Kite-Surf World Tour Portugal - Day 4

The lines roll in to Cabedelo beach - is the wind about to join the party? © Diogo Cardoso

The lack of wind stopped play yesterday (Sunday - although it was prime foiling and surfing weather once again) and that means it's going to be close to the wire across the final two days of the competition window with 49 riders lining up to hit the water in this event.

That said, things are looking up this morning (Monday) with the best forecast of the event so far due to arrive in the next couple of hours! A steady northerly wind is predicted to last right through until the end of the event and two full days of wind will be enough to get a result from the main event, so it's going to be 'action-stations' this morning when the race crew gives the call!

Sunday's intrigue and video interviews

It was another tantalisingly close day yesterday at Cabedelo beach. The conditions were markedly improving by mid-afternoon, the wind was blowing from the right direction and the clouds were clearing - all of the necessary conditions required for the El Nortada thermals to ramp up were in place!

Unfortunately though, it just didn't line up early enough in the day and a drop in temperature as the afternoon wore on stopped the thermals from building up to competition strength. No heats would be running on day four of the KSWT Portugal.

Forecast checking has been a constant so far - photo © Ydwer van der Heide

So Sunday was another unavoidable lay day which will no doubt have added to the nerves that some of the competitors must be feeling here in Viana do Castelo as they wait for the action to begin. Controlling that kind of pre-heat stress is the name of the game in competition though and no-one knows that better than Jalou Langeree - perhaps the most experienced female competitor on the tour. In this video she gives an idea of what's going through her mind at this point on the KSWT Portugal.

Jalou Langeree interview

Another veteran tour rider is Keahi de Aboitiz. With four World Titles to his name, and a real shot at his first GKA KSWT championship this year, he knows that this event is important for him if he's to move up into first place ahead of Airton Cozzolino. As ever though, he's not letting the pressure get to him! In the video below he gives an insight into how he's feeling as he waits to get to work.

Keahi de Aboitiz interview