Windsurfing

News about windsurfing

Thursday, October 20, 2011

No Landing Zone Established on Klein Bonaire for Vessels

Unfortunately, there’s been an increase of stranding of rental boats or kayaks on the eastern shore of Klein Bonaire, which is harmful to the marine environment in that area.  Accordingly, the Bonaire Insider has been informed by STINAPA that a “no landing zone” has been established to avoid further damage.

Effective immediately, it is no longer allowed to embark or disembark on Klein Bonaire with any type of vessel in the area between Ebo’s Reef (12.09.881 N 68.17.703 W) and Nearest Point (12.08.081N 68.17.372W). This measure is necessary to preserve the shallow reef of that area, the only sea grass patch on Klein Bonaire, and the only foraging area for juvenile green turtles.

In the place of this area, No Name Beach may continue to be used as a landing area for all vessels.  (Source:  STINAPA)

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

The Place to Be Was on the Beach for Jong Bonaire’s 11th Annual Swim to Klein Bonaire

Bonaire’s 44th annual Regatta Week kicked off this past Sunday with the 11th annual Swim to Klein Bonaire, hosted by Jong Bonaire. The event was well attended by both island residents and tourists, with many on hand to cheer on the participants.

Unlike last year, when a sudden wind reversal made the swim difficult, this year the weather for the event was beautiful with clear and sunny skies, but a strong easterly wind and some waves in the channel made the return trip challenging for those opting to do the whole roundtrip. 325 swimmers participated in the event. The youngest participants were age 6, and there were several of them, and the oldest participant was 72. Plenty of volunteers and rescue boats were present for those who couldn’t finish the swim or chose not to battle the wind and waves on the return part of the swim.

This year’s men’s winner was Peter Zweers with a time of 34.40, followed by Leonard Klueters finishing at 35.27, and the third place finisher was Samson Everts with a time of 37.56.  On the women’s side, Terzha Richards finished first with a time of 37.30, followed by Ryda Luz Emmer at 37.50 and in third place was Kale Feliz with a time of 39.45. The Bonaire Insider’s own Susan Davis finished near the front of the group, coming in in about 49 minutes. The last person finished the competition in 2 hours and 3 minutes.

The wind forecast for the rest of Regatta Week is excellent with winds predicted between 12 and 20 knots each day. Various Regatta events will be held daily for the rest of the week, with the races concluding on Friday. The final party is Saturday evening in Kralendijk. (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter, images by Tim Nesselrodt and Marc Sieverding)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The 44th Edition of the Bonaire International Sailing Regatta and Festival Begins This Weekend

Scheduled activities will begin as early as this Friday and continue through Sunday, October 9th, 2011.  To view the schedule of events, click here.

The Bonaire Regatta is an annual sailing event with many races along the rugged coast of Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. All kinds of boats, hailing from all over the world, participate in this sailing competition. Added to this are windsurfing- and freestyle-competitions. The daily races in various categories are scheduled very close to shore in the Kralendijk Bay, so spectators can easily follow the colorful sails.

The evenings are filled with the Regatta Festival activities along the Sea Promenade, Wilhelmina Park, and on the streets of Kralendijk. Stands with a variety of local food, souvenirs, games, and handicrafts attract locals as well as visitors; they throng the normally quiet streets during this time. International and local bands perform on stage every day of this festive week.

To learn more about Bonaire’s annual Regatta, click here.  (Source:  Bonaire International Sailing Regatta & Festival)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

ProKids Competition Completes a Week of Exciting International Windsurfing

The ProKids windsurfiing competition finished Sunday June 19, 2011, following the PWA tournament and showcasing Bonaire’s up and coming young talent. The event ran for three days and included 14 freestyle participants and 17 slalom sailors ranging from age 6 to 20. 

The final day on Sunday saw some excellent freestyle moves from the younger windsurfers, with second elimination and finals for the kids 11 and under. The middle of the day featured a freestyle and downwind sailing race for the participants between ages 3 through 6, providing a chance to view potential future talents.

The freestyle under 11 was won by Mikki de Man, with the freestyle under 15 won by Stepherd Gustowski. In slalom under 11, Sil Frans Romeijn took first with Jurgen Saragoza winning the slalom under 15. Freestyle men was won by Dylon Robles, while women’s slalom was won by Silvienne St. Jago and slalom men won by Jaeger St. Jago.

It was an excellent opportunity to view Bonaire’s young and future talents on display, promising a continuation of Bonaire’s rich and successful windsurfing tradition. (Source: ProKids Web Site)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Local Talent Shines at the Bonaire PWA World Cup Competition

Bonaire’s Kiri Thode and Aruba’s Sarah-Quita Offringa both turned in exceptional performances to clinch the Bonaire PWA World Cup Competition which concluded yesterday. Sorobon Beach was the site of a five day international freestyle windsurfing competition for both men and women. 48 of the world’s top sailors competed through single and double elimination ladders to attempt to win the 45,000 euro prize purse, and accrue points toward overall tour rankings.

