Wavesailing Adventures

Wavesailing Adventures

Montag, 18. Juli 2016

Essaouira Morocco AWT Experience 2016

In stoked colaboration with http://www.jackapartments.com/en/

 ...great appartments to stay in Essaouira and feel the pulse of this maravillous surf/music/art city!! Perfect locations with terrace and ocean sunsetviews!!


...after I last year had such a great first contest experience in Cape Verde, I was looking forward to another contest and I could find time and money to join the Morocco event this year! My plan was to go by van and stay for four weeks on the moroccan coastline to participate the contest and score some nice sessions in this beautiful country. But this ment that I had to take the ferry from Canaries to Spain, then a ferry to Morocco and drive 800 km down south to Essaouira. But it ment also that I could bring all my surf and windsurf gear with me...compense enough. And so this adventure started.

First I had to take a ferry from Fuerteventura to Lanzarote and from there to the mainland. As I arrived in Lanzarote the port wasnt open yet and I had time to visit a windsurfing friend! We had some inspiring conversations about the contest and the nice waves of Morocco! It was cool and when I was sitting again in the car telling my friend goodbye, I felt how that journey was "on".
The next 36 h on the ferry to Spain however werent that nice I had a cold and I slept bad. When I arrived on the mainland of Spain I was tired but had still a long way to go... .

On the border to Morocco the police dog was jumping around my car and the policemen looked confused..." would this guy bring hash to Morocco??" ...I had nothing, but began to swet... the dog now went deep into my surfstuff under my bed...and came out... with a beachball...everybody was laughing and I felt better...welcome to Morocco!!

After a long two days drive to Essaouira I just desired a hot shower and some Tajine. I had luck, my friend Jacky was living recently in Sidi Kaouki so I wanted to visit her, get energized and go next day wavesailing in Sidi Kaouki to get some rythm. The day after this I would go to Moulay and then the next day already the contest started!! It was nice to see Jacky with her friend Hicham and it was cool to have friends here... we had a great evening together, I had a shower, we made a Tajine and a tea and Hicham was playing Berber Style Guitar...it was so goood!!!

Next day Sidi wavesailing...after one month the first time on the water for me... since I had a very bad "skin off" by my fins on the left foot...just where the footstrap touches...and it didnt want to heal! ...but it was also my mistake because I didnt stopped windsurfing when it happened and then it infected...

But now it was okay and I was hot. The conditions were nice...already some strong winds but I could manage to make my jumps and have some good waves with some nice lipattacks and some arials. I felt good and ready for the Comp.!!!
...and then it happened with a radical cutback I just felt how the footstrap took off my new skin of my foot....ohhhhhhhhh...it was open again...bleeding and I could nearly see the bone. And all with the contest and another four weeks of surfing in front of me....nooooooooooooo...!!

Next day I went to Moulay. The wind was strong the waves small and my foot infected...but I wanted to participate...for sure! I met the AWT boys on the way and inscriped myself into the Pro"s!!
Apart of my foot I felt good and ready to rip Moulay!! But I decided to not go into the water this day and give my foot some rest...and start tomorrow directly into the competition.
So I was sitting with my foot up in the air and watching the action and studying the spot and do some mindsurfing...but at 17:00 I couldnt resist anymore and had to give it a try and get a little bit used to the spot in this conditions.

On the Menu: small waves plus atomic winds

...my favourite dish: big waves and less wind...

but my mum always said: " You have to eat what is on the table"!!!
i said: "o.k. lets give it a try" !!!
my left foot said: Nooooooo

So I put my 4,0 on... my 3,7 would have been better and a 3.4 best...and went for it!!
It was unreal nuclear windy on the water but somehow I managed to rip and do some jumps! The best one was a cheeseroll where the wind just picked me up in the air and transported me like 10 meters more downwind destroying me on the surface of the water ...it was cool and i felt alive and ripping!! I was ready for tomorrow or what ever...it was time to go out and clean my wound and chill...but I had to take one more wave...I wanted to surf it rather than jump but on the way out the wave came...a bigger kicker and me full power... " Its contest time... you with the pros...so go big or go home...I thought... and I went for the biggest pushloop which was also the biggest jump in my life...I was so high...

And than it happened...on the landing... my left foot went off the strap and I landed superstrange with  the right foot still in the strap getting twisted in all directions! ...it was an immedately strong pain and I went directly to the beach. On land I couldnt stand on the foot and I had to go 4x4 to my car...
My foot was bad . Next day I was sitting on the beach watching my heats passing by without me. This dream was broken...this time Morocco I had to stay on the land...but the ironic thing...I couldnt even walk...and so the event went on...the boys and girls were ripping and me sitting and watching...

But at the end I had a wonderfull time meeting lots of new friends and enjoying the flow of morocco!!!

An dieser Stelle ein grosses Dankeschön an die deutsche Windsurfgemeinde vom Parkplatz Moulay!!! Danke Gabi, Peter, Jens, Wolfgang, Jürgen, Geran ;) und allen anderen, die ihr mir so sehr geholfen habt mit allem, als mein Fuss so übel war!!! Ich hoffe Euch geht es gut und Ihr geniesst das Leben und spielt in den Wellen!!!

Photos by mobile...

click on the first pic for better few