WindsurfingUK issue 5 October 2017 | Page 23

21 slalom/blast scene. ASPC had three levels of equipment depending on the bulge of your wallet. The pro gear was good stuff with pro model JP boards and sails rigged on 100% masts. The staff were good, helpful and not over the top. What was interesting is you select a board for the duration of the hire! We have been used to the pick and mix options of other centres and initially felt a little restricted by this. I lumped for 113 JP Super Sport and Louise a 96 FSW with double back straps, again another telltale sign of the ensuing week of the megablast. The board is then allocated to you allowing straps and such all to be tuned to your liking. I even saw some ‘diligent’ riders bringing their own fins from home – this was all very new for me. As our time wore on I began to like this board and even liked the system. I rode the board with a range of sail sizes and just got on with it. By the end of my four days hire I was pretty attached to it and all its straight line speediness. Don’t let this put you off because if you want to ride something different the staff were super helpful and would figure out which board would be available for you to take out. Sails were all rigged without booms. ASPC had a great range of sizes from 3-8.5m (some even smaller for petite people). The majority of the rigs are quality RAF with a handful of Cam induced sails. Throughout the week I had no problems getting the sail I wanted, with most of the time on one of their ‘cammed’ numbers. To get a sail just ask the staff and they take it out, attach boom and send you on your way. Spend five minutes getting your lines and height set and off you go. Simple. On the water The wind blows left to right for all the main centres. There is one smaller more local centre at the top of the bay that is on the other side – called ‘Orsin’. The water was surprisingly chilly for early August. I may be getting soft with Middle East acclimatization but I stuck it out in shorts and rashie, meanwhile Louise was clad in rubber. It wasn’t enough of a deterrent to not drop gybes though. The centre has wetsuits free to use if you need. A lot of the local sailors adorned shorties. Just a point to note. All the centres adopt a lazy line system so you can tie your sail and board up and have a drink/chill/eat and then head back out an hour later. This was kind of new to us again but was really quite simple and convenient! The first 200m of the bay where the centres are is shallow. This makes it great for all the practicing of moves and the comfort of standing up. Even with my midget stature I was good for standing up. uk WIND SURFING