Getting Ready to Windsurf in Spain

The kids had their first windsurfing lesson today.  Hubby was is a big windsurfer.  Growing up in San Francisco, he learned the hard way:  in the shark-infested, hypothermic, tempestuous waters of the San Francisco Bay (that's how he likes to tell it).  We thought we'd let the kids have an easier time of it by taking a long, leash-held, private lesson in the warm, local harbor waters of Southern California.  The instructor was very good.  I've attempted many windsurfing lessons in the past and hadn't heard half the little tidbits of wisdom he so casually dispensed.

Now my son and daughter just need a little more practice to be ready for some serious sailing in Andalusia next summer.  I've been reading up on where to go.  The hottest windsurfing in Spain (not including the Canary Islands) is known to be in Tarifa, on the very southernmost tip of Spain facing Morocco.  Winds here can reach 40 knots and the area is not recommended for beginners, so maybe we'll just let Daddy spend a few hours in Tarifa on his own.  I'm thinking the oceans might be a little calmer (perhaps with resorts that serve tropical drinks!) on the Costa del Sol or on the Atlantic side near, say, Cádiz.  Doing some earnest research now on these resorts winds.

Son's first windsurfing lesson today.

Have I mentioned another stroke of good fortune regarding our trip to Spain next summer?  A few weeks ago our family went whitewater river rafting.  We were on an 8-man raft, and the other occupants of the boat were a family of four from Barcelona.  Naturally, under such intense, high-adventure bonding circumstances (read:  laughing a lot together) we got to know each other quite well, and it turns out, this family owns an apartment on the coast of Spain near the Portuguese border that they'd be happy to let out to us!  We exchanged email addresses and are going to keep in touch.  How about that!?

Rafting with our new Spanish compadres.

Follow up post:  read about the success of our family windsurfing in Tarifa, Spain, in the summer of 2012 here.