This article appeared in Windsurf Magazine Fuerte Rediscovered Fuerteventura is no surreptitious spot on the European windsurfing scene. The island's consistency for strong winds during the summer months has been well documented, going a long way to explaining why the World Tour returns there year upon year. Couple this with the north shore's reputation for some of the best wave sailing conditions that Europe has to offer over the winter, and it is easy to see why the island has become so popular with the windsurfing fraternity. In essence, it is a year round location that has the conditions to suit anyone, from the complete beginner to the consummate professional. So if Fuerte has already been so well exposed and established as an excellent holiday destination, you may be questioning the need for a revisit. Why not look elsewhere, in search of a completely new windsurfing utopia; somewhere that us Britons aren't familiar with as of yet? Well, the reason lies in an invitation to sample an entirely different windsurfing package holiday. Extreme Holidays offer a holiday experience that is set to capture the imagination of many. To find out more, we sent our Features Editor - Tris Best out to Fuerte for the first time, to see what this British company was up to. Getting There Fuerteventura is extremely accessible from Britain, helped in part by the attitude of the Canaries' autonomous government. At present, their long-term ambition is to boost the size of the tourist industry on the island, with the initial action of encouraging an increase in the number of chartered flights each week. As a result you can get to Fuerte from pretty much any major airport in Britain. The journey takes little over four hours, with most flights leaving at reasonable times. One major bonus is that the Canaries are in the same time zone as the British Isles and so there is no sense of 'jet-lag'. There is only one airport on the island, situated on the east coast just south of the capital, Puerto Del Rosario. It has a relatively modern terminal building, easily large enough to cater for the number of tourists coming through. Another heartening aspect of travelling to Fuerte is that a windsurf board is nothing unusual to the terminal staff. If you are taking your own equipment out, you should have no problem recovering it from baggage reclaim. The cost of taking a board out is £30.00 on a chartered flight, payable at check-in. About Fuerte Being one of seven islands that make up the Canaries, Fuerte is situated ten kilometres due south of Lanzarote and boasts the longest length of all the islands; it is about a hundred kilometres from Punta del la Tinosa in the north (northern most tip of the island, between Corralejo and Majanicho) to Punta de Jandia near Sotavento beach in the south. Two kilometres off the island's northeast coast is the small volcanic-cratered island of Los Lobos, with the El Rio Strait separating it from the mainland. Despite various literary pamphlets I picked up describing the variety and diversity of the native flora found on the island, it has got to be said that Fuerte does have a rather sparse landscape. Although I have visited the Canaries once before and was somewhat prepared for a barren setting, Fuerte's scenery with its relatively poor plant covering still took me a little by surprise. That said there is almost a subconscious fascination with its primitiveness; the island's charisma definitely grows on you. It is the perfect terrain for a bit off road adventure; five minutes off the beaten track and you almost feel as if you are on the edge of the world, although still comforted with the thought that help and society is never far away! I remember it being mentioned that Fuerte has provided the backdrop for a film or two in the past. Although the name of the exact film escapes me, the best way to describe the land is a cross between the deserts of Luke Skywalker's Tatooine and the surroundings Mel Gibson found himself in during the shooting of the Mad Max trilogy. Reading on a little more, I'm told that the island is some seventeen million years old with extremes of landscape from solidified lava in the north and southeast to fields of sand, blown to the water's edge in the spectacular northeast and south. These long golden sandy beaches, I was soon to find out, provide the most idyllic and user-friendly of launching areas. Extreme Enough For You? Before we go any further, just ask yourself one thing: what is your idea of a perfect windsurfing holiday? For me, as I am sure is the same for many of you, the ideal break would be travelling to a consistent location that offered a variety of conditions, with the intention of exploring, accompanied by some close friends. Leaving a lot of planning in the hands of fate, I'd book my flight, take my kit and hope that everything worked out at the other end. For some, this type of adventure is a realism, but for most it leaves too much to chance. When both money and time are precious, you need the added security and assurance that something is organised once you get there. This is where Extreme Holidays come in. Left: One of the Patrols descending into Pzo Negro. Right: Extreme Holidays storeroom They are a new company that offer a dynamically different concept of packaged windsurfing holiday; for a start, the maximum number of clients it caters for each week is sixteen, of which only six of those can participate in windsurfing at any one time. But lets start at the beginning. When booking through the company's home office back here in Britain, you are given the option of flying from a variety of airports. You are also presented with various other choices - the standard of accommodation you wish to stay in, the sports you want to take part in, (kitesurfing and surfing