Our last stop is Hermanus, an hour and a half east of Cape Town. Famous for whale-watching, Hermanus is bursting with good restaurants. We savour one last time the South African cuisine, which is limited for vegans but almost always excellent and varied. Our hostel, Hermanus Backpackers, is the purest luxury boutique hotel with a pool, garden, olive trees and a huge kitchen/lounge – at hostel prices.

On the second day in Hermanus, the wind is good for the last time. Unfortunately, the spot on the lagoon behind Grotto Beach, which is quite well frequented by sharks, only works when the wind is blowing from the east (bumpy, coming over land) or west to south-west (clean). If the main wind direction is southeast, nothing works. (more…)

On the way back to Cape Town, we make another stop in Witsand. The wind is offline for a day. A German band dressed as Bavarians plays swing hits from the last 100 years in the Breede River Lodge. It would be horrible at home, but here and with lots of locals who constantly want to buy us something else alcoholic to try, it’s more than fun.

On the second day there is another wonderfully constant wind of a good 20 knots over the freestyle spot in the estuary. My back is cooperating again. The hangtime is good and the panorama in front of the sand dunes is gigantic. With up to ten kiters, the spot is quite crowded, but everyone is considerate – and rides very well. What’s more, the number reduces your chances of winning the top prize at the Hairoulette. (more…)

We cruise another 500 kilometres to Knysna in the east. Our first tour along the Garden Route ended in Mosselbay. We didn’t think much would change there. We were completely wrong! The steppe east of Cape Town, which was scorched brown just three weeks ago, is now green again after a few rains. From George onwards at the latest, you feel like you’ve arrived in a completely different country.

Every few kilometres, rivers flow into the Indian Ocean via large reed-covered bays. Flamingos, storks, herons and cranes strut between them. The clouds clinging to the steep coastal cordillera, up to 1600 metres high and 15 kilometres inland, regularly bring heavy rain. The forests from there to the coast are as green as New Zealand rainforest. There are ferns and even the New Zealand Christmas tree with its red flowers. (more…)

We check out the small Sandvlei Lake behind Muizenberg from Blouberg. According to local residents, you are allowed to kite there, although part of the lake is a bird sanctuary. There is a grassy park to set up in, and the best way to get in is on the windward side of the lake via a small sandy beach. The exit is steep and rocky to leeward. The wind is still offline. We drive on.

Dozens of surfers let off steam in the waves on Muizenberg’s colourful beach. The Boyes Drive from Muizenberg to Fishhoek offers endless panoramic views. As South Africa is a little too expensive in some places, we opt for the “stowaway under a load of kite luggage” method at the entrance to the Cape of Good Hope National Park. This saves eleven euros for a beautiful but rather lifeless park. (more…)

During the Cape Town rush hour, I pick up our new hire car at the airport, which is a good hour and a half away by bus. We move over to the nearby Saltycrax Hostel. In recent years, the owner has set up a programme for volunteers in the townships. There are currently a whopping 70 volunteers accommodated in the hostel and nearby houses.

Fortunately, our room is overbooked. This gives us the opportunity to shorten our time in Blouberg considerably. The waves are too rough for me, the water is really cold at around 13 degrees and I don’t need more than 25 knots of wind. Blouberg is a white luxury ghetto with no charm. The volunteers dream of world peace, the kiters of the waves and the rest of us of safety. (more…)

Every kiter knows that the biggest big air competition in the kiting world takes place in Cape Town. What we didn’t know was that it takes place just two kilometres away from our new accommodation at Blouberg Kite Beach – on the very day we are moving.

The waves at Blouberg beach are still quite comfortable on our arrival day at just over one metre. The wind is rattling side-on at a good 20 to 25 knots on the wide white beach with a dream panorama of Table Mountain and Cape Town. We count over 200 kiters on the water. The beach is ten kilometres long – but in these conditions, even the 15 kiters on “my” 200 metres are too much for me. After just under an hour of scaredy-cat kiting on the nine, I’ve had enough. (more…)

South Africa is huge. Our journey takes a good five hours past Cape Town eastwards along the Garden Route. The country is also very dry on the Indian side. It hasn’t rained a drop for months. On the Sir Lowrys Pass, monkeys go about their business of mouth robbing. The dam behind it has dropped to 40% full. Cape Town will run out of water in 80 to 90 days.

After a good 400 kilometres through endless expanses of harvested wheat fields, we follow the sign to Witsand. The last 50 kilometres take us along a high-speed gravel road lined on both sides by ostrich farms. The small village of Witsand is idyllically situated at the mouth of the Breede River, one of the largest rivers in South Africa. Behind large dunes, the 300 metre wide estuary conjures up one of the most beautiful shallow water kite posts in the world. (more…)

South Africa is strange. After 150 kilometres with 3 bends through the most monotonous Brazilian pampas, we arrive in Langebaan. Langebaan looked like a big city on the map, but 90% of the houses are just holiday homes, and they are all empty even in the middle of the high season – behind thick nasty fences on far too much empty space.

As strange as the surroundings are, the people are wonderful. The first is Dane Per. At 88, his father Poul was the oldest kiter in the world. He died happily in his wetsuit from a heart attack. 150 kiters gathered in a circle in the mirror-smooth Danish Sea, like King Arthur’s table in XXL. They scattered his ashes. Suddenly the dead sea came to life. (more…)