Arrianne and me having fun

spock

spock

Windsurfing, windsurfing, windsurfing and…? Windsurfing. Almost every day wind !! It’s bazar, never experienced before. In one month already more windy days than the four months when I was in Australia. The only thing (but actually one of the most cool element) that is missing from this paradise are REAL waves. Soooo FREESTYLEEEE. Here I do my first spocks, grubby’s and shove-it’s.

shove-it

shove-it

shove-it

Trying to make my forwards better with portack, but still hard to have the full control. They feel so damn ugly.

forward

When there is no wind... early morning at 6 o clock

At Malahda I try some backloops por tack too, and surprisingly it isn’t going that bad. But for sure I need some more practise.

Malahda, backloop, thanks Philip Soltysiak for the nice serie!

The Dutch colony it’s getting bigger: Arrianne, Marijn, Bouwien, Daan, Rose, Davy, Maarten arrive too. Every night I eat with a  nice fun group constisting out of Dutch, Canadian, Austria, Norwegian, French surfers (probably forget some, sorry).

 On the water it’s sometimes getting way too crowed what isn’t fun anymore. Time to go somewhere else! I decide with six other surfers (Maarten, Oda, Hakon, Tom, Danny, Harold) to go to Camocim for four days. I wanna learn the flaka. The spot is at a river mouth and the village looks gaunt. Although the breakfast including the pousada (hostel) is horrible, it’s a perfect freestyle spot (with right foot in front).The wind is super strong! Overpowerd with my 3.7m ICE sail I try some flaka’s. I miss my 3.4m sail here, never thought I needed that small…

Camocim: trying to learn flaka

Camocim: trying to learn flaka

the local kid is already really good just by using others gear

After two afternoons of trying flaka’s, crashing hard, I’m done with it.Especially when a local tells us there is another secret wave spot! Very enthusiastic Tom and I arrange a buggy for more persons going there tomorrow and expect everybody to be exited as we…. But… I forget I’m at Brazil where most people go for freestyle. Nobody want to go with us, even our 10 other windsurf neighbours?! They only want to do freestyle?! I can’t understand and believe it! Well Tom and I go anyway. Just after a drive of 30 minutes over the beach we arrive at spot-X (Maceillo). First impression: Jeri-look-a- like with no windsurfers on the water, bigger beach with palm trees along the beach and WAY less touristic. The waves are not that big, but every wave I wanna take is mine ! On the inside it’s flat between the waves like in Jeri. Tom and I sail till sunset and are totally satisfied. Definitely a place to go back some day!

Cute old lady @ Maceilo. Thums up!

hey buggy driver

Back in Jeri, time is flying again. A month in this lovely paradise goes fast! It’s study time again back home in Holland. Some friends help me packing after a too strong caipirinha for me and I realise what a good time I had in Brazil. Thanks everybody for making it’s such a nice time!

drying my gear at Fortaleza airport

My bus ride of 7 hours (but very comfortable) en flight went perfect. Now I’m back home, checking the weather forecast for the weekend what looks good, but cold though. I’m printing my anatomy lesson for Monday when ‘real’ live starts again. Can’t wait .

Ciao!

sunset Jeri with Lotte and me

Scheveningen, 5.5 am, bliep bliep, my alarm goes off. My boyfriend Eric is so sweet to drive me to the airport in Amsterdam. Again on windsurftrip, it feels unreal, but getting normal at the same time. With thanks to Fly Brasil I fly business- class for free to Fortaleza. After a stop in Cabo Verde (Sal) en Natal (Brasil) I arrive. Edvan … arrives almost at the same time and is so nice to take me with a 4×4 pick up truck to Jeriqoaqoare, what is still a pretty long drive of 4- 5 hours. I am so tired that even with all the bumps on the sandy I somehow fall asleep and sometimes wake up by smacking my head against the window or my chest. At 1.30 in the morning (that’s 6.30 am in Holland) I find a bed in Jeri and crash.

beach Jerivulcan sunset session

I wake up at 7.00 am and Edvan shows me around in Jeri. I see a small village with only sandy roads, beautiful green/blue water, palm trees, fisher boats. To be honest, exactly what I expected. Can’t wait to windsurf! But first find Lotte. She is a friend for Holland and I stay with her in an apartment. She is already here for 2 weeks or so.

