“Warning Cabarete Local” graphics. –rr - The Kiteboarder Magazine

dominican republic cabarete
Courtesy cabaretekiteboarding.com
Groundhog’s Day
As my plane landed in Puerto Plata, a nervous
feeling of anticipation crept over me. Cabarete
had changed my life. During my many trips,
I had crossed paths with the who’s who of
kiteboarding and had spent hundreds of
hours riding and exploring the island with my
kiteboarding buddies. This trip would be no
different. As I waited for my board bag at the
baggage carousel, I ran into Bruno Legaignoux,
the original designer of the inflatable kite.
Bruno lives in the Dominican Republic and
had just come back from a trip to Martinique
where he was testing some of his new designs.
I have known Bruno for years and it was great
to see him. We briefly chatted, I handed him
a copy of The Kiteboarder and then continued
the trek through customs. Cabarete is like that.
You never know who you are going to cross
paths with—pro, pioneer or super cool average
Joe kiteboarder.
We soon made our way to the street and waited
for our ride to Cabarete. Luckily, my friend
manages eXtreme Hotels and had arranged
a private taxi to pick us up. We pulled into
eXtreme and it was like Groundhog’s Day. I
had not been back in a year and half, yet many
of the same people were doing the same thing.
The only difference was the palm trees had
grown. Dozens of kites were in the air. People
were lounging at the pool. The skate ramp was
going off and the bar was filled with people
eating and using the free internet connection.
I grabbed a pirate punch, my signature rum
drink, and walked out onto “Kite Beach.” As
I looked out, there were over 40 kites in the air.
Some would complain that it is crowded, but
the area is big enough to handle three times
this amount. This is the magic of this spot
and it is something you have to experience. I
decided to take a walk down the beach and say
hello to some old friends.
continued next page.
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Ben Kleppe worn out from a long days session.
Photo ryan riccitelli
Kim tropf and neil Hutchinson enjoy happy hour at extreme Hotel’s
beach bar. Photo ryan riccitelli
Jose luis launches off a kicker at Kite Beach. Photo raphael Faux
you never know who
you are going to
cross paths with–pro,
pioneeer or super cool
average Joe kiteboarder
–rr
64 thekiteboarder.com
thekiteboarder.com 65