Cabarete Trip Report 23rd June - 7th July

This is our third trip to Cabarete, last one was some five years ago. Although there has been a fair amount of development since it's good that Cabarete life has not changed too much. Hanging out at Vela during the day has not changed, and many people come back the same time every year, so there is a very good social scene, and also very easy to slot into if visiting for your first time with a good mix of various nationalities, singles, couples & families.

View from our apartment out to the reef

There are now many more middle class American family types, many who 5 years ago would have considered Dom Reps third world, but on the whole they keep within their own social space, even if at times they are loud, but you can't knock their gung ho enthusiasm even though at times it is a wee bit annoying having to hear their deliberations as to whether to take a 105 with a 6.2 or a 110 with a 6.4 etc etc etc.

As to level of sailing, Cabarete caters for all levels. From 10:00 in the morning, its great for learning, and no better testament is that my daughters, both learned and enjoyed it, helped along by the Serle & Neil, the two Brits who work at Vela added the crucial X-factor you don't get in the UK!

Huge selection of kit

Equipment is great with learners on 205 - 180 JP Funsters, then by noon the wind builds and the "Snappers" start to go out on short boards and 4.7's. Average age is around 14, weigh in at about 40kgs, and will stay out there all day just freestyling and doing all their stuff. Think they have been banned by their parents etc from going out too far and into the reef, though they do play on a little break closer in, but it's great to see. None of them can carve gybe as they spend all their time throwing in all the freestyle bollox.........(I'm only jealous).

Some family fun, with ther eef on the horizon!

Then as the wind builds further so the big kit starts to get taken out of the racks. Interesting to note that even on the couple of days with marginal wind, and or in the morning no one bothers with all the Formula / Slalom / Kona kit that is available should your needs demand it. And most sail / board sizes taken out are in the range of 105 - 120's with 6.4's etc by intermediate groove riders.

Many of the sailors on holiday in Cabarete are destinational sailors, in that they are not fortunate like many of us to be able to sail at the weekend, let alone during the week, as many live hours away from any sailable water, so they might only get to sail two / three weeks of the year, though earlier on in their pre domesticated lives they might have done a year in the Gorge / Maui etc.

Jai powered up on a 4.7 heading out to the reef

With the 105 & 5.8 I was getting going earlier than most sailors on larger kit, but there again I probably sail 10 times more than most out on the water, but it was amusing to hear many of the US dudes totally flummoxed when I could get going and they could not.

When you rent kit from Vela you have a huge choice of boards (JP & Starboard) all only a three or so months old, like wise with the Pryde sails. There is the option of taking out insurance, though you're not covered if you play in the reef.

View from Vela, camera zoomed back, but gives you an idea, as ever there's the ever present no wind zone close in!

The reef is about 2/3 of a mile off shore, and most are content to blast up to the inner zone and gybe back, there are a few channels through it and these change with the tides and a fair number of sailors sail through the reef avoiding the faces etc by bearing off / heading up wind to stay away from any danger, and will then sail out beyond the reef into the deep dark water, then come back through frontside riding where they feel comfortable.

I was surprised as to how few actually played in the reef, I'm not complaining as that meant I had more room, though a couple of times just as I was about to go off down the line I had some huge ex football player lard bucket on a 125lt / 6.8 combination bearing down on me with no idea as to what I was about to do....expletives from my lips followed.

There were about 3 or 4 of us who rode the faces, gybing close to the reef on the inside not bothering sailing all the way back in, then picking a nice face to gybe on in the reef when going out. Sometimes if you had some luck, you'd string around 10 or so very deep turns that would take you a long way down wind and then you would have to sail upwind close inshore to get back to do it all over again. Sailing up to the Cafe here helped me in this respect!

Jens from Vela and a few other locals would come out and show us how it should / could be done, throwing his rig down into the face and waiting for the up draught to blow it back up into his hands, very cool, and not the sort of move you see being pulled off in Hove mush?

If you windsurf then kiters are getting a problem, they are meant to stick to their own zones as they have so much of the reef to play on due the vast majority of windsurfers launching from the two centres close to each other and like Shoreham / The Cafe don't exactlly take up a lot of room, but a few kites choose to ignore these simple rules and they act like magnets attracting others.