Then it’s time to storage my gear at Vela (windsurfresort) right at the beach. It’s looking windy and I go on the water. The water is so nice and warm, even a person like me who has it always cold wanna sail in just a bikini. What a paradise!

Jeri beach @ sunset again

Next days we have nasty rain what turn the street in rivers but solves pretty quickly after it stops. Not normal they say, but I hear that everywhere I come so I don’t bother (used to it). The more important thing is…. NO wind. Me and Lotte go surfing (-peddle) and still have a lot of fun. Luckily after two days the wind is back.

My opinion about the windsurfspot changes the whole time. Sometimes I love the windsurfconditions: flat spots between the tiny waves. Other times I find it horrible: a lot of chop , very gusty wind with way too many windsurfers. I helps that I’m learning to know the spot now and have more lovely moments.

carefully jumping with my freestyle boardwith 14 people in 1 truck to lagoon lagoa azul...

Regret that I didn’t took my waveboard though. Pretty close there is a kind of wave spot what reminds me a bit like Pozo but portack instead of starboardtack. I try to sail there with my freestyle board, but it’s not really handeble. Well, even more motivation for really learning some freestyle. A lot of times I have the feeling that the spock is close. Then suddenly after one week in Jeri I land it. So happy! Hope to land some more pretty soon if the wind is back.

vulcan sunset session

I will keep you updated (put some more action pictures on it). Now it’s time to have some lovely dinner with rice beans and chicken again!

jeri

Well, time for some more testing with the gopro soon!

My new sponsor is Fanatic/North Sails/ION. Very happy with these great surfbrands!
The first time I tested a Fanatic quad board, I was sold! So light, easy planing and playable in the waves. For me it is the best board.

New equipment

Last days the good conditions in Holland were perfect for testing my new material. I really like my new stuff.

Aerial. Thanks Sebastiaan!

material
I’ve a 69L quad TE and a 75L quad TE fanatic board for the different wave conditions. For the days with no waves, I still have a 89L Fanatic freestyle board to have fun.
The sails: ICE (3,4 3,7) and ID (Light sails: 4,2 4,7 5,0) are very stable with jumping and good for wave riding.
Than from ION some nice wetsuits to keep me warm and protect me against stupid crashes.

I’m lucky that I can test my new gear before the PWA in Sylt starts at 23th of September. Maybe even the NK wave (Dutch Championship) in Scheveningen will start next weekend. Would be nice! Still need some girls for the NK wave, so girls send an email to: coen@exventure.nl

Freestyle

chicken bay

After the PWA contest in Tenerife I had no idea what to do? How to book my ticket back with no money? How to live with no money? My parents were gone, so no free living space anymore… Still some friends of mine where in Tenerife and offered me a free bed at the couch. Eventually Klaas even offered me a own bedroom for a couple of days! Can’t say no to that! Perfect!

Belgium thiefs....ooooooo

Playing with my mast in the waves.... Too late for the cutback

PWA Tenerife, thanks Eva for the picture

I decided to stay in Tenerife for a while and to work at the Official Test Center: OTC (windsurfing test center). Almost every day I worked from 10 till 18 o clock, could sail if it was windy (?? where was the wind??) and could sleep in a livingroom. It was nice the test team of the Boardseeker Magazine were testing at the OTC! I could test a lot of 2012 boards and it was really fun to feel the difference between all the boards. One of the guys from the test team: Ben Proffitt, tried to teach me how to improve my ugly forward (turning it sideways instead of endo) and kicked my ass to go on the water to train, even when it’s not that windy. Thanks Ben, helped a lot!

new 2012 boards!

