THE NEXT GENERATION: THE DE JONG SISTERS!
THE NEXT GENERATION: THE DE JONG SISTERS!
THE NEXT GENERATION: THE DE JONG SISTERS!
If you follow the PWA World Tour, you’ve probably noticed a trio of young talents making serious waves on the racing scene! Meet the De Jong sisters: Bobbi Lynn (15) and her 13-year-old twin sisters, Kit and Lone. Hailing from the windsurfing paradise of Bonaire, these girls are already turning heads with their natural talent, fierce dedication and competitive spirit.
Though still early in their careers, it’s clear they’re not just the future of the sport…they’re very much part of its present. We caught up with the sisters to hear about their journey from learning to windsurf to rising stars, their daily life of balancing school and training and what it’s like growing up in a family powered by passion, wind, and sibling rivalry.
WS: First of all, when did you learn to windsurf?
Kit: “I started windsurfing when I was eight. My twin sister, Lone, was also eight and our older sister, Bobbi Lynn, was ten.”
Lone: “We learned in Bonaire. We had moved there from the Netherlands, where we hadn’t really done any surfing. So, our first time windsurfing was actually in Bonaire.”
WS: Bonaire must be the perfect place to learn?
Bobbi Lynn: “Definitely! Bonaire is super flat, and the wind is steady almost every day. We could always go out after school, which ended around 1 or 2 p.m.”
Kit: “It’s like a paradise….tropical, warm, and windy. Perfect for learning.”
WS: When you all learned, did you always think you’re going to compete?
Bobbi Lynn: “It was more like a hobby at first. I actually didn’t like windsurfing when I first started. I wasn’t too good at it, my dad was teaching me and it didn’t go so well! I thought, I’m never going do this sport again! But after a while I tried it again and I was making a lot of progress and soon I was hooked. Soon after we did our first competitions in Bonaire and we did very well! We were winning, but there were not a lot of girls, so we didn’t know if our level was good enough. Our first major competition was in Aruba! That was fun and then we went to Italy, Sardinia, yeah, and there was no wind actually, so that was kind of bad!”
WS: What is your daily routine at home?
Kit: “School then windsurfing! We go to school until around 1 o’clock and then we go home and we do some homework and study for any tests. Once the work is done, we head to Jibe City and windsurf till 6 or 7pm. After that we just chill or also do some more homework if exams are coming up!”
WS: Why did the family move to Bonaire?
Kit: “Our mum always wanted to move to a tropical place. We came on vacation to Bonaire and then my mum and my dad decided they really wanted to move here. My dad bought Jibe City!”
Bobbi Lynn: “Jibe City the perfect location for windsurfing. We keep all of our gear rigged and it’s so easy to grab it. It just takes us five minutes to be ready and then we can windsurf all day! It is perfect!”
Windsurf Center Bonaire – Jibe City
WS: What conditions do you sail in?
Bobbi Lynn: “It is usually flat water but when it’s windy, it gets a little bit choppy and it’s so much fun. Of course, we also like competing in where there are waves, chop or swell like Fuerteventura.
But we don’t get bored in Bonaire. I also really love the wave scene in Pozo, for example and I really want to try that when I’m older, but now it’s good to live in Bonaire. It is the perfect place for us to combine school and training.”
WS: Are the twins going to compete this year at the PWA main events?
Kit: “Yeah, we’re not allowed to do competitions yet, but next year we will try to enter, the adults, for the women in Fuerteventura. We are now 13, we are really excited to see how it will go to compete against the older girls. We are really excited to see how we will go in the main competition”
WS: So, who’s the best out of the three sisters?
Lone: “I think Bobbi Lynn…She’s older, has more experience than us and she’s very good.”
Bobbi Lynn: “I have to say Kit and Lone are very good as well. They’re going to come for me and I’m not looking forward to the moment! They are so good already! I have an advantage because of the age of course as I am two years older. When they get a bit older and stronger they will improve of course. There was a time a few months ago that they were getting really close and I was getting scared! But, because of that I kept pushing myself even more than I already was. My dad always says, like it feels really stressful because you have the sisters pushing, but in the end we will all improve and learn off of each other.
I did think I would windsurf as much as I do without my sisters, but now I feel I am pushing so much more because I have my sisters! We are all definitely ambitious.”
WS: What are your ambitions?
Kit: “Yeah, I would really like to be world champion, but now I’m in the category with my sister Lone, so it is going to be tough, but I also really my dream is to compete in Fuerteventura.”
Bobbi Lynn: “My ambition is to do everything in the windsurfing from foil, slalom and waves!”
