June-July 2020

and twin tip races were dominated by Stefan Vance from
Ireland who has shown steady improvement year after
year. The last day of Bulalacao leg had to be cancelled
because of typhoon Kammuri (Tisoy).
The second leg of the tour was in Sibaltan, El Nido,
Palawan. For the Foil Board race,
it was a tough battle between
Watcharpong “Boss” Juntham
from Thailand, Stefan Vance and
Philippines top seeds Ken Nacor and
Bong Fernando as these top athletes
took turns in out-maneuvering one
another, swiftly going more than
50kph on their foil boards. Boss
bested all and took the top spot
while Bong Fernando from Boracay
dominated in the twin tip elite division. Other winners
in the twin tip race divisions were Greg Dimarucut in the
Novice Mens’ division, Ryan Cahilig in the mens’ division
and Ali Dudfield in the womens’ division. Ali also won in
the women’s freestyle division.
The subsequent leg of
the tour was supposed to
happen at the kitecenter
on Cagbalete Island in
Quezon province but had
to be cancelled because of
COVID-19.
The Freestyle competition went
underway on the last and final
day of the second leg, with
competitors were blessed to have
winds blowing over 12 knots on
the last day. Although wind was
moving up and down during the
entire heat, that didn’t stop both
local and international athletes
from bringing their A-game on
and showcased heart-stopping freestyle tricks and action,
much to the delight of tourists and locals watching the
tournament. Ken Nakor from the Philippines and Abdul
Moutatakil from Morocco, were tied at the top spot while
Boracay local Reynard Gajisan bagged the prize for 2nd.
10
The subsequent leg of the tour was supposed to happen
at the kite center on Cagbalete Island in Quezon province
but had to be cancelled because of COVID-19 related
advisories from the Department of Health advising
LGUs to avoid conducting events with a large number of
participants. Having a significant number of the PKA tour’s
participants coming from abroad did raise a few concerned
eyebrows. Similarly, an ocean yacht race heading for China
was diverted to Subic Bay for similar reasons.