Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

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Virgin-ride @ Ponta Preta, Sal, Cape Verde

After an extremely stressful week in beautiful (currently very grey) Austria, I decided to go back to the island, that already last year served as my spring traininggrounds: Sal, Cape Verde.

Yeah, it’s really nice to be back. A lot has changed. Soooooooooo many new constructions … seems like Sal is mutating into the new Gran Canaria (nothing negativ here about Gran Canaria, however, I just find it sad, when mankind only thinks about $$$ and natural beauty is destroyed for business’ sake…

Anyway: conditions are better than ever and my timing of coming here couldn’t have been more perfect. The first day was THE big day of the year, when the annual mega-spectacle, the Carnival, was celebrated… I already had the pleasure last year and it was such good fun, to be lucky again and to be able to enjoy these festivities yet another time!

Secondly: the PWA (Professional Windsurf Association) Wave Worldcup took place at Punta Preta (one of THE most perfect waves on this planet!!) this weekend with the Top 30 windsurfers in the world joining!!! WOW, impressive … even more so the luck the organisers had, because the right swell j u s t kicked in the day the competition started with strong winds, thus it was EPIC!!! There was Bjoern Dunkerbeck, Kevin Pritchard, Josh Angulo and and and… Punta Preta was going off with double masthigh waves… a truly breathtaking experience!!!

Yesterday the event was finished and local Josh Angula took the victory.

Right after the windsurfers cleared the zone, it was kitegabi’s time….YEAH YEAH YEAH, fiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnally!!! Last year I was still not experienced enough in the waves and also scared as due to the super sharp rocks at the spot, one little mistake @ Preta not only is the definitive ‘Bye bye’ for your equipment… think about what those rocks can do to your body!!!?

Anyway: it was scary, reaaaaaaaly scary and according to the people here, I was the FIRST GIRL E V E R who had the guts to go out in Preta on a big day like yesterday..Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh, it was sooooooooo unreal. I stayed for almost 3 hours, until I could no more. My new Rocketfish 5’5 and baby 9m2 Vegas 07 were THE most perfect equipment one could have and I will remember this ‘virgin ride’ all my life!!!!

I will go back soon and then I promise, I make sure I find a photographer to share the fun with ya!

Super happy greetings from Sal,  Yours Gabi

P.S.:  check out the article that I wrote after this trip for Kiteboarding.de, titled ‘Frisch verliebt’ (Engl.translation: ‘Newly in love’) as well as my ‘Spot Guide to Sal’ in the German edition of Stance Magazine and in Russian in Wave Magazine!