Steven van Broeckhoven in Cape Town 2011/2012

Deze winter heeft Steven van Broeckhoven zoals vele pro’s getraind in o.a. Cape Town, Zuid Afrika. Hier zijn verslag.

Unfortunately, there were not so many days with good conditions for wave sailing. Either the wind was strong but there was no swell or the other way around. Many times I went to sail with my freestyle board on wave spots for some jumping.

 
One of my best jumping sessions was together with Maarten Van Ochten H73. I sailed with the JP Freestyle Pro 88 and my NeilPryde prototypes 4.1-4.5. On the way out we were going for double forwards, high backloops, pushloops and air chachos and coming in some sick freestyle moves on the flat sections between the waves. Thats what I call freestyle!

In South Africa, if you know the forecast and don’t mind to drive a bit, you can always find some place to sail. I was driving a lot to Langebaan, which is around 120 kilometers north from Cape Town on the west coast. This is a really nice spot for flat water freestyle and the wind is always getting stronger in the afternoon. Also, it was great to find some new flat water spots in the lagoon close Langebaan. One day, together with my girlfriend, we sailed out from Kraalbaai on low tide and after 15-20 min sailing around, we found a super flat water spot just in the middle of nowhere with only sand, bushes and birds around. Because the water there is really shallow, warm and has nice blue colours, this spot really felt like Bonaire. The wind was perfect for my JP Freestyle Pro 99 and my NeilPryde prototype 4.8m². For me, this day was one of the nicest in SA.
If there was really no wind predicted and no chance to find any spot with some thermical winds, I went for a Stand-Up-Paddling session or to the Virgin Active Fitness-Center to keep myself in shape….

My last day in Cape Town was also one of my best wavesailing days this winter down there. I went to Witsands and the conditions were really unusual for this spot – offshore wind from the right and nice clean waves. My JP TwinserQuad 82 and my NeilPryde Combat 4.5 was the perfect choice. Due to the gusty offshore wind, it was a bit tricky to get out, but once you made it and you caught a wave, it was just epic!
Furthermore, I have to mention, that I was really happy to see my good friend Andre Paskowski sailing out there and one of the best riders on the water! Big respect!

Next year I will come back! No question.