CAPE FEAR! EPIC CAPE VERDE MISSION FROM 2006!CAPE FEAR! EPIC CAPE VERDE MISSION FROM 2006!Weve dug this gem out of the archives from more than 20 years ago, when Josh Angulo, Kai Katchadourian and John Carter headed to Cape Verde to document a historic swell that slammed into the islands in January 2006. Big waves, wild conditions and plenty of classic Cape Verde dramaa proper trip back in time!Words and photos: John CarterBack in the late 90s big wave windsurfing was all the rage at Mauis infamous Jaws and amongst those leading the charge were Josh Angulo and Kai Katchadourian. Since then their passion for huge waves hasnt changed but ever keen to push the envelope beyond their native shores of Maui the two friends have been planning a winter assault on Joshs adopted island home of Sal, Cape Verde. Sitting in the middle of the Atlantic its remote and rugged North shore is the only intercept to angry mid ocean storms, the perfect location for their big wave charge. Perfect that is except for the jagged lava reefs and perilously shallow ledges! John Carter flew down to witness Josh and Kais epic big wave adventure as they pushed their limits and beyond in double mast high waves and wipeouts that even left JC tremblingE-Mail from Josh Angulo TUE 23RD JAN: Hi JCLots of swells lining up. Kais flying down next week. Looks like we could get a big one, might be the time to shoot that big wave spot. Maybe you could just fly down for a couple days?Aloha JoshIts pretty rare Josh and Kai miss a trick when a massive swell is forecast for Cape Verde so intrigued, I fired up my computer to check out his claim. Looks like they were on it. A deep low centred up near Greenland was coiling up in a huge red boil on the WAM swell charts. Rather than run their usual course and trek up over the UK, the main pulses of swell from this huge storm were forecast to march south unhindered towards the Canary Islands, Africa and Cape Verde. Wind Guru was also calling a 3.9m swell at 16 seconds and twenty knot north easterlies for Thursday and Friday and although I am often sceptical about their forecasts, you would at least hope they were on to something. Armed with all this info, I decided to give Josh a callCarter, it is all lining upthere is a gnarly wave I want to shoot. Its a machine! Heavy, perfect and beautifulthe place will blow your mind. Its a super intimidating spot, so menacing I am scared even thinking about it. I know its a big call and understand if you cant make itbut if you are up for it, you have to leave by tomorrow at the latest to be ready for the swell which should hit midday Thursdaylet me know braaah!Decision timeAn hour later I have a reservation to Sal via Lisbon with Air Portugal and now all I have to do is break the news to the wife that I am off to the Cape Verde Islands for the next three days! Fingers crossed! THURSDAYIts 8ammy usual view of my frosty garden back at home has been replaced by beaming sunshine and the azure waters of Santa Maria on the Island of Sal, Cape Verde. By chance I was on the same flight from Lisbon as Kai, who had flown in from his girlfriends place in Finland.CURRAL JOULFor the duration of the flight we discussed Curral Joulthe fabled monster wave spot on the north of the island. By the time Kai had finished describing the place I was already petrified at the thought of even getting out amongst it on a Jet Ski! From all accounts the swells hit a huge half moon shaped point and reel along the coastthe peak can shift considerably and rogue wide sets can clean you up if you get stuck on the inside at the wrong moment. The final catch is that the coast line is stricken with rig eating jagged lava and there is no safe place to get back into the beach up or down the coast. Kai had been busy checking the progress of our swell and was calling for anything from mast and a quarter to double mast if it hit from the North as predicted. PREPARATIONSWe meet at Joshs centre at 9am where the level of activity is franticthe Jet Ski is being set up to make sure nothing will fall off in the worst case scenario and Josh is checking each piece of his windsurfing equipment with meticulous precision. I was staring to get a bit shifty This was looking like serious business! Josh had already come up with a game plan for the next three days and it looked like the schedule he had arranged was not negotiable! With the swell due to hit late morning and build overnight, before peaking tomorrow morning we were heading up the coast to shoot a wave so gnarly, the thought of riding it was keeping Josh awake at night!THE PLANToday Josh and Kai were going to venture out at a heavy point break called Fontana before sailing down the coast to Curral Joul. Meanwhile I would be driving Joshs four wheel drive, following them down the coast and shooting from the landfine by me! Tomorrows arrangements were the more daunting! With the swell at its pinnacle in the morning; one crew would be driving the Ski and a support zodiac up the coast while the crew would take support vehicles on the land up to the spots. My role was to board the Jet Ski at Fontana while Josh and Kai would take turns driving so I could shoot each rider catching waves at Curral Joul. Finally, if we were all still in one piece on Saturday when the swell was predicted to start dropping we would shoot Ponte Preta by land and Jet Ski. With my flight home already