There was plenty of exciting action on the water for the second day of the Portimão Kitesurf World Championships 2006. Overcast skies were ominous in the morning, however, the bad weather held off until mid day when there was about an hour postponement in the competition to let the first of several squalls pass.
Day one of the Portimão Kitesurf World Championships 2006 dawned overcast and brisk. The wind started out moderate, around 15 knots, picking up to 18-23 knots as the afternoon progressed. The water was extremely choppy, starting with 1-2 foot swells and rising to as high as 3 feet, proving even more treacherous and difficult to navigate as the day wore on.
The third stop of the 2006 PKRA World Tour, the Portimão Kitesurf World Championships from June 13th – 18th, is set in a prime location for great nautical sport action. The seaside town of Portimão, located in southern Portugal in the Algarve region, is an ideal spot due to it’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the Arade River, several bays in the area as well as the beautiful wide beaches, thus making it perfect for both practice and high level competition.
After an early skippers meeting, the race direction decided to continue the Freestyle bracket thanks to good wind conditions. This main KPWT discipline had been previously stopped because of the too strong and dangerous North wind.On the men side, Frenchies prooved their good shapes on this italian stage with a final heat between Vincent Tiger and Florian Daubos, first KPWT podium for both. We must now count on these two excellent riders for the 2006 season.
