Wilfried Christl has been drawn to the Cape of Good Hope. The Austrian first came here as a windsurfer and later switched to kitesurfing. Wilfried, now retired, had prepared himself for the fact that he would never learn a new board sport in his life - until he saw such strange butterflies on the water after a downwinder with his directional on the Rietvlei in August 2019. Africa's first wingfoilers: Ivan van Vuuren and his son Nathan, both absolute watermen. Wilfried was fascinated by these wings and foils, and he knew: this is it.
From the idea to the first Wingfoil student in four months
Wilfried travelled to Austria, stocked up on equipment and came back to South Africa with Duotone wings and Moses foils. Before he celebrated Christmas 2019, he opened his "Flamingo Wingfoil Centre" at the Milnerton Acquatic Club on Lake Rietvlei in Cape Town. He was able to store his equipment there and use the infrastructure and the club boat. No sooner had the logo been created and the flyers distributed than he welcomed his first wingfoil student.
Wilfried had devised a special technique for the training. His plan was to teach the skills on the board in isolation using motorboat training. For newcomers, the first step of starting out on a board with a foil is challenging enough, he reasoned. Behind the boat, they can then develop a feel for the foil.
Wilfried then teaches the handling of the wing, also in isolation, on a windsurfing board simulator. Only then is the step taken to get on the foil board with the wing. Instructor and student are always connected via helmet radio.
The result so far: over 300 pupils. Not a single accident. Many boys. Many women. Lots of fun. Lots of celebrities, including Aaron Hadlow and Nik Jacobsen.
New material from a single source
"I'm actually already retired. I do the wingfoil school for fun," says Wilfried. "Safety is all the more important to me, and that you can rely 100% on the equipment." His centre is now fully equipped with Ensis - the same equipment that Balz Müller uses. Wilfried initially bought a few wings in different sizes, but now boards and foils from the Swiss brand are also available at the centre. He focussed on the Ensis Twist, which is available in the sizes 95l, 125l and 145l and is perfect for beginners. Matching Ensis Pacer Foil Sets are also available.
- Further information at flamingowingfoilcenter.com
