"Lisa's life" (Part 1): Sandy Canary Islands summer in a VW bus, between World Cup trophies, chaos and silence

January 2025: We talk to Lisa and her friend Elena at boot Düsseldorf about their life as freestyle ladies "on the road". Lisa is in the middle of her Master's degree in Sustainability and dreams of finding more sponsors and cracking the podium in the World Cup. Six months later, we receive pictures with a new sponsor logo on the top of her board and a large World Cup trophy in her hands. Well done! In the following blog "Lisa's life", the 25-year-old vagabond reports on her adventures and sporting successes in the Canary Islands this summer in part one. "You can't do more than give it your all anyway," writes the bon vivant, whose life can get pretty chaotic from time to time. She never loses sight of her dreams and goals, always with the top priority of doing what she loves every day.

Text: Lisa Kloster

This summer was a mixture of training, master's thesis, competitions, work, T4 adventures and a lot of crazy moments for me. And all of that in the beautiful, but also windy and rough Canary Islands. I was travelling for the Freestyle and Wave Windsurf World Cup, lived in my VW van most of the time, commuted between Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria and learned not only how to land Culos, but also how to reattach the gear shift rod with a wire or how to almost accidentally load a hedgehog into the van.

Arrival and the first weeks on Fuerte

I spent the last winter semester studying in Cádiz and that's where the 29-hour ferry to Fuerteventura departs from. Tip 1 at this point: I registered for free in the Navieras Armas "seaclub" and received a code for a 15% discount there. This meant I only paid 275 euros for my T4 and myself. If you look at the flight prices in summer (especially with the windsurfing board bags) then a ferry like this can be really worthwhile if you have the time. So after just over a day, I arrived relaxed on the sandy, rocky moonscape of Fuerteventura.

The big question was of course: is it windy enough on Fuerteventura at the beginning of May? Unfortunately, the first week was less windy and there was even a day with a southerly wind, which is quite unusual in summer. I briefly tried 4.8, but then realised that it was a bit low. Which works mega well with a light southerly wind and some NW swell: Surfing in La Pared! I had probably the best wave-riding session of my life in the crystal-clear, turquoise water. After an incredibly perfect wave in which I could see the sun's rays through the clear water, I just thought: "Wow! This wave alone was worth coming to the Canary Islands so early in May!". So the first few days were more about surfing, until on day 5 my board broke in the middle in waves over two metres high. Fortunately, that was exactly the day when the typical summer NW wind started. And it didn't stop from that day onwards.

The daily programme for the next few weeks was: university/work, windsurfing, eating, working, windsurfing and eating. And if you're wondering what you can actually do from the van: At the moment, I've found something in the field of digital marketing, and I'm also studying software engineering. This will hopefully allow me to work from anywhere in the future. During my studies ("Sustainability" with a focus on coastal engineering and environmental modelling), it was relatively easy to stay flexible anyway to enable me to travel to competitions.

I lived alone in the van on Fuerte, often spending the evenings in complete silence, interrupted only by the rustling of small visitors: hedgehogs running across the sandy car park at night. One of these encounters almost became an involuntary flatmate moment: one night I woke up, got out of the van half asleep and saw something dark lying in the sand. In my sleepy logic, I thought it was my little hand brush. I bent down, grabbed it and pulled my hand back at the last moment because it felt prickly. Turns out: not a hand brush, but a hedgehog, which I almost put in the van. Apart from the nightly hedgehog scares, the time on Fuerte in May and June was mainly training time. My biggest success during this phase: I finally landed my first 'culo' - a trick that I've tried again and again since 2019. For years, this trick made me despair. And then, on a completely unspectacular day, it just clicked. I could hardly believe it, and I still can't really believe it to this day. The shallow water and the strong wind were a game changer. Speaking of strong winds: when you're standing at the Risco del Paso car park, the sand blows into every crack of your van. I can therefore recommend stretching an old fitted sheet over the bonnet and windscreen on the strong days. It may not be pretty, but it is effective in protecting the engine and paintwork from flying sand.

I bent down, grabbed it and pulled my hand back at the last moment because it felt prickly. Turns out: not a hand brush, but a hedgehog that I almost put in the van.

Off to Gran Canaria, my first Pozo World Cup

In mid-June, I travelled on to Gran Canaria, to Pozo Izquierdo. This spot is known in the windsurfing scene for probably the strongest wind that blows through the entire summer months. Anyone going on the water here for the first time will immediately realise that this is a completely different league. On the live streams, it never looks as windy as it really is! The plan was to take part in the Wave World Cup in Pozo for the first time with my best friend. But during the first 3 days on the water, I just thought: "Help, how am I supposed to land my tricks here when it's already difficult to go straight ahead?" Because on those days there were even some men on 3.0, while I was struggling with my 3.3. It felt like training in an oversized wind tunnel. And the slippery stones also made getting on and off the bike another challenge. A few days later, I picked up my best friend Elena from the airport. We've known each other for over ten years now and it was through windsurfing that we got to know each other in the first place. She now lives in Kiel, which is not exactly around the corner, which is why I'm always so happy when she visits me in Tarifa in winter or when we meet up at PWA or FPT tour stops, which she has been taking part in regularly recently. Two people, a T4, a huge amount of windsurfing equipment: chaos was inevitable. We spent the first few days living between sails, neos, technical stuff and clothes flying around before Elena moved into an Airbnb and I was able to live in the van again in a more organised way. For the first time in weeks, I was able to shower in a real bathroom instead of just using the bottle-over-the-head technique. I'm really happy that we managed to work together in the van and didn't get on each other's nerves despite the cramped conditions.

