Surprise for Nico Prien: Surf quarantine in Thailand

It's Wednesday 4 January, 8.30am, as I pull my espresso out from under the coffee machine and wait nervously to see if Thailand will revert to the Test&Go model. Entering the country - a night in a hotel to wait for the results of the PCR test - and Go.

Like last year, I would be travelling to Thailand for Starboard's Thailand office to meet with my product and marketing team in person and do the final product testing on the water for the 2023 series.

However, it was not to be quite that simple, as the government decided to further suspend the single entry option due to the Omikron variant.

That left me with two other options: Seven days of quarantine in a hotel in Bangkok or the Phuket Sandbox, where I could move around freely for seven days on the island, which later turned out to be particularly popular with Russian tourists.

Tourist island instead of hotel quarantine for Nico Prien

After not having the choice last year and spending my quarantine fortnight in a hotel in Bangkok, I naturally booked my flight to Phuket.

As usual for me, I only booked my accommodation three days before departure, got the sandbox permit two days before departure and took my Covid test on the day of departure.

My sailing bag was checked in without any problems this time. I would actually have flown in December, but Turkish Airlines simply didn't want to take my canvas bag because of its length. All attempts to explain to the ground staff that I regularly fly with even longer bags were unfortunately unsuccessful. This time I had simply registered it as slightly shorter and when the plane took off, I finally felt confirmed that 250 centimetres would easily fit on the plane.

Half a day later, I push my way through the mass check-in at Phuket airport, quickly change a few euros into Thai baht, get a SIM card and have the hotel staff pick me and my sailing bag up.

That same evening, I pick up our product manager and shaper Remi from the airport. Although he had brought two fresh prototypes from the workshop, he had forgotten the tensioning straps. So for the rest of the trip, I had to use my trim system from the boom.

The next morning we set off early. But that didn't matter, as I was already up at three in the morning thanks to jet lag. As soon as the buffet opened, we quickly sucked down a fresh coconut and set off in search of spots.

Until now, Remi has always windsurfed on the west coast, right by the airport. "That's where the wind direction is best," says the self-proclaimed MacGyver. However, he was always there in summer. That's when the bad weather systems move over Phuket and sometimes bring good south-westerly winds.

But now the wind was coming from the east and the entire west coast became virtually unusable for us. The tall and dense palm trees right up to the beach look beautiful, but block the offshore wind completely. And so we had to head towards the east coast, where neither of us knew our way around.

Using the map on our smartphone, we searched for yellow patches - i.e. sandy beaches - facing west. Not so easy, as the many islands off the coast suggest steep coasts and beaches that are sometimes covered from the wind. However, we did find a few potential spots.

Wind, but no way to the beach

In any case, we were pleasantly surprised by the conditions on the first one. A good 15 knots, onshore and moderate chop. However, access to the beach was only via a private beach that was under construction. A closed gate prevented us from passing through. After several attempts along the hotels and private shacks directly on the beach, we found another access point. Here, too, construction was underway and our attempt to climb over the gate was thwarted by the barbecuing construction workers. Obviously they didn't want to be disturbed in their efficient work.

Just before we were about to give up, I found a pier. From here, boats loaded with tourists leave for famous places, such as "James Bond Island".

We are standing in a small bay surrounded by mangroves. The wind comes in from the right and the water is very murky, as is usual in mangrove forests. We weren't quite convinced yet, as it would have been difficult to get in and out via the pier. A few kilometres to the north, a shipwreck flashed up on the map, with a tiny yellow dot next to it. However, there was no road leading there. We found a - let's call it - dirt track that roughly led in the right direction and was to be our last chance.

The rented off-road vehicle jolted through the densely overgrown beach jungle of Phuket, while my head repeatedly banged against the board bags lying next to me. After reversing three times and turning round several times, a beach appeared behind the greenery. There it was! Our access to the water.

A 100 metre long sandy beach, scattered with mangroves and palm trees. Like in a film. The wind comes perfectly from the side and even accelerates into the bay. We are now looking at a good 20 knots of wind. We could hardly believe our luck and managed to get the 7.0 freeride sails, the prototype of the new Starboard Carve with 119 litres and the reference board from the 2022 production through the small entrance. Quickly set up, lycra shirt and sun cream on the skin and off onto the water.

It was just perfect. The two of us raced in one direction for about three minutes until we arrived on the other side of the bay. We controlled a jibe over the chop and headed back towards the shipwreck. After a few laps, we were very satisfied, as the prototype proved to be much easier to control in the short choppy waves and therefore ultimately faster. A relaxed carve through the jibe and easy gliding through - Remi had done it again.

Just as we had prepared the second test board, the wind dropped below the glide threshold. We had wasted too much time searching for spots and had to hope for the next day. My theory is that the heat causes the wind to drop around midday. Over the next few days, I realised that the wind was always particularly strong in the mornings and evenings. The wind forecast in the Windy app was also pretty accurate.

The following day, we headed straight for the right spot and were once again greeted by a solid 20 knots from the same direction. Today Remi also had his beach shoes with him, because the reality is that this paradise is no exception. All along the beach we kept finding discarded glass bottles, some of which were smashed, and of course plenty of plastic. A lot still needs to happen in Asia when it comes to awareness of waste disposal and plastic use.

As we were earlier this time, the tide was a little higher so that we could no longer see some of the stones in the water. This resulted in various small cuts on both our feet.

However, this didn't affect our session and the test of the 83 centimetre wide Futura. Once again, we had some fabulous hits in which we flew over the chop until we were both broken. Remi once again had the right instinct and built a board that was lighter on the foot and therefore flew over the chop with less force. This also ensures that you can edge the board with less force and need less effort for the entire jibe.

With a big grin, two good new boards, collected rubbish in our bags and the trim system over the board bags, we left the beach to the local fisherman who turned up there every day on his decrepit moped.

Remi left again to get the master boards ready for production as quickly as possible and I'm still sitting out my remaining few days in the not-so-bad quarantine. The unexpected often happens.

You can find more information about Nico Prien on his Webpage->