2023 OBX Invasion

June 27, 2023 ~ Melanie Cornish

The Situation at Hand

OBX is one of those places we go back for more every year, we just can't get enough! In 2023, we topped the charts with 47 people who traveled from different parts of the world to enjoy one of our favorite places to kite, wing, hydrofoil, and eFoil on the East coast. This year brought a lot of new faces and quite a few OG's, the winds were in our favor, the reverse downwinders were plentiful, progression sessions were a thing, new grounds were covered, and we partied like everyone was watching!

Party like everyone is watching.

We're always grateful for the amazing friendships we've made during these annual trips and our CORE rep Michael Phaneuf is one of our favorite reasons to come back to the OBX! One of the other reasons we love coming to see Michael is he always brings it with the NC low-country shrimp boil. This year was ridiculous per usual! These nights are meant to bring the crew together and talk about the weeks events, the progression made, and laugh at the yard-sales you saw your friend do that day! We appreciate always feeling at home in the OBX and Michael makes that possible and we appreciate him for it!

Reverse Downwinders for Dayz Whattttt?

This year the conditions were in reverse, so we just went in reverse. Downwinders in reverse brought a lot of new opportunities for land gaps and channels that we've never been able to hit which was sic! It was really great to see people pushing their limits and venturing 8 miles down the coast of the Palmico Sound for the first time ever. It felt like the first time ever going in reverse, I highly recommend.

Congo Lines. Absolute Must.

Congo lines are way more fun than I remember. When is the last time you were part of a Congo line? We're adding this to the list for traditions. We love throwing down while on vacation and that doesn't just relate to a kite sesh! It's an annual tradition and an absolute must that we all bring a wig and Hawaiian shirt with us to the OBX so we can throw down Elite style. You will feel left out if you forget yours, so when coming on this trip don't forget it! We try to pick non-windy days for these events but that wasn't a thing, so when we kite into the night we just party later.

Dive Bar Karaoke

Everyone loves a good dive bar, and everyone loves karaoke, so we thought it would be a good idea to check out Neptunes in Rodanthe for a little bit of both. This was one of the best decisions of the week after the 3 amigas decided to sing "It's Getting Hot in Here" in Spanish. The atmosphere was jumping and a good time was had by all. Neptunes did not disappoint!

Non-windy dayz are what you make of em...

Wait what? There was wind every day this year. Sometimes you had to chase it to another location, and it may or may not have rained off and on during a few sessions, but there were multiple days with 30 mph + winds so we weren't complaining. We rode locations up and down the coast, and were able to experience more of what the Cape Hatteras National Seashore has to offer.

CORE Demos for Dayz

Did I say how amazing our CORE rep is? We not only had Michael hanging around the dock giving expert advice and talking about the XR8 kites, he also invited Eric Reinstra over to let the crew try out the latest and greatest kites from CORE kiteboarding. Eric came into town and headed straight to Windy Daze and was there almost the entire week pumping kites, helping launch and land, giving Pro advice for the conditions, and sharing the stoke! It's a good day when the CORE rep shows up with every size kite, twintip, or surfboard you could possibly need.

Why We Do It

The main reason we do events like these is to give back to the community for continuing to support Elite Watersports. This trip is designed for all disciplines, and the conditions are perfect for all levels of riders, which is what brings us back every year! Downwinders for dayz, congo lines, CORE demos, free expert advice, live music, wig parties, low-country shrimp boils, dive bar karaoke, and making friendships that will last a lifetime with 47 people from all around the world is why we do it too, lets be honest! We really enjoy being able to share such an amazing place and experience with people that continue to shop local and support our family owned business. Give us a call and join the Elite Watersports crew on our next adventure!