Darian and Leonie started in Kiel with their converted and vacation-ready Mercedes Viano. On board they had 2 twin tips, 2 waveboards, 2 surfboards, 1 foilboard, 12 kites, 2 longboards. Their route traced along the French coast towards their first goal: fresh croissants and clean waves for breakfast. Hossegor, the venue of the World Surf League Championship, warmly greeted them with its wide sandy beaches and powerful, blue breakers which carried them all the way to the beach. Hossegor is considered to be one of Europe’s surfing hotspots, and is certainly worth a visit.
Next they went across the border to the Basque country of Spain. Deep-green forested hills—which reminded them of the pre-Alps—snake along the coast. The Playa Laga is almost exclusively visited by locals and offers top conditions. An approaching storm, which was forecast to continue westward across the north-Spanish coast, drew them to Cantabria. In San Vincente de la Barquera they were greeted by wind and 3m-high breakers. For Leonie these were the perfect conditions to gain her first wavekite experiences. Darian surfed the waves with his 5qm Boost2, while Leonie was busy taking a few wipeouts.
Although they were having a lot of fun, they decided to leave San Vincente due to the increasingly inclement weather and offshore winds, and to make their way to Portugal. After another solid wave session with our Boost2 in Moledo with sideshore wind and beautiful swells, they drove further south towards Viana do Castello, where they found mirror-smooth water behind a jetty. They spent the next few days freestyling and kite foiling in perfect conditions. They found themselves foiling with the Sonic FR until sunset, which was only a problem when it came to cooking dinner, which was a bit tricky to do in the dark.
The highlight of their trip was definitely the lagoon in Obidos. Standing depth, mirror-smooth water and a beautiful landscape speak for themselves. Unfortunately the wind kept them waiting a few days, so we ended up with only only two beautiful freestyle days with the 15er Sonic FR and the 9er Boost2. They spent a few more days riding the waves at Lourinha before starting off through the Algarve region toward to our last destination of Tarifa, Spain, making stops along the way. They found this to be the most beautiful part of Portugal; with its breathtaking cliffs, secluded beaches, and seemingly undisturbed nature.
They spent the most time at their last destination at the southernmost tip of mainland spain. Tarifa–here it is possible for everyone to find the right area for their style, whether freestyling in the small lagoons, foiling along the beach or wave kiting. It was helpful that Darian had already spent a couple of days here on vacation and was familiar with the area. As this was her first visit to Tarifa, Leonie could not get enough of the untouched nature, the big sand dunes and, above all, the view of Africa. They were both able to make great progress with their own foiling skills with the Sonic FR, and the Boost2.
They completed their adventure after a 47-hour-long drive straight back to Kiel, relaxed, tanned, and a bit sleepy. All told they spent 5 weeks on the road, spent time in a number of amazing places and gained a lot of experience.
Everyday is a kiteday