booked for Saturday nightthis was lining up to be an unforgettable three days!FONTANAWe spent the morning making final preparations for tomorrows water mission. With the Jet ski oiled checked and fuelled, crew for the back up zodiac briefed and emergency procedures in place, we were just about all setObviously the only thing we were not in control of were the wind and waves hopefully mother nature was going to take care of that! By mid afternoon Josh and Kai were nervously rigging up at Fontana. We had already had a quick preview of Curral Joul just down the coast and I could tell their nerves were starting to rattle. Fontana, a ledging right hander, was looking pretty insane but nothing compared to the next stop, half mile or so down the coast. With The swell, thick, powerful and well over mast high, any mistake at Curral Joul, looked certain to result in serious repercussions.The only possible escape route was the next bay down the coast, home to the fabled right point break Ali Baba! Right before Josh hit the water he handed me his mobile phone with orders to press the last dialled number in case of dire emergencyIt was for the Sal coast guard! Rather them than me!The first session kicked off at Fontana with Kai hooking straight into a mast high plus set, with the wave behind him sucking dry a folding onto the reef ledge. The set up is a barrelling point break that just sucks hollow as it hits a shelf of slab on a rocky headland just in front of the port of Fontana. From the safety of my perspective at the far side of the bay it looked insane, although one mistake too deep inside the pit and either sailor was toast on the rocks!After four or five solid waves each both sailors headed out of the bay and started sailing down the coastOnce they were out the bay and headed towards Curral Joul, they were passing the point of no return!Up at Fontana, it had been heavy but at least there was the relative safety of the channel, now they were out of the bay, Josh and Kai were exposing themselves to the mercy of towering swells, a far more intimidating break and an unforgiving coastline that given half the chance would tear them to shreds and destroy their equipment beyond salvage. No bones about itthey were just about to risk their lives to sail this wave!Kai KatchadourianDont look behind you though because Fontana is a ledge thats breaking right on the reef. I got weak in the knees the second I looked back on my first set. It was just grinding right over the reef barrelling super hard. I think as soon as we pulled up to Fontana and saw those first couple of sets, the push was happening. It only got more consistent and there was a massive set about every ten minutes. After we caught about good ones each we decided to bust out and head down to Curral Joul. That is when I really started feeling the butterflies in my stomach!CURRAL JOULBEAUTY AND THE BEAST!Back on land I drove along a track high up on a ridge, that gave me a birds eye view of the coastline and set up below. I stopped the truck about six hundred metres from the main peak at Curral Joul and waited while Josh and Kai hung out the back, locked in a chess like battle as they sized up the line up and plucking up the courage to take their first waves. After sensibly allowing a few massive sets pass through while they weighed up the situation, Josh finally pulled into a swell and started gunning down the face. Until I had actually seen a sail in front of one of these towering swells it had been difficult to ascertain the exact size, power and speed of the waves as they grinded there way along the contours of the jagged coastline. But now with Josh screaming down the milky smooth face of a mast and a half high beast, I could see why the thought of riding this spot was sending shivers down their spines. On one hand, the wave is almost perfectIts fast, its hollow and it just keeps freight training along the coast, building its momentum into seemingly endless heavy sections. On the other side of the coin, the wave is a menacing demon that is unpredictable, overwhelmingly dangerous and to put the icing on the cake breaks onto jagged lava that will almost certainly destroy your gear, shred your skin and snap your bones given half a chance!For the next hour I stood in awe in front of one of the most intense wave sailing sessions I have ever witnessed. Josh pulled into two or three particularly sick waves and despite his self admitted fears he rode Curral Joul like a true big wave waterman. Kai tip toed around for the first few but soon found his courage and also pulled into some insane rides. Both sailors must have been so pumped full of adrenaline after every wavethere was no room for errorOne mistake and I dread to think of the consequences! After five or six waves apiece the guys gave each other the nod to evacuate and gunned off down the coast towards the next bayLittle did they know they were headed towards an unexpected bonus!!!Josh AnguloCurral Joul is a scary spot. You are just riding it. You are not really trying to do anything. Its survival. There is so much speed. There is so much water sucking up the face. You have these big walls in front of you that are basically firing down the whole coast. It is not like a section, it is the whole coast. You have to make sure you get in and get outKai KatchadourianYou have to remember to look behind you and make sure there