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Alt 18.12.2011, 12:27   #9
ola454
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Registriert seit: 09/2011
Ort: Sao Vicente, Cabo Verde
Beiträge: 147
Standard Differences between Sal (Boa Vista) & Sao Vicente

All tourists who have been in Sal, Boa Vista and Sao Vicente who we know of have been amazed about the difference between Sao Vicente and the more popular islands of Sal and Boa Vista.

Our clients who have combined their visit ( Sal and Sao Vicente / Boa Vista and Sao Vicente) have unanimously told us that Sao Vicente is very special indeed. To give you an example: we had guys coming in November who visited Sal and Sao Vicente and had such a good time that they want to return to Sao Vicente with family this Christmas (just one month after already having been here)! Also, anyone from Cape Verde will say the same: Sao Vicente is radically different from Sal and Boa Vista.

The topography, culture and history are totally different: Sal and Boa Vista are fairly flat desert islands that were earmarked for recent development of mass-tourism (not that long ago there were only a few fishermen staying on these islands). The government has always acknowledged the potential for Sao Vicente, especially in combination with neighbouring island Santo Antao for more exclusive tourism, simply because these islands have more natural beauty (mountains in Sao Vicente and Santo Antao, forests, waterfalls on Santo Antao) and culture (Mindelo, city with close to 80,000 inhabitants with great nightlife and music) whilst still offering spectacular beaches (Sao Vicente).

Of course, we do not all have the same wishes. I would say that for a convenient, beach – hotel based holiday, Sal and Boa Vista are perfect. If you want to taste a new culture , like adventure and want to see lots of different things, then Sao Vicente and Santo Antao are the islands to visit.

For time on the water the statistics between the islands are very similar when the trade wind consistently blows from the NE (Feb-March). However, outside of that period (Nov-Jan & April – June) the wind conditions are different. There are two reasons for that: 1) Sao Vicente benefits from a wind acceleration (caused by the high mountains of Santo Antao) and 2) the sand beaches of Sao Vicente are on the North, North-East and East side of the island so with the prevailing trade winds NE and NNE you get “cleaner” less gusty wind. We have collected statistics from all types of sources (manual, windguru, windfinder) and found that on average over the whole windy season the wind in Sao Vicente is 1-2 knots stronger. We also suspect (but have not got enough data yet), that during times with exceptionally bad wind, conditions in Sao Vicente is often just acceptable (for instance, during the KSP Ponta Preta event in Sal a week ago competitors were telling us about 12 knots of wind whereas in Sao Vicente, we had 17 knots).

I would also argue that for the average kitesurfer (not the super advanced one who is at ease with rocky Punta Preta), Sao Vicente offers conditions that are safer, easier & more relaxing. The wind at the “most popular / least empty” beach of Sao Vicente – Salamansa - is truly side shore. It has waves in the main part of the bay (same as Kite Beach) but for those that do not want waves, there is a small launch area with flat water in the upwind area and….. safe, easy to ride, nicely shaped point breaks at the NE end of the Salamansa bay. Another difference: space on the water. The least empty beach is Salamansa. On a busy day we have 4 on the water. When we go to an adventurous wave spot on Sao Vicente (Sandy Beach- amazing waves), there will be nobody else!

I cannot resist mentioning a little detail as an example of how we as a kite centre try to add to the natural difference Sao Vicente already brings. The example is about safety precautions. Like many locations, we have a safety boat and a backup safety boat which is always ready to go + we always have somone of the center to keep a watch and has an overview of the bay. However, going out with the boat (we never had to do this so far) is something you do when things are already out of control. It takes time for the rescuer to get on the boat, start the engine and by the time the boat is up and running the kiter has already moved a long way downwind. So what we’ve done is an attempt to win time by giving the kiter the chance to dump the power of the kite and release the kite. We placed safety clips attached to highly visible buoys out on sea . Riders when in trouble, can attach their safety line to the clip and release the kite. The buoys are strategically positioned so riders can see a safety zone (area before the waves) and the safety boat can easily get there (not too close to the waves). The same clip system is placed downwind on the beach as well so a fellow kiter on the water can ride downwind , dump the kite on the beach and get to a kiter who is in trouble and needs to be helped quickly.
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