HYANNIS, MA, March 21, 2011 – Hy-Line Cruises and Cape Wind today announced plans for a new Eco Tour & Visitor Center to ferry residents and tourists out to the wind farm.  Hy-Line has been a ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket for more 50 years and today announced it will augment that service with guided tours of the Cape Wind farm during construction and after completion.

The Visitor Center will educate visitors of all ages about the history of the Cape Wind project and energy use on Cape Cod, the U.S. and around the world.  Specific emphasis will be placed on the history of energy use on Cape Cod and the Islands ranging from historic windmills to whale oil, to fossil fuels and the new transition to a clean energy economy led by citizens of Cape Cod and Massachusetts.

David Scudder, Vice President of Operations at Hy-Line Cruises said, “Hy-Line is confident that the Cape Wind Eco Tour and Visitor Center at Hy-Line Cruises will promote the continued growth of our company and stimulate economic development and job growth and creation in Hyannis, Cape Cod, the Islands, and the Massachusetts tourist-based economy.  The creation of this world class tourist attraction will provide yet another great reason for people all over Massachusetts, New England, the United States and the World to visit Cape Cod and the Islands.” 

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said, "The Cape Wind Eco Tour and Visitor's Center at Hy-Line Cruises represents more than creating a world class tourism attraction and drawing visitors from around our region, nation and globe.  It will stand as a testament to the spirit, ingenuity and progressiveness of Cape Cod and Massachusetts and how our community harnessed the wind to protect and preserve our environment, to revitalize our economy and to create a healthier more secure future."

Congressman William Keating welcomed the news, “Cape Wind will be the first offshore wind farm in the United States, and with that distinction will come jobs and economic opportunities for Southeast Massachusetts. The Cape's natural resources, rich history and arts and cultural centers all allow tourism to thrive. There is also a history of energy development that can be tapped for an ecotourism market that is burgeoning. Today's announcement of the venture between Cape Wind and Hy-line demonstrates the ingenuity and entrepreneurship I hope we'll see across the Cape. The Scudder family should be commended for expanding their business in the direction of clean energy ecotourism, thereby promoting alternative sources of energy and creating new jobs in our area."

State Senator for the Cape and Islands Dan Wolf said, "My hope is that this creative collaboration helps us realize a long-term energy vision for our region that includes a plan for responsible and sustainable consumption, production and distribution."

Hy-Line officials are committed to developing a green vessel to be used for this purpose and they are exploring the use an innovative hybrid engine and they are also pursuing the possibility of this vessel being made in Massachusetts.

Hy-Line Cruises is working closely with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) and others to tie into the inter-modal transportation system to service its site by using green shuttle buses servicing off-site parking at the CCRTA.

Hy-Line Cruises and Cape Wind look forward to working with Cape Cod Community College to develop a curriculum of credit and non-credit courses that can be used to educate and train students and others in our community so they can attain jobs created both by the Eco Tour Cruises and at the Visitor Center.

Cape Cod Community College President Kathleen Schatzberg said, “The College is thrilled to be the educational partner in this new venture that will have multiple economic impacts throughout the region. We anticipate that students in multiple disciplines will be involved, from providing local historic as well as ecological/environmental information as tour guides, to serving as customer service and operational personnel for tour services. As the business develops, we look forward to creating the workforce training programs needed to build its success.”

March 9, 2011 - There's just 10 more days to enter the NESurf 2011 Winter Surfing Photo Contest

Three cash prizes and more for winter photos shot anywhere in the Northeast from NJ to Maine between November 2009 and March 2011. Two categories for entries: BIG and c-c-c-cold

One Grand Prize: $200
Two Category Winners $50 each

ENTER HERE

Note: if you have trouble entering photos send them to admin@nesurf.com (please limit photo size to 1024X768 max)

PLUS... other prizes and the opportunity to share winter stoke.

Judging will be handled by the NESurf brain trust with consideration given to votes by gallery visitors. Gallery votes may determine the finalists, the brain trust will choose the winners. (This prevents gaming of the contest.)

Terms: In entering the contest you agree that you have the rights to the photo and permission from identifiable people within it. You give NESurf the right to publish the photo online at NESurf.com in perpetuity and to use the image, with photo credit, for publicity purposes such as inclusion in press releases. NESurf may not use the photo for paid advertising and you exclusively retain all other rights to it.

NESurf owners and managers may not participate. There is no restriction on NESurf contributors past and present.

Entries must abide by NESurf's terms of use and NESurf retains the right to reject and delete any image it feels is inappropriate and to modify any captions or descriptive text as it feels is necessary.

February 24, 2011 - With winter coming to an end, now is the time to start looking at the hottest surfing destinations for 2011. Despite the fact that many surfing havens are becoming tourist hot spots, it is still possible to find locations across the globe which have big waves and uncrowded beaches. Surf travel company Xoxxi has just launched Sri Lanka as its newest surf destination. They provide completely environmentally friendly trips to this beautiful island and everything at their Sri Lankan destinations is supplied by the local community. All their accommodation is eco-friendly too, ensuring that nature gets back what it gives and that the local people receive every penny of profit from surfing trips which are booked here. Beaches with fantastic surf can be found all across the island; in fact Sri Lanka is one of the world`s most reliable surf destinations as the Indian Ocean has consistent swells all year long. Surf here is particularly good between October and April when the monsoon season in the northeast of the island creates consistent off shore winds and perfect waves to ride whether you are a beginner or a seasoned surfer.

Another great place to catch some waves is on the Pacific coast of Columbia. It`s the only country in South America with both Pacific and Caribbean coastlines and has some awesome places for surfers who like to get off the beaten track and discover uncrowded and pristine beaches. The most popular place for surfers to base themselves is Nuqui which features some amazing surfing spots in the local vicinity. The area is becoming increasingly popular as a surf travel destination, largely due to the fact that as one of the most bio-diverse locations on the planet it features a landscape made up of tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps, hot springs and unspoilt beaches. Book your trip before it gets discovered by the hordes.

Head further north to El Salvador in Central America and you will find some of the best surfers in the world competing in the 2011 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship from October 16-23

The competition is to be held in the stunning waves of Punta Roca in the town of La Libertad and will feature surfers from over 30 countries. It is the first time the world championships have been hosted by El Salvador, despite the fact that the area has over 300 miles of coastline and some of the most dependable waves in the world. Holding the competition here marks a turn in the tide for surfing in this part of the world and will help El Salvador to become an increasingly important surf-tourism destination.

When it comes to the latest surfing fashion, the originals are still best. The new season Reef Fanning Flip Flops hold dear to the Aguerre brothers original concept of comfortable footwear which holds up to the rigours of beach lifestyle. Designed with comfort and practicality in mind, the latest styles are every bit as durable and hard wearing as their 1980`s forerunners. Today they are available in an array of different materials and there`s a colour to suit every mood. The concealed bottle opener in the sole, comfortable moulded EVA footbed and full 360 degrees heel airbag makes them essential footwear wherever you go.

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February 23, 2011 - While Cape Wind has received approval to build a wind farm in Nantucket Sound it is still trying to sell half of the power the proposed project would generate. On Friday Cape Wind was dealt a setback when Nstar, the second largest utility in Massachusetts, filed contracts with the Department of Public Utilities to buy power from Hoosac Wind in Massachusetts, Groton Wind in New Hampshire and Blue Sky East in Maine. The Cape Wind project may be downsized if another buyer for up to 50% of its capacity cannot be found. Here's more at ABC News.