are offered in addition) as well as the opportunity to take your own kit out if you so desire. The flight tickets arrive on your doorstep two weeks prior to departure, along with a glossy brochure informing you of what to expect. On arrival into Fuerte, you are met at the airport by the company's instructors, (more about them in a while). They load you up and transport you to your accommodation in their fully air-conditioned 4x4 Nissan Patrols (I'll tell you a little more about them too!). The transfer takes no more than ten minutes, travelling south along the east coast of the island to Caleta de Fuste. This tourist oriented town is your base for the duration of your stay, with a choice of accommodation in either the Castillo de Antigua or Castillo Suites. These two aparthotels are essentially one large complex located right by the water's edge and provide all the amenities you'd expect of a four star hotel. Once settled, your guides for the week then brief you on how your time is likely to be spent and how the company's tuition system works. It is at this moment that your eyes are likely to light up and the benefit of maintaining small groups becomes instantly apparent. Like most package holidays, the instructors will inform you that the holiday revolves around you. To a large extent this remains possible at other centres; but I know from first hand experience that when instructing a larger group, there is only so much flexibility that is humanly possible. It is difficult to keep everyone happy all of the time. This is not so much the case on an Extreme Holiday though. By restricting the number of guests to sixteen a week, the maximum number in any group is six and is often no more than three or four, so flexibility and concentrated instruction is guaranteed. The groups are naturally determined by the type of activity you wish to do, as is the instructor that will be with you for the week. There are three permanent members of the team, assisted by the local knowledge and professional expertise of Danny Seales, the British Windsurf Wavesailing Champion. Although specialist in one particular discipline, each has the experience to instruct two or more of the sports available and are either RYA, BSA or IKO qualified. They are also very proficient at handling the Patrols off-road, having each completed an intense off-road course before coming out to Fuerte, (but again, more of that later!). So, what is the day to day routine? Well, it really is entirely up to you! Depending on your chosen sport, you really can exploit all the opportunities available to you. One point worthy of note is that the wind in Fuerte rarely gets up before midday, so there is no need to rush. But hang on, there is still surf! All the equipment is stored in a sideroom of the hotel complex, which is invariably your meeting point each morning. There is a diverse selection of the latest F2/Arrows kit to choose from; something to cover every standard of sailor. Although you may change your selection at the end of each day, the kit is normally kept on the trailer, thereby reducing the amount of loading and unloading done; you simply get picked up each morning and high tail it to the location of choice for that particular day. Using the judgement of the daily forecast and helped in part by local knowledge, your guide/instructor will make an informed decision on the best beach for the day. The beauty of residing at Caleta de Fuste is that the location of choice is never more than fifty minutes by 4x4 unless you go off-road! Places to Sail Fuerteventura's most prominent trump-card, giving it the edge over other locations, is its diversity in the conditions it offers. During the summer months you are almost guaranteed planing winds (of considerable strength at times!) at some spot on the island. The winter months, on the other hand, play host to some of the most incredible wave conditions in Europe, found mostly on the north coast of the island. In effect, Fuerte is a year round destination, whereby you should define the month of your visit by the conditions that you favour the most. Here is a basic run down of the more popular destinations from which to sail: Sotavento About forty-five minutes drive south of Caleta de Fuste, Sotavento is the regular stop off on the island for the World Tour. If there is any wind on the island, then you are pretty much guaranteed that this beach will have some of it! With the wind being cross offshore the water is predominantly flat, ideal for speed sailing and blasting. However, at high tide you do tend to get some swell coming from the north, jacking up small ramps that are excellent for port tack jumps and general freestyle tomfoolery. There is also a lagoon that works during high tide, presenting a very safe and user-friendly spot for the less experienced sailors. There are two German centres at either end of the beach, both run by Rene Egli, and although it does get pretty crowded at these spots the beach is long enough for you to find you own, less crowded arena. Just one word of warning - watch out for the odd naked German - very off putting whilst rigging! Flag Beach Just south of Corralejo, there are a number of excellent port tack wave-sailing/ bump-and-jump locations. The first that you come across is Flag Beach. Home to a well established British centre, this spot offers excellent conditions throughout the year. There is also the possibility of sailing across the Rio Strait to Los Lobos Island from here, where I am told there are some great breaks. Kitesurfing has also become very popular at this spot. Glass Beach About half a mile down from Flag Beach there is a popular waveriding spot called Glass Beach. Although it is often quite crowded and reasonably tricky to sail, when it works well this reef