Best and cheapest place to sail in winter (1 month)

[Wind_Boarder]

What about Lake Arenal in Costa Rica? That place gets some serious wind in the winter time! I tried it for one day when I travelled to Costa Rica and what started as 6.0 eventually turned into 4.0 conditions and stayed that way overnight and into the next day.

Note: The windsurfing here is definitely not good for beginners. When the wind picks up, it can blow 30+ for hours and you need to be in good windsurfing shape and experienced in high winds.

You would probably want to deal with Tico Wind. They stock the latest NP and JP equipment.

When I went, I tried Tilawa Windsurf Center. I wasn't impressed by their old gear so I would probably try Tico next time.

This place has some great sightseeing in the area as well, including an active volcano, hot springs, and rainforest walks with swinging bridges.

Pura Vida!
Alak.

[windfind]

With a month off it is hard to beat Baja. But since Baja blows in cycles a short trip is a gamble since you would hit a week of light to no wind. Gas is subsidized in Mexico so it is still relatively cheap and the road down is vastly improved from past years. Once there you can find places to camp free or stay in the La Ventana campground for $7 per night. Everything else is relatively cheap.

There is some basic Baja travel and windsurfing info. at: <a href="http://www.iwindsurf.com/travel.iws?genID=22 ">See the Baja Guide.</a>

[faradroka1]

I second Alakghosh, Lake Arenal is difficult sailing but worth it. I spent a week there and had extreme conditions the entire time. Getting back to the Bay area and sailing in high wind at Tomales was amazingly easy after that experience. Also, Tico Winds at Lake Arenal has great staff and equipment, plus it isn't always nuclear winds there, it changes daily. Finally, another plug for Hotel Mystica, a really nice place with a restaurant and great breakfast, plus strong coffee in the morning, which is Crucial.[/url]