Catching the wind is difficult and riding the surf isn’t exactly easy, put them together and it’s enough to test body and mind to the limit. El Medano has long been a hot bed of this growing extreme sport but when the PKRA Master Cup and Spanish Championship arrived nature added patience to the riders’ virtues. The wind had a lay in and didn’t blow in until 2 pm, so much for a 10am start.

Even given the becalmed conditions I was surprised to see riders carrying large hand pumps down to Playa de Los Balos along with chunky surf boards and bundles of sails. All became clear as the kites took shape, the air filling the frames to keep them as light weight as possible.

The originally promised field of 150 riders and the mornings recount of 50 turned out to be 20 but if quantity was absent quality was in good supply. Youri Zoon (above) of Holland was fresh from winning the fourth World Championship round in Fuerteventura putting him ahead of the pack. He gave me some pointers to the competition ahead. “ We go out for seven minutes in pairs and the judges are looking for power and execution. They award one, two or no points per rider, the whole event is on a round robin knock out system. Look out for the two types of freestyle (there is also a race format) old school is jumps and spins but new school go for tricks passing the handle behind their back.”

Although exhilarating to watch, the rewards for professionals like Youri are pretty scant, the men’s winners share 12,400 euros and the women 3,600. “We have to get good sponsors to pay our travel and hotel bills, 5,000 euros isn’t much for destroying your body.” Youri smiles as he refers to injuries, he has twice broken cross ligaments.

As the riders practiced, the announcer tried to direct the public away from the busiest air space but several groups of beach strollers were buzzed by kites caught on sudden breezes. Despite their inflated edges, a sudden dive was enough to put the wind up a few daydreaming holiday makers. Even the sun bathers were enticed to sit up and admire the flips and charges of the riders as they skimmed over the waves. Dressing for action was an experience in itself. First the harness around the waist and then a tight hold of the reigns while guiding feet into the boards foot holds and finding an extra pair of eyes to make sure the kite wasn’t mingling with another rider’s strings.

The sea was pretty crowded on the first afternoon but stray surfers and swimmers were merely another challenge to these skilled riders. Back on the beach the bar was doing a steady trade and sun cream was slapped on liberally and the Reina beer girls added another layer of glamour to the swim suits and torsos. Even those distractions found it hard to compete with the how fast, how high, how dynamic antics of the riders. The action continues until Saturday 13 August, good luck and may the wind lift you to new glories.

Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.

Santa Cruz the Party Town
Summer in Tenerife’s capital is really set to sizzle with news that the council has relaxed the opening hours for bars and open-air terraces in parts of the city. The extended opening hours relate to establishments within the area that includes Avda. Marítima, Avda. Francisco La Roche, Rambla de Santa Cruz, Avda. de las Asuncionistas and Calle San Sebastián. Throughout summer bars can stay open till 4am, clubs till 6am, restaurants till 2.30am and open-air terraces till 3.30am (Sunday to Thursday) and 6am on Friday, Saturday and festival days. Not everyone is pleased with this news but if the city wants to promote itself as a serious city break destination it needs a thriving nocturnal scene to compare with the best of Europe’s top cities.

How to Attract the Crowds in Tenerife
To put into perspective the embarrassingly low figures that turned out for the Michael Bolton concert last week, here are some figures from the Virgen del Carmen celebrations in Puerto de la Cruz. According to official figures (some bloke in a cap counting 1,2,3…) 130,000 people visited the town for the celebrations with around an estimated 53,000 cramming into the harbour area to watch the embarkation. Of course local fiestas are free and instead of Michael Bolton crooning Dock of the Bay you get a local singer belting out Ave Maria –  so it’s no contest really.

Bow WOW – Tenerife’s Doggie Park
The council in Candelaria have created a park exclusively for the use of man’s best friend (should that be human’s?). The 5000 square metre park lies near the TF1 slip road at Punta Larga and is open for doggie business between 7.30am and 9pm every day. There’s one area specifically for small to medium sized dogs and another for the big guys – a bit of segregation there – and owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs as well as ensuring there’s no canine hanky panky…there will be young pups present after all. Apparently the municipality’s feline population are not a-mew-sed at this blatant display of favouritism.

What 110kph Speed Limit?
There’s been a lot of debate about the decision by the Spanish Government to reduce the speed limit to 110 kph earlier in the year. Doubt about its effectiveness continues with news that the result of a traffic survey revealed that only a third of Spanish drivers actually stayed with the temporary limit. Nearly 50% of drivers surveyed admitted to going over the limit every now and again whilst over 20%  confessed to more or less ignoring the limit completely. The findings won’t really come as a surprise to anyone who spends a lot of time driving on Tenerife’s motorways. Rules? It seems traffic laws are treated, as Captain Barbossa would say, more like “what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

Problems in El Médano
It looks like café society is in danger of spiralling out of control in El Médano. Some residents are up in arms because they claim bars, cafés and restaurants have invaded pedestrianised areas with their tables and chairs; apparently making getting anywhere on foot in parts a difficult and risky business. The council are taking urgent action to stem the flow of tables and chairs especially as there are concerns that someone may get accidentally clobbered by a beach bag…clearly serious stuff.