To be honest, the windsurfconditions for me were disappointing. Somehow, not a lot of wind?? I decided to go back to Holland.

Back! Airport Dusseldorf/Wezen

zandmotor

Since a week I’m back in Holland. Happy to see my boyfriend, friends and family again! I had some very good windsurfing days at the Zandmotor. The Zandmotor is a new spot in Holland, close to Scheveningen (Kijkduin). It’s a very good surfspot with a lot of winddirections! Love it!

On our way to Kijkduin!

23 september the PWA in Sylt will start. Hope to get some sailing sessions in Holland before to train. I would love to make a little windsurfmovie of Holland. So if anybody would like to help me, please let me know!

What I love about Holland

Woodstock party!What I love about Holland!What I love about Holland

Jose Pina catched me on camera when I was trying to do a pushloop at the PWA in Pozo. Unfortunately landed it in the next wave who took me down. Enjoy .

Surfmagazine:

Thanks Prolimit for protecting- and keeping me warm!

See: www.prolimit.com

New 2012 wetsuit collection!

Pure Oxygen FTM Steamer 6/5 We offer a various wetsuit range for our female riders. The Oxygen is our high end suit for women and has great looks. This stretchy 6/5 with glued Thoughseam technology keeps you warm all winter long.

The atmosphere in Tenerife is way different then in Pozo. Everywhere are nice restaurants and it is a lot more layed back! The surf/sailconditions are also way different: lighter wind, but bigger waves. My parents are in Tenerife too and I sleep at their apartment. It’s nice now they can see where my passion is all about. They never saw me sailing on the ocean before, so even when they see me passing the shore brake they already looking proud. For sure I explained them some moves so that they wouldn’t cheer too enthusiastic when I just jumped

Heats:

My heat in the single elimination against Alice I won. Did some wave rides and a forward. In the afternoon my heat was supposed to be against Karin Jaggi. I was waiting in the shorebrake and when my watch told me it was time I sailed out, made a nice forward and some waverides. Then when I looked around I saw there was something wrong. Came back and the heat was cancelled, cause two guys had a fight about the heat before….

Allright so my heat was next morning at 9 ‘o clock. With my not-morning-person-head I still did a proper forward again and some wave rides. I was a bit disappointed about the fact I couldn’t try a pushloop, cause I didn’t had enough power. Karin Jaggi also did a forward and better waves rides. She is a very good waverider and you can see she have a lot of experience with that. I lost. My double elimination I had to go against Heike Reimann. This was my first heat I didn’t enjoy it at all. Cause my board is just 64L, I couldn’t manage to plane. In the heat I changed my sail to a bigger one and it was still not working. Couldn’t jump at all! I was soooo frustrated. At least I made some pretty nice wave rides. Heike won, cause she made a forward and sailed a good heat. Never I felt so disappointed after a heat! I really need a bigger board somehow?!

In the final the girls where ripping. Karin Jaggi and Nyra Alonso showed that they are very good wave riders! The twins where showing some amazing loops and perfect waverides.

results womans fleet:

1. Daida Moreno
2. Iballa Moreno
3. Nayra Alonso

9.    me

After 3 days the single and double eliminations were already done, so there came a expression session. That means everybody together and see who made the best move or wave ride. I did a forward and almost landed a backloop. Evi Tsape won the jump by a pushloop en Karin Jaggi did the nicest wave ride.

The PWA in Tenerife organised everything very good. The was a huge opening parade, nice dinners, good partys, could play golf and one day we went to the waterpark. In the waterpark we did get a bracelet so we didn’t had to wait anywhere. Perfect! We were happy like little children up the stairs and sliding down as fast as possible.

The PWA event with all the sailors, friends and parents in Tenerife was really fun! Thanks everybody for making it such a nice event.