Disney Land

Dominik Röckl and Steffi Wahl introduce photographer Frithjof Blaasch to a little corner of Sardinia that not only offers up world-class wingfoil conditions, but also has a little sprinkle of Disney magic in the area too…

Photos: Frithjof Blaasch / Bulgenslag

Frithjof: We were at a spot close to the village of Posada on the east coast of Sardinia. Posada’s not just a wonderful place to stroll through and enjoy your espresso after the session, it doubles as the perfect backdrop for a magnificent wingfoil session, with nice, slow rollers on the outside. When we first arrived at the spot, I didn’t even see the village as it was built into the mountain and the sun was still high in the sky, and only spotted it once I was in the water. It was definitely one of those sessions where the sport itself was just a part of it, and the other part was all about exploring and changing our perspectives just by being on the water. After finishing the session, I saw the opportunity to get the golden hour shot. With Dominik still on the water, I tried to look for the right angle where the rider, the sun and city align, composing something pretty beautiful.

For the other shots, we just drove around the north of Sardinia and used the full potential that winging offers up… Heading out whenever and wherever it was possible. The north is pretty fissured, and sandy beaches are a rare find, so we were really lucky to find such beautiful scenery. Disney used the exact beach we were on for their movie, The Little Mermaid. As Steffi and Dominik knew that spot already, they went straight out and enjoyed themselves. I was a bit frightened by the rocks that possibly lay under the water, and decided to snorkel around to check on any rocks that might take out a foil. Of course I took my camera for a swim as well…

Dominik: The first session was just after we arrived on the Island, it was literally the first stop we took after boarding off the ferry. It was a really nice welcome, as Frithjof (aka Bulgenslag) had already been exploring the island for a whole week and knew where to take us. We shook off our tiredness by hitting the water straight away, and as you can see in the pictures we were teased with the perfect light and beautiful wingfoiling conditions. I remember that session pretty well because it was not just a pretty spot to start with, it also had exceptionally good chanterelle mushrooms in a small forest, right where we parked. So the day was finished with a nice pan of fried chanterelles and happy and tired friends, knowing that the coming weeks would be full of enjoyment and relaxation. From our perspective it is always worth breaking out of situations that you are familiar with to go and explore more of the beautiful places that life has to offer.

Steffi: The following day was a bit cloudy, and the wind did not arrive as forecasted. Actually the plan had been to score a windsurfing session, but it didn’t work out and the spot where we wanted to go was too onshore – and maybe we were a bit too picky with the conditions. Luckily, wingfoiling is not really dependent on the conditions as much as windsurfing. So we found ourselves flying across the ocean at a place that really has the most amazing vibe, which is only enhanced by knowing that Disney had produced some of The Little Mermaid there. When I saw Frithjof swimming with his camera in the water, he kind of looked like a mermaid, so it all fit perfectly.

Dominik: On another session shown here, we had a pretty tight window with the light and the brewing thunderstorm was limiting the possibilities to find a good spot that was working. So again, trying to not really overthink the spot decision, we just went out where it was possible. The outcome was way more beautiful than we'd expected it to be and we found the mushrooms to eat as well. What I think we manifested on that trip to Sardinia was not only to look for good conditions on the water, but considering that it is always worth checking the landside as well…