Ben Thomas secures a license for watersports centre on a beach close to Corralejo with little support from friends and foe as the location was considered a long way from civilization and that no customers or tourists would travel so far.
About Us
February 1988
A deal is struck with ALPHA to supply windsurf boards and the local Neil Pryde dealer for rigs.
May 1988
Finally our 4m x 5m container "hut" is erected, painted and prepared. Flag Beach opens its doors for business for the first time with 9 boards and 15 sails.
June 1989
An extension is added to store rigs and a rescue boat as well as our increasing stock: now at 22 boards and 39 sails.
Summer 1990
tiga/Pryde out and Fanatic/ART in. We now have 34 boards and 70 sails.
October 1990
The further extension is built to store more boards and rigs and to give the boys more room to work.
May 1991
The centre is demolished and all Corralejo area beaches "cleared" of all bars, kiosks, etc. Flag Beach continues to operate from a van on the road, providing a service to our clients.
August 1991
After a long and arduous 3 month wait, we are granted permission to build a new centre further back from the seas edge. Work starts immediately on the 19m x 6m hut. After working late into the night, our new centre opens 5 days later.
March 1993
Plans are submitted for a second 12m x 6m hut... and... we are still waiting...
July 1998
Flag Beach Windsurf Centre celebrates 10 years with a beach party for 1200 people that goes on late into the night.
August 1998
Kitesurfing starts to surface in the sports world and Flag Beach begins offering rentals.
August 1999
Kitesurfing is now an established sport with Flag Beach being one of the best places to learn.
2003
Flag Beach celebrates its 15th anniversary with a massive beach party, barbecue, open air concert and DJs on the beach, all night, for some 2000 people.
2004
We create a new mobile surf school under the commercial name of "Island Boarders".
2008
We now employ over 20 staff. Island Boarders has expanded to 3 classic red Land Rovers and Flag Beach celebrates its 20th anniversary.
June 2009
Shock! Horror! we are given 2 hours notice to empty our hut and it is raised to the ground by the local authority. We continue offering our services from our makeshift "central" close to the waters edge; sofa and sun shades included. It is a long, hard and sunny summer and a wet winter but our clients proved to be immensely grateful and supportive.
July 2010
We are informed we can have a new hut.... This time 10 m x 5 m and after 4 gruelling days the hut is up, painted and stocked. We are back in business with an office and Internet connection.
April 2012