Baja’s “El Norte” winds blow down the Sea of Cortez from November to March providing some of the best bump and jump conditions this side of the equator. Friendly morning breezes are perfect for longboarding, while stronger winds typically kick in around mid-day. Conditions are ideal for intermediate through expert sailors. Generally, sailors should know how to waterstart or be ready to learn. A novice can sail on light-wind mornings or low wind days. With winds above 18 mph, a widely spaced, rolling swell provides great ramps for jumping. Mornings are usually flat. Water temp ranges from 65-74ºF. Wetsuit recommended.
As was announced recently, Vela Baja has extended the season this year and will stay open throughout March.
I, as your normal windreporter however have reached my last day of the season. Thanks to everyone who followed the windreports throughout the season, I certainly had a lot of fun putting them together. As a final windreport from myself I have produced a nostalgic review of the season here at Vela Baja.. to everyone who visited, it has been a pleasure to know you and i hope to see you here again in the future...
Come on down and join us for a bonus month on the water with Vela Baja's EXTENDED SEASON, now open for the remaining month of March 2010. For a first-person point of view of how your next week could be spent, click on the READ MORE link below to check out this great video brought to us by a recent guest (thanks Sergey!)
Whether you have already been and are thinking of returning, or are trying to decide whether to come for the first time... maybe this video will help make up your mind.
***EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't forget... Vela Baja will remain open through March 2010 this season! So come on down and give us a try first before making plans for next winter! ;)***
What a day today... possible one of, if not the best of the season. Sunny, strong wind and decent swell. Mind you... the day wasn't without its casualties!
A good windy day! Neil and a few others were out putting Matt Pritchards clinic tips to good use. (Neil would like to post photos of his loop attempts, but instead all he can show is the end result!)
So as predicted the wind returned to give fantastic conditions for the last three days of Matt Pritchards clinic. We shall bring some edited video footage to the windreport pages soon, but in the meantime here is an end of clinic team photo..
The word on the street (well, actually the internet) is that tomorrow the wind is gonna blow! ... so everyone is making sure that today that eat plenty of calories...
First day of clinic with pro windsurfer Matt Pritchard. Wind was a bit on the light side but this certainly didn't prevent plenty of excellent instruction or some good on water practice..
On the 5th the winds were a little on the light side, but once again it was good to see plenty of sailors on the water practicing their sail handling skills.
The 6th was your wind reporters day off and he was lured onto the mountain bike trails. The hard work that bike guide Todd has been putting into developing and maintaining the trails throughout the season is very much in evidence and although not an avid nor experienced rider myself it soon become clear why mountain biking here in Baja is so popular.. enjoy the photos.
The wind returned! Not super strong but enough for decent planing using the higher volume boards and bigger sails... tomorrows forecast looks promising too.
Ok, so today it was grey, cloudy and it actually rained! So, the perfect time to show a photo from just several days ago, the 24th Jan, when the conditions were somewhat more favourable....
The start of a new month unfortunately still with no wind... however good on water entertainment provided by a plethora of whales, dolphins, rays and of course "Oscar" the sealion... meanwhile on the beach, our troublesome and somewhat vocal pet parrot "Polly" comments on the light wind in her usual indomitable style....
All good things sadly come to an end... but Jerry and Janice and Sarah managed to smile to the very end and join us for a final "monumental" mountain bike ride.
A few days of light or no wind.... however everyone has kept busy. There have been trips to the waterfall at Canyon de la Zorra, a bonfire with guests providing excellent guitar and singing entertainment and i am particularly pleased to report on the no. of guests who have taken advice and been seen out practicing their lightwind skills such as helitacks and backwind sailing... On top of this there was of course the inevitable hotly contested croquet tournament...
Possibly the best day of the season so far (for the more advanced riders) .. good waves on the inside and strong wind the whole day long. The weather station on loan from Vela guest Jerry tells the story...
The wind returned today... first off shore, then side shore super strong and then a little variable and gusty.. but at least everyone got onto the water. Meanwhile the forecast for the coming days looks fantastic.
Your wind reporter was however enjoying the scenery out of the bus window on a day trip to La Paz...
Given the current brief rest from the El Norte winds, it was decided to take full advantage of the calm waters and visit the stunning National marine park at Cabo Pulmo...
The 14th was a crazy day of wind, with many sailors opting for the sails in the 4.0 to 4.7m range and the low volume wave boards..
The 15th saw the strongest winds untypically early in the day but with the afternoon still providing good planing conditions.. Meanwhile, Pedro's new clock courtesy of returning guests Jerry and Janice seems to be stuck at the perfect time...
Actually today the wind remained a little light, but still enough to be planing with the larger sails or perfect for practicing the elusive helitack with small sail and big board..
