Getting straight to the point, today (September 6), Pra de la fam literally slapped us in the face.... Very strong Peler on Lake Garda, in almost every spot. And we had decidedly challenging windsurfing session.

 

Windsurfing, report: Pra de la fam, Lake Garda - 06/09/2025

 

I've never seen a Peler graph down to nearly -8 hPa.... Lake Garda went wild last night (September 5th) with a heavy aperitif from 6:00 PM onwards. At 7:30 PM, in Toscolano, the lake was impressive with steep waves, 2 meters high, and well spaced, near the shore.

I would have gladly ridden Toscolano this morning too, but the parking near the spot was unavailable due to an event.

 

 

Click here for the complete slide gallery of the morning

So, I arrived at the Pra around 6:30 A.M., and all the parking spaces were already taken. Half of Germany came down for the occasion...

So, I bought the 29-euro day ticket under the Limonaia... (that is, I got a fine), in good company...

The first ones got into the water around 7:00.

The wind was already strong offshore, but not completely spreaded near the shore. But it was clear that as the sun would have risen from Monte Baldo, it would have blown strongly all the way to the beach. I rigged the Tabou Da Curve 80, the 3s Plus LTD 96, and the Ezzy Elite 3.7.

In the end, I got into the water at 8:00 with the 80 and the 3.7.

Until 11:00, there was almost no way to reason... with the 3.7, I was out of control. With the 80-liter, I almost sailed upwind up to the Limonaia, to the north, always jibing. The water was chaotic, with constant, annoying bounces and jumps while sailing. The spot was very crowded, even in the water, obviously. The Da Curve isn't the best board for these conditions. Too nervous. A small freestyle or freewave would probably have been more comfortable.

Anyway, I saw very few, in total control today. The boards looked like wild beasts. I was, however, struck by the usual Simone (Grezzi), who sliced ​​through the water at full speed and with good stance, with a few others, perhaps aided by a 3.4.

I took breaks to wait for the wind to drop. And it took a really long time for me to let up a bit. At 11:00, I finally started to ride a little more in control, with the ability to sheet the sail while sailing, and to set up my jibes decently.

I got out of the water at 12:00, quite tired, when the 80 was starting to be small. The lake provided another good hour of wind that I could have exploited with the 4.2, 4.7, and 96. But I had no more strength left.

 

 

 

It was a tough workout, but personally, I didn't fully enjoy it, and I think I'll avoid the Pra on similar occasions in the future, also because of the mess at the beach an at the parking. On the beach, when I returned, I didn't even know where to lay my gear. After so many sessions in perfect wave conditions around the world, and almost 20 years of windsurfing, these conditions no longer interest me. Today, I probably would have had more fun in Valmadrera, on Lake Como (or in Toscolano, Garda), with more reasonable wind and a more regular water level.

In the water, I remembered that I'm a "man of medium-large waves" and winds up to 25 knots. Or at least, I prefer a smoother, even flatter, water surface because I want to be able to try all the maneuvers I want, and I intend to learn/perfect them. Survival isn't for me anymore.... I'll take this into account when choosing my next sessions and spots.

Of course, this is my opinion, and others may disagree and have a different assessment of the day. If you like, share your opinion in the comments below.

 

I think it will be a good autumn for Peler and Tivano...

Ciao. Fabio

Click here for the complete slide gallery of the morning