Sal, Cape Verde 5th–12th March 2012

Last years trip was a blinding success with the trade winds obeying every day, so we can but hope for the same. This year again there is a flat fee for kite kit on the plane, so packing should be considerably easier, with a lot less time spent balancing on the bathroom scales and struggling with arithmetic. And we’ll be taking a sun shade for the dunes.
Sal is one of the Cabo Verde Archipelago islands, which rest in the Northern Atlantic, west of Senegal and about 1000 miles south of the Canaries. This as you can imagine means that it is a prime spot to pick up both wind and waves, with the windiest time being between January and April.

The Spot

We spend our time at the inappropriately named Shark Bay, on the east coast of the island. The water is inviting, the long beach backed by dunes, and with the wind blowing cross-onshore from the left it is a relatively safe spot. About 100m offshore there is reef which throws up a very mellow wave. On the inside of the reef the water is flat to choppy depending on the tide, and in between the waves you’ve got flatter sections. Although this is by no means a flat water spot, it is an outstanding playground for practicing most of what is possible in kitesurfing. If you tire of jumping, spinning, kite looping and freestyle, you can just hit some stunt ramps or start wiggling on the waves. If you get it wrong the waves just push you into the flat water where you can sort yourself out and then try again – just wonderful.

Each day we take a couple of pick-ups from the hotel to the beach, which takes less than 10 minutes. We organize a lunchtime pickup for any one needing a break from the elements or a large plate of food!

Kit wise here over the years we have used everything from 12m down to 7m. Its also worth noting that although the water is warm, if the clouds roll over it can get a tad chilly in boardies or a bikini, so a shorty is advisable. If you burn really easily, not forgetting that your skin won’t have seen sun for a few months, a long legged suit or some stylish pyjamas could be a wise choice.

The Clinic

Due to the nature of the spot we do recommend that you are happy re-launching your kite and ideally that you can kite upwind, although we’ve had plenty of people crack that here. You’ll have 6 full days of full on coaching with demos, simulator sessions, and all the usual fun, group motivation and video analysis. What’s unique here is the elevated view we get from filming atop the dunes, so the camera can see every single detail. We will cover everything that you can dream of attempting on a twin tip, including: Jumping, Popping, Kitelooping, Downlooping, Unhooking. AND

An Introduction to Strapped and Strapless Waveriding. We intend to take you through the learning progression of riding and trimming and setting up a surfboard, carving, catching waves, gibing and tacking and even some air! If you have a wave board bring it along. We will have a couple of Cabrinha boards to try.

The Hotel

We will again be staying at the Riu Funana Hotel, which is just downwind from the famous Punta Preta Wave spot. The actual location is stunning, rolling turquoise swell and large sand dunes. The hotel is all-inclusive, including booze and après surf snacks for when we get back from the beach. Last year the food was good and it got us over the long waits in restaurants that the town has become famous for. Facilities are what you’d expect of a large hotel such as pool, spa, fridges, sat TV etc. They even give you cling film to wrap your packed lunches in! It is possible to kite in front of the hotel, but as the wind is gusty cross-offshore, and rescue is more expensive than a premiership footballer, the conditions at Shark Bay are far more suited to learning/trying/crashing!

Single room option is possible, please ask for more details.