First international regatta around the island of Lanzarote in Windsurf Foil
First international regatta around the island of Lanzarote in Windsurf Foil
- On May 8, the Canary Island will host the Lanzarote Foil Challenge, the first ultra-marathon regatta on a windsurf board
Lanzarote, May 6, 2021
Yesterday the first international Lanzarote Foil Challenge regatta was presented at a press conference in an event organized by the Lanzarote Cabildo and the Teguise City Council at the Los Zocos Hotel attended by Francisco J. Aparicio, island sports advisor; Héctor Fernández, CEO of the Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society (SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote); Gerardo Rodríguez, sports councilor of the Teguise City Council; Daniel Martín-Arroyo, president of the Los Charcos Windsurfing Club, and Rafael Lasso, CEO of Marina Rubicón.
The regatta will be held on Saturday, May 8, and will go around the island of Lanzarote in the Open Foil mode, which consists of a board with a special keel underneath that is capable of flying one meter above the water.
This test is one of the main events that will be held throughout this year on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Los Charcos Windsurfing Club in Lanzarote, which together with Marina Rubicón, the Canarian Sailing Federation and the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife are organizers.
The Cabildo’s sports advisor, Francisco J. Aparicio, spoke along these lines, congratulating the club on its 30th anniversary and “for this great challenge that is not easy to achieve.” He showed his support for this regatta by stating that “together we can organize this type of event and the Cabildo will lend a hand to help achieve it.”
For his part, the director of the Los Charcos Windsurfing Club, Daniel Martín-Arroyo, thanked the Lanzarote Cabildo and the Teguise City Council for their support in launching this international regatta, as well as the rest of the institutions and
sponsoring companies. As stated “we are convinced that this first edition will open the doors for future regattas and will become a benchmark in the world of windsurfing.”
Participants and route
Lanzarote Foil Challenge will have 16 participants among whom are the main figures of international windsurfing such as the German Sebastian Kördel, iQFoil World Champion; Basile Jacquin of New Caledonia, IFCA World Junior Champion; and the Brazilian Mateus Isaac, Champion of Brazil and America; in addition to local sailors, who will go around the island in just over 9 hours. The test will consist of regatta sections and free sailing sections and the sailors will sail with joint starts in each of the sections. The route will be made up of 6 sections, starting at 9 a.m. on the coast of Playa Blanca, going up the coast of Janubio to El Golfo with a total of 12 miles.
The second section will take place once all participants have crossed the finish line of the first section, leaving the fleet grouped to travel the 13 miles that separate this point from La Santa. In the third section, athletes will head along the Risco de Famara to La Caletilla beach, above the Port of Caleta de Sebo, on the island of La Graciosa. Here there will be a half-hour break to eat and adjust the material before tackling the run. The fourth section will be the longest, with a distance of approximately 20 miles, in which the fleet will leave Punta de Fariones behind to head towards Arrieta and reach Las Cucharas beach. In the next section, participants will pass in front of Los Charcos beach to go to Guacimeta beach in Playa Honda, where the last section will take place until Punta de Papagayo and arrival at Marina Rubicón.
Regarding assistance at sea, there will be four accompanying and security boats, which will monitor the regatta and assist any participant who needs it.
The Lanzarote Foil Challenge will be sponsored by the main institutions such as Promotur–Turismo de Canarias, dependent on the Department of Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands; the Secretary of State for Tourism of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism; the Lanzarote Council through the Department of Tourism and the Insular Sports Service and the Sports Department of the Teguise City Council. Also collaborating are the Tinajo City Council, Cicar Canary Islands Car, the Hotel Los Zocos Impressive Lanzarote, the La Isla y el Mar Boutique Hotel, the IES Blas Cabrera Felipe, Enac Ingenieros Consultores, Blank Publicidad and Sol57 Illustration. 
First of these features
The return to Lanzarote in Windsurf Foil will become the first regatta of its kind held in the world, placing the Conejera Island in particular and the Canary Islands in general on the map, as an idyllic setting that brings together the best conditions for the windsurfing practice. Not in vain, there are many international professionals who come to Lanzarote looking for the best sailing experience.
and the island has for years hosted the Proffesional Windsurfing Association (PWA) World Championship events and the European Freestyle Pro Tour (EFPT).
This international regatta will, without a doubt, be an opportunity to show Lanzarote as a destination for practicing nautical sports with perfect weather conditions with mild temperatures and trade winds that are key for navigation, as well as unique volcanic landscapes that frame this sport in the best scenario.