is not one swinging wide. As soon as I am done riding the wave I am still looking out of the corner of my eye at the horizon to see if there is a bigger one behind it. You have to do this super elongated jibe to get out of the wayJosh AnguloI had a couple, one in particular had four or five big scary long drawn out bottom turn, top turn combos. There were a couple of big and extra heavy waves. I was just out running them and I got a bit close to the lip. I definitely wanted to get away from the section. I remember bottom turning in front of one big one that was just a huge barrelKai KatchadourianIt was a whole new way to bottom turn. You were turning to clear a falling lip! It kind of says a lot about the shape of the wave and how far back you want to take offJosh AnguloIt was like racing down the Saint Marie Canal in France onto a Jaws type wave. There was a lot of water moving out there. To me that is just as scary as sailing Jaws. At Jaws you can straiten out and you have a channel. Here there is no place to go. One mistake and you are dust! You have all this speed on the wave but it is just constantly peeling down the coast right next to the rocks!Kai KatchadourianThe wind was very gusty in there. You could make the ledge and the wind could shift on you and you could almost get back winded. Once you were in you had a lot of apparent wind. You have to pick your moment and choose the spot where you are going to start. It is a mind game. It can bait you to take off deeper than you would want to but suddenly it hits that ledge and you are way further back than you want to beJosh AnguloI am so scared of that wave. For me personally, that is the scariest wave in the world. I have a love hate relationship. I dont hate itmaybe call it a love / fear relationship with that spot. I have been sailing it for eight years. Today and one other day are the two biggest days I have sailed it. I live here in Cape Verde, so it is always in the back of my mind that when the big swells are coming I should go and ride it and yet it is a hell of a lot easier for me just to go to Punta PretaKai KatchadourianMe and Josh were having fun at Fontana. We knew we were up to the task. When we started heading down the coast it was a huge gut check!Josh AnguloAll of a sudden you are in the middle of the open ocean. There are huge Atlantic swell linesthe channel outside Sal is the deepest underwater valley in the whole Cape Verde chain. You basically have the whole Atlantic swell basically coming in and pushing right onto that point. It is just heavy and super gnarly!Kai KatchadourianThe whole fact that it is perfect at the same time throws it into this sort of illusion. You have got know to what you are looking at. A couple of the waves I saw Josh ride, I had a hard time believing what I was seeing. It looked so perfect but at the same time it was just after you!Josh AnguloYou had to be so on it out there. Some of the sections were just lining up down the whole coast and you have to think to yourself I have got to just survive this thing! It has the whole perfect yet dangerous factorALI BABAI found the Josh and Kai on a small beach with their rigs where they had landed through a small keyhole in the reef in the far corner of the next bay. They were both just sitting there, dumbstruck at what they had just done. Whats more, Josh reckoned he had taken a wave all the way from Curral Joul, that had linked through to the surf wave Ali Baba and he had ridden it all the way to where he was sitting. Now we are talking over a mile and a half long ride! Sure enough looking out at the mouth of the Bay, perfect right handers were reeling down the coast in orderly lines. Ali Baba up until now was only known as a perfect surfing waveFor us the Treasure Chest had just swung wide open for the unthinkable!After a half hour rest and a quick snack, Josh and Kai returned out to the point at Ali Baba and started just scoring one after another of the most incredible near half kilometer long rides. Each wave ride was lasting almost a minute from the outside, mast to mast and a half high bombs at the peak, through to the careering racetrack sections right along the jagged point. As with Curral Joul the rides were insane but the penalties were equally daunting.Sure enough the session finally came to a grinding when Kai got caught deep inside as one of the biggest sets of the day closed out across the bay. Josh had just returned to the beach and saw the whole thing and was waving his hands frantically at me to drive round to make sure Kai was ok and help with his rescueKai KatchadourianThat session was both equal parts pleasure and pain. I always knew the consequence of the rewards. On my last wave I took off way too deep and too late. Once I took off on the wave I was way past the point of no return. That was the biggest set of the dayJosh AnguloThat was a trip. It was one of one of the trippiest things I have ever done. Lets put it that way. They were the glassiest most perfect reeling waves. Once you were on them it was just like carving through butter. That was too much fun. I am happy that Kai is OK because when I did not see him for a while I was kind of worried. The whole day was just mind blowing. We have just sailed three of the heaviest waves in the world in one day. It was actually a coast run when you think about it!BIG FRIDAY!Next morning we were all up at