Pippa van Iersel heads off to the Caribbean with some of the best female shredders from the Duotone crew. Find out how it panned out right here!

After the success of the Sum Of Five trip last year, Colleen Carroll decided to gather the best female riders on the Duotone Team for a once in a lifetime trip to the Caribbean. To the untrained eye it might look like a holiday, sound like a holiday and probably is a bit of a holiday, we were assured it was anything but. Pippa van Iersel was tasked with diarising the trip and if you want to find out what happens when you put 5 of the best kiteboarders on the planet on a boat read on…

One evening, as I was working at my parent's restaurant, I got a message from Colleen Carroll saying, "Hi Pippa, do you have a minute?". As I was at work, I had to wait, patiently, for three hours until I could return the call. So many thoughts were rushing through my mind; was I not posting enough or was this for an interview? I had no idea what the call what about. When I finally got Colleen on the phone, she asked if I would be interested in going on a 12-day liveaboard around the Caribbean's for a photo shoot. I literally thought to myself "Are you freaking kidding me?" but I nonchalantly replied with "I would love to join!" She talked me through the plan, and when we hung up, I was smiling ear to ear!

2 Days Before Leaving

I got off the plane from Sri Lanka; where I encountered a series of unfortunate events; including getting bitten by a stray dog and breaking my knuckle while doing a handle pass. When I got home, I went to the hospital to get it checked out. I explained how I broke it, and I begged for any option where I could still have the ability to kite (without too much pain). I knew some of the doctors already from previous accidents, and they were all super helpful, they shaped an excellent waterproof cast for me, and I was good to go. I packed my bags with three kites, one bar, one board, boots and some chocolate bars. As we were going on the boat, space was limited, and we decided to share equipment. 

After an Eighteen-Hour Trip

I arrived in Martinique, and within minutes, I was picked up but a tiny dinghy that dropped me off to a jaw-dropping catamaran floating in the evening lights. When I arrived, the crew welcomed me on board, and the girls were all there.

The following morning, I opened my eyes, and it took me a second to register that I was on a boat in the Caribbean; waking up at 6:00 AM never felt so good. From my tiny cabin, I could see the pink-orange sky and the beautiful sunrise; what a start to the day. 

After a fresh morning dip in the crystal-clear water, we all sat around the breakfast table; catching up on all the untold stories on what everyone's been up all winter. I met Vincent Bergeron "Vinny" for the first time. Vinny was the videographer of the "Sum of 5", so everybody already knew him from last year. This was the first team shoot I'd ever been on, so I was all ears when it came to listening to stories of the past and the plans for this trip. 

This was also the first time I properly got to know Colleen Carroll. Colleen is the leader of the group, and she always seems to make everyone comfortable and lead us in the right direction. 

During the first week, we just about had enough wind to foil, making the most out of every single gust. Needless to say, this is not what we were solely there for! There were moments where we were so fed up of waiting, and just wanted to have a proper session. In times like that, you have to go with the flow and see where the wind takes you, quite literally in this particular situation. Staying in Martinique wasn't an option anymore, and Union Island's was forecasted to blow 3-5 knots more, so off we went for an 18-hour sail towards Union Island.

Everything Happens for A Reason

A sentence I strongly believe in. The sailing trip to Union Island was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. During our voyage, we stopped in Buccamemt to watch the sunset. Hannah, Colleen and I spotted a beautiful island not far from the boat, and it looked like there was a hidden cave. We instantly jumped off the boat and swam towards the island. As we approached the cave, I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins; I was ready to explore! I decided to jump in first to check if there was a reef, we needed to keep an eye out for. We swam about 15m through the narrow cave until we reached a dark hole. We couldn't see the exit, and the current was extremely powerful. Colleen intervened by recommending we swim around the outside first to double-check that there was an exit, and so we listened and turned back. When we swam around the outside, we spotted a mind-blowing exit; the rocks were massive and different colours and shapes. Again, I had to convince the girls to join me, as I knew it would be something we'd regret if we didn't check out the full cave. After a bit of persuasion, they finally agreed. I could see it in Colleen and Hannah's eyes, there was a mixture of fear and excitement! 