Bonaire’s Kiri Thode was already having an outstanding season, and entered the competition at the top of the overall rankings, with Bonaire being the third stop on the men’s freestyle tour. In the first two days, he advanced to the finals, defeating Bonaire’s Taty Frans in closely fought contests. The third day of the competition saw the winds die off. and the tide drop, making conditions more challenging. At the end of the day, Steven Van Broeckhoven challenged Kiri Thode, and won in a very tight competition by just half a point. In the final day of competition, Thode capitalized on his home water advantage and fan support to nail several big moves and defeat Van Broeckhoven in a tough final and solidify his win. Bonaire’s sailors put in a strong performance, with Taty Frans finishing third, Tonky Frans seventh, Choco Frans eighth and Bjorn Saragoza ninth.

On the women’s side, Bonaire marked the opening of the women’s freestyle world tour. Three time world freestyle champion and slalom racer Sarah-Quita Offinga of Aruba, competed to defend her title. She dominated this year’s competition winning every day, and fighting off a strong challenge from Laure Treboux, including an outstanding last day final which had spectators cheering loudly as the women unveiled their best moves. Yolanda Freites De Brendt finished third and Maxime Van Gent representing Bonaire finished eighth.

The competition’s return to Bonaire highlighted the island’s world class local talent and excellent windsurfing conditions. (Source: PWA Web Site)

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Bonaire Windsurf Place Introduces the GoPro Camera

Many visitors to Bonaire engage in active, outdoor activities that they would like to capture on video to remember their vacation experience, or share with others, either at home or even on YouTube. Bonaire Windsurf Place is now the local Bonaire agent for the GoPro HD video camera, offering the camera for both daily rental or sale to allow visitors to capture their vacation action experience on video. 

GoPro is a small waterproof HD action video camera that films in 1080p HD, which can be used in a variety of activities on Bonaire including snorkeling, diving, windsurfing, kiteboarding, mountain biking, or any type of action. It is fast becoming one of the most used HD action sport cameras in the world. For those wanting to capture underwater activity, the camera is waterproof and can be used as deep as 60 meters, when in the correct housing. Divers should note that the camera does not come with lighting, so an outside lighting source will be necessary for optimal colors underwater.  For those engaging in above water activities, like windsurfing, cycling, and kiteboarding, the camera allows the user to video the experience, as a participant or a spectator. The camera is small, easy to use, yet produces high quality videos. It is both unique and versatile as it can be housed in varied ways, making it available for use in all types of activities.

The GoPro is available for rent by the day for $50 or for sale starting at a price of $260. For more information, contact Bonaire Windsurf Place. (Source: Bonaire Windsurf Place)

Monday, May 23, 2011

PWA and ProKids Windsurfing Competitions To Be Held on Bonaire in June

After a seven year break, the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) will return to Bonaire to hold the world championships on June 12 through June 16, 2011, followed immediately by the ProKids windsurfing competition, on June 17 through 19, all to be held at Lac Bay. It’s an opportunity to view Bonaire’s best windsurfers competing against other top international contenders, to determine the world freestyle champions, while enjoying a week of excellent windsurfing and fun. 

The PWA competition on Bonaire is the final event of the season and will determine the world freestyle champions, in both the men’s and women’s categories. Bonaire’s own Kiri Thode, Taty Frans and Tonky Frans competed in Vietnam in January and Austria in April and placed first, third and fifth respectively. They will now defend their positions in their home waters of Bonaire. There will be some new young talent competing from Bonaire, moving up from the ProKids competition as Amado Vrieswijk and Youp Smith bring new talent to the field.

The ProKids competition will follow the PWA, with the top kids in the world competing for the freestyle title. The ProKids competition was a concept which came from Bonaire’s Elvis Martinus, who has long promoted kids windsurfing on Bonaire, along with major sponsor Starboard, and many others offering assistance through sponsorship. Several successful international PWA competitors came up through the ProKids tournament including Kiri Thode, the current leader of the 2011 PWA competition, Sarah Quito Ofringa of Aruba, who has won three consecutive PWA titles, and Bjorn Saragoza, who has been competing in PWA events since he was eleven.