The lack of wind reports over the last few days has nothing to do with a lack of wind! Everyday windy, sunny and warm. Even on the days when the forecast is promising "nada" the thermals have worked to create good planing conditions.. its just warming up for the Matt Pritchard clinic scheduled early feb... places will be limited so book NOW so as not to miss this opportunity for coaching from a world class windsurfer.
For the record, it was yet another windy sunny day... oh how we are spoiled! Today makes 10 consecutive good sailing days, a period that covered pretty much the whole xmas and new year period. The moral being book NOW for next Xmas!!
On a different note, Finch, Vela Bajas assistant manager suffered a fractured shin bone as the result of an unfortunate accident several days ago. Rather than cast himself in a new role as an outcast he has cast aside the problem and set a great example, with no break in his typical good humour. We all wish Finch a speedy and full recovery.
Its been wind, wind and more wind these last days... oh, and sunny too! But you probably dont want see more photos of everyone having a great time on the water... so here is a photo of a cute puppy instead!
So the last day of the year... and what a way to finish! Great wind and warm sunshine with everyone loving the conditions. Then the very special evening with the full "blue" moon rising just in time for the bonfire and pig roast party on the beach, complete with blue margaritas in honour of the blue moon... next full blue moon on new years eve will be in 29years time.
So as you can see, the wind and sun returned as promised. The following photos via the Go Pro helmet camera for a slightly different perspective than normal... enjoy.
27th was great day. Sunny, windy and busy.... unfortunately so busy we didnt get round to taking any photos of the action..
28th was completely different. A very unusual day with grey sky and even rain. So i have put a photo on the next page that was taken a while ago of the girls going sailing in their fishnet stockings.. (!) just to brighten up the day...
Perfect conditions for the kidscamp, many kids getting a fun first taste of windsurfing and stand up paddleboarding... some old time surfers also getting on the water for some lightwind fun too
Christmas, is only christmas because of the kids and no where was that more evident than here today at Vela Baja... So thanks to all the parents for bringing along your littl'uns to add that special magic element to Christmas Day
Bit of an unusual day, with the wind kicking in real strong and late in the day... so we bent the rules a little and everyone enjoyed sailing for 30mins after official closing (shhh i wont tell if you dont..)
looking at the forecast, today could be the last day of the "lull before the storm" with good winds predicted for the latter half of the week. In the meantime the light wind fun continues and the warm sunny weather requires constant re hydration.
Finally a couple of light wind days for sore hands and feet and aching muscles to recuperate. Nevetheless the glorious weather is perfect for beach fun and for newcomers to the sport to make rapid progress.
Yet more wind today, although a little lighter than previous days but still great blasting weather on mid size sails. However, it's important not to forget that Baja is so much more than just windsurfing, so this morning i bring you a great photo courtesy of Vela guest Jim Gallagher. Thanks for getting up early Jim, to capture this marvellous shot.
A veritable feast of photos from the last couple of days follows on page two.. So what were the conditions like? I think the photo below tells the story best...
As promised, the wind arrived today after a brief absence. Now, i should really be posting photos of everybody out sailing enjoying the brand new kit, but forgive me, we were all having such fun on the water that no-one remembered to take any photos. So my apologies for using the opportunity to post a photo of the entire team... we look forward to seeing you here soon.
So the rumour has it that today will be the last relaxing day of gentle breezes, with a good solid week of El Norte wind scheduled to start from tomorrow.. so just time for a leisurely cruise on the old hobie then..
One of the best things about Baja is that during the occasional lull in wind that can occur in just about all windsurf destinations, here there is plenty of other cool stuff to see and do. One of these things being to go scuba diving (or simply snorkelling). Better still, our very own staff member Jorge just happens to be a qualified dive instructor who can not only take care of any training, equipment and arrangements but who also happens to know all the best spots to go.... the following photos (courtesy of Jorge) are just a sample to whet the appetite of any budding Jaques Cousteaux among you..
Now, if you are a novice mountainbiker (like me) but still want to get out in the fresh air, do some exercise and see some scenery then i suggest you take the 25km (15mile) round trip along the coast road to Punta Pescadero Paradise and back.
The terrain is undulating rather than mountainous or hilly, the road is wide and fairly firm sand/gravel and the only steep sections are short and easily walkable.. Alow around 3hours total which will give time for a decent rest and a drink at "Paradise" There is also very good snorkelling and interesting architecture and natural scenery en route.. enjoy! The photos here and on the next page give a more complete picture...
An allround good day... the wind played ball and turned up around midday and blew fairly consistently until around 4:30pm... the photos below and on the next page probably tell the story better than words..
