GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Cape Verde: World title holders set to open defence of crowns
by Ian MacKinnon, GKA Kite World Tour 15 Mar 11:36 GMT
17-27 March 2023
The men's and women's Qatar Airways GKA Kite-Surf World Champions, James Carew and 16-year-old Capucine Delannoy, are set to begin the defence of their crowns at the legendary Ponta Preta break on the Cape Verde island of Sal.
Hard-charging Australian, Carew, is seeking to land a third successive world title after lifting last year's crown with decisive victories at the two world tour stops in tricky conditions in Dakhla, Morocco, and Taiba, Brazil.
French teenager Delannoy also claimed a win at the opening stop of 2022 season in Morocco and did enough to take the world championship crown by reaching the semi-final in Brazil. It was her year's second title after she won the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite-Surf World Championship in Tarifa, Spain.
Big stellar field
Both are rostered to take to the water in the 2023 tour's first stop at the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup Cape Verde. It is one of the globe-trotting tour's five scheduled stops that span Africa, South America and Europe.
The pair are among a starry field of 41 men and women, from 14 nations and five continents, who have been drawn by the promise of epic conditions and tough battles.
All the men's and women's top seeds are due to fight for glory. The victors in the storied 2019 barrel-fest, Cape Verdean Mitu Monteiro and the US's Moona Whyte, are also set to return to the iconic African surf-break.
Hotbed of talent
The mouth-watering 2023 contest will be staged at two possible Sal locations. Ponta Preta, with its big, glassy waves and cross-offshore winds, is to be the primary spot. Kite Beach on the south-east of the island is the back-up if Ponta Preta is not working.
Ten islands make up the archipelago of Cape Verde which lies a two hours' flight south of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. Due to their geographical location the islands are frequented by pumping swells and reliable trade winds.
It is those conditions that make Cape Verde a hotbed of internationally-renowned kite-surfing talent. Aside from Monteiro, the highly-seeded Hendrick Lopes is among a clutch of Cape Verdeans with home break advantage, who are up for the fight.
Brazilians are coming
But for reigning champion, Carew, one of the biggest threats may come from Spain's Matchu Lopes, who also calls Cape Verde home. The Brazilian trio of Pedro Matos, Sebastian Ribeiro and Gabriel Benetton have also at times pushed Carew hard.
French title holder Delannoy will also have her work cut out for her if she is to keep the crown. Brazil's Kesiane Rodigues exploded onto the kite-surf scene to take the tour stop win on home waters in Taiba last year, just ahead of three-time freestyle world champion, Bruna Kajiya. Both are slated to show up in Cape Verde.
None of those minimise the threat posed by highly-ranked rivals, like Canadian, Frances Kelly, Camille Losserand (SUI), Charlotte Carpentier (FRA) and compatriot Zoe Bazile. Each have shown themselves capable of upsetting the form books and it promises to be an enthralling contest.
The official Race Notice and event schedule is here