break can test the abilities of the world's best. Punta Blanca Travelling round the other side of Punta del la Tinosa, there are a couple of recognised wave locations that offer wind from the other tack and often work when the wind isn't so clean at Flag and Glass. Punta Blanca is known for its starboard tack jumping conditions, with a consistent cross-onshore wind blowing during the summer months. With the waves best at mid to low tide, the only negative aspect of the spot is the launching area, where you have to walk over sharp volcanic rocks. For this reason it never really gets too crowded here. Cotillo Further around the coast from Punta Blanca is the heavy beach-break of Cotillo. This cross-shore starboard tack location has the potential to get very big, and can be a test of your nerves if nothing else. When it is really big, (usually during the winter) it will sort the men out from the boys. Get your timing right and you can get some excellent aerials, right next to the shore. Get it wrong and the wave will slam your kit onto the floor, inevitably breaking your mast. The launch is from a long sandy beach and with the waves being less severe in the summer, this spot can become quite crowded. Without having a permanent beach base, Extreme Holidays have the ability to use their 4x4s and offer a touch of exploration to their guest. Wind permitting, you can travel round to the more remote reaches of the island, in search of your dream conditions. You can do as much or as little distance as you desire; indeed, there is real potential to score a killer session not more than five minutes from your apartment, just outside Caleta Marina's Harbour Wall. If for any reason you get into trouble, then help is on hand. Your safety is covered by their 750cc jetbike, which comes everywhere with you on the back of a trailer. It is capable of carrying up to three people and adding piece of mind to your adventure. With various reef and beach breaks scattered around the coastline, this system enables you to exploit their full potential, safe in the knowledge that you are being watched over at all times by the instructors who are qualified beach lifeguards and first-aiders. Sam in search for that killer session. Alternative Activities Okay, so we know that Fuerte is awesome for windsurfing, but what about its potential for other activities? Not being a great surfer myself, I am not familiar with the Island's reputation within the surfing world, but I have been told that it is pretty exceptional! There are a multitude of locations, from Playa Blanca in the east for the beginner, to the 'Shooting Gallery' and 'Bubble' on the north coast for the pro. Likewise, kitesurfing has really taken off in Fuerte, becoming more popular by the day. With several long sandy beaches, both in the north and south, there are plenty of isolated spots to practice the sport without the worry or distraction of being surrounded by others. But what if the wind doesn't arrive? Well, during the summer months this is quite unlikely, but Extreme Holidays have thought of some other activities to keep you entertained if there aren't the conditions to do any of their three main sports. Firstly there's off-roading - this is the point where you realise just why they have three large Nissan Patrols! Such is the island's terrain that a 4x4 is the only way to travel. You really will be gob-smacked at what these machines can handle, testing all their features like diff-lock to the limit. If that is not enough of an adrenaline rush, why not try wakeboarding or skurffing (a cross between water-skiing and surfing) off the back of their jet-bike. If you have ever water-skiied before, then these activities will provide an excellent source of amusement and will feel fairly familiar; a perfect light wind alternative to windsurfing. Caleta itself also offers the opportunity to dive with the local dive school, golf on the island's only golf-course, tennis, squash or simply a sandy bay to relax on. Nightlife Caleta de Fuste has everything that you need during your stay, with variety of bars and restaurants as well as a nightclub of sorts. With most of the tourists being British in the resort, the menus of the restaurants have adapted to meet the demand. The food is good, but is often not authentic Spanish cuisine. Instead, I definitely recommend trying the local fish and going to the Tapas Bar, built within the hotel complex; you'll not be disappointed. If you are after a proper night out on the town, then I've been reliably informed that the best place to go is Corralejo. Here you find the famous 'Corky's Bar' and sample the nightlife in the busiest area of the island. Unfortunately I was unable to make it up there during my stay, but have written it down on my 'must-do' list for when I return. And that will not be too far in the distant future, I can tell you! Useful Information. Car Hire: If you want to hire a car during your stay, expect to pay around £80.00 for a week's hire, or about £25.00 a day. There are loads of car hire places in Caleta, but prepared to hunt around - the cars go fairly quickly! Expenses: The cost of living out in Fuerte is not a great deal cheaper than back here in the UK. A good meal will cost you about £7.00 a head, and a beer in a bar will set you back around £1.50 Currency: The currency used is the Euro. One-pound sterling roughly translates to around E1.50 - E1.60 Language: The language barrier is never really a problem; most of the locals speak English well. In fact, many of the residents are actually from another part of Europe, but have emigrated out to Fuerte. Water Temperature: The water never really deviates a great deal. It remains between 16 - 20 degrees throughout the year, so a shortie or possibly combi wetsuit is all that you require.