Clube Nortada - Kiting festival

The thermal wind at Murtosa depends on clear days so when there is cloud cover, or it is misty, the wind doesn't blow. When it does blow it is in the afternoon and usually 12kts and above. Adriano runs a competition event in late June, hundreds of kiters/foils/wind surfers converge for a fun weekend. The Saturday is a downwind event and with the cross shore wind everyone sets off down the lagoon towards Aveiro. No idea how far they got but all picked up by the rib and brought back to Nortada. On Sunday it was speed and jumping. All contestants use an App on their phone so it's difficult to get an idea of how the competition is going because each competitor is doing their own thing the only limitation being time.

I get out on the water before the competition starts when I can be on my own. I still have a problem going up wind and choose a rising tide when the lagoon is shallow and the current is upwind around 4kts adding to the effective wind speed. I can start both ways and generally make 200m when I try to turn upwind and induce a crash, I feel I'm missing something, I'm close, but not there yet.

Here the kites look an awful long way away because they are - the downwind event.

This is the inland water at Murtosa, the guys on the shore (purple arrow) are looking towards Averio.

Adriano had planned the dates just right with great wind for the weekend because on the Monday the weather changed and the wind dropped.

Time to head to the mountains again.