The day warmed up, and as the sand dried, a small city came to life on the beach. Tourists in wetsuits lined up for surfing lessons. Brightly coloured kites attached to surfboards, waiting to be lugged out into the ocean. Smaller, traditional kites dotted the skyline. Farther down the beach I watched wind-powered sailing cars swoop across the wet sand on a makeshift raceway. What had just a few hours earlier been all English Channel was now a full-blown beach vacation.
And then as abruptly as the tide had gone out, it began to wash back in. With the sun low in the sky, the air cooled and the surfers and land sailors left for higher ground. Wetsuit-clad lifeguards warned stragglers to leave the rapidly disappearing beach. I went to my hotel to change for dinner, and by the time I came out, the sea