Kitesoul Magazine #17 English Edition

58
Sal-Boavista Downwind
My 75 km in the Atlantic Ocean: adrenaline, fatigue and endless joy
Ulrich Frank
my dream came true
The story of how it all started
it’s pretty much a dream
come true. I visited the Cape
Verdian islands for the first
time back in 2015 and who
ever created the world did a
really good job here. The
distance and the angle to
the trade winds between Sal
and Boavista is perfect for a
downwind. So, I said to myself
“Let’s organize this!” It was
not an easy job, the mentality
on those Islands is really relaxed,
it’s all about "no stress"
which makes things difficult
at times but also gives an insight
of a different culture
and not only I did accept it,
but I started to adapt to the
rhythm and things worked out
pretty well. Kiting in the Atlantic
Ocean with no land in
sight, knowing exactly what
was swimming underneath us
was an awesome experience.
I cried when we left Sal, finally
I realized that things got real,
that we were really doing it; I
was so overwhelmed by that
sensation, pure joy. Now, you
can just imagine the arrival!
That was the first Kite Downwind
and I am already planning
the next one for February
2018.