Local windsurfer Miguel Martinho has won the four races held on the second action day at the European Festival Championship Formula Windsurfing Masters, Youth and Women 2016, this afternoon, Thursday, May 20, at Rocha Beach, Portimão, Algarve. The ‘Clube Naval de Portimão’ athlete had another perfect day ‘at home’ and is getting closer to winning the European FW Masters Champion title.
“Four races, four wins. It went very well. The ‘Clube Naval de Portimão’ is to be congratulated. The tournament is well organized and the race committee is doing a good job”, said Miguel Martinho, to Swell-Algarve, moments after finishing the last race this Thursday.
Miguel Martinho leads the fleet of 26 ‘windsurfers’ representing 7 countries with seven victories in the seven races contested during the first two action days at Portimão. Vasco Chaveca, also a ‘Clube Naval de Portimão’ athlete and president of the Association Formula Windsurfing Portugal, consolidated on Thursday his second overall and Masters.
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Chaveca has even ‘ overshadowed ‘ the leader in the last race of the day. “I was ahead of Martinho on the first half of the last race. I don’t want him to be relaxed”, said Vasco Chaveca, to Swell-Algarve . “On the last race the route was shortened and I did not noticed. I extended too much the route and reached the buoy in third. I recovered in the second round of the race”, explained Miguel Martinho.
Briton David Coles, who was third yesterday near Chaveca, had a bad day and ‘sunked’ to 13th. The local Chaveca would be a stronger second leader if he had finished the second race today. That race and a second start and was a bad race for de deputy leader. Vasco Chaveca is now threatened by the Lithuanian Giedrius Liutkus, five points away after having been able to dispose of his two poor results of the first day.
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Another highlight of the day is the Portuguese Marco Gil Morais, with a very positive performance on Thursday, including a third finish in the last race of the day, which allowed him to move up to 9th overall. “It was my best day of races since I have started in Formula Windsurfing”, said Marco Gil Morais.
This Thursday, the athletes had do wait four hours for the wind and were in the water racing for another four hours, until 19h30. Vasco Chaveca commented that the wind was very unstable intensity and direction, coming to have variations of 45 degrees in onde race. According to the race committee, the wind blew in general from West-Northwest quadrant, with medium intensity between 11 and 12 knots.
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For Friday, May 20, there are four more races scheduled, if the wind allows. The championship runs until Sunday and will give European title only for Masters, since there are not enough Youth and Women competitors; only one in each group.
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