For the first time, the competition, which combines the 3 disciplines of surf, kitesurf and windsurf, included Stand-up-Paddleboarding (commonly known as SUP).

This competition is hard at the best of times and Luciano put in months of tough training to achieve his goal of being untouchable in this competition. Congratulations to him; he richly deserves the title.

You can see Luciano in action here

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

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

Riders from all over the world, including those in the top 5, came to Cabarete to compete in the PKRA event.

Kevin Langeree and Youri Zoon were favorites to take the Title, but they figured without the still amazing talent of the Dominican Republic’s own Ariel Corniel, winner of the Title two years ago.

In heats, Langeree looked very strong; complicated and stylish tricks were well-executed and perfectly landed on the whole. Youri Zoon also looked as though he was definitely in the front running. From the first entrance of Ariel however, it was apparent that his demeanor was purposeful and there was not a move or trick that looked as though he might not pull it off. It was like watching someone who simply knew that his performance would be perfect and you could not help but feel that same confidence whilst watching.

Kevin and Ariel were head to head. Ariel landed trick after trick perfectly; one of his tricks bringing him perilously over the edge of the beach; racing towards the sand at break-neck speed, his kite was down in the crowd for a second or two before being quickly relaunched; this is typical of the Dominican riders and is what makes them so formidable; no sense of fear seems to exist.

Kevin, normally someone who pulls off more complicated tricks with ease, was unable to land much and for everyone it was clear Ariel deserved the victory. When the result came, it was no surprise.

Congratulations Ariel; you truly deserve your victory for yourself and the pride of the Dominican riders.

Kevin Langeree handle-passes

Susi Mai enjoys the spectacle

all the colors of the rainbow

Kevin makes the turn whilst Youri Zoon pulls a trick behind.

Ariel Corniel doing what he does best (in the World )

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

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.

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.

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 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…………….

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