Mauritius, windsurfing paradise

Diary from my holiday in Mauritius, on a Jem Hall clinic.

Day 1
Made my way to London for the evening flight. I did try to divest myself of all deadly weapons before boarding, but somehow the Lipbalm of Mass Destruction was still in my bag. Luckily this was not detected by the gimlet eyes of security. I mean, I'm all for security but how much damage could a lipgloss or tube of mascara really do?

Anyhow, the flight is 6086 miles and takes 11.5 hours. Reasonable legroom and food as good as can be expected on a plane. Arrived at about 1pm and assembled. The group will be 7 sailing plus 2 partners. Transfer to Indian Resort takes an hour and a bit and it's a pleasant drive mostly along the coast. By the time we get checked in and down to the Club Mistral windsurf centre, it's just too late to sail but it's looking windy. I think I like this place.

Day 2
I wake up during the night and hear the wind howling. And there's a constant dull roar from the waves pounding on the reef. We present ourselves at the beach for a site intro and board allocation. The main sailing area is quite a good size and extends to the reef which goes all along the coast, with 2 small breaks. There are 4 spots for wavesailing but only 2 are allowed for CM clients - the other 2 are regarded as too dangerous for rescue. But today the conditions mean that there are waves breaking in the channel so everybody must stay in the bay. There are some kites and not too many windsurfers out.

I've been allocated a Syncro 90. I take a 5m and head out. It's a little bumpy on the inside but very doable for my (intermediate) ability, so that's a relief. The waves breaking on the reef look quite scary but it turns out I can sail almost up to them and have a look.

Day 3
Rain and no wind to start, but it picks up by mid-morning. We have the dreaded video feedback after breakfast - I need to straighten my front leg and get down. Today I'm on a 5.3 and bouncing a little on the chop, but I manage a tiny jump.

Day 4
Sunny and windy. The tide is out in the morning, and I'm a little overpowered on a 5m. After lunch I try a Beast 84 with a 4.5. It's a little harder to sail the Beast but good fun once it gets going. Oh dear, I think I'm getting a blister on my left hand.

Day 5
Overcast and not much wind, so I go for a walk before sailing. Back on the Syncro with a 5.8, a bit of a workout and the current seems really strong. My hands are a bit sore in the evening but still no actual blisters. Hand cream is my friend!

Day 6
It's Jem's day off, so a relaxed start to the day, and there's not much wind anyhow so I don't bother sailing. The wind gets up after 4pm for a short time, then drops completely so I feel justified in my laziness.

Day 7
Windy and sunny. Refreshed by my day off I take a 5.3 and venture onto the little reef for the first time. This is cool! The waves are quite small and very friendly so it's great fun and not scary at all. I'm getting to like the idea of jumping although my altitude so far can be measured in inches.

I head out again after lunch and I'm having a great time until about 4:45 when suddenly the wind switched off completely leaving me out the back. As always, I was having just one more run before I came in. The rescue boat comes and they pull me in but then a bit of a gust comes so they tell me to go for it while they rescue the people further out. I do and make it just inside the reef when the wind dies again. So I swim. And swim. And swim. I seem to have picked the one part of the bay where it's too deep to stand. At least the tide is turning so there's no much of a current. Finally I can stand, so I walk the rest of the way pulling my kit behind me. I'm tired, but it was a fantastic day.


Day 8
No waves today. I'm on a 5.4 and not sailing so well. I take the afternoon off.

Day 9
No wind at all. Some people go surfing and it looks pretty cool. I must find the time to learn - apparently it would improve my windsurfing too.

Day 10
Up at 6 and off to the airport. I had wondered why the flight times I was given seemed unexpectedly long but it turns out there will be a stopover in Zurich. I could have done without that but otherwise the journey was fine and we arrive back at Heathrow on time.

I stay in the very convenient and not bad at all Jury's Inn and fly back to Dublin on the Sunday.

All in all, one of my very best windsurfing holidays. And definitely high on my list for a return visit. Mind you, I didn't make any gybes but there was definite progress. I'm now getting to the rig flip part.

General Stuff
It's possible to stand in most of the bay. In fact, it can be very shallow in spots when the tide is out, so CM fins are noticeably on the short side. Wind is cross-shore from the left. The current can be quite strong near the channel, which can make waterstarting a bit harder as the wind is pushing the board one way while the current pulls it the other way. And sometimes the waves are travelling diagonally. I'm not really used to so much movement in the water but it wasn't a problem as long as the wind was blowing. Not the best place to go unless you're reasonably happy with your waterstart IMO.

The beach is sandy, but there are lots of rocks and bits of coral in the water and sea urchins on the reef, so shoes are recommended. I wore them but some people seemed ok in bare feet. I also wore a summer suit, more to protect my knees and shins than for warmth.

CM staff are very pleasant and helpful. The mood is very relaxed but everything seems to get done efficiently. I had no problems with kit availablity or condition.

The hotel is very nice, and very spread out. It took almost 10 minutes to walk from my room at one end to CM at the other. There's an army of very friendly staff - cleaning, gardening and serving. Can't say anything about the spa as I didn't try it. We're on half board, so breakfast and dinner are included but not snacks or drinks. It's not cheap but ok. You can sign for everything or pay cash.

Breakfast is great - a huge buffet of fruit, cereal, yogurt, pastries, and cooked stuff. The omelettes are particularly nice. They make an effort to vary the dinner buffet although it does get a bit samey. And there are several other restaurants if you fancy a change, although we only tried the Indian one which was ok but nothing special.

However, the bar system just doesn't work! Every time you speak to a waiter they seem to ask your room number but when the bill arrives you still have to write it on the docket yourself. And it can take a long time to get a drink. But that's my only gripe.