Dominican Republic relatively cheap

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, ash, New Sailing Holiday Ideas, Sailing Holidays Talk, sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Sailing, tourism, Travel, Yachting

Good value for money can be gleaned from a Caribbean yacht charter holiday to the Dominican Republic, according to the country’s tourist board.

Travelling to the Caribbean island, which has Haiti as its next-door neighbour, is cheap compared with going to other destinations in the region, an official at the Dominican Republic Tourist Board insisted.

Gustavo Candelario said that, because of this, the number of people visiting the country has increased in the last five months, especially those who prefer their sailing Caribbean-flavoured.

Photo from Flickr user: whatleydude

“People are realising how good value for money the Dominican Republic is because you can spend a fraction of what you would spend going to another destination in the Caribbean and you will get even better quality for your money. It is a fantastic deal,” Mr Candalerio added.

The Dominican Republic offers “picture-perfect” beaches and excursions to rum distilleries and cigar factories, as well as the chance to learn to sail.

Sailboat on display at dinghy show

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, ash, sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     dinghy, RYA Volvo Dinghy Show, Sailing

Sailing enthusiasts interested in taking a yacht charter holiday this year may be interested to hear that the latest offering from boat maker LaserPerformance will be on show at the 2011 RYA Volvo Dinghy Show in March.

The Vapor Optimist will be on display at the show, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, at Alexandra Palace in London from March 5 to 6 at stand B10 in the Great Hall along with a number of other products ideal for a sailing holiday.

Photo from Flickr user: Dicktay2000

Sailing experts will be on hand to talk to enthusiasts about the Vapor Optimist as well as a number of other dinghies on show at the event including the Laser, Laser 2000, Laser Vago and Laser Pico.

Mark Henry, managing director of LaserPerformance Europe, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to our stand, meeting up with old friends and launching the 2011 sailing season.”

A variety of exciting events will take place at the show including a special 60 Minute Sale which will take place on the Saturday and Sunday.

Thomson misses Barcelona World Race

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, ash, sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     Barcelona World Race, race, Sailing, yacht, Yachting

British sailor Alex Thomson has been forced to miss the start of the two-handed Barcelona World Race – a popular yacht racing event amongst yachting enthusiasts.

Thomson, 36, from Gosport in Hampshire, underwent emergency surgery to remove his appendix just 48 hours before the start of the non-stop around-the-world race.

Race organisers accepted an 11th-hour request from the Thomson’s Hugo Boss sailing team to allow a temporary substitute to replace the skipper.

Dutchman Wouter Verbraak has taken the helm of the 60ft yacht Hugo Boss yacht, with New Zealander Andy Meiklejohn as his co-skipper, until Thomson is fit enough to rejoin the team in about two weeks’ time.

Best Travel Laptops 2011

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts    

Last year it was all about portability, networkability, connectivity and longevity (battery life). But this year, in reviewing the top 10 travel laptops for 2011, we are looking for evidence of one more attribute: Innovativeness.

Innovate or die. Let’s face it, to stand out you need actual innovation not just a new colour scheme. Ideally, we are looking for laptops that are rugged in some way. And as the traditional approach to mobile computing has changed so much, we are throwing the doors wide open and throwing in the tablets…

read more

Mr Lightfoot: How Andrew Skurka trekked Alaska

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, trekkingholidays     Adventure Travel, Alaska, canoeing, Kayaking, National Geographic, Skiing, trekking, Trekking in Alaska, winter sports

When choosing a rucksack one observation will serve you well: ‘Buy a bigger rucksack and you’ll only take more gear’, something Andrew Skurka knows well.

Andrew is one of a generation of trekkers who travel on foot, travel light, and travel fast. So when it came to planning his epic circumnavigation of Alaska, every gram counted.

Alaska, for all its state parks and picnic places, is a testing place: tundra-carpeted plateaus, massive mountain ranges, and waterways and rivers flowing full with glacial water. And it’s cold, real cold. Temperatures tumble and islets freeze – as do fingertips…

Photo: Michael Christopher Brown/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Leaving Kotezebue, his aim was to be the first person to trek around Alaska, self propelled. The first section was on skis, and he unclipped to walk or canoe where the terrain demanded.

The distances he covered are vast, but still shorter than on earlier exploits – previous wanderings saw him complete 7,778 miles from the US Atlantic to Pacific coast!

Choosing to travel alone rarely leaves you alone – eventually, there’s always someone around to share the trials and trails. Still, on foot Alaska can seem boundless, so part of the test for Andrew was to remain motivated, focused and determined to see his journey through.

He prepared well –always vital no matter what adventure you are planning – taking first place in the 2009 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic adventure race must have helped him, but clearly he wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact…

In one moment he ignored his map, preferring to follow caribou along a route they’d proved for hundreds of years, and it was here, tears flowing, that he found his place…

Andrew’s trekking around Alaska is covered in more detail in a National Geographic piece by Dan Koeppel.

For more images of this incredible journey, please look at the National Geographic photo gallery or look in the March 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands February 22.

5 extreme weather patterns to watch for

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Sports, extreme weather, rtw trip, Travel, weather conditions

As travellers, we accept there’s very difficult conditions to be faced around the globe. We’ve all seen the terrible weather that has swept Australia; for weeks the country was blighted by floods, to then be hit from the west by a hurricane. Last year, Russia endured a surprise heat wave which lasted a month, and several US states recently declared a state of emergency after winter weather closed roads and shut businesses.

Photo from Flickr user: IRRI Images

Now, whether we can blame climate change for all this is well beyond this blog post. What we can do is take a quick look and learn at five of  the world’s most extreme weather patterns. read more

Adventure sports romance – 5 places to pop the question

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, New Adventure Travel Ideas     Adventure Sports, Adventure Travel, proposal, Travel, Valentine's day

As its Valentine’s Day, we thought to look at the places where adventure sports people could pop the question. Why do it in the pub or at a party when you’ve got Peru or Parachuting to pick from?

On top of a mountain

Photo from Flickr user: M. Janicki

Just about any mountain will do. It could be Everest after a short trekking holiday in Nepal, or even one of the Lake District’s peaks after a day walk. Popping the question on top of a hill is one of the best ways to do it. Why? Well, having made it up there you’ll both be elated, your hearts thumping, with broad beaming smiles; a great time then to dig that ring box out of the waterproof case in the bottom of your day sack – and as you can be completely alone, you will also avoid any embarrassment should it go wrong! read more