There’s no avoiding it: Kitesurfing is an intimidating sport for beginners. Don’t be fooled by its name; It’s not like flying a kite in the park. On the first day of a week-long kitesurfing course in Sicily, I found myself at sea, attached to a massive polyester wing that was strong enough to lift me out of the water and launch me into the air.
Despite my nerves, I could see that the Stagnone Lagoon near Marsala in Western Sicily was a great place to learn. The lagoon is shallow enough to stand, wave-free, and protected by four islands (Isola Grande, San Pantaleo, Santa Maria, and La Schola) that form a natural wind tunnel; There is a constant breeze from spring until the end of October. The area is popular for kitesurfing schools, including mine, UCPA Planète, but it doesn’t feel overcrowded.
Stagnone Lagoon is a great place to learn; It is shallow enough to stand, wave-free and protected by four islands.
There were 12 of us on the trip in September: six men and six women, ranging from mid-20s to mid-50s; five of them were beginners. That first morning, we beginners learned the basics on land: how to tell the direction of the wind; how to identify hazards; how to inflate the kite, how to attach the strings, how to stop it flying, and how to carry it safely to the water.
Then, we dived directly into the sea to launch the 8 square meter kite and control it by grasping the bar with both hands. Our instructor, JB, has a tight grip on our harness: until you learn to hold the kite directly above your head, it can suck you into a half-hearted, lumbering wobble in the water.
Once we had grasped the kite, it was time to lower ourselves into the water and attempt to “drag the body,” meaning letting the kite consciously push us forward. Even though his face was full of seawater, it was a momentary adrenaline rush. I partnered with Johanna, a Swedish doctor, to practice. Our progress was rapid, so we thought we would start kitesurfing soon.
The second day brought us all down. The wind was very light and we realized how much heavy lifting it had done the day before. You need to be much more skillful in light wind; Even though we upgraded to a larger, more powerful model, most of us can barely launch a kite into the air. Fortunately, the wind rose in the afternoon and we tried to control the kite with one hand. This left the other free to perfect the “Superman” position: dragging the body through the water with one arm extended.
On the third day, we continued our superhero impressions while hugging our kitesurf boards. These aren’t like big windsurfing boards; more like water skiing or snowboarding. Every time I dropped the kite, I would accidentally let go of the board and then have to throw it again and drag my body towards it. It was very tiring.
The penultimate day’s challenge was to get my feet into the board’s foot straps, a tricky juggling act that involved holding the kite at 12 o’clock (right above my head) with one hand while floating on my back like an insect, legs bent, groping. My feet. Once my feet were in the water but my body was still underwater, I practiced turning left and right, then generated some power to get a feel for what it would be like to stand up.
For the novice kitesurfers, it was all gearing up for the climax: the start in the water. And there was only one day left to achieve this. There are a few main methods, but basically you move the kite slowly in one direction, then quickly in the other direction, and pull the stick a little to give you a boost. If this sounds simple – it is not. I’ve had a lot of false starts. I was eventually able to stand up, but immediately fell to the ground or was sucked into the air and began to belly-flop painfully.
The afternoon wore on and the lagoon began to empty. I managed to do a few very short runs, but they didn’t really feel like surfing. Finally, I succeeded in one (lucky?) try: I was on my feet, controlling the kite, and flying over the lagoon. It must have lasted a few seconds but it felt like an eternity. The incredible feeling of freedom removes all the facial sunkenness, bruises, aching muscles and stiff neck from looking up. that damn kite valuable. Then obviously I deleted it.
UCPA Planète runs courses for all levels, from beginners like me (full disclaimer: I technically tried it ten years ago) to advanced kitesurfers looking to perfect their jumps and tricks. Planète is the worldwide arm of UCPA, a non-profit organization founded by the French government 60 years ago to provide low-cost sports opportunities. Other destinations include Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Portugal, Greece, Morocco and Egypt, and UCPA partners with local sports schools and hotels.
I was on my feet, controlling the kite, flying across the lagoon. It must have been seconds but it felt like an eternity
We stayed at Torre Lupa, an apartment complex with a pool in San Leonardo, six miles (10 km) north of Marsala. I had my own room, but I was sharing the flat with two other people. We had a buffet breakfast by the pool every morning and a picnic lunch in the lagoon. I was expecting a panini, but this was an impressive dish prepared by a local cafe: arancini, pasta with pesto alla Trapanesi, potato salad with Pantelleria capers. In the evenings we ate at different trattorias and sampled more Sicilian specialties such as panelle (chickpea pastry), caponata, pasta alla norma and cassatelle (sweet ricotta-filled pastries). We had a pizza party around the pool on Saturday night, and more than one evening ended at Peola, a wine bar in a charming vineyard setting with views of the lagoon.
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There was also time for some exploring. The first day I arrived early and walked across the salt flats to catch a boat to Mozia. This ancient island city in Little San Pantaleo dates back to B.C. It was founded in the eighth century and is the best-preserved Phoenician site in the world. I walked around the whole island and examined the ruins, then went to the museum and visited B.C. I stared at the muscular Young Man of Mozia, a 5th-century marble statue.
We had a completely free day. The French contingent hiked to the Zingaro nature reserve and the hill town of Erice. Johanna, her boyfriend Nils and I took the ferry from Marsala to Favignana, one of the Egadi islands. We hired bikes and hopped on the beach, having an enjoyable and relaxing day, marred only by a jellyfish sting (thankfully Dr Johanna knew what to do: remove the spines with the edge of a bank card and wash my arm with seawater).
By the end of the week, kitesurfing didn’t seem so scary anymore, but it hadn’t been easy and I had the bruises to prove it. Wingfoiling is “much easier to learn and less physically demanding,” according to the UCPA. I know what to do this summer…
The trip was provided by UCPA’s UK partner, Action Outdoors. Seven nights of kitesurfing from £750 including full board accommodation and equipment or £959 including instruction until 23 October