Home Sweet Home

Brazil holds a special place in my heart, no doubt about it. From time to time, I visit my hometown in southern Brazil to reconnect with family and friends, but the northeast state of Ceará has become my main base when I’m in Brazil, especially for kiteboarding. It’s like my second home and the perfect conditions there call to me; it’s always awesome to meet up with the talented Andre for a photoshoot, as I did in November last year, just after the Freestyle World Cup in Cauipe Lagoon.

It was a dream come true to win that event there last year and subsequently the world title. Winning that was a profound experience, not just because of the victory itself, but what it represented and the connection to the true essence of my riding. It was about overcoming obstacles and understanding the value of being surrounded by people and brands that align with my values. By achieving this milestone, I hope to open people’s minds to the endless possibilities that come from dedication, resilience, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. It’s about inspiring others to believe in their potential and to pursue their passions with determination. I might be the most senior woman on tour, but rather than seeing age as a limitation, I see it as an asset. Honestly, I feel healthier and stronger now than when I was 20. The years of experience have taught me so much; I now understand what I do and why I do it, and also how to look after my body and mind. I’ve honed my skills, built up my resilience, and learned to tune into what my body needs to perform at its best.

I now have to wait until August for the first event of this year’s Freestyle World Cup. But competing this year is just one part of many within kiteboarding. For me, it’s not just about the tour; I love the process of figuring out new tricks, the puzzle of it all, and the satisfaction of mastering something new. Lately, I’ve been diving deep into wave riding and it’s been a blast, as I’ve always been a surfer by nature. It has taken up a large portion of my time in the water, it just feels right, and I get into flow a lot easier doing it. Chasing waves is my playtime in the water, and while the freestyle competitions are on hold and I have more time on my hands, I’m making the most of it by fine-tuning my skills and pushing my limits in a whole new way. For instance, I got to surf famous Nazaré for the first time during this off-season, which has been a huge personal achievement for me.

I’ve been using some new Airush wave riding boards designed by Clinton Filen. They are rockets and feel amazing. This aspect of surfing and testing different gear spikes my creativity. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the Session kite. I love how I can depower the kite, allowing me to do a real surf bottom turn. Being a surfer before I was a kiter, it always bothered me that the kite often felt “in the way” of the surfing. I want to move like I am surfing, but I always felt restricted by the kite. However, with the Session, I feel free to move as I want to on the wave. 

At the moment, I’m based in Portugal, and I love it. It hasn’t been very windy often, but it’s a good balance here between surfing, wave riding, and freestyling. Being here allows me to be close to the waves, and then there is a lagoon nearby for freestyle training, Óbidos Lagoon. It’s my favorite freestyle spot since it’s close to home and often delivers perfect flat-water conditions. I did a photoshoot there with Aron a few weeks ago. We had to wait a while for the right winds to blow around the area, as the conditions were wrong for the spot the previous two weeks, and still not as prime as forecasted this day. Anyway I started on an 8m Razor. I have always loved the Razor for freestyle, it’s been my kite for the majority of my kiteboarding career. The Razor and I clicked from the start, and it’s been a love story ever since. We shot most of the tricks on it, but the grabs were a little tricky since the 8m is such a fast-moving size. Luckily, the wind dropped slightly at sunset, so I changed over to my 11m and we got a few grab shots straight away, just before the wind totally disappeared. The sunset was insane, so we stayed out shooting lifestyle until dark.

So, Portugal is home for now. What I cherish about this place is its quietness and chilled atmosphere. It’s the perfect balance to my otherwise very active life of traveling and competing. Having this relaxed environment to recharge is essential for me, whilst I wait for the Freestyle World Tour to kick back in.