Great Texas 300 Catamaran Race Starts Today

The Great Texas Catamaran Race is an off-shore beach catamaran race along the Texas Coast. Starting in South Padre Island on June 17, 2009 and finishing in Galveston on June 20, the race will cover approximately 300 miles along the Texas coast over the Father’s Day weekend. The race will be conducted in four stages with each stage starting and ending on the beach.

Here is the schedule:
Wednesday June 17, South Padre Island to Mustang Island (91 nm)
Thursday June 18, Mustang Island to Matagorda Island (91 nm)
Friday June 19, Matagorda Island to Surfside Beach (50 nm)
Saturday June 20, Surfside Beach to Galveston (40 nm)

For the most up-to-date information follow the race on Twitter at www.twitter.com/greattexas300 .

Free Movies At Port Isabel Lighthouse

by Tamera Bennett

Now in its 5th season,the Port Isabel Lighthouse Establishment Cinema has hosted over 5,000 viewers to a dozen and a half movies! FREE to the public, LHEC is sponsored by local businesses and the  City of Port Isabel, the Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation and the Museums of Port Isabel.

Bring lawn chairs, blankets and a picnic and join folks under the stars at the Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site for a family friendly evening! The show starts at 9:30 pm.

Iron Man – Friday, June 19

Indiana Jones – Friday, July 3

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure – Friday, July 17

Journey to the Center of the Earth – Friday, July 31

Kung Fu Panda – Friday, August 14

Grease – Friday, August 28

International Surfing Day: South Padre Island

by Tamera Bennett

Saturday, June 20, is International Surfing Day.  Click this link to see what beaches/organizations are participating in your area.

Join the folks on South Padre Island for free surf lessons for kids. This is the Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter’s 3rd Annual Free Children’s Surf Clinic.  There are two clinics for kids ages 4-14.  Morning is 8:30 to 11 and afternoon is 12:30 to 3.  Space is limited so first come first served.  

Click here for pictures from last year’s event.  Click here for  video from 2007.

Update June 17, 2009: The SPIsland Breeze reports to day the surf clinics are full with pre-registrations.

But not to worry, said Christiana Dijkman, associate director of Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter. “There are lots of other activities kids can be involved in,” she said. “If you’re interested in surfing come out anyway.”

To put a child on the waiting list call event coordinator Rob Nixon at 956-433-1472 and let him know how to contact you if there are registrants who fail to appear.

“But registered or not, come on out anyway,” Dijkman said. “We’re a pretty soft-hearted bunch and we’ll do anything we can to include you in the fun.”

First Sea Turtle Release of 2009 Season

by Tamera H. Bennett

The first Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles found their way to the ocean on Saturday from the beach of South Padre Island. Great pictures are included with the article at Coastal Current Weekly.

Four different nests hatched in the early hours of Saturday, June 13.  One nest was released during the night and the other three were released right after sunrise on Saturday.  I am disappointed that we missed the release. We were still on the island.  When I last checked the Sea Turtle hotline, no releases were anticipated until Sunday.  Lesson learned…keep calling the hotline for info on releases.

The staff of Sea Turtle, Inc.  is expecting more releases in the coming days. Releases are open to the public and take place at County Beach Access No. 4. For more information call Sea Turtle Inc. at (956) 761-4511.

Great Reads At Paragraphs on South Padre Island

by Tamera Bennett

I have been having fun following JoniParagraphs on Twitter the last few months as she prepared her  bookstore, Paragraphs, for opening on South Padre Island, Texas.

This week I was lucky enough to stop in and browse, chat, and pickup some great books.  Paragraphs is intimate and inviting.  There is a wonderful Texas section.  Joni was also quick to offer suggestions for fun Summer reads.  She recommend “A Fraction of the Whole,” “Mister Pip,” and “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.”  I picked up a copy of “A Fraction of the Whole” and put the others on my to-read list for the Summer.

For the music lover, she will soon have a selection of CD’s  from NPR’s All Songs considered.

Check out Paragraphs at 5505 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, Texas.

Dolphins Playing in the Laguna Madre

Our blog will be up and running shortly.  Enjoy the dolphins playing in the top photo.  This picture was taken on a Fins 2 Feathers dolphin cruise.