We’re fast approaching the tail end of February and we’re already wondering where the year is going, especially as time should be going so slow right now all things considered.
Only a month or so ago I was talking about the possible implementation of a groyne at Vera Playa naturist beach. We were waiting to see if the Costas authority who manage the coastline would at last unveil their Grand Design for the beach to help prevent the erosion that is occurring between the Pirate Bar and the Vera Playa Club Hotel groyne.
Apologies if you already know this but the Costas did recently reveal their plan to build a groyne at the end of Avenida Ciudad de Castellón roughly midway between Chiringuito Naturista (Vera Natura) and Cota Zero, the Pirate Bar. This is great news for the preservation of the beach. Cue fanfares, Hallelujah, Amen etc
However, there is a major snag with the proposal that the Costas have put forward. In their proposal they have said that this breakwater could also serve as a natural dividing line between naturist and non-naturist sections of the beach. Anyone who knows where this section of the beach is will know that Vera Natura is very much still in the naturist section of the beach and in fact it is long after the lifeguard tower in the southerly direction where the naturist beach should officially end. A local pressure group consider this proposal would effectively cut off 500m of the official beach, although we believe it to be more than that.
The local pressure group who regularly fight for the interests of naturist beach users have instigated a petition to ask that the Costas remove all wording in the proposal pertaining to this division between naturist and non-naturists. It is very important anyone interested in the future of Vera Playa naturist beach should consider signing this petition. You don’t need to be a resident of VP or a holidaymaker. You could simply be someone interested to visit for the first time or someone who is interested in preserving and defending naturists’ rights.
Whoever is reading this please could you possibly sign the petition so that the Costas will listen to this peaceful protest against the potential shortening of the naturist beach.
We are all in favour of having the longest stretch of dedicated naturist beach we can. We really need more signatures and there is still time to sign so here is a link to the petition.
You do not need to donate any money or share the information.
Thanks for your help!
I can’t lie, there isn’t too much to talk about right now since Vera is still currently in lockdown with its non-essential shops, café’s and restaurants (except for takeaways) all closed. Hopefully when it’s deemed safe to do so we shall start getting back to some kind of normality. In the meantime it is still nice to see the occasional interesting activity going on.
One such sight that caught my eye the other day was that of the most incredibly speedy kitesurfers whizzing along the sea at an eye watering velocity. In fact I could barely capture them on camera! Luckily I did manage to get a few snaps which I posted on social media, you can see these below. Miraculously one of the kitesurfers saw my pictures and commented on my post saying that she was one of them! Once in contact it turned out that this daredevil couple, Adelaida & Ignacio, actually use the waters at Vera Playa to train for the Spanish championships. Now I’m not an expert by any means but they already look like winners to me and as you can see from another photo below they have already won 1st and 3rd places in a championship last year.
Now it is Adelaida’s plan to win or come 2nd in this year’s Spanish championships so that she can be one of the 2024 Olympics team for her discipline of Formula Kite. I have seen some footage and I have to say it is amazing to watch them race in what is a highly regulated and technically challenging sport. Not to mention super fast. Who would think that we would be lucky enough to have potential Olympic champions training off the naturist beach. How cool is that!!! Good luck to them both, hopefully they will keep in touch and let us know how they are progressing.
One interesting nugget of information Adelaida gave me about the waters off Vera Playa was that after coming out of our initial long lockdown sea life had become incredibly abundant. She said that when they were out kiting they would be joined by many flying fish playing with them along with rays and other sea creatures. It is very heartening to hear how wildlife can replenish and thrive once human intervention is reduced. We certainly know the sea around here is festooned with huge shoals of fish that are clearly visible to us from our elevated position.
The sea birds aren’t complaining about the lack of fish for sure. Only the other evening we enjoyed a massive murmuration of terns out at sea. A wonderful sight to behold and one that my snap below doesn’t really do justice. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
Of course it is not only the sea that plays host to our feathered friends. The Salinas opposite Consum supermarket is another inland haven for many native and migrating species of birds. We enjoyed a walk around there the other day and took a few snaps which I have included here.
So the unfortunate situation we all find ourselves in has at least been beneficial to the animal kingdom it seems. It makes me wonder how long it will be before naturists can start migrating back to VP for a well-earned holiday. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Vera Playa will see you all at some point this year. Try to keep the dream alive in the meantime.
Til next time!
Steve and Chris offer two beautiful apartments to rent for the discerning naturist traveller. One is directly on the Vera Playa naturist beach, the other just a few footsteps away. See more here.