Kai Katchadourian has a long distance relationship with Cabo Verde. He prides himself on keeping his passion for Ponta Preta alive by fly in fly out strike missions for the best swells. He recounts one of his latest ventures on the island nation and the highs and lows of commuting from Northern Europe to Africa in search of wind and waves.
It’s been a long time since I got to rock and roll at Ponta Preta, Cabo Verde, as two years had passed very quickly since the last mission. It’s driven home a few points. You only have what’s in front of you so the moment you see the chance you have to take it. Forecasts are merely a model for guessing - the actual conditions waiting on the other side can often be up to chance, although if you know what to look for - exactly - you can open the gates of the treasure chest if you can make the right decisions on time.
THE CHASE
Living in Finland part time has afforded a great starting point to score Cabo Verde regularly, as getting there is very cheap and direct - as opposed to starting the mission from Maui for instance.
All my chips were stacked on a February swell sequence, this is the time of year when wind and waves are most likely to combine for my favourite spot Ponta Preta to turn on with the legendary hollow peeling ‘African Green Machine’ coming to life. No sooner had my family arrived from our Maui stay than the charts came alive with a low pressure coming off the US East Coast. As I watched the news go on and on about blizzards and brutal weather I began making my plans as the storm was forecast to go out to sea and send a solid shot of NW swell to Cabo Verde.
My typical strategy has me leaving a bulk of my kit in Cabo Verde, my trusty OG Flywave board, masts, booms, and a quiver of surfboards.
Only needing to bring sails greatly increases the ease of arriving ready to go as soon as the swells hit. I ordered my sails expecting them to arrive right on time for departure. Everything was going to plan, the storm had moved off the East Coast and a solid swirling system was due to send swell as if on cue right after Valentine’s Day. Even my wife would be happy to see me go get some epic waves; this was all too good to be true.
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