PKRA - Lanzarote Wave Keahi & Kari Win The Doubles!!

DAY 3

Slight breeze increases throughout day three
Apr-08-2011

Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote (Friday, April 8, 2011) – The wind and wave conditions yesterday were ferociously wild with promising competition conditions however the wind direction was not favorable in order to successively begin the competition. Riders waited patiently for a sudden shift in the wind direction, which would enable for the kick-off of the event here in Lanzarote but ceased to occur.

Today was unlike yesterday, the wind was on the lighter side with very small waves but on the other hand the swell began to build and a light breeze increased as the day progressed. The forecast for the following days predicts outstanding wind and wave conditions for the debut of the PKRA Lanzarote SantaKitePro 2011 wave single and double eliminations.

Despite the light wind this afternoon, riders took advantage of the massive building swell at La Santa. The barreling waves rose as high as 5 meters while some of the bravest and skillfully talented PKRA riders such as Keahi De Aboitiz (Cabrinha, AUS) the winner of the PKRA Morocco wave event title as well as Thomas Paris (North, FRA), Tom Hebert (North, NCL), Mauricio Pedreira (Naish, BRA) and Lee Harvey (North, GRB) to name a few have the ability to master various maneuvers proficiently such as impressive backside riding, fluent turns and cutbacks, breathtaking aerials to remarkable 360 degree rotations.

Skipper’s meeting tomorrow at 9:00am with a 9:30am first possible start.

The Lanzarote Santakitepro 2010 organized by La Santa Surf and sponsored in part by: Cabildo de Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise, Lanzarote Reserva de Biosfera, Costa Teguise, Santa Surf, Servicio Insular de Deportes, Sand Beach Active, Club de Kite y Surf, Logistics World Events, Costa Noroeste, and Alayon.

PKRA Press Secretary

DAY 2

Fierce Calima wind howls in Playa de Famara, Lanzarote
Apr-07-2011

Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote (Thursday, April 7, 2011) – The wind forecast this morning was predicting very light wind, however upon reaching the event site the wind was howling ferociously from about 25-30 knots with gusts up to 40 knots. Race director Olaf Van Tol announced that he would hold off on running the competition until the wind diminished a bit, and the wave conditions improved.

Near 3:00pm the swell had built nicely and a few surfers took advantage of the clean breaking left and right hand waves, however the wind was dropping more rapidly than anticipated.

All The Canary Islands occasionally suffer from calimas, most often in the winter months. The calima is a hot and oppressive wind and occurs when there is high pressure over The Sahara, which in turn drives a southerly wind towards Lanzarote. During a calima the air turns a red / brown color and you can literally smell the sand in the air from The Sahara Desert. The calima can last from half a day up to three days, and the aftermath is that everything on the island is covered in a film of sand.

Near 4:00pm, Van Tol released all riders for the day mentioning that the skippers meeting is set for tomorrow at 12:00pm.

The Lanzarote Santakitepro 2010 organized by La Santa Surf and sponsored in part by: Cabildo de Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise, Lanzarote Reserva de Biosfera, Costa Teguise, Santa Surf, Servicio Insular de Deportes, Sand Beach Active, Club de Kite y Surf, Logistics World Events, Costa Noroeste, and Alayon.




DAY 1

Delightful first day at the PKRA wave event in Lanzarote
Apr-07-2011

Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote (Wednesday, April 6, 2011) – A large amount of spectacular wave riders from all around the world made their way to register for an opportunity to compete in the PKRA Lanzarote Santaprokite 2011 wave only event here in the Canary Islands. The wind and wave conditions in Caleta de Famara were very light and small today therefore near noon race director Olaf Van Tol released all riders for the day so that they could enjoy the beautiful weather and take advantage of the average size over-head height waves. The weather forecast for the upcoming days predicts lighter wind conditions, however an extremely amazing swell is building and the wind is set to kick in on Friday. The organization staff is well prepared and the event site is ready for what will be a highly exciting action packed week of wave kitesurfing action.

Famara Beach (Playa de Famara) is situated in the North West of Lanzarote Island reaching seven kilometers long where crowding is never a problem. With its stunning scenery and a small well preserved fishing village, Playa de Famara picks up all available Atlantic swell and often when no low pressure systems are producing waves in the mid or north Atlantic, during summer months, then a north east trade wind produces world-class waves of the highest quality. In beach and wave topography, Playa de Famara is the “Maui” of Europe. Often you will surf alongside a vast range of nationalities.

Tomorrow’s mandatory skipper’s meeting is scheduled for 12:00pm where the wind and waves conditions will be evaluated.

Today was a nice day of competition.
Both men and women showed us some good level!

Men:
1. Keahi De Aboitiz (Aus, Cabrinha)
2. Nunez
3. Ferreira
4. Pereira

Women:
1. Kari Schibbevaag (Nor, Ozone)
2. Angela Peral (Spa, North)
3. Correia
4. Gautron


edit by: 0stendlocal - 9 April, 2011 (12:43)  [12.93%]

De Aboitiz and Schibevaag take wave single elimination titles
Apr-09-2011

Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote (Saturday, April 9, 2011) – The wind and wave conditions were great today for the kick-off of the Lanzarote Santakitepro 2011 in Lanzarote. An increasing swell built throughout the day from 2 to about 3 metres with side shore to on shore wind averaging 18-25 knots. The conditions were slightly tricky at times, however the riders ripped through the waves stylishly with 9m kites then switching to 6m throughout the afternoon. A total of five discerning judges scored the competition today.