I went first, then Colleen and Hannah followed. As we entered the cave, we could hear bats, which scared me a little, but I was still smiling! The cave was so narrow that Colleen had to literally push me through parts of it as the current was against me. Hannah got herself through by using the walls of the cave to hold on to when the current would push her backwards. When we passed the narrow part, we swam around the corner and saw the light! The last 20m were covered with massive beautiful rocks; it was unbelievable and an experience I will always remember. 

Once we were back on board, we had to continue our journey to Union Island. We got little sleep that night and woke up early to set sail sail. 14 hours later, we arrived at a beautiful island wedged between two mountains. The water was turquoise, shallow and warm - ideal for the cover shot of the video! We were all super stoked and decided to pop a bottle of champagne - a toast to a successful day! Late that evening, we finally made it to Union Island, and we couldn't wait for the following morning.

Sunrise Session

5:00 AM in the morning, I could hear a guitar playing, not knowing if I was still dreaming or not, I opened my eyes and saw Vinny smiling from the window saying, "Good morning!". I crawled out of bed and got a strong coffee. The spot we were at looked incredible and the wind was getting stronger. Everyone was tired, but we'd been waiting for this moment since we arrived, it was go-time! We packed the dinghy, had some breakfast, put sunscreen on, and we were ready to go; except for Hannah, who always needs a little extra time applying her sunscreen!

Once we got to the spot, we started setting up. Francesca was singing while pumping her kite, Paula was warming up, Hannah was dancing around to Francesca's tunes, Colleen and Vinny searched for the best camera angles, and just hung out with everyone. 

By the time we were all ready, the wind was still marginal, we could barely ride, and then we finally felt it pick up, and we started landing tricks back to back - jokes! Still craving some gusts to get upwind and popping small blinds and wrapped tricks to make it a little more fun. After some frustrating tacks, we decided to take a break and wait until the wind got better. 

Any kiteboarder will know that the vibe will shift according to the wind conditions. There is nothing worse than being hyped for a session, and the wind has other plans! From the outside, we might look like 5 always stoked shredders, but that was far from the truth! Waiting for the wind or being injured is the most frustrating part of our sport. During the trip, three of us were injured; Hannah banged her head on the first day against a screw and couldn't get her head wet for 5 days. Francesca had a stiff neck by landing badly during her first session, which made her upset that she wouldn't be able to kite properly during the trip, and I annoyingly still had that cast! 

2 days to go before we need to set off on our 20-hour journey back to Martinique, will the wind deliver? To get every shot we want, we need to have an exceptionally tight schedule. We had counted on the morning sessions, but the wind never came through. Colleen had a plan! Vinny would follow us in the dinghy during our tack, one after the other. It would be crucial to follow the circle system and to not pass in front of the camera after you've done your trick. Simultaneously during this briefing, the wind kicked in; white caps and fluttering hair! Somehow, mother nature answered our prayers!

With the latest instructions fresh in our brains, we entered the water with our 11m and 12m kites, fully powered! Paula and Francesca were on fire, smashing trick after trick but Hannah and Colleen hadn't been kiting for a while, so they had to get used to freestyle again! I had to ride pretty gently; I didn't want to risk not being able to kite the following day when the wind was more reliable as well as stronger. We had an epic day, but dinner was the cherry on top; fresh sashimi with a salad followed by chocolate for dessert. 

The following day started with a Bang! That's literally what Vinny shouted when I landed a sick hinter mobe with a grab! This was our last possible session, so I gave it my all. When you see other riders, smashing trick after trick, it makes you go bigger, every time and that's what I love about kiteboarding! It's an individual sport, but you share the stoke with the people on the water. It's not just having a fun session on my own, where I had to push myself to go bigger. Every one of us is ambitious and eager to ride or film the very best they can possibly do. You feel this energy and take it into your tricks. This session left a grin on my face for the rest of the day! 

Packing Time

We had a favourable sailing course on our way back, which meant that the wind took us faster than we expected back to Martinique. Within 14 hours, we had arrived. Since we were a lot faster, we had one more unexpected session before flying out. We kited until the wind dropped and then finally started packing our bags. Satisfied with the unplanned session on Martinique (that's where we thought we would be the whole trip!)

Grateful

I'm fortunate with the love and support I receive from the Duotone team. Not only for supporting on the World Tour but they took me to places I would have never dreamed of; everything was new for me! The girls really took me under their wings and made me feel completely at home. All I have to say is that this was not a holiday and it's our job, but it's the greatest job on earth! 

By Pippa van Iersel

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