Kitesoul Magazine #17 English Edition

6 from other countries, 4 riders using the twin
tip board and the other 9 the surfboard. Each
one dealing with one's own emotions before
the start.
At the get-together, each rider, including me,
immediately started to rig the chosen kite.
The wind conditions forced me to inflate my
biggest kite: the DNA 14 m. Although at Kite
Beach there were about twenty knots and I
could have chosen a smaller kite, the wind expected
at Boa Vista was lighter and off-shore
therefore normally gusty too. With a big kite I
could manage to get back more easily. Actually,
I would have loved to cross the ocean with
my Union 8 m, but the boats were not allowed
to depart in strong wind conditions and the
event would have been cancelled. About an
hour later, the luggage and the unused equipment
were put on taxis headed to the harbour
and then loaded on the support boats. A little
later came the long-awaited moment. At Ulrich's
signal, we launched our kites and I was
one of the first ones to enter: I couldn't wait
any longer. Once all ready in the water, with
racing hearts with excitement we headed towards
the harbour of Sal where the support
boats were. That's where our great adventure
in the middle of the ocean really began.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean accompanied by
the dolphins
The wind direction was expected to be from
North/East, so to be sailing slightly by the lee.
But it did not go that way. The true wind direction,
more from the North, forced us to a
sharper sailing by the lee. Therefore, the support
boat proved even more important as it
showed us the course to follow.
At the starting line, I was definitely full with my
DNA 14 m completely de-powered. When we
got at the harbour, the sea was quite flat, as
the wind was off-shore, but the more we distanced
ourselves from the island of Sal the
greater became the waves. The forecast was
for a 2,50 metre wave and more or less it was