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…whoever is responsible for the English language movies on Tenerife
Whilst most of the world were treated to the last instalment of the wizard who has matured with a generation, film fans on Tenerife who prefer to see films in their original language had to make do with animated cars. It’s commendable that Gran Sur Cinemas screen an English language movie each week but by not choosing Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 they not only disappointed HP fans on Tenerife, they also shot themselves in the foot economically as well. You have to wonder if the person who picks which English language movies are screened is the same person who advises the Sun Live Festival organisers about ‘famous’ international singers. Before anyone suggests that film fans could always watch Harry in Spanish, here are two words that make that a serious non-option – Spanish dubbing.

Like a breath of fresh air, over 60 of the world’s top windsurfers swept into El Medano marking a welcome return for the PWA (Professional Windsurfers Association) World Cup. Competitive definitely, determined without a doubt, but the whole atmosphere at this latest round on the circuit had a mellow, refreshing quality that most sports just can’t match.

Even the waves whipped up by the timely arrival of perfect strong winds had their own poetic surge that lapped at a packed shore where competitors and fans mingled in the sand and chilled out over a beer or two. Boards and sails covered the sand of the pits area like a flock of exotic butterflies and with little pomp or ceremony their riders took up their steeds and dragged them down into the water in regular small groups for their 12 minutes to impress the judges as they sliced through the Atlantic.

Impressed with the skills but lacking in basic knowledge I sought guidance from a veteran of the circuit. Former world champion Scott McKercher is from Western Australia where they know a thing or two about waves. Although officially retired at 41 he still has the salt in his veins and grabbed the chance to compete again. I test boards over here now but one of the guys got injured in the last round so I applied to fill the space and was thrilled to get back out there again.

So why the 15 year wait for the PWA to return? During my 17 years I have competed here many times but the gap came because there was nobody to take a lead, now Danny Bruch has helped to pull it all together and the sponsors and local council have been wonderful and made it happen.

Last week’s round was in Pozo, Gran Canaria and Scott’s view of the Tenerife event will be music to many ears. This is miles better, the infrastructure is all in place, there’s a real buzz about El Medano and the conditions are just about perfect. So what are the riders all looking for?  It’s about getting the timing right, finding that special wave and milking it. Each competitor gets marked on their two best wave rides and one jump, that’s all about building speed and then moving at the right time.

Scott made an early exit but tipped Philip Koster, Danny Bruch, and Victor Fernandez as the ones to catch in the men’s competition and the Moreno twins Iballa and Daida from Gran Canaria to continue to dominate the women’s. Entrants had come from all over the world but Spain had plenty of action heroes like Marcos Perez (below) and Brits found plenty to cheer with Robby Swift (above) taking off in fine style.

There’s a big social side to the competition with a large chill out area just above the beach. Music was pumping gently out as the competition went on but a string of late night parties until 3 am would ensure the party atmosphere didn’t stop. The whole of El Medano embraced the World Cup, local businesses reaping a dividend of increased visitors were giving customers raffle tickets for a draw to win a Renault Clio. During the first afternoon a large party of school children eagerly joined the throng and when I walked back along the other beaches everyone seemed to be trying to ride the surf.

Even the elements were adding their own rhythm, the banners flapping in the wind, the spray of the sea, and the drag of the shingle at the water’s edge. Across the sea of discarded and expectant boards the judges ran a tight ship with a series of coloured flags and horn blasts providing the prompting for the exhilarating antics on the waves. Keen amateurs were skirting by the competitors, well you can’t fence off the ocean, but they couldn’t distract the grand masters from their aquatic artistry. El Medano and wind surfing are a perfect fit. The 30,000 euros split between the top men and the 15,000 euros between the women may not be a fortune but the visit of the tour has enriched Tenerife with a high tide of fun and excellence.

The World Cup continues in El Medano until 20 July.