Nothing like a morning stretch class on the beach to shake off the magarita induced cobwebs of the night before....
the photo doesn't really do justice to the extreme difficulty of this complex exercise... to witness the full action, check out www.youtube.com and search for "cluckin dance" .... enjoy!
Another great day on the water with stronger winds than yesterday, followed by the rising of the full moon, croquet and a beach bonfire... all in all, not a bad day!
The last two days have seen a mixed bag of wind conditions. The day before yesterday was a little strange with most of the morning having very strong offshore winds, then mid afternoon a sudden switch to sideshore had everyone diving for kit... winds were strong with sailors out with 4.2m to 5.5m sails and then after around an hour, as if someone threw a switch the wind shut off completely. Yesterday gave less less strong but more consistant sideshore winds. Freeriding was the order of the day with great flat water blasting enjoyed by everyone.. (well almost everone... see photo)
Now, with the glorious dry and sunny climate; the azure sea teeming with fish; the regular El Norte winds and the mountainous local terrain.... one would be forgiven for thinking that the primary attraction for a Baja trip would be for fishing, windsurfing, kiteboarding or mountainbiking... but the reality of course, as anyone who has previously joined us here at Vela Baja knows is...Baja rules croquet!
read on for more details on this unique tradition..
I apologize if for the wierd choice of perspective used to demonstrate the fabulous range of brand new 2010 Neil Pryde sails that we have just finished rigging... its just that we have so many that i simply don't have a wide enough angled lens on my camera to fit them all in!
Twinsers, quads, pro editions, wave, freestyle wave, freestyle, freeride, freerace, JP, Starboard, SUPs, tandem..... the list seems endless and they are all brand new. Come to Baja and be amongst the first in the world to try out the year 2010 gear.
After several days of steady wind, a brief respite has allowed the staff to return to other essential duties... there is nothing we won't do to ensure the comfort and safety of our valued guests....
So the rumours were proved to be true. Today saw the return of the El Norte winds. It was a little gusty, but strong enough for the average size sailor to be out having fun with 5.5m sail and 100l board...
Of course, you will want to spend most of your time here at Los Barriles blasting in the perfect bump and jump "El Norte" induced conditions... however, I strongly recommend fitting in Todd's tour to the fantastic Canyon de la Zorra.. breathtaking scenery, great hiking ; safe swimming for the whole family and extreme cliff jumping for those inclined! (see the photo on the next page).. and all only half hour from the hotel.
Hmmm, Friday the 13th.... perhaps its a good thing there's no wind today!
However, rumour has it that the winds will be returning in the very near future... but in the meantime we can always indulge in Baja's other favourite passtime.. (see the photo).
Hi, so we've had a little respite from the strong El Norte winds for a few days which to be honest has been a blessing in allowing the team to crack on with centre preparations... read on below to see first hand how things are progressing.....
(note, the photo on the next page may take a moment or two to load)
For those of you have yet to visit (and for our regular guests who may like a reminder), here's an idea of how our beach looks at Los Barriles... come on down and check it out for yourself...
Hi everybody! Just came back from a epic classic baja trip to San carlos with my van ,all the toys on the roof and on board two special guest Audrey and Jens from cabarete. It was all about the van being challenged by the elements as we went from surf spot to surf spot on durt roads that had been modified intensively by the last huricane. even got ourselves stuck in a river watching the van being pushed to the side a bit while Jens and I where preparing the scene for its rescue ..San carlos was great, wind and waves where au rendes vous and we just made it back in time to los barriles to catch the 2nd el Norte of the season... Ian And Megan where already teaching kite lessons ..Season started early looks like it ..TODAY..a tropical storm is giving us 18 knots of winds gusting to to 25 plus ..and the fisherman find some joy in seeing us windsurfing and kitting along the beach ..Staff is getting Anxious to coming down next week and start building up the center again! secret changes are on their way !
More news coming soon,,I which you a fabulous day! and hope to see you soon again! Peter-Paul Boot
Well... it has been a busy summer and we are itching to open up shop for another wonderful season at Vela Baja in Los Barriles! All the new toys have been ordered and await delivery, and our reservations office has been receiving LOADS of calls for guests to return, ESPECIALLY for the holidays. Keep watching the website and this page for updates as we near the start of opening day, November 21, 2009!!!
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VISITED AND HELPED TO MAKE THIS SEASON IN BAJA SO GREAT!
WE'LL BE BACK AGAIN NEXT YEAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN!
