Cabarete Blog » Kitesurf Dominican Republic

Cabarete is the windy city again…… (well, little surf town really)

CabareteBlog — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:36:14 +0000

Is it just us or is this not one of the best kite boarding seasons we’ve had in recent years? Weeks of good wind continue and follow a fantastic surf season when North Swell followed North Swell again and again from October to April……… any doubters who might think that Cabarete, or the north coast DR is past history (beaten by Punta Cana, aka All-Inclusive-ville) think again……you know why Cabarete will always be a better place to be? Because it has soul and character and a ton of active people enjoying the waves and the wind and afterwards, the beach night-life and the friendly, fun and chilled vibe.

When you have a town like this with so much to do, being inside a manufactured corporation hotel is a complete waste of your holiday. There’s a ton of places to stay in Cabarete to suit all budgets – get out and see what’s on offer. Nearest airport is Puerto Plata (POP).

Pictures courtesy of Swell

Richard Branson in Cabarete

CabareteBlog — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:26:24 +0000

Jim and I were saying two weeks ago, in a conversation about Richard Branson, that he’d probably love Cabarete as an avid kiteboarder.

He’d never been – until last night. On a super quick visit (just 24 hours) he’s packing in a ton of stuff in his first trip to Cabarete. He says he likes the town a lot. He was kiting with Laurel Eastman on a down-winder from La Boca to Encuentro. We caught up with them on a break at LEK where we also kite from.

Laurel Eastman (far right) enjoying the pool at Millenium

Kite boarding world cup PKRA Cabarete

CabareteBlog — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:07:20 +0000

You can tell when the World cup is nearly on us because the water fills with kiteboarders, more than ever and Cabarete bay takes on that beautiful hue of blue water and white caps and a myriad of kites in all the colours of the rainbow.

It helps also when the wind blows like that and the sun shines like this; everyone’s mood (which had been a bit subdued by lack of our usual trade winds courtesy of La Nina and El Nino this year wreaking havoc on weather systems) immediately improves. Smiling, busy, happy people fill the beach and the town looks exactly like I remember it arriving here 6 years ago and falling in love with that sight.

Luciano Gonzalez who works with us at Swell looked at Jim and I on the beach two days ago and said, ”my town is how it should be again, look at all the kites everywhere, it’s beautiful”.

Now my youngest son (10 years old) is beginning to learn this fantastic sport; Luciano is teaching him

Cabarete summer arriving = silly hats

CabareteBlog — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:14:57 +0000

It’s getting hot – even walking early AM, the sun’s power is apparent.

Here’s a real draw back to living in Cabarete for 6 years (and there are not many). At 46 years old, I am looking at my face and skin and realizing that even though I’ve been ‘creaming up’ everyday with high factor sun screen (50), I’m seeing too many signs of sun damage.

I don’t ‘sun-bathe’ and have a good ‘farmer tan’ but even just walking around to and from car, work, shops, beach, etc. is leaving marks.

Jim and I both bought ‘big’ hats yesterday; we probably look ridiculous but now it doesn’t matter anymore. When I go kite, I paste such a thick cream on that i do look like a ghost and I’m beginning to see why some notorious locals (that we used to giggle at) wear a full body suit when they are here in Cabarete.

Luciano is also creaming up; his dark skin will not protect him from a long day in the sun either; although, his great hair must help a bit.

If you want to spot us on the beach – look for the huge chequered hats and sunglasses We’re not hiding, just protecting.

A windless evening in Cabarete

CabareteBlog — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:50:25 +0000

I love the wind; so used to it blowing in the afternoons in Cabarete; it makes the town what it is – a watersport’s heaven but every now and then, we get an afternoon where the wind is completely non-existent and the whole bay takes on a different colour, tone and feel. I don’t know what the connection is between the stillness and the ‘new’ color of ocean and sky; it should be the same, but it’s not. Normally on these types of evenings, there are more people walking along the bay, more people playing soccer, more people doing their own evening yoga session – it’s all beautiful.

I was particularly moved on Tuesday evening when the wind died, to watch a young disabled man taken to the water’s edge by his helpers and then gently carried into the sea. He shouted with joy in the waves – laughing and squealing. I guess he felt weightless in his life-jacket and his legs free to move.

At the same time, my children were body boarding close by and as the sun set, Jim took photos of the glassy water and of the bay which I am posting below. As the sky turned gradually more pink in the West, the full moon was rising in the East. It was one of those moments when we are reminded how special Cabarete is and how fortunate we are to live and work in such a great place.

Kite boarding Cabarete

CabareteBlog — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:07:15 +0000

Our wind kicked in this week; it’s been a while since we had it really blowing. The Swell team took to the van and drove to La Boca to begin a down wind ride in the waves. It is also a few months since I had some spare time to go. It was so much fun – we were yelling and shouting in the waves as we rode towards Cabarete. The wind had to have been 25 knots by the time we got there.

My abs and shoulders are sore after so long out of the water but it’s worth the discomfort

Coco…..

Ken being attacked by the dogs

me, Luciano, Kelvin, Ken, Will

Luciano Gonzalez – Master of the Ocean 2010, kiteboarding, windsurfing, surfing

CabareteBlog — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:03:22 +0000

He did it and of course he did

Luciano Gonzalez wins Kiteboarding and surfing finals at the Master of the Ocean

CabareteBlog — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:19:37 +0000

Luciano was right back on top of his game today at the final of the Master of the Ocean competition. He won both the Kiteboarding and surfing competitions and right now, we are waiting for the results of the overall competition; will he be 2010 Master of the Ocean? The next Blog will have the answer…………….

Kite boarding Cabarete

CabareteBlog — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:45:13 +0000

So Kite boarding season kicks off this weekend with the Master of the Ocean competition. Talented water sportsmen must excel in surfing, windsurfing AND kiteboarding in order to carry away the trophy. Individual titles are up for grabs in Kite surfing, wind surfing and surfing but the overall winner must demonstrate skill in all three disciplines - no easy task.

Our very own Luciano Gonzalez, resident sports manager at Swell surf camp Cabarete, is favorite to carry away the trophy as he has done on two other occasions. You can watch the video of Luciano kiting huge waves recently on http://www.vimeo.com/9539480

For kiteboarding/kitesurfing , Cabarete really is the place to learn; you can gather information on kite boarding holidays from this website, about Cabarete kite surf holidays

Cabarete back to ‘normal’

CabareteBlog — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:51:21 +0000

OK so nothing even changed for Cabarete after the awful earthquake in Haiti. Still Cabarete has apparently suffered somewhat from the association. It’s a shame for businesses who have made it through a difficult tourism year to have this one landed on them just as the world’s economy was looking up. Cabarete though has what it takes to survive and so it will.

We used the conditions of earlier in the week to get some photos of Luciano Gonzalez as he prepares for the Master of the Ocean event which will take place in February (roughly 3 weeks from now). Huge waves and good wind created a fine photo opportunity for this talented Dominican………. Luciano is looking for a Sponsor for his kite equipment by the way.