For convenience, given where I live, I mostly frequent the Lombardy shore of Lake Garda, and my windsurfing sessions in Malcesine are rare. But they often stick in my memory, especially when the lake delivers a full 4.2 Peler!

Windsurfing, report: Malcesine, July 27, 2025: a 4.2 Peler!

I won't make this too long, and I'll leave you with the photos of the day right away. I was in Arco di Trento on vacation with my family this week. And I had one of the stingiest weeks of wind in the last month. I rode in Limone del Garda, with the Peler, last Tuesday, and today in Malcesine. The Ora (the afternoon wind), essentially, did not appear, and I didn't even consider it that much, to be honest.

The forecast for today was clear. Finally, the winds at high altitude had shifted from the north, making the sky blue and the air dry. How I hate the sirocco...

Even though I had to check out of the apartment at 10:00, I managed to find some time to score the session. I woke up at 5:30, and at 7:00 I was in the water. I went out at Retellino. As I drove along the Gardesana, I had some doubts about whether the wind would be better on the West coast. At Capo Reamol, it was really blowing strong. But then, when I arrived at the bus parking lot In Malcesine, I realized that the wind had also entered the East shore, even if when I arrived, it didn't seem particularly strong and well spreaded. But a few gusts led me to leave the 4.7 in the car, and to rig the Goya Guru X Pro 4.2, with the Tabou 3s Plus LTD 96, set as a single fin, with a 23 cm MFC K-One.

And thank goodness I understood the situation. From 7:30 a.m., as the sun gradually illuminated the lake's surface, Garda blew out a really strong blast of wind. I had to switch, at least, to the lower clew to better manage the situation, but basically today the 4.2 was big. The wind was a bit crooked from the NE, causing a pretty messy water surface, due to the overlap between bigger waves from the north and a light chop from the NE. It wasn't easy to maneuver, bouncing around on the water.

But there's no point in being picky. It's the most common situation lakes Garda and Como offer, and you have to make the best of a bad situation, because the lakes are close to where we live. And besides, after a nearly soporific week, I needed a real boost of energy.

Before closing, a note of disappointment about the ridiculous sign I found planted in the grass in front of the bus parking lot at the spot, where many people rig their sails (see photo). The sign says that water sports are forbidden at Retellino.

It seems to be just put there to relieve someone of any liability in case a rider gets hurt. They're not going to really ban anyone from a historic spot like Retellino! Instead of finding solutions, to accommodate the different needs of the spots, they're just making rules that don't make sense. For some time now, I've thought that Lake Garda is anything but windsurfer-friendly, to tell the truth. Too many obstacles, lately. And yet, on Lake Garda, there are those who have made a fortune with windsurfing and other water sports...

The lake will continue to provide wind in the coming days. The true Peler season is just beginning.

Ciao. Fabio

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