A windbreaker at the beach: handmade

handmade windbreaker

handmade windbreaker

handmade windbreaker

handmade windbreaker

handmade windbreaker

handmade windbreaker

Here you need a windbreaker!

Those who live in the north of Portugal know that you really need a windbreaker at the beach. In early summer, there is a strong north/northwest wind at the beach during the afternoon. We call it “Nortada” (since it blows from north). Nortada is not an absolute truth for every single day… and there are also some days when the north wind blows all day long!
Well, we are so used to it that it doesn’t stop us going to the beach. For us, wind is nothing that can not be solved with a beautiful windbreaker. It just has to be beautiful!

A few years ago I spent a week in the amazing Algarve in the beginning of June. Usually, the wind is not strong at the Algarve. However, that week no one was going to the beach because of this annoying wind. Those who arrived that were not equipped with a windbreaker were discouraged by a strong unusual wind. Fortunately, we always have our windbreaker in our car (you know… just in case) and so we could stay at beach with all the comfort! And all alone!

I handmade my own

Unfortunately it is becoming more and more difficult to find good windbreakers. The best windbreakers have wooden stakes but usually come in unattractive patterns. The prettiest ones (that are usually sold in the supermarkets) have folding metal stakes that accumulate sand, buck and rust… It’s a no go!

Faced with both possibilities I opted for those with wooden stakes but I had to please myself with a plain red fabric of very poor quality. Unhappily (or fortunately) the fabric was so weak that it eventually broke where the stakes fit so it became unusable very soon. But the wooden stakes were new and had a lot of potential… So I had an ideia, I bought a piece of Portuguese chita and sew my own windbreaker. The fabric is much stronger, beautiful and, as the windbreaker is quite unique, it is very easy to locate when friends join us on the beach. The official Porto’s way of finding someone at the beach: looking for that special windbreaker.

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4 Comments

  1. ah…a nossa querida nortada 🙂 Com ela já aprendi a lidar (eu não sou do Porto), mas praia aqui a norte ainda não aprendi a gostar 😀
    A chita nunca desilude e o teu para-vento ficou lindo!! 🙂

    1. Obrigada Ana! Tens razão, um pedaço de chita nunca desilude. A Nortada por vezes é uma grande chatice. Quanto à praia, há praias bonitas o que pode ajudar um pouco a esquecer a temperatura da água, o vento e as rochas em algumas zonas!

  2. Para mim praia também tem de ser mais quentinha. Sou do centro e nem da Nazaré consigo gostar muito por causa do mar…
    Mas falando de coisas maravilhosas, o teu pára-vento ficou espectacular! Deve fazer sensação em qualquer praia 🙂

    1. A verdade Vanessa é que já estou acostumada com o vento e tento tirar o melhor partido das lindas praias que temos ao longo da costa. O pára-vento já me deu direito a alguns elogios! Gostava muito de fazer um tutorial, contudo, para que fique bem, leva algum tempo…

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