KITEBOARDING
Sullivan’s Island has earned a measure of fame for various reasons over the past few centuries, from the part it played in the Revolutionary War to its connection to famed author Edgar Allan Poe. Now it is being touted as one of the best launching beaches on the East Coast for kite-boarders.
Locals and visitors alike watch in awe as the colorful sails of the kite-boards dance across the blue horizon. Oranges, yellows, stripes – the graceful, billowing sails are poetry in motion. An environmentally- friendly leisure activity, kite- boarding is considered to be an extreme sport because it requires a learned skill and upper body strength, and there is a certain amount of risk involved.
Photo provided by Vanessa Kauffmann
and operated by the South Carolina Maritime Foundation. For more information, visit
www.scmaritime.org. In 2011 Harbor Fest coincided
with the restart of the 5 Oceans, which is among the most challenging around-the-world solo sailing races. Charleston hosted skippers from four countries after their run from Uruguay, en route to the finish line in France. The event held special appeal for the Charleston community since local skipper Brad Van Liew was racing. Along with listening to pirate tales, touring tall ships and learning about Charleston’s maritime history, Harbor Fest participants
can take to the water themselves on a catamaran cruise or just enjoy the sites, sounds and flavors of the Charleston waterfront.
Tickets for Harbor Fest are available at the gate. To purchase advance tickets and learn about VIP packages, visit
www.charlestonharborfest.org.
Charleston is one of the country’s fastest growing venues for wind-powered sports, especially with the explosive success of Charleston Race Week, held annually in April. The area can now add extreme sailing to its water-oriented resume, with the launching of the first annual Kite Week Invitational Kite- boarding Championship, held during Charleston Harbor Fest in May 2011. The event features a maximum of 25 kite-boarders racing over two days just off Sullivan’s Island. Competitors challenge a windward/leeward triangle course on Saturday, with a series of downwind races on Sunday.
Hunter Stunzi, co-director of the race, said: “We think [Kite Week] will really highlight the sheer awesomeness of Sullivan’s Island as a kite- boarding venue. We hope to draw attention to the excitement of kite-board racing and also fuel the debate on adding kite-boarding as an Olympic sport. With a community of more than 100 active kiters, Charleston and Sullivan’s Island are perfect for this.”
Kite Week is yet another big event that benefits from a partnership with the South Carolina Maritime Foundation, the owner and operator of the educational tall ship Spirit of South Carolina and an organizer of Charleston Harbor Fest.
For more details, visit http://charlestonharborfest. org/
charlestonkiteweek.shtml.
www.ILoveMountPleasant.com |
www.MountPleasantMagazine.com |
www.MountPleasantNeighborhoods.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68