Legendary location now open for business

After months of coronavirus shutdown, the world-famous René Egli centre on the island of Fuerteventura opened its doors on July 17th.
With a thorough safety and disinfection routine put in place, clients of the centre can safely enjoy blasting around the blue-green waters of Sotavento beach. 

Severne rider Kurosh Kiani visited René Egli on its opening day. Here is his experience in his own words.

After having visited Fuerteventura for the annual World Cup non-stop for the last 13-14 years, it was a somewhat strange experience to drive down the gravel road to Sotavento beach and find a parking lot instead of the equipment and event tents filled with people. 

Nevertheless, there were good vibes all around and lots of happy faces to be seen. They had just done a “ribbon-cutting” opening ceremony. I immediately got rigged up and hit the water. It was such a nice feeling to be cruising around these waters once again with the crystal clear water and sandy bottom. I had many flashbacks of all the years of racing and generally having a good time here.

Safety

Having to adhere to strict guidelines, there are measures in place for clients to safely enjoy the “René Egli” experience including disinfection of booms, foot straps, social distancing, you name it.

New additions

Since I last was there, the whole board rack section has been moved over to a new building just on the other side of the path to the beach; with its own beach promenade style walkway leading into the new structure.

Gear collection

I was happy to see one of the biggest collections of Severne sails ever; you can literally choose anything from Blade to Overdrive sails and pair it with Fox or Dyno boards. What more, it was great to see that the gear was popular amongst the clients of the centre. I myself had some runs on a Dyno95 with Blade and S-1 sails; it was great fun!

Choosing a board

René Egli also has a large selection of Severne boards.

Busy from day one

Being the first day of business, I did not expect to see too many people, but lessons and rentals were quickly filling up and the staff were busy at work. I guess the stoke of windsurfing and this spot is very much alive. The nearby Melia Fuerteventura had also opened and was buzzing with activity; with safety measures of course and a well planned out social distancing “#staysafewithmelia” program.

2021 world cup here we come!

This year would have marked the 35th anniversary of the yearly world cup which have taken place right about now; unfortunately it was cancelled due to coronavirus. But things are looking positive for a return to a 2021 edition of the world cup all competitors love so much.

Forecast defying

When making plans to make the trip down to René Egli, I was looking at a forecast with calima effect which usually kills the wind, so I was not expecting much wind wise. 

Boy was I proven wrong; this wind machine delivered winds in the 20-knot range on my first day, and I guess in the 30-knot range on the second day where I was completely maxed on my 6,2… What a great experience!

Find more info

You can visit René Egli’s website on www.rene-egli.com where you can find extensive information about all of their products and services. You can also stay up to date with their latest activities by following them on Instagram @reneeglifuerteventura or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rene.egli.fuerteventura.

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