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.