SARAH QUITA TRAVEL TIPS

Who better to start us on our travels than the First lady of Freestyle, Sarah Quita. Sarah is one of those rare once in a generation talents that can do it all, even better she does it all with a smile. One of the most effervescent and upbeat characters on tour, she is currently the only sailor competitive across the PWA Freestyle, Slalom and Wave fleets. Hailing from Aruba and combining all three World Tours whilst at University in Holland it’s safe to say she has a few hundred thousand frequent flyer miles to add to her 7 world titles. So fasten your seat belt as we talk training, titles and travel with windsurfing’s Caribbean Queen.

Words Sarah Quita // 

Photos

Coming from a small island in the Caribbean you have to travel a lot to compete. Do you still enjoy travelling after all these years?
Yes I still love travelling. Carrying all of those board-bags is definitely a hassle. But in the end when you make it to your destination, share the windsurfing passion with friends, meet new people, and experience another culture, it’s all worth it to me.

What advice can you give to our readers regarding travelling with excess baggage ?
Sometimes I take an extra (light) board bag with me in case they say my bags are too heavy. But most important of all: keep calm at check-in and always smile. Don’t have any loose pieces (extensions, fins, harness) in your board bags unless you secure them in towels or rash vests etc. Make everything as tight as possible so nothing moves and damages the board. To minimize excess charges your bags should be as light as possible so try and put loose parts in your luggage. If all else fails make, sure to distract the check in person when they’re weighing your bag! ha ha.

Which airlines do you recommend for travelling with boards and which ones are on your black list?
If I name my blacklist here then they might put me on theirs! ha ha. I love Turkish Airlines. They’re always easy with the bags and the service on board is great. KLM also has good service on board but getting your bags through check in is quite a nightmare and expensive.

Where do you train to prepare for the PWA ?
For the past three years I’ve been in Lanzarote, Tenerife, Jericoacoara, Aruba and Cape Town to practice. Freestyle you can really train anywhere but I think at the moment the best place to practice is Bonaire. The conditions are so easy, but more so it’s because of all the talented sailors there that push each other’s level on the water. This year I will travel to more wave destinations as I’m also moving towards wave sailing. It’s such a fun discipline, and if I get good enough I will give winning the PWA world title a shot as well! I’m also really looking forward to the Starboard photo shoot in Maui This is one of my favourite times of the year because it’s a week that is all about bonding with the rest of the team and having fun on the water together. That’s what windsurfing is all about to me.

“ When you make it to your destination, share the windsurfing passion with friends, meet new people, and experience another culture, it’s all worth it ’’ 

What boards do you normally travel with ?
For freestyle, usually my Starboard Flare 91L, it’s really fast and great in manoeuvres. In waves I’ve been using the NuEvo 73L and the Kode Wave 77L. I like both but prefer the Kode in smaller waves because it feels faster on the water. The NuEvo is amazing for carving.

It might surprise some people to learn alongside your windsurfing you have been until recently a full time student
Yes that’s why I had to miss out on most slalom competitions and could only compete in the summer for the past few years. Last April, after 3.5 years of studying I earned my bachelor’s degree in science and innovation management. For the moment I’m going to take some time off from university and focus more on windsurfing and travelling, but I think it’s important to pursue a master’s degree as well in the future.

You’ve balanced studying with travelling and competing what are your tips for being organised ?
If I can be very honest, and if you’d ask anybody who knows me I’m not the most organized person. At least.. I don’t plan very far ahead of time. But give me a short term deadline and I’ll get things done. I didn’t windsurf much when I was in Holland. At a certain point I was just too busy with studies. I basically studied for 10 weeks and then had 10 days off. I would always book my ticket about 4-5 days before my time off depending on where there was wind. So I’d travel about 4 times a year and then just compete. So actually I wouldn’t be very prepared before a competition. This is quite hard as my confidence level would be quite low but at the same time I would also have this “ I don’t have anything to lose so I’m going to give it my all” mindset which can be an advantage too.

What are your best and worst travel experiences ?
Until I was 18, I would always be accompanied by at least one of my parents (because I was underage and mostly afraid of flying). The first time I had to travel by myself back home from the Canaries, I managed to misread my departure hour and arrived at the airport too late and missed my flight. I burst into tears and the world ended for me then and there. Luckily my brother was there and could still think clearly. He straight away went and bought another ticket so I could still make my connecting flight. 1 hour and  700 euro’s later I was off on my first trip alone. Going to Sylt this year I was planning on arriving one day before registration. A few days after I booked flights we received notice that we would compete on this day if conditions allowed. As long as I would make all my flights I would get there on time. Murphy’s law though, my flight to Amsterdam got cancelled.  Next flight was 22 hours later, so naturally I would miss my first connecting flight to Hamburg. I rebooked but when I got to Amsterdam it took ages to get the baggage so I missed that flight too. At this point I would do anything to get to Sylt on time so I bought my 3rd ticket to Hamburg, which happened to be first class. Sitting in first class made me forget my stress for 1 hour. Running so late, Olaf from Sail Loft Hamburg saved me from having to struggle on the train and drove me to Sylt in 3 hours flat. Although they had started to run the event, everything was looking good and I’d be just in time or so I thought. Just as we arrived I got a text saying that I’d missed my heat. pfff all that expense and effort for nothing. As it turned out there was no more wind for 10 days and so  the result wouldn’t count anyway thankfully.

My best travel experiences are the places where I meet new friends that by the end of the trip, feel like family.

What are your must have travel essentials – what you can’t leave home without

> Music is my travel essential. My iPod and recently a Bose speaker I bought so I can amplify my music anywhere I go
> My diary so I can write down my travelling adventures
> My Camera

Top 3 travel destinations and why ?

I have to go back to Cape town or explore more of South Africa. I had some great windsurfing there but besides that I was captured by the surroundings; this huge table mountain, Kirstenbosch, The wineries. just a half an hour drive and you are in such a different place. Such a melting pot of people, nationalities and cultures. So much to do. Cape town is magical!

- I love going to Alaçati, Turkey. The culture is so different to what I’m used to. The locals are so friendly and open the food is great and windsurfing when it’s windy is fuuuun! But I’ve only seen a bit of this country and I’d love to go and visit more and less westernised parts of it.

- Jericoacoara, Brazil. Again the windsurfing is great everything is so laid back and everything is about having fun in the sun there. The music is great and apart from Jeri there are many lagoons and other spots nearby you can visit.

What advice would you have for young up-and-coming freestylers who are hoping to reach your level some day?
Winning world  titles is really cool but my focus is more on raising the level. For me it’s all about progress and enjoying the sport in all its diversity. I would advise them to not give up practicing because the moment you land that move you’ve been practicing for so long, is really worth it! Just have fun on the water and enjoy the crashes as much as the landed moves. Because actually the crashes make for the best stories.

Windsurf’s Top 3 Travel Tips…

1   Carry on - maximise your carry on, most international airlines allow 2 pieces, the less you check in the less you pay – simples
2   Don’t pack it - Remember you’re going windsurfing not modelling. Keep non essentials to a minimum – toiletries and extra clothes you can buy when you get there – every kilo counts !
3   Roof rack straps – a decent extra long set of straps is a must – need a lift with your gear from that dodgy taxi or find the hire car is half the size you booked – a good set of straps will get you out of Dodge faster than you can say ‘Bonjour Señor mi name Del Boy’

www.sarah-quita.com

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