Sick of the UK weather and in need of some serious time on the water myself and some of the UK North Team, Luke Whiteside, Murray (Frodo) Aldrich and Scott Bourn, later joined by Matt Coleby, decided to head out to Brazil for the Month to get some training in.
We headed to the World famous spot of Cumbucu first and stayed there for just over 2 weeks, kiting at the amazing fresh water lagoon and PKRA competition venue of Cauipe Lagoon, as well as of the sea front and an almost daily 3 mile downwinder between the two in some amazing waves.
Scott had been out there for the previous 6 weeks and was improving fast, throwing powered shifty Blind Judges’s and had the front mobes just about nailed. We all kited super hard, shaking off the cobwebs from the recent crappy winds back home and in the steady 9m winds, hot weather and warm fresh water, it really would take a complete muppet not to improve quickly out here.
German North rider Kim Albrecht was already out there and was working hard building a 30ft slider which we put in the lagoon except across one of the spits of land,so that you had to pop onto the slider, ride it across the land and then pop off the end back into the water. Get it wrong and you knew about it! Scott ended himself early on, followed by Murray who seemed to prefer to grind the spit of land and I decided to total the Slider in the end with my head and board. I blame a shoddily built slider Kim!!!! The next day armed with some serious nails and screws and a big fucking hammer, we repaired the slider and had some sik sessions on it, all really getting to grips with popping on both front side and blindside, and popping 360’s and to blind and switch. 
We Hooked up with Jo Wilson for a few session who was on her regular annual trip to Brazil and she was looking as fit as a butchers dog, kiting hard and throwing some powered passes and was getting super close to front mobes. I spen a bit of time doing some coaching with Jo and by the end of the week she had landed 5 consecutive front mobes! She was buzzing!
Cumbucu is a cool place and fairly buzzing with plenty of bars and stuff happening,I don’t think so of the bars quite ‘got’ us though! Although we didn’thave too many late nights due to us being knackered everyday, those we did have were pretty full on! One night we had started drinking after a session at the lagoon (about 3.30pm) and carried on when we got back to the pousada. By the time we hit the posh pizza place, we were wreaked and Scott was destroyed and looking to cause mischief! There were about 15 of us sat at a long table when the first bits of food were thrown.. followed by water.. Scott then decided than Jordan had splashed him so emptied his beer onto him …and so it continued!.. The olive oil bottle was the next weapon of choice and everyone got a bit of a covering.. I had filled a pint glass a this point half and half, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and was looking for revenge on Scott.. Yerrrrr! A nice little dressing for him which I nailed him with. By the time the chilli sauce had covered half the people in the restaurant, we were politely moved on and the bar manager had called the police.
We hit the next bar absoutely minging and stinking and found the table football ’Game On! Scott in the meantime had snuck back to the restaurant and had stolen a full bottle of olive oil and returned to the bar and tipped the lot over my head and threw the bottle onto the beach.. I retrieved the bottle from the beach just to meet the police head on, bottle in hand, who were looking for a Brit who had stolen a bottle of oilve oil!!!! Done Proper! Scott was at the bar pissing himself, while I was trying to explain to the police, who didn’t speak any English, why would I knick a bottle and pour it over myself?? I was eventually let off.
Another day on the lagoon and everyone was ripping. Luke was on Fire, sticking everthing switch. Muz was getting close to his back mobes and Scott was improving fast. I had gotten my front mobes and front to blind and was trying hard for a front mobe 5, which I nailed at the end of the day..The next session I got another, powered with a full ariel second pass.. I was stoked!
We decided to take a week away from Cumbucu and head to Taiba, further North, try some new spots and hook up with James Boulding.
Taiba is an amazing place, really chilled, much quieter than Cumbucu and windier, plus has better waves, some amazing downwinders and the just a better vibe. I will come straigh here to Taiba next year and not even bother with Cumbucu. The people here are super friendly and just help because they want to, not for money. Our buggie broke down on the way back to the Pousada. It was late and we were standed on the beach. First a local guy jumped onto his push bike and rode 2miles to the nearest petrol station to get us some more fuel incase that was the problem, which it wasn’t. He went and got a load of his mates who helped push the buggy off the beach and under a street light, where the local mechanic, who was on the last day of his holidays and pretty pissed too, rocked up and started taking the engine apart! Soon half the village turned up with drinkss and food, while the guy started to take the engine apart again. 2 hours later, pitch black, the buggy fired up and we were on our way.
Mark (a geordie from back home) who now runs Revolution kiteboarding, then told us we could have his house for the week! Its a pimp pad right on the beach and was just amazing. He couldn’t do more for us and bailed us out of all sorts of situations!
The kiting here is Sick as.. Taiba lagoon is amazing, 4 mile downwinders from the house in great waves and an even better to Paracaru, which is a great wave spot.
One of my lifetimes funnniest moments happened in Taiba! We had had a bit of a session back at the house and decided to all pile onto the buggy and go to Mark pousada for some food. The buggies take 4 comfortably and we piled 8 or 9 people onto it, with Scott driving. We headed towards the town in the dark, down the unlit streets with Murray sat on the side of the buggy. As Scott opened up the throttle down a dark street, he suddenly swerved and we heard a dull impact with something. ‘We’ve hit someone!!’ Looking back silhouetted, we could see a donkey and then from off the road staggered the shape of a guy! Fuk!! We’d knocked a local off his horse.. Stop and get linched? keep going and do one?? yeh do one!.. Scott set off quick-like until one of the girls shouted ’sshtop.. we lost Murray!!!!!!’ We ran back to find Murray staggering around slightly concussed with a large lump on his head, with a donkey stood next to him.
Murray had been leaning out of the buggy to get his drink form the front, when scott swerved to miss a donkey half on the road. Murray hit the horses arse, full on with his head knocking him out and off the back of the buggy! A bit bruised and sore but also fairly pissed, which helped, Murray was otherwise ok, as was the donkey.. We were rolling around crying with laughter, much to the disgusted looks from the girls.. Just class!
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