Tacking and jibing on the foil is a tricky maneuver for many kiters. It takes extensive practice fraught with multiple falls before getting all the steps right. Daniela Moroz and Marie-Eve Mayrand concurred on this point during a chat in Mexico. Discerning a need to improve tacks efficiency on foil board, Daniela offered a kitefoil clinic in La Ventana, Mexico, on tacking and jibing. She advertised the event on her Instagram Stories and through word-of-mouth in the kitesurfing community, hoping to get 4 or 5 participants. She was pleasantly surprised to have 10 riders show up for her pro tips — from aspiring racers using foil kites to strapless foil riders on inflatable kites.
Photo: Rich Baum photography
Daniela kicked off the session with step-by-step instruction on entry-during-and-exit strategy to successfully jibe and tack on the foilboard. Participants then spent an hour applying Daniela’s tips to water-kiting, braving stronger-than-anticipated winds.
Photo: Rich Baum photography
Back at the beach, Daniela gave everyone individual feedback before sending the group back to the water for a second attempt. This time, Daniela followed everyone with a Go-Pro camera. “What better way to learn than by watching your mistake captured on camera!” Marie-Eve quipped!
Photo: Rich Baum photography
They closed the day with a recounting of individual experiences so everyone could learn from other riders’ experiences.
Marie-Eve, Dieter and Daniela. Photo: Rich Baum photography
Daniela is Flysurfer Team Rider and a four-time KiteFoil racing world champion, and Marie-Eve is Sales Manager for North America at Flysurfer – both are passionate kitesurfers with extensive experience. They are grateful to Dieter and Karola Hecker for allowing Flysurfer to use their facility to host the clinic; to Rich Baum photography for capturing vivid images from the session; and Flysurfer for making this event possible.
