After almost 10 weeks and three countries in the doldrums, I finally get to kitesurf in Vietnam again. Windfinder predicted good wind from Sunday and was right. We came back at exactly the right time. My three friends can do their kitesurfing course and I’m finally happy again without too much effort.
There were heavy thunderstorms the previous night. Apparently Vietnam doesn’t work much with water power. As soon as the rain came, the power went out for 24 hours. It’s hard to work with flat batteries and no internet. My lot is even cruel. I have no excuse not to kite all afternoon. I set up the kite at eleven o’clock. After the first light winds, the kite falls out of the air and builds beautiful line nests.
From 12 o’clock onwards, the wind is blowing strongly with 16 knots side onshore. Lots of kiters are out. The bay of Mui Ne is 10 kilometres long, but it’s still getting a bit crowded. My runs are going well, I just need 5 knots more wind for tricks and jumping.
After just under two hours on the water, I realise that my right hand is completely numb, drained of blood from the constant bar tightening. I go out and fill up on sugar with a litre of fresh o-juice. In the afternoon, the wind dies down a little to 12 knots. My kite falls out of the sky again and into the surf zone, fortunately without any consequences.
Some small talk with Swiss kiters confirms my feeling about the Vegas 07: they think 06 was good, 08 is great, with 07 you just can’t get your arse in the air. The thing also has annoyingly superfluous profile battens behind the front tube. One of them broke after two weeks, and two more are now peeking out of the worn pockets at the front. Definitely my only and last North kite. I want Cabrinha again!
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.