Again, a little chill set in last night and promises for a great day of wind for today for the final day of Racing. On Day 2 of the Hydrofoil Pro Tour the wind was light and steady, 8-11 knots for Races 6, 7, and 8. Direction was 355 degrees to 20 degrees magnetic. Race 9 – light and steady 6 knots, most of the riders had to swim in this one, therefore the race was abandoned. The sea state was blue, flat water, light seaweed.
The forecast for March 28th, Day 3 showed a building breeze from 000 degrees, coming in at 18-24 knots towards the middle of the day – much different than previous days. The sea state for yesterday was choppy with heavy wind swell. Rob Dean scheduled and achieved six successful races for Day 3 in these conditions, full power and live action with Joey Pasquali streaming LIVE on Facebook. See more on the official HFPT page.
Top competitors for yesterday who were battling it out in stronger wind were Nico Parlier putting up some stiff competition, riding Ozone kites with a Mike’s Lab foil, Maxime Nocher on Enata, Olly Bridge flying Flysurfer, riding Levitaz and Axel Mazella with F-one and Taaora. Riccardo Leccese is also performing spectacularly, sponsored by Ozone riding Mike’s Lab foil.
Today’s protests amongst the riders were primarily related to tangles. The conditions went from calm to almost still on Day 2, compared to 20-25 knots of consistent wind on Day 3 gusting up to 30 knots. Needless to say there were some hostile tangles happening on the water, some protest while many hug it out on the beach. The thermal adds 7-10 knots to the forecast in La Ventana so seems like yesterday’s thermal wind surprised many of the riders who are just discovering the destination. La Ventana lived up to its reputation and has delivered various wind conditions for the riders to compete in – there are no excuses in this race. Light wind to high winds, the race has provided all conditions.
Many competitors, like Ejder Ginyol from TUR, Bitna KOR, John Von Tesmar USA, chose to spend the entire season in La Ventana thanks to the various training opportunities the wind conditions provide throughout the late fall and winter months. There are steady winds until late April and in May as summer sets in, the magical thermal effects starts to fade but the bay continues to get a steady breeze from the East of 12 – 15 knots every afternoon.
Playa Central supports hydrofoil racing since 2014, first and foremost because this type of event stimulates riders and manufacturers while pushing their design and creative process to their limit by going as fast as they can in all conditions. Many of the manufacturers come to La Ventana perform R&D practices, as well as promotional videos for their brands; amongst them, Matt Taggart with Ozone, Benni Boelli with Flysurfer, Adrian Geislinger with Levitaz, George Hraldin with Delta Foils and many more. World champions of various disciplines are here to battle it out for the HFPT.
The parties have been kept light but surely tonight all will celebrate the spectacular range of wind that this destination has provided. On Day 4, the wind line can be seen coming in from the distance. The last skipper’s meeting will take place at 10:00 hrs, led by Rob Dean. The forecast shows steady wind coming in all day through the North. Racing should start around noon. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Final press release after prize ceremony announcing the Champion of the 1st stop of the 2017 HFPT.
PR by Olivia Rose
