Gran Canaria is well known for wave sailing at Pozo Izquierdo or Vargas. But it offers great flat water conditions for freestyle, freeride, Slalom or Speed sailing, too. One of this spots with no breaking waves is called Bahia de Formas located a bit south of the village Arinaga. You can see the windmills of Pozo and the spot on the right hand side. A big harbour wall protects the bay against breaking waves. At this spot Björn Dunkerbeck, Robby Naish, Anders Bringdal and Antoine Albeau tried to break the speed world record a few years ago in 2003 and 2007 during the windy summer months, but didn’t make it in the end.
“It was a cloudy day. A strong storm was around the corner and a lot of snow felt in the mountains of the island, what’s quite rare. The waves were not really there this afternoon, so I decided to go for a Slalom session at Bahia de Formas near Arinaga. It’s a brilliant spot for flat water blasting and jibing and one of the spots, where 41 times world champion Björn Dunkerbeck trained many times in his career. To me it was the third session in my life. I brought the brand-new iSonic 107 to the island plus a Reflex 4 7,8, what fits most of the time at that spot when it’s a lighter day. This afternoon grey clouds were in the sky and from time to time heavy rain squalls went down and stronger gusts with 25knots + arrived in the bay. Kerstin got a few really cool shots and edited the clip. I am looking forward to have many more great sessions at that great spot. But it’s honestly hard to have a day without any wind. The oil-rig at the background is in the harbor for repair.” Chris Pressler
