2022 OBX Wind – Federacion de Windsurf de Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Windsurf Team travelled to North Carolina to compete in OBX Wind.

Athletes from around the world came together for an awesome week of sailing. The event was produced by Ocean Air Sports and the U.S. Windsurfing Association.

The Outer Banks of NC

Large sand dunes form the Outer Banks and enclose the Pamilco Sound. This inlet has shallow waters and a sandy bottom. Sailors can navigate several miles into the sound, and still find the water to be less than 3 feet deep.

The coastline of North Carolina extends from the North American continent into the Atlantic Ocean. This land formation exposes the coastline to strong tradewinds and gulfstream currents.

Rapidly rising air from the Pamilco Sound and the ocean create drafts of wind ideal for windsurfing.

The Pamilco Sound is a safe place to sail. However, oysters buried in the sand can be razor sharp. Water shoes and caution are recommended.

The Puerto Rico Team Arrives to OBX and Starts Training

The day before the event wind conditions ranged from 25 to 30 knots with peak gusts of 40 knots. Temperatures we’re around 65 degrees farenheit, and there was heavy rain in the morning. Despite the extreme conditions, the team was enthusiastic to practice for the races.

Long Distance Races

The first race was the long distance. Wind conditions had deteriorated on the second day to approximately 8 knots of wind. However, race organizers held two additional races later in the week when conditions we’re consistently 25 – 28 knots. Check out the results below.

Men’s Open

Name	Class	Race #1	Race #2	Race #3
Nelson Perez	M Open	43	41	30
Luis Santiago	M Open	30	57	51

78 racers in the Long Distance: Men’s Open class

Men’s 6.5 LT

Name	Class	Race #1	Race #2	Race #3
Benjamin Perez	M 6.5 & Junior	21	14	12

36 racers in the Long Distance Men’s 6.5 LTD class

Women’s Open

Name	Class	Race #1	Race #2	Race #3
Kaelyn Deas Holmes	W 6.0 & Juniors	3	3	3
Irene Kravitz	W 6.0	–	–	6

10 racers in the Long Distance: Women’s Open class

The long distance race challenges athletes on a course of 12 miles. Over the week we had 3 long distance races. We also had a day of light wind races on an diamond-shaped course. The results from the light wind races are below.

Light Wind Races

Name	Sail #	LD Category	Race #1	Race #2	Race #3	Race #4
Luis Santiago	#108	Men Open	15	19	19	22
Kaelyn Deas Holmes	#59	Juniors	16	25	23	28
Nelson Perez	#99	Men Open	28	30	29	24
Benjamin Perez	#100	Juniors	22	42	24	43
Irene Kravitz	#65	Women	47	47	42	49