Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Estonia in Northern Europe is a little known country for windsurfing, even less so for wavesailing. On its western shores however lies the island of Hiiumaa, home to Ristna beach, considered one of the Baltic Sea’s premier surf spots and one of the most beautiful beaches in Estonia. Invited by local lensman Jaanus Ree, Jules Denel ventures into the unknown to discover a warm welcome in the Baltic waves.
Words Jules Denel
// Photos Jaanus Ree
Originally published within the May 2017 edition.
ESTONIA
I’m on a journey to a country where 80% of my friends are ignorant to the fact that Estonia even has an ocean. This is the kind of trip I love! I have no idea what I am going to discover there. Estonia is not the kind of country where windsurfers like myself normally travel to. I know from my past experiences that when you go on a last minute trip, you more often than not end up meeting great people and having an adventure to remember. I had met Jaanus by chance during a winter travel trip to South Africa. I adore his photography and the emotions that come out from his work! This seemed the perfect opportunity to fulfil the promise we made to work together on a new trip as soon as the opportunity would arise.
On arrival in Estonia I took the time to visit the capital, the old city of Tallinn. This is said to be the best-preserved medieval city in northern Europe. It is a superb place to explore; there is awesome architecture with lots of traces of the former Soviet presence, which I was interested to discover. Estonia regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and borders Latvia, Russia and of course the Baltic Sea. The country is one of the least densely populated in Europe with a mere population of 1.3 million, largely due to the fact over half of the land is covered with forests.
TOP SECRET
The secret project turns out to be the test of a new Nikon lens, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR and I am obviously excited but start to understand that it will be an intense and demanding two days. The pressure is on! One hour ferry ride later, we arrive on the island of Ristna and hit the road that leads to the spot. We eventually arrive at a kind of surfing camp, similar to those popular in the south of France in the summer. There is a small beach bar, some cottages and people hanging around a campfire. We spend the evening with some awesome music, drink some beers and talk to some pretty girls. Jaanus tells me that twenty years ago, no civilians could have access to this part of the island since it was a Soviet military base. I find it incredible that the spirit of windsurfing can flourish anywhere where there are wind and waves. I feel windsurfing will remain immortal as long as there is men and women with access to water.
DAWN PATROL
On the second day we were up at 4am so I could catch the wind and Jaanus capture the beautiful morning light. The conditions were perfect with 2.5m waves and 35 knot side shore winds. The session was magic but I knew that the day wasn’t finished! I grabbed a quick nap to recover for the second session at noon. By now there were lots of other windsurfers, all welcoming me with a great kindness! Personally, I love to share these moments with guys who I have met for the first time but bond quickly with; as windsurfers we all have the same deep passion for our sport!
By the end of the day I have sailed four sessions with over six hours on the water and Jaanus didn’t stop ‘machine-gunning’ with the new lens! We finished the day with Ristna offering us an amazing sunset, which made us all even happier with the results of the project so far. I felt privileged to have shared this long intense day emotionally and physically with the crew. In the evening we hang out in the small bar of the camp and reminisce over the incredible sessions until 1am. Jaanus and the Nikon staff seem happy with the results but Jaanus still wants more and tells me just as we are going to sleep that tomorrow we will back on the water at sunrise…ouch!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
By the time we are finished the next day I am completely exhausted and sleep the whole journey back to Tallinn. My plane is due to return the following day at 7am so I know I won’t be able to score too much sleep! I was just about to go to bed when Tony Mottus, a local freestyler from the world tour calls me and tells me that I cannot leave Tallinn without having one evening on the town! Of course I ended up partying through the night and just made it home for Jaanus to pick me up at 5am to bring me directly to the airport! This trip was short, but so intense and complete, I loved it! My motto is, ‘We only have one life…Live it!’
JAANUS REE
When I shoot windsurfing, I am trying to capture the feeling it gives me while I am doing it myself. I am not a windsurf photographer. I love the sport as I’m a long time windsurfer and I love to shoot it, but the main areas where I work are other sports like WRC rallying. Nikon offered me the chance to test the lens and somehow it felt that windsurfing might be a good sport to demonstrate its characteristics. At the same time, Jules and I had been looking for a long time the opportunity to collaborate somehow. We only had a small window of two or three days to do that and the only place with a good enough forecast in Europe was my home spot, Ristna. It was great to have Jules over, sailing with all the local crew. Ristna is our best spot but mostly windsurfing in Estonia is slalom sailing and near the cities; hopefully these photos show just how good our wavesailing can be though!
FACT BOX
Best time of year to visit – Ristna is at its best in autumn, when the low pressure systems start to reach the Baltic Sea. Most of the epic days happen between September to November.
Best wind and wave directions – The conditions get perfect with S-SSW, then it’s pure port tack, down the line action! Ristna is located on the end of a peninsula, so there is a spot for almost every wind direction (port tack and starboard tack).
What equipment to bring – Bring everything! During autumn you can score a glassy surf session on day one and be maxed out on a 3.7 the next day. Most good days are 3.7- 4.7 weather!
What wetsuits required – In September you can use a 3/2 or a 4/3 as the water is still quite warm (at least for Northerners!) From October a 5/3 or warmer is the wetsuit to go for!
Where to stay – There is quite a lot of places to stay at Ristna, but be sure to book it or at least, make sure they are open! The tourists are usually gone by autumn and some of the places close down early for the winter. If it’s sill warm when you come, then camping is also an option, you can sleep just metres from the sea.
For options, check out – www.hobekala.ee | www.dagen.ee | www.pihlatalu.ee
Useful information – Ristna is located on an island so you need to use the ferry to get there! The locals are really friendly and it would be wise to contact them before you go and check out their websites below. www.hiiusurf.eu | www.surfikool.ee | www.teamvosa.ee
Answered by Kristjan Kiisk from www.surfikool.ee
“ I feel windsurfing will remain immortal as long as there is men and women with access to water. ”
