Editor’s Note: On March 24, 2019, Bill Ruggiero indicated to the Source this business is no longer in operation and he no longer lives in the territory. Cruzans have been seeing more and more of them, especially on the west end of the island, since last November – Stand Up Paddle Boarders.
It looks so easy as folks stand on boards a little larger than your average surf board. They stand straight, paddling lightly atop calm water, looking toward a gentle horizon where the sea meets the sky, a serene back drop.
But take it from this writer – it is a lot harder than it looks, especially if you are 61 and nowhere near skinny.
When you are learning, you tend to fall off the board, and the constant climbing back on and trying to find you balance can be troublesome. However, in less than a half hour, under the guidance of Pi Presto and Bill Ruggiero, the operators of Stand Up Paddle Boarding & Fitness Adventures located on the beach by Sand Castles, this writer did finally manage to stand up and paddle calmly for a while before falling off for the last time.
Pi and Bill see two elements – relaxation and physical exertion – as the benefit of Stand Up Paddle Boarding, or SUP, as it’s called.
“We have always been big sports enthusiasts,” Pi says. “I was a professional dancer in New York City for 20 years and Bill a professional ice hockey goalie. I was introduced to SUP three years ago and immediately fell in love with it, combining my passion for fitness with the water.”
Besides offering customers board rentals and lessons on how to gently explore reefs that boats can’t reach, they also offer tips and techniques to make the SUP a cardio-core workout. Pi asks, “Why be in the gym, when you can take in the natural wonders around us and get fit?”
The couple started the business in November, having come to St. Croix seeking a more sustainable lifestyle. They were drawn to the island because of such places as the Sustainable Farm Institute. It was after they arrived that Pi determined it was time to do something they had dreamed of for years, open a business promoting health and bringing them closer to nature.
Pi explains that when the couple arrived on St. Croix they were not sure what they were going to do, but in the back of her mind was always the idea of an SUP business. She got some encouragement from her sister and three sons and decided to take the plunge last year, ordering 12 boards from a company out of Huntington Beach, Calif. Teres Veho (meaning smooth ride) was formed.
“It took a while to get started, but right now everything seems to be coming together,” Pi says.
She thanks Paul Benedict of Cottages By the Sea for letting them set up business right outside his hotel. However, she says the business will move to a permanent home on the north end of Frederiksted, in the building next to the Sand Bar, by the end of the summer.
The couple has forged a relationship with Friends of the St. Croix East End Marine Park. It was that partnership that brought them and their boards to Reef Jam 2011 at Rainbow Beach, where they offered lessons, demonstrations and conducted a race. The next part of the partnership will be the first Stand Up Paddle for the East End Marine Park on Sept. 4.
After customers have taken the lessons they will be ready to get into some of the other services offered by the couple. They offer what they call SUP Safaris. These eco-tours go through the mangroves of Salt River or Altoona Lagoon or along the coast and inside the reef of the East End Marine Park. The couple also plans to offer a kids camp this summer.
For those who want to add a little night life to adventure routine, Teres Veho can host stand up paddle moonlight parties.
More information is available by calling 227-0682 or sending e-mail to teresveho@yahoo.com.
