That the brothers (fourth generation Van der Valk) love kitesurfing is not surprising. Together with sisters Marlin and Annabel, they grew up by the water, on Eiland van Maurik to be exact.

This peninsula on the Lower Rhine is a stone's throw from Van der Valk Hotel Tiel, the hotel where their father Gert-Jan van der Valk was in charge for more than 35 years.

Max: 'Eiland van Maurik is a Valhalla for sailors, suppers, water skiers and other water sports enthusiasts. It is perhaps the most beautiful place in the Netherlands. It was logical that my parents, both water sports fanatics, wanted to live here. Sailing, wakeboarding, water skiing: my sisters, brothers and I learned it all as youngsters. By trial and error, but mostly with a lot of fun. We did the craziest things: water-skied on trays, wakeboarded behind a car, jumped into the water over a ramp we built ourselves. I understand why nephews and nieces were always knocking on our door, everything was possible here. My father is quite an early adopter when it comes to water sports, so we tried many new things at home. For example, he had one of the first jet skis in the Netherlands and bought a kiteboard with a kite over twenty years ago when the sport was not yet very well known. None of us knew how to do it, we just started practicing. Our baptism of fire was in the Caribbean Sea at Hotel Bonaire. In that paradise setting, all four of us were hooked immediately. The reason is simple: it is sport, relaxation and family time all in one. The speed, altitude and rotations in the air make it an addictively fun sport, especially if we turn it into a competition - which happens quite often with three competitive brothers. In between we yell at each other, "Watch me go!" We really have the most fun on the water. A few years ago we kitesurfed from the northernmost tip of the island to little Bonaire. Pit stops with a coconut in your hand, fantastic it was.