the crack of dawn, busy making final checks with the Jet Ski and repairing dings from yesterdays brush with the rocks. For me, the previous day was a relative walk in the park, since I was on the land shooting the action. Today was a different matter, it was my turn to get out there in the thick of it and shoot from the water. With double mast high waves on the cards I was praying that who ever last serviced the Ski, knew his stuff!By mid morning we are out in a very angry ocean working our way up towards Curral Joul whilst watching huge plumes of spray breaking off the backs of the waves as they hit the coast. As the swells passed beneath us, the ski was rising up and down twenty to thirty feet. Moments later you would feel the thud of avalanches of white water exploding as the waves collided the reef. Kai was doing a great job driving but even so my knuckles were white as I hung on for dear life.We played it cool for the first few wavesJosh was dropping deep into the pit and taking the last waves in the set where possible. From our angle the waves are enormous although I am sure from dry land they must have looked absolutely colossal. The swells were at least mast and a half and possibly approaching double mast on the sets. There I was, worried about just sitting on the back of the ski, while Josh was the one who was really facing his fears, putting himself in critical situations whilst at the same time probably scoring some of the biggest adrenaline fixes of his whole life to date. The expression on his face was enough to tell the tale. Each time he kicked out of a wave it looked like he has just seen a ghost! His heart rate must have been on the edge! The ocean was bigger and heavier than yesterday and the consequences even harsher! After surviving four or five waves, Josh voluntarily threw in the towel. I doubt his heart could have withstood the pressure of taking too many more nuggets like thoseHaving survived unscathed his expression showed an enormous look of relief. It is Kais turn now and we all take a breather while he rigs from the zodiac.This time round its Joshs turn to drive the ski and I can immediately tell by the way he is throwing the thing around that we are going to get a lot deeper and closer for the shot. The first wave is fine. Kai swings in deep, lays down a bottom turn in the pit and cranks one off the top right in front of the skiPerfect!The next one is a different story, its not particularly big but its still mean and ugly! Kai drops inrides it through to the inside and all seems fine to me. I can tell Josh is all of a sudden concerned and a split second later I can see why. Out the back a huge set is looming, and Kai is up to his knees with no wind right in the impact zone. The Ski crawls over a passing swell as we look back to see Kai ditching his gear as the waves boils down on top of him.Carter jump!Errr what!Get the off the skiI have got to go and get him!ButJUMP!Suddenly I am swimming in the thick of it at Curral Joul in mast and a half high waves. Josh had dragged me to a point of relative safety and left me to fend for myself while he went back for his pal. Moments later Juan with the zodiac sweeps in and pulls me onboard and we get the hell out of there! Meanwhile Josh and Kai are blasting vertically up the face of a mast and half high wave on the Skithey make it by the skin of their teethIt was heavy stuff but I will say, it was a situation we had rehearsed and without that drill it could have been a very nasty situationespecially for Kai. Josh AnguloIt was just another mind blowing day basically. The whole Curral Joul thing was gnarlier in a sense because it was a bit bigger and not quite as clean. There were some bigger bowls sweeping wide. The wind was a bit more north today so only the end bowl was super clean. It was twelve feet with a few fifteen foot waves booming throughHawaiian style. It was very powerfula question of playing your cards right and knowing that your jet ski guy was there to support you. We went through the fire drill for what would happen if somebody got worked and basically things went as clockwork. You can see how quick the unexpected could happen. In a matter of five seconds Kai was in a bad spotJohn was off the ski getting picked up by the boat and I was in picking up Kai. There was half a second to play with. A half second later Kai would have got the next one on the headand orthe Ski would have been on the rocksKai KatchadourianIt was interesting how we were facing the wave and going straight down the line was not an option. We were so far inside we had to go over it. We had to plough straight through the thing. I took one on the head. The pounding was heavy but the whole mental experience was pretty mind-blowingMORE TREASURE!With the session abruptly over at Curral Joul. We brought the Ski round and landed in the bay at Ali Baba. Back on land our support vehicle had managed to salvage Kais gear off the rocks and somehow his board was still intact, minus a few dings and his sail only down a couple of battens. I was feeling pretty happy to be back on dry land, especially after seeing the view from the beach of the swells crashing all along the coast! The day was far from over!!! After the super intense session up at Curral Joul, Josh and Kai were both hungry to let loose amongst the rich findings at Ali Baba. Today it looked even more perfect than