kitesurfing on Yas Island

We were on the northern coast of the eastern spit on Yas Island. My place is between the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway and the sea, across the channel from the southern spit of Yas Island. 

I went for my first kitesurfing lesson today.  Well, not my first. I've had lots of lessons over the years, but never enough time x the right conditions to get good.  This time, I'm hoping it is going to be different.  Beautiful warm water, shallow, gentle wind - it never gets up to 30kts apparently, and flat water. Goodbye chilly gusty Wellington - hello gentle warm Abu Dhabi!  AND, there was hardly anyone there.  So no toddlers eating icecreams or grannies strolling on the beach to knock down with my out-of-control kite, or even 50 hot guys all looping centimetres away from me and threatening to get tangled in my lines, like there was at Hillhead, in the UK.  I've already agreed to fork out thousands of Dhs to buy a 13m kite!

I had a delightfully uneventful and pleasant lesson in the water with a couple of beautiful young French people.  BUT THEN, I tried to drive back to the highway, through a tortuous series of sand paths to the asphalt.  I was in my rental, a Mitsubishi Lancer.  And I got lost in the desert!  It looked easy but it wasn't.  I got stuck in some soft sand had had to start walking back to the kitesurfers and picnicking Arabian families.  The kitesurfing instructor Sameh was driving a 2 wheel drive too, so when I saw a massive big 4x4 heading towards me across the sand, I knew I was in luck.  An Arabian guy in traditional dress was driving. I flagged him down and asked him if he had a tow rope and explained my situation.  He said: No problem.  He said he was off to the cafe to smoke hubbly bubbly, but had time to help me out.  He drove all over the sand dunes to get to my car, which I thought was promising, since he obviously didn't need to stick to the hard stuff.  Then, when we got there, he told me to hop in and drive but 'not too much petrol'.  Then he drove up behind me and pushed!  It took quite a bit of pushing to get me through the soft stuff, and every time he made contact, I cringed at the thought of the back of my rental. But we finally got back to a hard surface.  And there's no actual dents, just the R missing off Lancer, and a few scratches on the bumper!

I obviously need a 4x4.   And desert driving lessons!  I've only had the car a month, and already I've been stuck in the sand.

Not much wind, but enough to fly a 13.5m kite. Warm water, friendly wind, and no waves. I am going to get to be a hot kiter here!

The beach.