Kiteboard for Kids in Cabarate, DR

carolb · Sun Feb 15, 09 9:03 am **Kiteboard for Kids in Cabarate, DR**

Hey NWKiters

Tony, Grom, Shane, and I arrived in Cabarate, Domion Republic to participate in Kiteboard 4 Kids which is being organized by Laurel Eastman and Kee Parks. Kee was the one who raise $16,000 in our Kiteboard 4 Cancer.

Here's a link about the event which is to help the local kids.
http://www.kb4k.org/index.html

Donating: I tried to make a donations web page, but active.com can't figure out more than one event in a life time even after a support email. So rather than doing a personal web page, please donate to the following link and put NWKITE in front of your name to show our support for the event. Here's the link for donations: http://www.active.com/donate/KB4K

Grom and Shan did their personal part by bringing a 2007 5m Slingshot Fuel down and gave it away one lucky kid on the beach who was our kite caddy 3 years ago. He got dressed up on day 2 with his tie. He didn't have any shorts so Shane gave him a pair of her board shorts that are still big. They also come to the beach where they work all day as kite caddies for tips without food and water so Grom's sharing his breakfast and bringing them bottled water. I think the pics below show how grateful they are. They have really good kite skills from handling borrowed kites but no boards to ride.

PM us if you have any ideas for other donations and please donate with NWKite in front of your name to show the NW Kite spirit! Even $10 makes a big difference!

Carol

carolb · Sun Feb 15, 09 12:11 pm **Kids kite update**

The older kid had a board so the Slingshot Fuel 5m hasn't stopped moving. They take turns either riding or 2 kid body dragging. When on the beach, they can do 360's unhooked. Amazing kite control for a 9 yr old. It hasn't dropped or touched sand or water all day! Lots of kite looping, sheeting out, grabbing the chick loop, etc. Good thing since they can't swim well. Some floaty life/impact vests would be helpful. More pics to follow!

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Sounds like a cool event, keep us posted with pics!

tonyb · Mon Feb 16, 09 7:16 am **Pure Stoke**

The trip so far has been awesome. Landed about 4:30 on Friday evening and knew that by the time we got through customs and got the taxi to our hotel we wouldn't be kiting the first day. But we were WRONG! Scored a sunset / practically dark 40 minute session with Carol, Grom myself and two others in the whole bay. Then it blew all day Saturday and Sunday with some decent waves out at the reef. Warm sunny and no wetsuit required! 3 hours before lunch each day then a late afternoon sunset session to close it out. Pure awesomeness for everyone.

Some pics from yesterday showing the joy and smiles that kiting brings out. No hatin' or worryin' bout the dangle or the steeze - just pure stoke.

bdc8622 · Since 31 May 2005 75 Posts PDX

Down here as well from Portland with buddy from Chicago and would reiterate that Kee rasied quite a bit of money for the Portland area and if you can give $10-50 bucks it would be a nice gesture coming from the NW. He is trying to raise 10k.

Brian Currier

https://www.active.com/donate/KB4K

tonyb · Tue Feb 17, 09 4:57 am

No wind yesterday but the scenery was very nice. A little teaser pic with more to follow if you guys come up with some more donations for Kiteboard 4 Kids! Grom is going on a picture taking mission today, looking for island hotties. Cool

Check back this evening to see what the day brings...

KB4K is just over half way to their goal of $10,000. Go here to help out: http://www.active.com/donate/KB4K The more you donate the more pics Grom will take!

Tony

Diggy · Since 25 Nov 2006 342 Posts Gorge to Coast Obsessed

Awsome

tonyb · Tue Feb 17, 09 2:18 pm

Sorry to report that there will be no bikini girls today as it was very gray and stormy with intermittent rain squalls. And then the wind came up at 3:30 and we all went out under cloudy skies for a couple of hours. Not the best conditions but you really can't complain when you get to kite in paradise. So far we've kited 4 out of 5 days.

We'll send Grom out tomorrow with the camera if the sun comes out.

