Croatia, with its breathtaking beauty and proximity to homeland Slovenia, was the perfect starting point, but came with limitations – the beaches weren’t ideal for launching kites. Undeterred, Tomaz innovated and perfected a system of kite launching and landing that was safe, fast, and reliable. A significant improvement that he kept perfecting. He also realized that the windy season in Croatia was too short, setting his sights on new horizons. Greece kept coming to mind. The key was to find a destination that was not just beautiful but also inaccessible to an average traveler. The Cyclades, with their favorable wind conditions and a plethora of islands, presented the perfect canvas for the next chapter.
In 2014, we pioneered the first kite cruise in Greece. This adventure was a leap into uncharted waters and what had set a benchmark for others to follow in the later years. As Tomaz likes to say: “You can copy a concept, but you can’t replicate the experience.”
That same year, Tomaz set his mind on the Grenadines, an idyllic winter getaway that completed the vision of offering year-round kiteboarding cruises. Humbly acknowledging not being the first to offer catamaran kiteboarding experiences in the Caribbean, yet he founded a unique place in this paradise. Blending seamlessly into a region, that at the time was served by only a few catamarans, this was a time of exploration and growth.
Coming from non-favorable business environments of their home and neighbouring countries, after years of attempts around banks that considered our vision to be far-fetched, they ultimately gained the trust of young entrepreneurs that were prepared to take a leap of faith and provided means to buy their first catamaran that will open a door to a new life and opportunities but also with quite few obstacles ahead.
After a busy season in Greece, Tomaz sailed their catamaran on his first Transatlantic journey all the way to the Caribbean, to a place he already knew in depth. Kiteboarding Cruise charted a course through the enchanting islands of Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, and Grenada, sharing the best kiteboarding grounds with guests from around the world, mastering the rhythm of our operations and family started to invest in the second catamaran.
Along with the business expansion, family was growing, like a logo had suggested, the 6th member joined the family. Spending many months apart, with a single mom and absent dad family type, this was not how they wanted to live, and finally decided homeschooling was the way to go if they want to have more time together as a family.
After years of hard work, idea had finally taken a jumpstart! The Grenadines spring season was sold out with two boats when COVID hit, turning the world upside down, and bringing along the unprecedented. In a matter of days, family found themselves living on one of the boats, and for the first time experiencing some of the ‘what people think we do’ lifestyle.
The times of family boat life were seasoned with concern and disbelief. The boats and the family were stranded in the Caribbean and there was nobody flying in or out of any country, including the crew that was arranged to sail the boat back to Greece for the summer season. And there was a big conserving question: is there even going to be a season in Greece?
Dasha suggested to Tomaz that he should sail their family back to Greece. He was not excited about the idea even though he had 5 crossings under his belt at the time, but this time was different, especially since sailing from West to East presents much more dangers than coming from Europe. With this on his mind and the fact one of his four children does not even walk, let alone swim, and the rest all aged under 10, crossing the Atlantic back to Greece wasn’t something he was happy about doing. An exciting and terrifying idea, and like any hard decision, this one was made from having no other choice. In the end, they had a fabulous crossing with favourable weather with whales, dolphins, and countless stars.
The decision was right, and the season in Greece went well, keeping the business afloat. But everything else in the world was unpredictable. The other boat, stranded on the other side of the world, still had no means of reaching there. So, the family made another Mediterranean and Atlantic crossing with all 4 children aboard this time back to the Caribbean, hoping COVID circumstances would ease up to the point people would be able to travel as they did in Greece.