the inaugural session yesterday and it was!! I think Josh was so relieved to have the sailing at Curral Joul over and done with that he really just let loose at Ali Baba and revelled in the treasures on offer! Yesterday, he had been carving his way along the smooth waves from the point all the way through to the insidetoday he was taking the opening section way deeper and throwing huge airs off the opening bowl. Despite his close shave back up the coast, Kai was back out on the water at Ali Baba charging just as hard! Gunning down the line on smooth faces at breathtaking speed, I could just tell from the beach that he was having some mind blowing waves that were going to make him stoked for weeks to come.Josh AnguloDown at Ali Baba, we got some sick ones. The wave was actually a better orientation today. We got to hit the lip a bit more and get a few more aerials. Then it was just a matter of gunning down some of the racetracks on the inside. This was one of the most unbelievable spots I have ever sailed. It was just a mind blower. You could come in from up the top and just fade into these butter bowls. It was insaneKai KatchadourianI am claiming my longest ever rides. I am sold on the Ali Baba thing!SATURDAYPUNTA PRETANo trip to Cape Verde is complete without a session or two at its most famous wave Punta Preta. By all reports the waves had been big over the last two days but also packed with kites and surfers so our sojourn to the north had not only delivered epic waves but the size had also kept the crowds at bay! After the two intense days elsewhere on the island it was a welcome sight to see logo to mast high perfect clean waves rolling through on Saturday morning. In the morning the wind was barely eight knots but somehow Josh was out there on his big board and 5.5m sails catching waves and landing huge airs in amongst the surfers. This is a wave that Josh knows like the back of his hand and his hot doggin contorted air style of sailing suites it perfectly. After an hour or so of scoring just about every sick set wave that came through the wind started picking up enough to entice out a few more sailors and a whole bunch of kitersour cue to pack up and head home for lunch.We returned in the evening for a final Jet Ski photo session. Once again Josh was in his domain, hurling out massive tweaked one handers over barrelling lips without flinching. After the intensity of yesterdays massive waves, Punta Preta almost seemed like a kinder garden playground but a trip on the rocks after a huge air deep in the pit sent the message home that Punta Preta can be equally savage when it desires. While Joshs kit was being re rigged on the beach, Kai took advantage of the opportunity to take a few deep ones in the upwind bowl. With the water boiling in the shallows on the inside there was no room for error on this final session. As the last light faded Josh caught one or two final waves on the point finishing the day with a perfectly executed one handed tweaker! The ex world champ, taking it apart in his own back yard!Josh AnguloToday was just epic Punta Preta, It was just getting better and better. It is starting to get a little crowded but we still managed to get our waves. The line up was reeling all the way through. It was a two or three hit day. After sailing the life or death stuff we had the last few days it was nice just to cut loose at Punta Preta. There are still consequences there but none the less you could really push it to a hot dog level. I had a blastKai KatchadourianPunta Preta was a different story to up north, it was a play park!SUMMARYJohn CarterI have to take my hat off to Josh and KaiSailing those waves took sheer guts and required the knowledge of a lifetimes big wave experience!! The situation was so gnarly I reckon a lot of pro sailors would have stayed on the beach and taken a back seat, meanwhile Josh and Kai were charging! Back in Maui in the old days they were two of the sailors who used to live by the adageGo hard or go home!!Well I truly believe they have the right to say this!!!Kai KatchadourianThe first time I came here was ten years ago. The place really blew my mind then. The level of knowledge that has been gained in that time led to these last three days. For me the next place to conquer is the other islands. The whole Curral Joul thing has too much consequence. Its the thing that puts you off. You have to keep looking behind you but you cant spot every wide swinging swell. I got nailed and we were lucky to get out without losing the Ski!Josh AnguloOn my side the last three days were the realization of a dream. An eight year long dream. A few years ago I saw Curral Joul break as big as we sailed it the other day and since then I have just had this gnawing thorn in my side that I needed to pull out. We got to do that in a sense. Waves like that, you can never be on top of your game. It is more about just being able to get out there and get a piece in awe and respect. And get back out. The icing on the cake was the mind blowing perfection of Fontana, Ali Baba and finishing it off with perfect Punta Preta. It has been a three day smorgasboard of overloading. We just dailed into the treasure chest of Ali Baba. It was basically a mindblower and I am thankful to be a part of itThe post CAPE FEAR! EPIC CAPE VERDE MISSION FROM 2006! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine Online.