Tony

groundclown · Since 12 May 2007 135 Posts Hood River Stoked

I want to see a video of those kids from your HERO cam. any kid who can ride like that and doesn't even have his own gear...Man, lets help these kids out. There at 60%

carolb · Thu Feb 19, 09 7:03 am **racin2day**

Wind and sun came back for today's race and pictures so we're getting ready by surfin the internet and saying hey to our friends on NWKite.
Thanks for the donations and please keep them coming. They are 3/4 of the way towards their goal. Here's a few palm tree pics for those stuck inside today in P-town.

I came up with this, a little OT, but since we're preparing for a 3 hour course race today.... The tough Guy Challenge. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/tough_guy_challenge_2009.html
Carol

tonyb · Fri Feb 20, 09 6:49 am **Girls in the DR**

Donations are up to over $8,600 with a goal of $10,000 so here's some pictures to motivate you to help out! All the money raised goes directly to help the kids so don't be shy - send a couple of dollars their way! BTW, Kee Park has done an amazing job organizing the event and has been very gracious in mentioning KB4C as being his inspiration. Go here to donate: http://www.active.com/donate/KB4K

The more money the more pics!

Tony

tonyb · Fri Feb 20, 09 7:42 am **Race Report**

The endurance race went off yesterday and it was a blast. I think there were around 45 riders who started. The course was pretty interesting. A buoy right off the beach, right near the shore break, a short, fast, slightly upwind leg to a mark about 200 yards away, turn left, then an almost straight downwind run along the shore for about 1/3 of mile to the next mark, turn right, then a loooonng upwind leg to a buoy in the middle of the bay probably a mile away after tacking out and back in, sitting about a 1/3 mile offshore, turn right again, straight downwind to the beach, right around the beach mark, and do it all over again. Kind of a long triangle with an extra S turn in the middle, right around 2 miles straight line between the buoys. But the interesting part is that on the upwind leg you could tack straight out away from the beach directly into the reef break. Some people were turning at the reef break and tacking back in the severe chop in the bay, while others would take the risk and go hopping over the breaking waves to get to the cleaner water and better wind on the outside. The run back in from outside was incredible - sometimes chasing the back side of a wave, sometimes running down the line at full speed, going upwind like a bat out of hell in the glass between sets. The only problem with this is that there were two or three 1 foot to 2 foot high white wash sections to hop over (not too bad), and then two and sometimes three vertical breaking sections to get past. The closest set was usually around 3 to 6 foot, the next set was from 6 to 12 foot, and the last set had some out sized monsters in the 20 foot range! You literally could not see the kite ahead of you when it went behind the wave and you'd look down the line and see white water that appeared to be above your kite! It was like boardercross meets extreme wave riding meets endurance racing! The DR guys say they only see waves like this once or twice a year.

So, I was in the lead (amateurs) for about an hour and a half but then things started to break. The wind had started out a little on the light side so I was on my 12 but after about an hour I could have been on a 10 and even later on an 8. I broke a foot strap about 1/3 of the way through a lap and had to finish that lap strapless while dodging 6 foot waves and 3 foot high chop. (too chicken to go all the way outside strapless) Got that fixed but it took about 10 minutes, then back out and two laps later one of my outside lines snapped when I took a huge gust and got yanked off my board. Thought I was done for the day (about two hours down, one hour to go), but Shannon came riding up on her kite ten minutes later (she wasn't racing), swapped with me in the water, took over the self rescue mess, and sent me on my way - on a 13m Fuel!.

