Imperia..... Well, yesterday, I finally got to ride again there, thanks to a good day of Libeccio (SW), which was really strong. And the desire for the sea waveriding has only got bigger and bigger!

Windsurfing, report: the return to the Spiaggia d'oro, Imperia, Liguria (11/27/2021)

Going out at Spiaggia d'Oro (Imperia), regardless of the conditions offered by the spot, is always a pleasure. The blue sea swept by the wind, the mild temperature, and above all the surrounding scenery, with Borgo San Maurizio behind the beach, are always a very pleasant overall picture.

After discarding the Coudouliere, for family commitments, I got in touch, on the Waterwind forum, with my friend Alberto, and at around 7.30 we left Milan, heading for Imperia, where we arrived at around 10.15 (how many works in progress on the highway ...).

Upon our arrival, some riders were already in the water, taking advantage of the already strong wind. We chose Imperia (preferring it to Andora, where I would also have gladly seen some fans of the spot), because the forecasts (Arome model) gave a more lasting wind during the day. Expected wind spike between 10,00 and 12,00, and then a decrease, but with strong wind until 15.00-16.00. And so it was. Except that I didn't expect either that the initial blow was so strong, or that the wind remained so intense even in the early afternoon.

In short, I first entered the water with the Ezzy Elite 4.2 2019, and with the Tabou da Curve 80 2016, set as thruster with K4 fins. But after getting into the water a couple of times, I had to make up my mind to quickly switch to the 2019 Ezzy Elite 3.7, because the 4.2 was unmanageable. Same choice by the other riders present, including many well-known faces (I knew almost everyone on the spot, and the good company was an added value of the trip). It is impossible for me to mention them all. I will limit myself to saying that the locals from Liguria were distinguished from the pale faces of Milan and Turin, precisely for the sun-burnished color of the face .... And I would add only that it was my first time at the d'Oro without Stefano Brugnola, our photographer, who passed away because of Covid, last April. And his absence was really noticed. How much we will miss him ...

Once switched to 3.7, conditions were more manageable, even if, offshore, the gusts were still bad and too intense even for the 3.7! After 12 o'clock, the wind calmed down slightly, it also spread a little better, and it became, all in all, of good quality until about 15.30, when it gradually decreased, especially near the shore.

As for the water level, I will say without beating about the bush, that it was not the best Spiaggia d'Oro, and that I enjoyed much more the last sessions at Coudouliere, or at the Carro, in my last trips, with cleaner and easier waves to ride.

At Imperia, except for a few moments in the late morning, yesterday there was never an orderly wave, nor particularly high, apart from some big not breaking ones, offshore. Waves of 2 meters maximum near the shore, alternating with moments of smooth sea, which made it quite easy to get out and back. Poorly rised waves, difficult to be read (at least for me). I must also say that on the few occasions when I was lucky enough to find myself on some really good set, I inevitably found others riders downwind, and, .... despite having the right of way, I am not someone who goes looking for troubles.... In the latest waveridings sessions, even in France, I have often found crowds or riders on the waves, and I found myself dreaming of an exit in some not too crowded ocean spot .... Dreams for now, I guess .... Even if someone, when chatting at the beach, spoke well of Moulay (Morocco); so maybe in the new year ....

Returning to Imperia, probably, the wave did not rise well, because the wind, yesterday, began to blow really strongly right from the west of Liguria (that is, near the spot), and not from the South of France; moreover, someone talked about the lengthening of the breakwaters reef to the west of the beach, which could, perhaps only momentarily, have ruined the spot a bit. We'll see in the future.

Anyway, I enjoyed it overall. Offshore, on the 80 liters I struggled to maneuver, in the messed up sea, while it went better near the shore. When surfing, in the hustle and bustle, I forgot my good intentions: I pushed a little with the bow foot in the bottom turn, and I did not return, in a very radical way, towards the lip of the wave, clew forward, as the side on conditions required. We should do waveriding at least a couple of times a week ..... There is little to do.

I got out of the water, among the last ones, just before 16.00, because every time I returned to the shore, I felt like surfing some other waves. And then, I finally enjoyed the spot with a few people in the water.

Now, the problem is that the desire for the waveriding has skyrocketed. The next few days promise wind. Let's see if we can organize a trip to France or Sardinia.....

Ciao. Fabio

Click here, for the slidegallery of the session.