Cuba

The Republic of Cuba means different things to different people: one man’s paragon of socialism at work is another’s point on the axis of evil. Either way, there’s no getting away from Fidel Castro and the effects of post-revolutionary communism. For example, Cubans cannot import foreign goods so windsports aren’t able to catch on with the locals. What little action there is centres around the sanctioned tourist resorts, where a few local lifeguards use donated kit to ride with the tourists. The wind stats aren’t great by Caribbean standards, but new spots are gradually being discovered along some 3735km of coastline – and Cuba has to be one the best places in the world to wait for wind and waves.