Title: Master Cup PKRA Kiteboarding
Location: Los Balos beach, El Medano
Link out: Click here
Description: Blimey now the wave riders are taking to the air. the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association are treating us to the Master Cup and the Spanish Championship in one thrilling contest featuring 150 riders including the best 20 in the world.
Freestyle and Race are the two formats on show in this display of strength, skill and agility all set against the perfect skyline of El Medano, and of course it’s free to watch.
Start Date: 2011-08-08
End Date: 2011-08-14

Title: Pornosurf Ramones Tribute Concert
Location: The Underground Pub, El Medano
Description: Local rockers pay tribute to American punk legends The Ramones. Starts at 10-30pm.
Date: 2011-04-15

Title: Pornosurf Live
Location: The Underground Bar, El Medano
Description: Live rock just off El Medano plaza with local band Pornosurf at 11 pm on 25 Feb. They sound like The Ramones which is pretty impressive in my book.
Date: 2011-02-25

Last week saw the annual pilgrimage from El Médano in honour of Tenerife’s only saint, Hermano Pedro (Brother Pedro), a humble goatherd whose work helped transform the lives of millions people on the other side of the world.

Born in 1626 in Chasna, now Vilaflor, the first half of Hermano Pedro’s life was spent herding goats between Vilaflor and an isolated cave near El Médano. In 1649 at the age of 23, Pedro made a decision that was fated to leave an indelible mark on the world; he left his cave and set forth for the New World.
Two years later, impoverished and seriously ill, Pedro arrived in Guatemala City, where he recuperated in a Franciscan hospital for the poor. His experience amongst the city’s destitute souls had a profound effect and he decided to devote his life to helping them. Taking on menial work to finance his vocation, he divided his spare time between the hospital, visiting prisons and giving guidance to delinquents.
Pedro aspired to become a Jesuit, but lacking the academic background he had to settle for being a tertiary with a Franciscan order, whose garden he tended and where he planted an ‘esquisúchil’ tree, known as Brother Pedro’s miracle tree which still blooms to this day.

In 1658, Pedro established his own hospital. As his reputation amongst the poor grew, so did his patients and, supported by the Bishop of Guatemala, he expanded the hospital. He also built a school, where he promoted self improvement as well as educating the city’s underprivileged children. His work is acknowledged as having advanced teaching techniques and being an early version of a social services system.
Although his approach to teaching was modernistic, his personal religious practices weren’t. He regularly performed acts of self mortification such as flagellation and he carried a wooden cross on his back during Semana Santa processions.

In April 1667, Pedro died prematurely, aged 41. But, by then he’d founded the order of the Bethlehemites who continued to spread his word and perform acts of charity in his name across Central America, earning him millions of devotees.

On the 30th July 2002, Pope John Paul II canonized Brother Pedro in Guatemala City, calling him an outstanding example of Christian mercy.
The planting of an ‘esquisúchil’ tree in Guatemala in July 2007 was a symbolic gesture to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Brother Pedro’s canonisation and to honour the saintly former goatherd from Tenerife.

Many of the island’s millions of visitors who fly into Reina Sur airport have probably never heard of Brother Pedro. Ironic, considering that nearly every one of them passes within a few hundreds yards of his cave, now a shrine, as it lies in a small ravine at the end of the runway.

They say “it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good” and while much of Tenerife broiled in the excessive calima heat and high winds that covered their world in a fine layer of Saharan sand and sent them running for the sanctuary of their air conditioning, the wind catchers of El Médano pumped up their kites and took to their boards.

It was a shaky start to the PKRA Kiteboarding World Tour when Sod’s Law reared its head dictating that the Tenerife venue whose default setting is breezy-to-windy, dawned on the first day of competition with a cloudless sky… and dead calm.
The world’s top kiteboarders who had travelled from all corners of the globe to compete, kicked their heels in the sand and took up the mantle of honorary vacationers for the day.

Wednesday came with a warning from the Cabildo (Island government) of expected searing temperatures in the wake of yet another calima, and a forecast change of wind direction and speed.
Shortly after 2pm the forecast kicked in; the wind shifted position and sent the weather vanes spinning from 10 to 20 knots in the space of 30 minutes.
Abandoning their lunch plates to a Marie Celeste fate, the kiteboarders rushed to the shoreline of Playa Machado to pump up their sails and launch their kites.

Switching tack from coy wallflower to rampant lover; the wind battered riders, spectators and organisers on Thursday and Friday, racing across the sands at speeds that averaged 37 knots and peaked at 52 knots. Anyone who stood still for more than five minutes joined the impromptu sand sculptures of sails that littered the beach.
The conditions pumped up the adrenalin levels for the competition, producing first class waves and testing competitors to their limits.

For those who adopted the go hard or go home attitude which was flying round the camp, new records were there for the taking and Frenchman Sebastien Garat broke his own previous record jump height by almost five feet to set a new world record of 52 feet for the greatest height recorded on the Shadow Box* on a PKRA World Tour Competition.

On the final day of the competition the wind settled into a beefy average 20 to 25 knots and I sacrificed my hair condition to join the ranks of wind-swept and interesting people who had gathered to watch the finals of the freestyle and wave eliminations.
In the morning the men’s freestylers Youri Zoon and Andy Yates wowed spectators with some breathtaking tricks while the petite Spanish Gisela Pulido pulled off some neat moves and spectacular crashes as the conditions continued to bring out the best and worst in the Playa Machado waves.

