Windsurfing
There’s one reason windsurfers around the world all know about Punta San Carlos (PSC) – hands down, it’s the best place on the planet to learn to sail in the waves. With beach breaks, reef breaks, and a legendary point that throws a glassy wave that can peel for as much as a mile at a time, there’s something for sailors of every skill level. Side-off wind conditions make Punta San Carlos ideal for classic down the line wave-sailing. Ranging from head-high sets designed to dial in your bottom- and top-turns, to knee-level “ankle-biters” that are perfect for learning timing, wave selection, and the sweet science of slicing the swell, the close proximity and sheer variety of wave conditions is perfect for any windsurfer wanting to take their game to the next level.
With more than 30 years of experience in delivering the goods in camp and on the water, Solo Sports has every detail of providing the best possible wave sailing trip-wired tight. These days, the great conditions you’ll find in the usual spring-to-autumn sailing season has been boosted by a regular lineup of star-studded shredders from around the globe. After decades of being featured in every watersport magazine available, PSC is now an annual stop on the International Windsurfing Tour and home to a growing number of windsurf wave-camps. Each year, world-class pro sailors like Matt Pritchard, Jem Hall, Wyatt Miller, Tyson Poor, Colin Dixon, Joey Sanchez, and many others return to host weeklong, small-group sessions that deliver personalized instruction in world-class conditions.
Spots
PSC is set in a south-facing bay that sucks up every swell generated by storms in the southern Pacific. There’s a ton of terrain to cover, but most of the action is centered around the four main breaks that sit right in front of our Base Camp and extend down to the point. Check ’em out
If the Gods ever set out to design a spot just for novices, this is it! Located right in front of our camp and close in to shore, it’s the textbook beginner break. From an easy launch with predictable swells and a channel to ease getting outside, it offers enough protection to keep from getting swept downwind and facing the “walk of shame”.
Sitting just beyond the beach break and slightly upwind of camp, “the Bomby” delivers waves that are a bit bigger than the beachbreak and are great for jumping. (Just remember to point that nose way downwind to accommodate the side-off breeze!). Since the Bomborra sits in that zone that is just on the edge of the open ocean and the protection of the bay it makes it a great “next step” in your progression
You’ve seen it in the videos and the magazines. You’ve dreamt about carving down its slow, hypnotically curling line. An insanely long point break wave for advanced wave riders. With has more juice than the Bomborra, it unfolds into the open flats of the Chili Bowl. If you’re looking to fry your forearms from unhooking and making more bottom- and top-turns than you can possibly count, the Point is ready and waiting.
Sitting just south of the Point, this is a bending reef break in an open bay. Since you get uninterrupted swell sweeping in from the ocean before smacking the reef, this wave is faster than the others and offers the options of going left or right down the line. Although it may take a couple of long tacks to get back upwind to Camp, the vast, open vistas of the Chili Bowl deliver a solitary wavesailing experience that you’ll never forget.
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Skill levels
Although Punta San Carlos is an intermediate-to-advanced windsurfing destination that’s perfect for learning how to wavesail, it’s not for the beginning windsurfer. The ocean has its own challenges and you must already know how to stay and sail upwind and know how to self-rescue before launching here. If you want to have the best time possible, it’s important to be honest about your skills and be a solid intermediate sailor – someone who’s comfortable in the footstraps and harness, has a reliable waterstart, and is starting to pull off some jibes. If that describes you, welcome to Mecca!
Personal Equipment
With our all-inclusive package, a complete quiver of state-of-the-art windsurf gear is provided, tuned, and racked for the taking. The only things you need to bring are your own wetsuit and harness. Since air and water temperatures (and personal tolerances) vary throughout the year, we recommend bringing a spare suit just in case. Spring into early summer generally calls for 4/3 or 3/2 fullsuits; summer can be 3/2 full or comp suits to shortys. While we even get a few days that are trunk worthy, it’s always better to be prepared rather than miss a session cause your shivering! If you forget yours or run out of room in your bag, we always have a few extra waist harnesses on hand and are proud to provide Ride Engine harnesses for guests to demo during their stay.
Sailing Gear
Let’s face it, one of the great bonuses of any sailing trip is the chance to try out a bunch of new gear and we’re ready to stoke you with some of the best rigs available today. We’ve got the latest boards in all sizes from RRD, Quatro, and Goya and pre-rigged wave sails to match from Ezzy and Goya. If conditions change, just head back to the beach and grab a new rig from our racks! After 30 years down here, we’ve also sorted out all of the components that will take a beating and still hang tough: bombproof bases and carbon booms from Chinook and Streamlined are paired with carbon masts from Ezzy and Goya that are dialed to each sail. No matter what’s under your feet or in your hands, you can rest assured that you’re riding the latest and greatest gear the industry has to offer.