This year’s ProKids event includes the family Halank from Australia who have two children ages six and nine who will be competing. They won a promotion to participate in last year’s ProKids tournament and they enjoyed Bonaire and the event so much that this year they have returned to compete again. They have been here training for two months already, and they are looking forward to the competition. (Source: TCB-Bonaire)

Friday, December 10, 2010

Jibe City Announces Upcoming Calendar for the 2010 Holidays

The holidays are nearly upon us and Jibe City has announced their event schedule for the next few weeks.

The Hang Out Bar offers a variety of entertainment for the holiday season. The fun starts Saturday, December 19 at 5:00 PM with Full Moon Windsurfing, DJ Bikkel, and a $10 barhop. Santa Claus is planning a visit on Christmas day along with Trio Los Principes starting at 11:00 AM. Trio Los Principes will also play on the 26th starting at 3:00 PM. Wednesday the 29th is a surf competition with DJ Monk and Brass Band Euphoria. Friday December 31st is the day of “oliebollen bakken” or make your own donuts, and January 1st will be a Nieuwjaarsborrel, or New Year Reception, with Trio Los Principes at 11:00 AM and DJ Monk at 2:00 PM. Finish off the fun on January 19 with Full Moon Windsurfing, DJ Monk and a $10 barhop, starting at 5:00 PM.

On the windsurfing side, three kids clinics will be offered. The first is December 22 to December 24, with the second one December 28 to December 30, and the last one January 2 to January 4. The clinics are for kids between ages seven and 17. They are held daily from 9:30 to 1:30 PM and the cost is $200. (Source: Jibe City)

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Mid-Week Recap of 2010 Regatta Events

As noted in a previous story, this week marks the 43rd Annual Sailing Regatta.  Weather has played an important role in the events so far, in both the Swim to Klein Bonaire, as well as sailing and windsurfing competitions.

The 10th annual Swim to Klein Bonaire was held Sunday October 3, 2010, hosted by Jong Bonaire.  It’s always a popular and well attended event by participants and observers, consisting of both island residents and tourists.

Even with rain pouring down, hundreds of swimmers turned out to make the annual trek to Klein Bonaire and back, with the youngest being only three years old.  Mother Nature decided to keep the event interesting by unleashing a heavy rain squall with a strong wind reversal shortly after swimmers began, making the swim exciting with large swells and heavy headwinds. Ample rescue boats and volunteers were on hand for those who tired or wished not to battle the waves.

Bonaire’s home-grown national swimming champion, Samson Evertsz, was the first to finish at around 28 minutes. This was no surprise as, for several years, Samson has been a national champion and in 2005 was the first Bonairean swimmer to win a medal at the national level. He swims for the Bonaire Barracudas Aquatics Club. Right behind Samson was Peter Zweers, of Botika Korona.  Even this reporter turned in a respectable time, completing the round-trip swim at the front of the pack in about 42 minutes.

As for the sailing events, unfortunately, the wind forecast for the week was not good, with unusual weather conditions persisting with westerly winds and overcast skies. Races were held on Monday morning and Tuesday, but Monday afternoon’s race around Bonaire and Lac Bay routes had to be canceled due to low wind. Wednesday was lay day for the sailors, but that’s when the micro-boats, fishing boats, kayakers, and free-style windsurfers tried to make the most of what wind there was.  Events continue today through Saturday night, when the island will turn out to say good-bye to the Netherlands Antilles and welcome our new status as a part of Holland.  (Source: Bonaire Insider Reporter, images courtesy of Tim Nesselrodt, Boto Blanku Marine Services)

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Bonaire’s Windsurfing Champions are the Subject of a New Documentary--The Children of the Wind

Children of the Wind will tell the story of the young children and teens from Bonaire who’ve journeyed from humble beginnings to international fame through the sport of windsurfing, transforming not only the island, but the face of the sport worldwide.

Bonaire’s youth have been making headlines for many years now, propelled to the very top league of windsurfers.  This new documentary, Children of the Wind, will be shot this spring on Bonaire, and tells these champions’ stories, starting with their first international competition in Merritt Island, Florida, back in 2001, when the Bonaire team brought home twenty awards. This was an unprecedented achievement for any country, much less tiny Bonaire!  Even more remarkable is the island continues to produce world champions in every age category of the Pro Kids competition. This documentary will follow these youth from their modest beginnings to the cover of magazines as well as what they’ve learned in the process. This will be a story of how powerful change can come from children willing and strong enough to persevere through physical discipline--it will be the story of children brave enough to push beyond the perceived limits of their circumstances and offer new hope to their community and those who look up to them.

The photographic crew from Seek Films will shoot on location on Bonaire in May, 2010.  Film development is being planned now and the final documentary will include archival footage, interviews, lifestyle and action scenes, all of which will tell the dynamic story of Bonaire’s young windsurfers.  A promotional trailer is available on YouTube by clicking here. (Source:  Children of the Wind Web Site)