Retiring to the iconic surf dude Flashpoint bar restaurant (shame about the website) for lunch and a respite from the mad wind, we talked to local windsurfer Richard who described the wind as “Like a Swiss cheese – full of holes, but it’s creating some amazing waves!” If only the same could be said for the effect it was having on my hair.

Shortly after 2 pm the wave event reached its final stages at El Cabezo where the testing conditions took no prisoners and produced some incredible style and power from Brazil’s Guilly Brandao who sailed into first place.

As the last of the air was released from sails and boards were zipped into bags, the wind catchers wandered off into the El Médano sunset to meet again in Argentina at the beginning of November 2010.

*A Shadow Box is a neat little GPS gizmo which is attached to the board and records everything from speed and acceleration to jump height and degree of rotation.

PKRA Kiteboarding World Tour 2010 Results

Freestyle double elmination results
Men
1. Youri Zoon (Slingshot, NED)
2. Andy Yates (Slingshot, AUS)
3. Sebastien Garat (RRD, FRA)
4. Ariel Corniel (Ozone, DOM)

Women
1. Gisela Pulido (Airush, ESP)
2. Ania Grzelinska (North, POL)
3. Kristin Boese (Best, GER)
4. Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR)

Wave results
Men
1. Guilly Brandao (Mormaii, BRA)
2. Sky Solbach (North, USA)
3. Bruno Bordorsky (RRD, BRA)
4. Tom Hebert (Airush, NCL)

Women
1. Gisela Pulido (Airush, ESP)
2. Ainhoa Garcia (Airush, ESP)
3. Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR)
4. Ania Grzelinska (North, POL)

Wind and sea erosion sound like good reasons to worry but in El Médano they take everything in their stride and find the positives. A walk along the wooden slatted promenade in this haven of bare footed surfing dudes soon reveals good reason to trust in nature. The sandstone coves carved by the sea are intimate, welcoming bathing bays where the rough sides even provide makeshift clothes hangers.

Planes fly low overhead on their way to and from Tenerife South airport but even their soft rumble is an accepted part of the soundtrack of life here. As I walk through the wide open plaza the main beach is packed, with areas set aside for a mums and toddlers fitness class and children’s badminton training. Could this be a bit of a squeeze? Hardly, it’s all about adapting; bodies are sunbathing on walls, benches and along the tops of those distinctive coves; there are plenty of special places to go around.

The End Of The Pier?

With such a laid back attitude, the continued threats of the Spanish coastal authority are met with a quiet defiance and a heard-it-all-before shrug. The centre piece of this unusual resort is a slice of old England, a Brighton inspired hotel partly built out onto a pier that juts into the sea. Built in 1963 the three star Hotel Médano epitomises the quirky nature of this town but contravenes a law brought in after its construction that forbids building too close to the shore line. Like the tides that lap around its supports, the arguments have ebbed and flowed over the last decade as the hotel continues to charm and pamper its loyal guests in equal measure. The latest threat has roused a Granadilla council backed petition that sits in the tourist information office almost lost among the leaflets for the popular walks and wind and kite surfing events that attract so many visitors to the area.

The blue flags flutter proudly over the two main beaches, the fifth time they have been awarded the European Union mark of cleanliness and water quality. Families bathe confidently here in the gently sloping shallows watched over by lifeguards at key points.

Further round to the west at the gentle dunes of La Playita the sporty minded flock to enjoy the best wind and kite surfing in Tenerife. Many major championships are held here including the World Kite Surfing Championships from 9th to 15th August.

Even when there are no competitions the skies are dotted with kites and the beach is a vast preparation area as boards are joined to sails and strings. At the back of the beach surfers form an appreciative audience at the bars planning new moves or browsing the shops to make sure their gear is as eye catching as their twists and turns on the waves.

To the east of Hotel Médano there are more strange delights, sculptures lurk in sea wall alcoves feeding the mind while a jumble of cafes and restaurants attend to bodily needs. Again good use is made of all space. Behind the bus stop fishing boats are crammed into a spare corner where a slipway beckons swimmers into the water as the restful snack and drink.
El Médano certainly crams plenty in; the Sansofe 210 festival runs through August with entertainment on most nights in the plaza overlooking the beach. There’s a strange brew of different flavours on this south east tip of Tenerife but they fuse together well to give El Médano a very pleasing taste.

Title: Aterciopelados – Free Concert
Location: El Medano plaza
Description: Top Colombian band Aterciopelados perform live with support act Karlovy Vary. starts at 8pm.
Date: 2010-07-18