The scores were calculated by totaling the average of three scored waves while the highest as well as the lowest scored waves were discarded. Competitors whom execute the most radical maneuvers with control and stability scored the highest points. Wave selection was also a key factor in scoring due to the waves that closed out making it important to take advantage of the white water.

In the men’s wave division, Australian rider Keahi De Aboitiz (Cabrinha, AUS) was a show stealer executing strapless maneuvers such as aerials, 360-degree rotations as well as impressive cutbacks on the edge of the critical section of nearly every wave earning him the PKRA Lanzarote wave single elimination title by defeating Fabio Nunes (Gastra, BRA) in an extremely close men’s final. Both riders were on top of their game hitting the lip vertically and re-reentering waves in quick succession while maintaining control and stability. Nunes takes second place with his strong powerful cutbacks and swift bottom turns while Filippe Ferreira (Wainman, BRA) follows in third place with his precise timing and hard rails.

In the women’s wave division, Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR) proved once again that she’s an all around outstanding wave competitor. Schibevaag hit the lip hard, throwing an enormous spray prior to her expeditious drop to the bottom while turning sharply for a fast vertical rise back to the top. Schibevaag defeated Spanish rider Angela Peral (North, ESP) in the women’s final who charged her way to the top of the critical section sliding her way to the bottom with a smooth continuous flow. Ines Correia (RRD, POR) from Portugal takes third place with her impressive maneuvers and fluent speed.

The 2010 PKRA Wave World Champion Guilly Brandao was seen this afternoon in Lanzarote checking out the fun and excitement. The wave double elimination will resume tomorrow with a skipper’s meeting set for 9:00am with a 9:30am first possible start.

The Lanzarote Santakitepro 2010 organized by La Santa Surf and sponsored in part by: Cabildo de Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise, Lanzarote Reserva de Biosfera, Costa Teguise, Santa Surf, Servicio Insular de Deportes, Sand Beach Active, Club de Kite y Surf, Logistics World Events, Costa Noroeste, and Alayon.

MEN WAVE SINGLE ELIMINATION RESULTS:

1. Keahi De Aboitiz (Cabrinha, AUS)

2. Fabio Nunes (Gastra, BRA)

3. Filippe Ferreira (Wainman, BRA)

4. Paulino Pereira (POR)

WOMEN WAVE SINGLE ELIMINATION RESULTS:

1. Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR)

2. Angela Peral (North, ESP)

3. Ines Correia (RRD, POR)

4. Marie Gautron (Takoon, FRA)

Double eliminations complete final day of competition in Lanzarote
Apr-10-2011

Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote (Sunday, April 10, 2011) – It was a great sunny day with cloudy periods at the PKRA Wave event here in Lanzarote. The wind and wave conditions were similar to yesterday. The waves built throughout the day from 1 to 1.5 metres with side onshore wind averaging 20 knots as the sequence for the wave double eliminations began sharply at 9:30am.

Australian rider Keahi De Aboitiz (Cabrinha, AUS) earned the double elimination title here in Lanzarote. De Aboitiz was defeated by Fabio Nunes (Phoenix, BRA) in the first men’s final by 1.30 points, but in the second final, De Aboitiz took the win with a better score of 2.73 points. Strapless maneuvers such as aerials and remarkable cutbacks on the edge of the critical section earned him the PKRA Lanzarote wave title. Fabio Nunes (Phoenix, BRA) took second overall with his impressive fast series of vertical re-entries while maintaining control and stability. Filippe Ferreira (Wainman, BRA) follows in third place with his powerful cutbacks and invigorating bottom turns.

It was a great day for Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR), the current leader in the women’s PKRA Wave discipline ranking. Schibevaag’s sharp bottom turns and explicit cutbacks earned her the title here in Lanzarote defeating Angela Peral (North, ESP) in the women’s final. Peral had amazing heat, charging her way to the top of the critical section in a vertical direction with a smooth continuous speed. Ines Correia (RRD, POR) from Portugal takes third place with her impressive style and aggressive maneuvers.

A brief award ceremony was held on the beach as competitors received their trophies and posed for pictures for fans who seek inspiration and a memorable souvenir.

The Lanzarote Santakitepro 2010 organized by La Santa Surf and sponsored in part by: Cabildo de Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise, Lanzarote Reserva de Biosfera, Costa Teguise, Santa Surf, Servicio Insular de Deportes, Sand Beach Active, Club de Kite y Surf, Logistics World Events, Costa Noroeste, and Alayon.

MEN WAVE DOUBLE ELIMINATION RESULTS

1. Keahi De Aboitiz (Cabrinha, AUS)

2. Fabio Nunes (Phoenix, BRA)

3. Paulino Ferreira (Wainman, BRA)

4. Tom Hebert (North, NCL)

WOMEN WAVE DOUBLE ELIMINATION RESULTS

1. Kari Schibevaag (Ozone, NOR)

2. Angela Peral (North, ESP)

3. Ines Correia (RRD, POR)

4. Marie Gautron (Takoon, FRA)