Lone: “I’m just going to do my best, I think, and we’ll see how it goes! I have my sisters in my category, so it is going to be hard to be world champion. We will see!”
WS: What’s your favourite foil or fin?
Kit: “I think I still like fin more because I’ve been training a lot more on that, so I only started foiling, like a year ago, so I didn’t do foil so much, but now I’m training more so I am improving on the foil.”
Bobbi Lynn: “It switches up every single week. Sometimes I’m like, oh, I really don’t feel like going foiling now and stick to fin. But other weeks I like, I love foiling, I don’t want to go on the fin! I’m going to say foil because it’s good in light winds and high winds! With the fin, I really prefer it when it’s like really windy.”
Lone: Yeah, for me it’s in the lighter days it’s foil, and for the stronger days it’s fin.
WS: How do you like NeilPryde sails?
Bobbi Lynn: They are amazing sails. My dad always used to sail Neil Pride when he was younger, when he was just sailing for himself, and that’s also how we got introduced to NeilPryde. People always say they are the best seals, but I totally agree with them. The new race sails are amazing. That is what I have to say!”
WS: How about Starboard?
Kit: “Oh yeah, also so easy to go with, and they are so light. We are just flying over the water with the Starboard. I think we have got the best combination.”
WS: What was it like racing against top pros like Justine Letemeyer, Sarah Quita and all the other top older women?
Bobbi Lynn: “I love it actually. I did my first competition with the women when I was 13! I didn’t think then that I would have become so close to them in two years because now I’m competing with them pretty close. I’m already fighting for the top positions and I wouldn’t have expected that when I was 2 years younger. I think it’s so cool and they are so amazing and I just think that they are such good examples. I see them training and I see them on my Instagram training and everything! I just feel like I want to live that life when I’m older!”
WS: How much have your mum and dad supported you on this journey?
Kit: “I’m really grateful for them and for the time they spend helping us to come to windsurfing competitions! They are helping us live our dream!”
Lone: “If our dad didn’t teach us how to windsurf, we wouldn’t have this opportunity!”
WS: We heard you have you been to see Taylor Swift?
Bobbi Lynn: “Yeah, last year in Miami, she was amazing!”
WS: How did that come about?
Bobbi Lynn: “We went from Turkey to Miami, and there was a week between the competitions, and this was the last opportunity to see Taylor Swift because she was ending her ERAS tour. And our mum and dad got us all tickets, so it’s really cool! It was Kit and Lone’s birthday present! On Bonaire you don’t have a lot to do. It’s windsurfing or nothing! Our parents promised us we would do something for their birthdays, and this was like unexpected. They said put on something nice, we’re going somewhere!”
WS: And who was the support act?
Kit: “It was Gracie Abrams! She is the best! The best pop star, she so amazing. I won’t forget that night!”
Bobbi Lynn: “Yeah, we went to see Taylor Swift because Lone was a big fan of her and then we went to the Inter Miami football game as Kit is into football. She really loves football! She loves Gracie Abrams and football! It was the best week ever!
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
BOBBI-LYNN DE JONG
Full name: Bobbi-Lynn de Jong
Date of Birth: 15/12/2009
Height and weight: 164 cm and 54 kg
One word to describe your sisters!: Lone: confidence…Kit: motivated
Dream Destination: Jeri, Brazil
Best Result: 4th overall PWA Foil Women…5th in the 2025 Super X Fuerteventura!
Fav other sport: Tennis
Fav Board: Starboard Isonic 60
Windsurfing Heroes: Sarah-Quita and Matteo Iachino
Gracie Abrams or Taylor Swift? Neither!
LONE DE JONG
Full Name: Lone de Jong
Date of Birth: 5 September 2011
Height and weight: 160 cm / 48 kg
A few words to describe your sisters: Bobbi: consistency…Kit: good trainer
Dream Destination: Maui, Hawaii
Best Result: World champion fin u15 2024
Fav other sport: Field hockey
Fav Board: Starboard Isonic 63
Windsurfing heroes: Sarah-Quita | Matteo
Gracie Abrams or Taylor Swift? If I had to choose Taylor Swift
KIT DE JONG
Full Name: Kit de Jong
Date of Birth: 5 September 2011
Height and weight: 160 cm 52 kg
One word to describe your sisters? Bobbi-Lynn= fast…Lone=persistence
Dream destination: Maui, Hawaii
Best Result: world champion u15 foil
Fav other sport: Football
Fav Board: Starboard iSonic 60
Windsurfing heroes: Nico Prien, Sarah-Quita
Gracie Abrams or Taylor Swift: Gracie Abrams
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