LIFT OFF
Check, check, double check – I’m ready to go. With both feet in the straps I grab my sail with one hand and the handle of the winch with the other. I give the final sign to my winch operator Matthias Erlacher and he kick-starts the engine. The board starts moving. My front arm is building up tension while the other pulls my 4.4 m sail closer to my body to minimise its air resistance. I am still hardly moving but I know that in a split second I will be shot away like a slingshot. A spine-tingling sensation arises as my board slides over the thin water film on the PU. I push my Fanatic Skate TE 93 against the runway rails to keep it under control. All my focus is now on the drop-in ahead of me. Not only does the board have to hit the pool completely flat to keep the speed, but, at the same time, I also have to release the handle exactly 12 metres after dropping into the pool. If I release too late I will probably hit the end of the pool. If, on the contrary, I let go too early, I won’t get enough speed for the kicker.
I let go of the handle. At the same time, I pull the rig even closer and push the sail into the apparent wind. I still feel the lift under my sail before I get catapulted into the rotation. When everything slows down again, it hits me – I pulled the move! I did it. We all gasp in awe. A wave of relief and ecstatic cheering follows the successful event. We are all caught in the moment. There is no reason to stop now. High on adrenaline, we keep going all day long and get about 100 shots from different angles and perspectives. The crew’s support is great all the way, right to the very end. After a long and exhausting day I got home with an overwhelming sense of joy and gratefulness. It is well into the night. Still stoked about how my abstract ideas have become reality, I feel thankful for having such a great crew that made it all possible. I hit the pillow and I’m gone. I guess my dreams get ahead of me as I start picturing the next True Wind scenario… who knows where it will take me next!”
“ I want to put my windsurf action somewhere else other than where it’s expected. ”