Nocturnal Kiteboarding under the stars of Tarifa

Andreína Peñaloza | Sep 25, 2017

In life and in sports, I always like to have goals, dreams and challenges to accomplish. This is how I consider we can live with greater passion and it gives you a much clearer orientation regarding our present, and our future as well.

For this reason, sailing at night was one of those items I had to check on my Kitesurf list, and I managed to live this adventure on my recent trip to (the most southern part of) Spain: Tarifa. It is considered the most famous and busy spot for wind sports, and it is completely deserving of said title. I had the opportunity to sail for more than 10 days between Poniente and Levante winds. One of those days by casualty more than coincidence, I met a very funny character, Javier Suárez, from Tarifa Air Force, whom very nicely invited me to various downwinds, and very especially, to a Kite nocturnal session.

It was a day with Poniente wind, which is to say, it was flowing from the ocean, and it is humid and very stable. That is how with 20 knots and after a dreamy sundown, Javier and I accomplished the goal to sail under the moonlight and the lights of two continents.

We went in when the sun had already gone down and the athletes were leaving their session in the water. All of this at “Playa Los Lances” in front of the Chinguirito Wave, a place that sheds a lot of light on the sand. There, we started sailing with some clear rules: stay in front of the chinguirito, wait for the moon and avoid going far from the shore.

It was a one-hour journey approximately where I was daydreaming the entire time. I had never sailed ‘on instinct’, which I think it is the best way to explain the feeling. Despite the lights, into the sea, my vision was very limited and I had to go on feeling: the kite, the bar, the waves and the wind that was with us during the entire time. We were waiting for the moon and it was the only thing missing, too many clouds did not let us appreciate it but thanks to this something magical happened: the stars.

When I looked up to see my kite on 12 I saw that behind it there were a myriad of stars illuminating us… it was breathtaking.

After an injection of pure adrenaline, we decided to lower the kites and celebrate that we had lived one of the best experiences of our lives, in the water.

Forever thankful to: Javier, Tarifa and the Poniente wind.

Would you dare to sail at night?

¡Aloha!

The photographs used are referential.