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Cabarete Caribbean News Paddle Boarding SUP Wind

When the wind drops, stay active with stand up paddle boarding

In the early days, kitesurfing relied on winds above about 12 knots. Now though, the wind minimum is lower with the rise of foil boarding. However, the even lighter wind days can be a drag sometimes. In steps stand up paddling boarding.

After 10 years of sitting on the beach, waiting for the wind to pick up, I discovered paddle boarding. It turned into a great way to pass the time on those light wind mornings, or days.

Back when I started paddling (about 9 years ago), stand up paddle boards were large, clunky things that weren’t easy to handle, move or store, let alone travel with. Allow me to introduce the inflatable stand up paddle board. As kiters, we’re used to blown up sporting toys, so the inflatable SUP, or iSUP, isn’t too far of a stretch for us to understand and potentially enjoy.

Inflatable stand up paddle board industry leaders, Red Paddle Co, have been developing exclusively inflatable SUPs since 2008. With this experience, they’ve developed some amazing boards, several of which have appeared in my quiver at one point or another. Anyway, an inflatable SUP means we are extremely mobile, just like we are with our kites. Imagine an entire inflatable SUP, leash and paddle packed down to about the size of 2 packed kites. Or, in the case of the new 9’6″ Compact by Red Paddle Co, the whole lot is as big as one kite packed down!

Armed with this knowledge, the family purchased an inflatable SUP and we don’t travel without it. It’s great for me to get out on days when the wind is light, keep fit and active, and be ready for when the wind does turn on. Not only that, the family get to enjoy it and be on the water too. A recent trip to the river mouth allowed the kids to paddle around freely, no chop, no waves.

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Cabarete News Wind

Cabarete’s Kiteboarding 4 Kids

At the time of writing, Kiteboarding 4 Kids has raised over $21,000 for local charities. An outstanding effort for all involved.

The kiteboarding event was held in typically windy Cabarete conditions on August 19th. Over 50 competitors vied for podium places in 4 divisions. Open, Junior, Pro and Women. In a change from the previous day’s big air focus, Kiteboarding 4 Kids was a more traditional freestyle event. Handle passes, kite loops, grabs and a few big jumps were the order of the day with many locals and foreigners taking part to raise money.

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Cabarete News SUP Wind Wind Surfing

2012 Cabarete “The Butterfly Effect”

Press Release: Cabarete, Dominican Republic.

The 4th annual “The Butterfly Effect Cabarete” landed in Cabarete on July 28th, 2012. This year’s event saw its largest number of participants registering 102 waterwomen from all over the world. Local and visiting women gathered on the beach of Cabarete to complete a 4km downwind ride from Cabarete Bay to Playa Encuentro. The event was open to women who windsurf, kitesurf, surf, stand up paddle(SUP) or kayak.

The waterwomen of Cabarete united their individual athletic abilities to celebrate their accomplishments as a united group. Over the course of the event many other girls and women were inspired to get out on the ocean and try some of the sports for the first time. The event included a beach cleanup, safety and stretching sessions, as well as food and gear from local sponsors.

The event culminated in a celebration that was held at the Millennium Resort & Spa. A live auction was held, and the Butterfly Effect Dominican Republic surpassed last year’s efforts raising $5000.00 USD for The DREAM Project.

Care to join the butterflies in the event next year? Keep an eye on BeTheEffect.com for the 2013 dates and visit Cabarete!