What’s It Like to Live on a Kite Safari Boat for a Week?
It is very hard to explain the energy, the vibe and the feelings that are part of a kite safari cruise in Egypt. It’s a week long full of kiting and full of emotions. I meet hundreds of you kiters every year, and every year I can witness the transformation from a timid kiter that never stepped on a boat to an experienced sailor that is well experienced on life on a yacht.
FIRST IMPRESSION
When you arrive on the boat, everything is new. The very first thing that I will ask you, is to remove your shoes — strange at first, but very soon you will forget about them. This is life on board. Barefoot. Usually on the first day, I don’t go too much into details, for a few reasons:
- I don’t want to repeat myself — everyone arrives at a different time on board, sometimes late at night
- I like the idea of discovering the boat — normally I just explain a few basic things about life on board, and I let you go to explore the cabin and the decks of the yacht. It’s just more fun
SETTLING IN
A drink and a some music are great for breaking the ice and creating the right energy when you arrive on board, especially if you don’t know anyone yet. We are still in the marina, ready to go out at sea in the morning, and the boat gradually fills with kiters and the Sick Dog team. Usually everyone arrives on board around dinner time, making it the ideal moment to get to know your companions for this kitesurfing adventure. Dinner itself is a great time for a chat and introductions. Normally most people go to sleep early on the first night, a bit tired from the flight but excited for what is to come.
DIRECTION KITE SPOT
In the early morning, the boat quietly starts moving, often catching our kiters by surprise — most don’t even notice we’re moving. The yacht is very stable and the transition from marina to open sea is very gentle. As we navigate toward our first spot, a 3h long journey, everyone gradually wakes up.
THE BRIEF
It’s during these first hours, and after a tasty breakfast, that I will do a complete brief of the boat. I will make sure everyone is on the main deck, and I will start talking. This is the moment when we get serious about kiting, and when the real purpose of this trip will be clear: your kitesurfing progression.
ON THE WATER
The first day can be a bit chaotic: we reach a new kite spot, many new things happen, you don’t know the team & your teachers, and the team doesn’t know you and your kiting level — we don’t know if you need a lot of help on the water, if you need a bit of supervision, or if you are fully independent. But we are ready for anything.
You will arrive on the beach, and feel the energy of the kite spot, with all its beauty and intensity. Every kiter in a new spot is always a bit stressed: this is completely normal, that’s why I call the first day, the warm up day. Students will be trained, and all kiters will be on the water. And we will start knowing each other on the beach.
AND THE WEEK GOES ON
It’s a lot of kiting, but also many more things will happen: birthdays, drinks on the beach, games at night, dance competitions, and the list could go on. Every week is different. We kite normally before breakfast, after breakfast and after lunch. When we don’t do that, we are on board to rest, chill, eat, read a book, party, listen to music, have a coffee or just have a chat with an old or new friend. If you come alone to one of our kite safaris, you will make new friend in no time — the yacht is big enough to guarantee privacy, but small enough to make sure that pretty soon we become a small family on board.
AND WHEN YOU ARE FINALLY READY
Then it’s time to leave. By the end of the week, you will know every corner of the boat and of the kite spots. And that’s exactly when you are about to leave the yacht. The second time you will come for a kite safari, everything will look familiar (but still different). Cause as I mentioned before, every week is different (but kind of the same).
