The Mission: Egyptian Queen

I am a Dutchie from Noordwijk, which is where I started kitesurfing. One day my sister told me she’d arranged a surprise for me to celebrate an achievement at university. I was hoping she’d bought me a bag or something (haha so materialistic), but no… As she is a kite instructor, she of course organized lessons for me. I was like, “what the frick, this is not for me!” Well, I guess she knew me better then I knew myself. The first lesson was a complete battle, with me, the kite, the board and the North Sea. But after that, I was hooked. Fast forward a few years and I now have a couple of competitions under my belt, one in Argentina and one in Egypt. I’d love to do more, but it’s a bit up in the air (haha) because I’m battling some lower back issues. I had planned to join the Dutch National Championships a couple of months ago, but the wind gods clearly had other plans – no wind, no comp. We’ll give it another go next year.

The comp in Argentina, organized by Red Bull, is dramatically named “Queen of the Air.” No pressure, right? The whole experience was next-level amazing because the location; Cuesta del Viento, is straight out of a kiter’s dream. This magical spot in the middle of the country is set on a lake with thermal winds that barrel down from the surrounding mountains every single day. Sounds perfect? Well, kind of. The wind is so gusty that it felt like Mother Nature was playing a game with us. The kiting community there is super cool though, and they totally own the chaos. It’s the kind of place where you either level up as a rider or you end up swapping stories over maté tea about your survival tactics.

My next comp, the “King of the Lagoon”, was a few months ago in Ras Sudr, Egypt. Jenny and Sherif, the dynamic duo behind the event, invited me to tag along, and well, how could I say no? I extended my trip because going back to work felt illegal after discovering this slice of paradise. Ras Sudr was pure magic – a week of feeling like I’d been adopted into a big, sun-soaked family. Jenny and Sherif have built something incredible there, where the vibes were so on, they should’ve been trademarked. If there’s one thing they know, it’s how to throw a killer event. With so many riders competing, cramming it all into three days was no small feat. We even had a no-wind day (classic kiting problems), but somehow, we squished all the heats into the schedule like pros. During the women’s heats, the wind decided to take a little nap, so all of us were battling to pull off our Big Air moves in light conditions. Were we struggling? Maybe. Were we having fun anyway? Absolutely.

I ended up doing the comp because I was already in Egypt. The trip there was the ultimate “why not” moment. Mostafa Abbas from The Wind Seekers hit me up and said, “Join the Kite Fest,” and honestly, how could I say no? The trip looked STRAIGHT FIRE. Spoiler alert: it was even better than expected. The Egyptians? Absolute legends. Mostafa and his Wind Seekers crew nailed it with the planning. And the people who joined? Pure gold. I can’t even put into words how much fun we had. Think nonstop laughs, amazing vibes, and that “I-never-want-to-leave” energy. Mostafa took us to the best spots, depending on which wind would blow that day. It felt so good to play around on such beautiful islands in the red sea, with these incredible yachts in the background. And if there were no wind days, there was plenty of fun stuff to do, such as swimming with dolphins, freediving or drinking beers in a hot tub.

While in Egypt I ALSO did a photoshoot with Lieuwe Boards to shoot the new colorways of the Falcon. I originally started riding a Lieuwe twintip after testing one at the beach and being convinced it was proper craftmanship. I then did my internship at Lieuwe. Here I got to know the story of the company, the team, and more technical knowledge about crafting a kiteboard. I remember the moment when Kitemana asked us to create a high-performance carbon board that is still quite forgiving, light, something not yet on the market, and has that secret Lieuwe formula. What they requested is exactly what I like about the outcome of the Falcon: it is light, smooth, forgiving as it is still quite a flexible carbon board, but still has the directness that you require from a carbon. And of course, it has a bit of the secret recipe à la Lieuwe. It’s like no one can make the pancakes like your grandma makes them, right? Just let Lieuwe cook.

The shoot was super fun to do and at an epic location. I’m definitely not an experienced model or anything, so the whole thing was, let’s just say, an experience. We struck some poses, click-clacked, and totally destroyed that camera. I hadn’t worked with photographer Andy before, but wow, he definitely knows how to work his magic. The man’s a wizard with a lens. That said, let’s be real – when it was finally time to do the action shots, I felt like I could start looking like I actually knew what I was doing again. Posing? Questionable. Flying through the air on a kite? Much more in my skillset.

So, overall it was an awesome trip to Egypt, but I didn’t escape a minor mishap… I had a bad crash onto a coral reef – an occupational hazard of picking such an epic spot. I looked down and saw this massive gash in my shin. Clearly, stitches were needed, but the logistics were a nightmare. A speedboat to the hospital and back? Not happening. Then, like a plot twist in a budget survival movie, Ramy from the Red Bull crew stepped forward. Turns out, he used to be a doctor. But here’s the kicker: no anesthetic… None… Zilch… Instead, we opted for a good old-fashioned alternative: gin. Lots of gin… I ended up so smashed that, mid-stitching, I started thanking the coral for the experience. At one point, I wanted to name my leg after Ramy… Despite my newfound state of midday drunkenness, Ramy did an amazing job. Honestly, I think my shin looks better than it did before the accident. So, if you ever need emergency surgery and all you’ve got is gin and a former doctor, you’re in surprisingly good hands. Cheers to Ramy and my now slightly tipsy shin!