Got two laps on the 13 Fuel but was getting killed by the gusts and my lack of skill with that kite! Tried to downloop the kite at the finish buoy to get around someone, caught a wing tip in the waves and ended up taking a pounding from the shore break and washing up in the sand right in front of the whole crowd. Another tangled mess. Embarassed

Again, pit crew Shannon and her posse of Dominican kids gets me back out on a 9m Fuel with really really short lines. Shocked

But I worked it and got out through the shore break and headed off down the course. On my second lap on the 9m I made the turn at the downwind buoy then started my run out through the waves, bouncing over the white water, then past the first break, then the second - a little late - and got launched about 10 feet in the air, back down on the water, to the third break and it's starting to go vertical as I clear the top and get launched again! - then I look out and the biggest scariest wave I have ever faced in my life, easily 30 feet high, looking like one those waves at Mavericks, is coming in and I can see I wont be able to make the top before it breaks, so I decide to downloop and crank a turn and RUN! But stupid me, not being skilled on a Fuel, caught a wingtip, (think I started the downloop a little low) and dropped the kite, face planted, and up and over the falls I went. No time to release the kite so I tried to lay out flat but as soon as the wave hit the kite it snapped all four lines. I finally came up in a swirling foamy wasteland with no kite, no board, and a bar with useless lines attached to me. I started swimming for deeper water as fast as I could go as I was NOT ready to take on one of those monsters again. Luckily the next few waves were all breaking about 20 yards closer to shore than where I was so I was able to get clear of the danger zone.

So there I was, floating in deep dark blue water at least a half mile or more from shore with a gauntlet of monster waves to run if I want to touch sand again, no board, no kite. The only good thing is I had decided to wear my shorty wetsuit for the race to make sure I didn't get cold at the end of the day and to provide some sun protection. So I was floating comfortably. At this point there was probably only 10 minutes or so left in the race and I was getting worried that there wouldn't be anyone kiting by and I'd be all alone trying to figure out what to do.

After about 5 minutes of saying to myself "you are screwed man" two kiters came racing out through the break - but then they jibed and headed back in before they saw me, even though I'm treading water with half my body in the air and waving my arms over my head! Then about a minute behind them came another guy on a twin tip and as he crested the last wave and was getting ready to head back in he caught site of me and headed over - giving me the "dude, what the HELL are you doing out here and where is your kite", look.

We spent a couple of minutes studying the waves and trying to figure out our timing for making the run in with me laying flat out on my stomach hanging on to his harness. We finally said go and tried to come in right on the back of a big wave, which we mostly did for the first set, but then the second set caught up with us and we took a pounding from the white water and I thought my arms were going to rip off! Managed to hold on and then one more white water episode (very mild by comparison) then a relief filled drag back towards shore, bouncing through the chop. About 100 yards from shore we come across my board directly in our path so he dropped me off and I started the final swim. Eventually got to shore and not 10 yards away is Shannon's 9m Fuel, still intact and inflated, sitting on the beach facing into the wind waiting for me. Miracles do happen. Smile

Of course I had the ultimate walk of shame then, 1/2 mile back up the beach, past all the resorts, tourists, lessons, and other kiters. But I was on dry land. Smile

After all that I think I got 5th. Not too bad for all the difficulties I had. We also think Carol got first in the women's but we wont know the official results until tomorrow. Another one of those unforgettable days of kiting. I love this sport.

More photo's tonight or tomorrow morning.

Tony

Sella · Fri Feb 20, 09 3:38 pm

Wow...great recap and crazy story Tony!!!! Glad to hear everything worked out fine and you're STILL maybe Top 5. Very Happy

marina c · Fri Feb 20, 09 3:46 pm

that's dedication!! glad you're ok. Looks like the reef was going off! how was Encuentro?

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1738 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

great story tony!
glad you made it back in one piece.
looks like a great effort raising money for a good cause.
I put in 25 bones into the kitty.

stringy

tonyb · Sat Feb 21, 09 3:50 am

Hi Marina: no trip to Encuentro yet, just too busy but we heard it's been going off.

Thanks Stringy! 1 bikini girl for you!

Carol has the pics from yesterday. I'll try to get her to upload some before we go to the Big Air comp today.

Tony

surfboy1968 · Since 17 Jun 2008 224 Posts south padre island Stoked

The smiles on those kidz faces are priceless Very Happy

We should all be that happy.........cheers

Hope lots of you NW Kiters are coming down to SPI for our roundup im May Exclamation