| Wilmington,
NC � July 2006 � Wrightsville Beach is basking in the glow of recent media
attention from regional and national publications. In June, Triangle Business
Journal readers voted Wrightsville
Beach-Wilmington as their Favorite North Carolina Vacation Destination
in the Raleigh-based magazine�s informal poll. Nationally, Frommers.com,
the official website for Frommer�s travel guides, included Wrightsville
Beach in its 2006 Best Beach roundup. And the May 2006 issue of Outside
magazine recently listed Wrightsville Beach among the Best North American
Beginner Surf Spots. According to Outside, �Wrightsville's soft, sandy
beaches are the perfect venue for beginners and perfectly warm in the summer.�
Beginning
surfers can learn to surf by signing up for lessons and camps offered by
eco-friendly surfing schools located in Wrightsville Beach and Carolina
Beach. Wrightsville Beach Surf Camp, Crystal South Surfing Camp, and Carolina
Surf Adventures are among the Cape Fear Coast�s surf schools that offer
programs for children, adults, families, and/or corporate retreats. Advanced
surfers also find Cape Fear Coast waves enticing. Wrightsville Beach claims
three East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame recipients, Will Allison, Bill Curry,
and Ben Bourgeois.
Wrightsville
Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach waves play host to several surfing
contests each year, including the East Coast Wahine Championships, which
is the East Coast�s largest women�s surfing competition. Visitors are in
for an exciting weekend at Wrightsville Beach on August 19 and 20 when
this unique all-women�s surf competition takes to the waves. All eyes will
be on the surf action at the Crystal Pier (behind the Oceanic Restaurant)
during the 10th Annual Billabong East Coast Wahine Championships. The action
begins at 7:30 AM and lasts until 5:00 PM on Saturday and from 7:30 AM
until 2:00 PM on Sunday.
In
1997, the East Coast Wahine Championships (ECWC) was the first all-female
surfing contest on the East Coast. Now in its tenth year, the event is
returning to its roots as an all-amateur competition. Recent contests have
drawn approximately 200 women (each year) who ride the waves during surf
competitions in Shortboard, Longboard, Bodyboard, and Novice divisions.
There�s also a Guppy division for girls under age 10 (parental assistance
is allowed in this category). This year, a new competition is being introduced:
the Global Surf Industries One Design Challenge, an all-ages division where
everyone rides the exact same size/shape surfboard. Competitors may choose
to ride the Funboard (a 7-foot, 6-inch Blue Surfboard) or a Fish (a 6-foot
Seven Surfboard). Also new is a surf clinic conducted by Surf Diva, a West
Coast-based all-girls surf school.
The
ECWC's goal is to promote, support, and encourage women's surfing and the
confidence, strength, and bonds of friendship it brings. Each year, the
Wahines travel from over a dozen states to reunite with other wave-riders
in this friendly competition. This year�s event is expected to attract
record attendance as the Wahines return to celebrate the competition�s
tenth anniversary.
Entry
forms for the East Coast Wahine Championship can be accessed online via
www.eastcoastwahines.com
For more details about the competition email Erin.
For
a free Visitors Guide for Historic Wilmington and North Carolina�s Cape
Fear Coast, please call 1-866-266-9690. For information on accommodations
and package deals, please visit website www.GoCapeFearCoast.com.
For a complete Calendar of Events, click on the Events icon at the bottom
of the home page.
|
Media:
Cape
Fear Coast CVB
Connie
Nelson
Communications/PR
Manager
(910)
341-4030 ext. 20, or
(866)
266-9690
The
New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority d/b/a Cape Fear Coast
Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing
organization for New Hanover County that stimulates economic development
through the promotion of travel and tourism. |
