Ireland has the windiest spot in Europe for kiteboarding. Dursey Head was considered the kite arena with the highest number of days with more than 4 Beaufort (bft) Scale winds in 2010.
The Irish wind heaven registered 274 days in those conditions. Europe is a fantastic continent for kiteboarding.
The analysis made by the German magazine "Kiteboarding" covered 15 countries.
Dursey Head registered an average wind speed of 15 knots during the entire year, which proves that the land of Guinness beer pints is perfect for wind sports.
In second place comes Vlieland, in Holland, with 270 days of winds above 4 bft.
Germany's Kiel comes in third with 259 days.
Karpathos, in Greece, places in fourth place, while the famous Spanish windsurfing spot of Tarifa only secures a ninth-place among 15 countries.
The beautiful town of Sagres, in Portugal, stays in the 13th position and the Polish spot of Leba ranks in the 14th.
One Beaufort (bft) is the equivalent of 1-3 knots, 2 bft equals 4-6 knots, 3 bft means 7-10 knots, 4 bft is the same that 11-15 knots, and 5 bft equal 16-21 knots.
European Spots Above 4 Bft Wind | Ranking
- Dursey Head (Ireland): 274 days;
- Vlieland (Holland): 270 days
- Kiel-Lighthouse (Germany): 259 days;
- Karpathos (Greece): 248 days;
- Romo (Denmark): 245 days;
- Isle of Portland/Weymouth (England): 237 days;
- La Hague / Normandie (France): 234 days;
- Capo Carbonara / Sardinia (Italy): 226 days;
- Tarifa (Spain): 193 days;
- Izmir (Turkey): 190 days;
- Split (Austria): 193 days;
- Podersdorf / Lake Neusiedel (Germany): 161 days;
- Sagres (Portugal): 142 days;
- Leba (Poland): 139 days;
- Geneve-Cointrin (Switzerland): 52 days