Red Bull Privateers Race SUPs Through the 10,000 Islands

The Red Bull Privateers stand up paddleboard event, a three day SUP festival on Cape Romano, proved one thing for certain: Red Bull knows how to cater to their target audience.

Cape Romano is an uninhabited island just south of Marco Island and can be accessed only by boat—or SUP.

“We were able to bring people to a pristine part of the U.S. —through an event—and music and bonfires and food and camping, in a cool environment,” event organizer Rob Aflieri said. “We were able to bring hundreds of people together who would normally never be able to visit an island like this. Never hear the messaging of the event. And go away, all of a sudden being converted into people who really, really, care about their natural surroundings. Who really care about preserving. Who understand how unique and special—precious—the 10,000 Islands are. And how they’re threatened. A lot of them never knew the 10,000 islands existed before. That’s something we’re really proud of. 

“I think stand up paddle boarders are already stewards of the ocean,” he said. “Because they’re always on the waters, they’re advocates of the water.” 

Aflieri was proud to announce that they left the island better than they found it. The clean-up effort was an integral part of the three-day festival. So important that the third day of the event was dedicated to cleaning up the host environment.

“We left it cleaner than we found it,” Aflieri said, “We went way back in the mangroves, pulling out tires, pulling out fishing line, pulling out old nets and old ropes. We filled a dumpster full of trash.”

Opening night featured bonfires and live music. Aflieri said over 125 folks camped on the shores of Blind Pass.

“Last year we had more participants,” Aflieri said, “but this year we had more spectators and campers. The event itself was bigger on an attendee level. We probably had an extra 100 people over last year. And the number of vendors who wanted to be involved doubled. It appeals to more than just hardcore paddlers.”

Photos by Scott H. Shook | A team of competitors in the Red Bull Privateers SUP race crosses the finish line Saturday.

The project was required a year’s planning. Aflieri and his partners created a tremendous vibe on Cape Romano. Partners in the event were the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 4Ocean, Sun Bum, Old Naples Surf Shop, NSP and Tunaskin. 

“It all came about through wanting to do something in Southwest Florida,” Aflieri said. “With a unique story and a unique place. Red Bull and their creative staff basically created the entire thing. Red Bull does really, really cool things for the community. They’ve really got that down.”

It would be easy to lose track of the fact that there was a race going on. But the race—which featured four member teams and a pirate theme—was very unique. Ten minutes before the race, team captains were given the course map, which identified where 15 treasure chests were hidden in the 10,000 Islands. The teams quickly huddled and came up with a game plan. The teams them headed out in all directions to gather doubloons from each treasure chest, then race back to the finish line at the beach at Blind Pass.

“The winning team was from Sarasota,” Aflieri said. “They were seasoned paddlers who travel and compete nationally.”

The winning team was Team Flying Fish and included Katherine Pyne, Steve Miller, Brad Ward and Tim Warner. They covered the course in 50:39—nearly 40 minutes faster than last year’s winning time.

The event was incredibly organized and obviously well-funded. At least a dozen local captains transported the racers, spectators, staff, paddleboards, food, drinks—virtually everything to turn Blind Pass into a fascinating festival.

“It’s not really important to Red Bull to make money on an event,” Aflieri said. “If they feel strongly about an event, that there’s good community support and that it’s going to grow, they’re willing to invest and to take a loss for a couple of years.”

It was obvious that everyone was enjoying the unique environment and having a great time on the island. 

“Everybody left, not just having a paddleboard experience; they were ready to stay on the island forever,” Aflieri said. “It was a special getaway from the mainland. A little island getaway where they could enjoy themselves and enjoy nature.”

The catchy Red Bull Privateers name is not a generic name for Red Bull events around the world, it was created specifically for this Southwest Florida event.

“Red Bull Privateers is just this one event,” Aflieri said. “The name is for a single event, not a series. It’s not anywhere else.”

Aflieri confirmed that Red Bull plans to bring the Red Bull Privateers event back to Cape Romano next year.