FAQ
What are the conditions like in Moulay?
Am I good enough to sail Moulay?
What’s Moulay town like?
Is there anything for non windsurfers to do?
Is Bouj Windsurf Adventure an Oceansource Centre?
What equipment do they have?
How big is the centre?
If I hire gear from Bouj Windsurf Adventures do I have to sail in Moulay?
How do I get to Moulay?
What are the conditions like in Moulay?
Awesome. Moulay is an exposed, west-facing beach with a reef break just offshore. It’s in prime position to receive any swell from the Atlantic and it offers world class wavesailing, as well as kitesurfing and surfing. It is backed by mountains which accelerate the local trade winds to anything from comfortable 20 knots to a howling 40 knots and sometimes even more. The swells come in as long lines which double or triple in size as they approach the flat rock reef. Each wave breaks first with one big smackable section and then peels off down the line as a perfect, well-groomed wall of water. On a good day you can get in so many turns you’ll get dizzy.
The jumping is no less impressive. Forwards, backies, push loops, double forwards are all possible here if you have the nerve. You can go as high as you dare.
Am I good enough to sail Moulay?
That depends. This isn’t a spot for low level intermediates or beginners. However, as wavesailing destination go, it's on the easier end of the scale. Many days the waves are only head high or less, and there is a channel (a gap between the upwind and downwind reefs) that makes it quite easy to get out the back. At high tide you launch from a sandy beach with a small shorebreak. At low tide you have to launch from a small gap in the reef itself – but there is no shorebreak to worry about. If you can sail in coastal waters in swell and small waves, waterstart and feel comfortable on a board of less than 85 litres, then you will be easily up to the challenge of of sailing small to medium Moulay.
On the days when the big waves come in – well, even if you don’t feel quite up to it (and there’s no shame in that) you’ll be able to watch some of the best windsurfers in the world tearing apart some of the world’s best conditions.
What’s Moulay town like?
It’s a tiny Moroccan fishing hamlet stuck out in the middle of nowhere that just happens have fantastic wind stats and a world class reef in front of it. Other than that, don’t expect too much! There are perhaps 50 buildings spread out along two or three ‘streets’, most of which are fishing huts and small shacks. The roads themselves are dirt tracks or sand and the only passing traffic are goats, chickens and the occasional windsurfer with the kind of thousand yard stare you only get when you’ve sailed your brains out.
There are limited eating and shopping prospects. Lawama Restaurant has sadly been destroyed by fire, but will hopefully be back by mid 2009. There is one other large restaurant which is just being finished off, a brand new take away Pizza restaurant and a few local style cafes.
There are also a couple of shops where you can buy the very basics, such as bread, bottled water and perhaps a packet of biscuits or a tin of tuna.
Is there anything for non windsurfers to do?
Not a lot. You can watch the action from various vantage points out of the wind or go for long walks on the beach, but that’s about it. However, Essaouira – a 20 minute taxi ride away – does have plenty to keep non-windsurfers amused. It’s a former colonial town and has a wide range of very nice hotels and restaurants, a medina (market) where you can haggle for locally produced arts and crafts and a beautiful wide open beach where you can take camel rides, or just stroll around. It’s a very pretty and historically important town.
It’s quite possible to base yourself in Essaouira for the sake of the non windsurfing part of your group and simply head over to Moulay when you want to sail. Indeed some people simply prefer to stay in Essaouira because there’s more going on in the evenings here.
Is Bouj Windsurf Adventure an Oceansource Centre?
No, the centre is owned and run by three local windsurfers, Fettah, Youssef and Boujmaa Guillol. Fettah also owns Moulay’s best restaurant – Lawama’s and is an inspirational wave sailor. As for Boujmaa, well you may have heard of him, a few years ago he was ‘discovered’ by Starboard and is now a professional windsurfer on the PWA World Tour where his incredible jumps and waveriding style sees him regularly tipped as a future World Champion. They run the centre with some help from other local friends. Having grown up in and around Moulay you couldn’t hope to find two better guides to the area, and they really are two people who live and breath windsurfing.
Oceansource acts as booking agents for the centre, but having visited the centre we’re more than happy to vouch for the sailing conditions and the way the boys are running things. We’re also visiting regularly to ensure the high standards are continuing!
What equipment do they have?
With Boujmaa’s Starboard connections this is a Starboard/Severne set up. And with the conditions on offer it’s waveboards only. Currently they have Severne Gator 2008 sails in 3.7, 4.2, 4.7, 5.0 and 5.3 along with Starboard Evo 62s and 70s, with Acid 80s to complement the line up.
All the sails are rigged on 75% carbon skinny (RDM) masts.
How big is the centre?
It’s very small at the moment. However this means you get a highly personalised service and can take advantage of the real spirit of adventure that surrounds the centre. Don’t mistake this for a mass market commercial operation – it isn’t!
If I hire gear from Bouj Windsurf Adventures do I have to sail in Moulay?
No, once you hire gear from the centre you can take it away and explore the huge potential that this area offers. There are three main sailing areas – Sidi Kaoki (a beach break one hour south of Moulay), Essaouira (which is sheltered by the island of Mogador and so offers smaller waves for when it’s just too big) and Moulay itself. But there are also countless beaches and pointbreaks between these where you can guarantee there won’t be any crowds! Boujmaa and Fettah will be only too happy to guide you to some amazing spots. In particular don’t miss out on their 10km downwinder from Boujmaa’s favourite spot.
How do I get to Moulay?
Most people fly into either Agadir or Marrakech, and there are plenty of airlines which service both airports. It’s then an easy taxi ride to Moulay (two hours from Marrakech, two and a half from Agadir but the road is more scenic as it winds along the coast). This currently costs around 70 Euros each way – or you can get a local bus which is slower, but a lot cheaper – and more of an ‘experience’.
Either way, you can book a taxi from us so that you are picked up and dropped off at the airport of your choice with no hassle, with or without equipment.
It’s also possible to fly directly to Essaouira airport from Paris and other international airports may soon offer this as well. We’re looking into all the options for flights and will update this very soon with full info. (Top)
|