- THE VELA BAJA TEAM
Give us a break!! Will it ever stop blowing??!! Most of the guests are just getting out now, 1pm, still recovering from yesterday....we had to cancel croquet last night, too many guests were napping! (or maybe just afraid to challenge our very own Royn Bartholdi, who reigns right now as champion with THREE consecutive wins!) But seriously....ever since the Matt Pritchard clinic, it seems like it hasn't stopped blowing! Yesterday most of the locals were on 4.2's and glass boards, with guests hanging onto 4.7's for dear life.....meanwhile, the fishermen are at the bar, drinking hard....the mobulas (http://www.malbertphoto.com/mobulas1.html) are taking off like Mexican jumping beans.....and the guests are glad they brought some ibuprofen! Life is good! We were supposed to get a break today but it's already blowing 5.0, and the forecast looks good for the next few days....!!
Matt Pritchard..will be here saturday night and the wind will be there for the whole week with probably an other epic day coming on wednesday ..it"s looking great ! today we are enjoying a day off in the morning ,,glassy ,,tranquilo ,,whales cruising by ! Dolfins ! turtles... Its beautifull! And finch smelled the spray of a whale for the first time on his Sup board ! he said its kind off juky!haha!
My advice for those of you in need for a wonderful experience ,windsurfing wise .Is... not to be late ! sunday is the day ..and we still have a few spots left with Matt's fun Instructional days!
Hola Amigos , the winds just seem not to let go of us this season !and the temperatures have been warmer than i remember ..you can still be out there in your shorts..The sailing has been great !
Next week Matt Prichard is honoring our center with his stay for a week providing full days of clinics and teachings ..Matt just loves to be out there sharing his passion with you and sailing with you . .we still have a few spots available for those who want to be part of it ..so do not hesitate ..and just go for it ..life is short! on the menu we are also offering an authentic mexican porkroast on the beach my place ! sometime that week . My friend Luis is ready for it ! yeaa!...million dolar view ,croquet fields to perfection .added to the Robinson Crusoe feel of beeing ! it will be hard to beat that day ..and i am hearing rumors from the mexicans that the local Mariachis want to be part of it ,,Aiaiai!! It's got be the week of the season comming up !Aaai!..sooooooooooooo.....drop all worries ...Sell your Mercedes Bvenz ; A Mazda is fine too,and get down here ! it's a lifetime opportunity to be lived in glory and endless hapinezzzz...
Yesterday was fantastic! A true classic day here in Los Barriles ,, waves where already au rendezvous early in the morning in front of the center and the wind kept building all day until the smallest sail out there was a 3.5 .. Everyone was out there with big smiles left and right ..couldn't believe we didn't even had a rescue to perform with all the looping going on and great splashes etc ..Our Cow bell kept ringing all the good moments we saw ..And then ..it was'nt over jet ! Janis had ordered pizza for the whole staff as the croquet games where on and Todd went out to find some nice fire wood for la Fogata at night in front of the hotel ..free beers and sodas where spread out to on and other and Finch initiated a general toast to xpress our thankfulness to the wind gods and the good times we shared !
Today the winds maintained a solid curve un poco mas tranquilo ..all good ..all Happy .people are sailing 4.5 to 6.2s while the swell is still presenting nice ramps to play with !still plenty of good hours to play some more ! good by Jane and Michael ..thanks for some great old dutch cheese ! Cheers Pedro
Hard to believe that we are about halfway through the season already! The holidays were a blast. Our guest instructor Astrid organized a Kids' Camp that included paddling, sailing, and all sorts of activities on the beach. The Dietrich's enjoyed a few windy days, and Christopher wore himself out paddling and tearing up the croquet course. Buck and Rahel brought their girls back for the first time in a couple years. I think they were excited to see the changes that have been made in that time. This year has already started with a bang: I have sailed 11 of the last 12 days, and today looks good again. Michael Price exhibited great timing by joining us for this long stretch of windy days. Jane and Michael arrived yesterday, and Jerry and Janice got here tonight. Hold your breath, these next two weeks are going to be crazy...
This is the perfect day to start out our new wind report section, as it has been nuking here through the weekend. Definitely an early Christmas present for Vela Baja!!! This was the first true El Norte of the season, and we saw some huge rolling swell along with the strong wind. We lost a little more of the sandy beach in front of Playa del Sol as the tall waves were breaking right on the shore. This was a great time to try out the new twin-fin wave boards from JP and Starboard. The guys were all sailing 4.5 to 5.0, and the gals' sails ranged from 3.7 to 4.5 throughout the whole weekend. It is a little calm today, giving everyone a chance to sleep in and have an extra cup of coffee. The SUP's and kayaks are getting some use right now, but there is a wind line out there and it looks like good longboarding day. Our special guest instructor, Astrid, is organizing a Kids' Camp for Wednesday. Now the big question is "Will there be enough wind for Santa to sail down the beach on Christmas Day, or will he have to make the trip on horseback?"
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