NSP & Puerto Rico : Rebuilding after Hurricane Maria!

We know the island took a huge hit from Hurricane Maria. But it looks like you guys are back on the water! How’s everything and everyone on the island?

After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico has been rebuilding from the destruction of its direct strike.  It will take some time to bring back our beautiful landscapes. But it has made us stronger and more thankful of our Island.  As part of our commitment and love for stand up paddling we started our training without basic services of electricity and running water. It served as an outlet for us and to get our community back together. Thank God, we have both electricity and running water now!

We know there are some up coming events? Can you tell us about them?

This season will start on March 24 in Ponce, with The Escape from Coffin Island.  An 8.5 mile downwinder race from Coffin Island to the Ponce Yacht & Fishing Club.  This will be its 6th edition and year by year it has been one of the best downwinders of the year.  Names like: Heather Baus, Bill Kraft, Jeramie Vaine, Frank Fiffils, Isabelle Picard, Garrett Fletcher, Greg Jaudon, Jack Sauvé and Jorge Quintana are just part of the Elite athletes that the event has proudly brought together for the past years. As well as the hundreds of local paddlers who travel from across the island to take part. We also have paddlers from the US who travel and race in the open division.

After the Escape from Coffin Island, on April 7th we’ll have the Rincon Beachboy SUP Race. It’s Puerto Rico’s biggest SUP race, with more than 300 athletes. Just like Coffin Island  the race hosts numerous local paddlers, such as the kids and up and comers in the open division. As well as an elite division. These two events will start the 2018 season in an awesome way. And NSP will have a strong representation.

Who is a part of the NSP team in Puerto Rico? And what boards are they riding? 

Puerto Rico’s NSP Team consists of a joint venture of two groups, Team Lexus from Ponce, the south side of the island and paddlers from the Verde Azul shop and family from Aguadilla on the North Side of Puerto Rico.

At this time we have five members from Lexus and three members from Verde Azul.  Amador (Docho) Perez, Jan Porrata, Jacob Silva, Jan Roman and Roberto Pagan from Team Lexus.

From Team Verde Azul Bryan Alvarez, Desire Hernandez and Christopher Nevares representing NSP. We have Ninjas, Pumas and Sonics, depending on the different categories of our paddlers.  

We are currently working with some up and coming groms who will join the team shortly. Naishalee Piñeiro, Nyra Velazquez and Lorena Perez are all current champions in their respective  divisions.  

This year, NSP is going to be on the podium for sure!!  Special thanks to Jeramie Vaine and Miguel Alvarez for make this dream a reality!!  We won’t let you down!!

 What is Verde Azul, where is the shop located?

The shop is an NSP dealer for many years, specializing in rentals of both stand up paddle boards and surfboards as well as kayaks, snorkel gear and other beach essentials. As paddlers and surfers we understand the needs of our customers and are here to work with them to get them on the best products. We are excited to have the 2018 NSP raceboards in our store as well as the vast line up of surf and SUPs that NSP offers. You will also see NSPs in our rental and lesson fleets, helping you experience the island of Puerto Rico alongside our various eco tours and zip line adventures. 2018 is an exciting year and we look forward to a full event calendar!

Verde Azul is located at…

Hwy 110 Kil 31.6

Aguadilla, 00603, Puerto Rico

http://verdeazulpr.com/

What is Team Lexus SUP? 

About Team Lexus SUP, ours is a simple story.  Being a passionate paddler, I started looking for friends and good people that felt the same as I did for the sport.  One day, Amador (Docho)Perez, the Ponce, our local Lexus dealer manager, started to paddle with me. Quickly, he created the idea to fully sponsor some SUPs with stickers, including mine.  We started making noise at the events and in less than a year we  decided to organize our community of paddlers as a Team. The Lexus SUP Team consists of 9 athletes.  “From first timers to elites we are covered”. Our goal is to have a blast, doing what we love and to share our love for paddling and our boards with new friends.
It’s clear NSP will be well represented in the Caribbean and we are STOKED to be part of this joint venture, highlighting NSP’s position at the forefront of the SUP scene in Puerto Rico.