Costa da Caparica - Praia da Nova Vaga

Having wasted the morning fiddling with fuses, I left Lisbon on Sunday with no lights/indicators or instruments to make my way to Costa da Caparica. There is a dirt road behind the dunes and numerous turn-offs to access the beach. The penultimate one is to the kite surf beach Nova Vaga. The wind was up but I had to sort out the electrics on the bus and called AA Europe. I then discovered that I wasn't at Nova Vaga and had to move the van to the correct beach and wait. The roadside service van arrived in an hour or so and quickly got to grips with the fuses. He changed them all because of paint debris, all electrics restored. Now I can get on the water.

It was now around 6:00 and I went to the beach to speak to the kite surf instructors. The wind had dropped and the tide was on the ebb but they encouraged me to go out with my 12m kite. I got changed and rigged my kite, someone offered to stand the kite so I could launch it which went well and I was soon in the water. The wind was on/cross shore so I would be going out across the break. I dived the kite and got a good water-start and comfortably went through and past the break, but then I knew I was the only one on the water and put the kite up to 12:00 and sank back into the water before starting to the left and the shore. A couple more starts before back onto the beach for the walk of shame. What is this walk of shame? Well, all kite surfers start by kiting down wind which means landing up a long way from where you start. Then the walk up wind which can be hard work depending on wind strength and the condition of the beach; firm or soft sand, rocks and seaweed. I'm currently trying to master up-wind kiting, along with practicing staying on the board.

I could see the instructors at the school packing up their gear and didn't want to be left with nobody to land my kite, so I reluctantly came off the water and someone landed my kite. Was this a good session? it's a confidence thing. The launch and landing were both good. The water starting and my first ride was good and with nobody else on the water my decision to come off was well timed.

Chatting to Diogo, one of the instructors, he said to go upwind I need to put my head back lean into the harness and look over my shoulder. Nobody had suggested putting my head back before and I can see the sense of this. I have found it difficult to engage the harness without hitting the water because I tend to squat. I'm going to try this and booked a lesson. Sadly the good wind over the weekend was due to disappear and Friday was the next opportunity, that's another four days hanging around, we agreed on Thursday, subject to the wind.

I spent the night in the car park listening to the thump thump of the base from the beach party shack. In the morning the car park was a constant parade of coaches bringing kids to the beach, the school hols have started in Portugal. The drivers left their diesel engines running for the cooling and my bus was inundated with fumes. I decided this was not for me and reverted to plan B, travel while there is no wind. I cancelled the lesson with Diogo, hitched the trailer, checked the lights and set off for next stop given to me by Boris, Lagoa de Albufeira.