So, it's not a hard core sailing only location, but it does have so much to offer. In advance of going out my daughters had sussed various other non beach activities to do, as it happened they were not needed. Though we did Canyoning on one day, when it rained all day with no wind, so that was a good choice..........but it is an accident waiting to happen.

Not for the faint hearted!

And what to wear, temps are a constant 30 -32 degrees, sand at midday sand is almost to hot to walk on, just shorts & t's, no need for anything else, maybe a pair of light trousers in the evening if the mosy's like you. Sailing in shorts and a light rash vest is the norm.

Flights were booked via Thomson (£399 plus kit £60 & other extras), accomodation was done direct.

All in all excellent.

More Fun in the Sun Have had some sessions out on the Reef the past couple of days. Yesterday wind kicked in, enough for smaller kit. Earlier on in amongst the waves out on the reef, had a major mishap, as board and rig went their own separate ways, it was quite disconcerting to see board spiralling skywards off the wave face and then disapear leaving me thinking how the feck I was going to get in.

I shouted at a passing sailor who nearly hit the board, then had a long swim to him, leaving my rig, which I I thought could well sink, but better to be with the board. Once reunited with the board I swam back in the direction of the rig through the waves, then had an arduous 5 minutes or so trying to join rig and board, as luckily the kit failure was down to me not ensuring the deck plate was secure.

In fact ended up doing a fair amount of swimming yesterday, as earlier went into lifeguard mode as you can see from the pictures below!

One very relieved local with his kid's toy.

Sunday the beach is packed with locals who all just stay in the shallows, because they can't swim, which makes for some amusing launching in the no wind zone.

Reef also was in form claiming more kit!

And finally, could not resist taking this photo of a couple of "kiters" on their way to kite beach :)

Should be back in the UK early Tuesday

Bye for now

What a night, U2 live on the beach, well a very good version. To celebrate July 4th a huge beach party with the "best" U2 tribute band, and then fireworks, which went off earlier than planned in the middle of their set, very amusing.

Must have been around 5-7 thousand people, no police / security, all very chilled & relaxed.

Another great day here in Cabarete, wind filled in earlier than normal and nearly had to change down. With the earlier & stronger winds the wind driven swell made for good conditions by the time it arrived on the reef. One session I was out with Jens who runs Vela, obviously a very good sailor, we were both riding a very big face, when he stood up and just threw his rig away from him, and then with the updraft it blew back up to him...........very cool.

I was being too cocky and paid with a couple of major rinsings, if you loose it on the outside on a face, you then can't really water start with the lighter wind in the wind shadow of the waves so you have to wait as you get pummelled by around 15 sets until you come out into clearer water.

Picture below sort of shows that, you can make out the tip of a sail behind the face.

Who'd have thought it, not me for sure...............my daughters hate windsurfing, think it's all done by middle aged fat b*st*rds who just go on and on and on..........

Out here in Cabarete they are now hooked, I'm still in a bizarre state of disbelief!

They've now booked up for more lessons.

We're now in a nice chilled out routine, girls windsurf in the morning then around noon wind starts to build and we're normally out on the water by 13:00. Wind's not been as strong as on past trips, but well powered up on 5.8 and 105 FSW.

Reef still working well, though not as big as last week, but still claiming the odd "punter" who gets caught in the zone, masts being the usual problem and then a very long swim back in.

Few days back sailed down wind to see what the other end of the reef was like, and to sail with some people we know who live down that end of the bay, was having a fun session when my boom went. Luckily sailed back in ok as it went when I was going out, managed to borrow a boom from said friends to sail back home.

Great to be back here, superb location. Great for the family, if you have young ones there's a great kids club and all that stuff here at Vela. If you're young free and single then it's superb with great bars etc, but just so chilled out, and no hassle.

Few of you might know the two English guys helping to run Vela here, Serle Clark and Neal Howe, have pretty well been and worked at many major locations (Cape Verde / Jerri etc) but keep coming back here.

One of my daughters in a state of shock that she actually likes it!

Some family fun, with ther eef on the horizon!

View down to kite beach

Girls & Mrs WC are off horse riding along the beach, wind has come up a bit more, so will have a pre happy hour session.

Bye............

Some more photos from earlier