Although we windsurfed in Aruba, the following information would be useful to kiteboarders as well.

We traveled to Aruba for the first time in the spring as our first major windsurfing vacation. When we got to Fisherman's Huts, we saw a beginner sailor walking out of the water with baseball size bruises all over her body. We sure wondered what we just got ourselves into.

The windsurfing is great flat-water high-wind sailing. They advertise it for beginners but due to the wind speed and the lack of really shallow water, I would have to disagree. The water is shallow but above chest high for shorter folks not too far from shore. The wind direction is offshore so water-starting is definitely a huge help. It doesn't take long to drift to Columbia on a 40 knott day.

After being humbeled in Baja by 40 mph winds and 8 foot waves, we decided waterstarting would be a good thing to learn. So, we rented gear and took water-starting lessons from Vela. They had a lot of gear that was all new and in great shape.

Dasher did his weekly windsurfing video on Thursday but we had booked a snorkeling trip that day. It's just as well. We were still learning and being beat up by the wind. It would have looked painful.

We stayed at the Marriott hotel next to the Huts. The accomodations were first class, but there was an invisible line on the beach. If we sat on one side, we were served food and drinks by the Marriott beach bar staff. If we sat on the other side, we were just windsurfing bums. I wonder if they are still counting the money I left in the casino?

We were surprised to find Aruba to be more like New York than a Carribean island. Most of the restaurants were heavy with dark wood and dark lighting. Typical drinks were Manhattans and Martinis with typical food being Italian or "steak & potatoes". We did find a really great restaurant call Boonoonoonoos. Hey, I don't make this stuff up! It was an authentic Carribean restaurant. I'm a sucker for fried plantains! The food was fantastic and we highly recommend it.

Overall, we enjoyed Aruba and learned a lot. Being pummelled gave us new respect for the sport. We were determined to come back and sail Aruba like pros. We actually did make it back for a few days after our trip to Bonaire a couple of years later. I sailed the blue highway and made 90% of my jibes. It was quite a difference and something I'm right proud of.