Help! How am I supposed to land my tricks here when it's already difficult to ride straight ahead? It felt like I was training in an oversized wind tunnel in Pozo.

The World Cup in Pozo then started at the beginning of July. I had planned to start without any great pressure: just have fun with the sole aim of not injuring myself. That helped enormously to stay relaxed. And that's how I got through my first heat together with my best friend. And as if I wasn't already happy enough, I beat Justyna Sniady in the single elimination and made it through to the semi-finals. I could hardly believe it. It probably helped me to ride goofy in freestyle for the first time, because I was able to fire off shove-its aka backside airs on the right front, which gave me a lot of points. A top 10 result in my first Pozo wave event with little experience in waves?! I'm more than satisfied.

Back to the lunar landscape

After the event, we returned to Fuerteventura in mid-July. Once there, we first had to get rid of the cockroaches that had crawled into the three or four sails we had stored in a garage in Pozo. The preparation time was tight, as there was less than a week and a half between the two events. The days were full of training on the difficult World Cup spot, filming, giving each other tips. It was a completely different vibe than in May: less loneliness, more community, more laughter. I had been looking forward to finally spending time with my Freestlye girls again. Unfortunately, I only see good friends like Maaike Huvermann at the competitions. I got free accommodation at the Meliã Hotel for the Fuerte World Cup. For the first time in months, I didn't sleep in the van this week. The contrast couldn't be greater from the dusty car park to the luxury hotel.

From the dusty car park straight to the luxury hotel...

We did it! Finally on the freestyle podium

The Fuerte competition was a special moment for me. The conditions were tough, but not easy. I was nervous, but at the same time I kept telling myself to calm down: "You can't do more than give it your all anyway!". The atmosphere among the girls was great as always. We cheered each other on and checked the scores in the live scoring. It was also super cool to see some new faces. We're always very happy about that! And then came the double elimination and I knew that if I won this heat against Živa Batis, I would be sure of third place. Right at the start of the heat, the wind suddenly dropped and I thought about changing my sail. But there was almost no wind, especially in front near the beach, and I didn't want to lose any valuable time bobbing to the beach. So I decided to stay far out in the last corner of the heat area. With a strong gust I was able to land a 5.6 point Kono. But apart from that, I pumped my heart out to collect enough points with my tricks in the short 8 minutes. The time was up so quickly and when I got back to the beach, my heart was racing. I was trying to see any signs because I didn't know how well my competitor had done. I didn't see anyone cheering, and the direction of the cameras didn't tell me anything either. Until I heard the announcement: "Lisa Kloster advances". And that made it clear to me that I had achieved my first World Cup podium! After years of hard work, countless hours of training, ups and downs, I was able to hold my first PWA trophy in my hand. Pride, relief and joy combined to create a feeling that is hard to describe. That evening we went to "la Carpa" (World Cup party) to celebrate.

I knew that if I won this heat against Živa Batis, I would be sure of a podium finish.

When is the best time to visit the Canary Islands?

For all those who want to go windsurfing on the Canary Islands: The best time on Fuerteventura is from June to the middle/end of July. This is when the wind is most reliable. And you can sail from 3.6 to 4.4 every day. There are really cool spots, from pure flat water and flat water with kickers in the south, to side-offshore wave conditions further north (e.g. Puerto Lajas). From August onwards, the wind can take a break for a few days before blowing again.

It is even windier on Gran Canaria, especially in July. Here it is worth bringing small sails such as 3.3 or even 3.0. However, during the World Cup and during the passing season, it can get really crowded in the small bay of Pozo. Then it's also worth checking out the other spots in the neighbourhood, such as Vargas or Ojos.

Next Stop: Greece

After the competition on Fuerte, I went straight on a long road trip to Greece, to Paros and Naxos to be precise. Because the next competition will take place on Naxos in October. The plan: ferry from Fuerte to Cádiz (38 hours), from there by car to Barcelona, then onto the ferry to Civitavecchia (22 hours), by car to Bari, onto the ferry to Patras (18 hours), from there by car to Rafina and onto the last ferry there. The day the journey started, I thought to myself: "Oh Lisa, what have you planned here again?". Travelling non-stop for a week, doing my part-time job at the same time and not a single night of normal sleep. It was really exhausting. And very hot. But I managed it.

My first tip for anyone planning a similar tour: Take a hammock with you! Cabins on ferries are often extremely expensive, and even a Pullman seat can become uncomfortable on long crossings. With a hammock, you can sleep very comfortably on deck or in a quiet corner, save money and arrive reasonably rested.

Now I've just arrived on Paros and the next chapter is waiting for me: new territory, new conditions, new opportunities. But no matter how it goes, this summer has shown me that it's not just about placings or perfect conditions. It's about the mixture of training, friendships, small successes, chaotic moments, a lot of organisational work and, above all, the feeling of doing what you love every day.