The Wind Returns
In my previous post I mentioned the wind was taking a break. Well, it took a long break. I did a lot of surfing, which was a nice, but I really prefer to windsurf. In the last 2 months there was probably less than 10 days of sailable wind. To most people, that probably doesn’t sound too bad. Maui, on the other hand, is one of the windiest places in the world. I know people that came here for 3 week vacations and didn’t sail at all. I feel sorry for them, because Maui is supposed to provide wind all the time.
It is finally back and kicking at full force. I have been able to sail every day for the last week and the wind has been exceptionaly strong. There haven’t been to many waves to speak of, but it is plenty fun to go blast around and jump the wind swells, lit up on my 4.2. I don’t have any new pictures, so I’ll just throw in an old one. The shot was taken by Steve Hamman at Kuau, and I don’t think the situation looks very good for me. If you look at the wave, you can see that the spray is going straight up, which meens that there is virtually no wind, except for a little blowing directly off shore.
More Wind, and Finally a Break
This has been an extremely windy spring. It has been blowing non-stop for about a month now. We are finally getting a short break, which is actually nice, because it is giving me a chance to wax up the old surfboard. There is a decent swell running right now so tomorrow ought to be a good surfing day. I managed to get out today for a surf after work, but only had about 40 minutes of daylight left. I still was able to make the long paddle (about 15 minutes) out and catch one good wave. It was pretty big, coming in at a couple feet overhead. Nothing spectacular, but quite fun.
Mag Shot!
I just got the Table of Contents page in Windsurfing Magazine. I am stoked. I wish they could have used a little better action shot, but I am not complaining. It is nice just to be in there.
Well I am off to go sailing. Today is looking like the best day we have had for weeks. It should be solid mast high and 4.2 or 4.7 at Ho’okipa today. It is sunny, windy, wavy, and I don’t have to work today. You can’t ask for anything better than that.
Wild and Windy
The past few weeks have seen some pretty crazy conditions. Winds have varied from extremely strong Kona winds, all the way across the board, to blasting trades. I have been using my 4.2 and 3.5 sails almost exclusively. Kona winds are opposite to Maui’s normal wind direction, so that is a challenge in itself. We rarely get to sail waves in that direction so you never want to miss an opportunity. The Kona day was huge, with waves up to twice mast high, and winds gusting over 40mph on the wave face. The last few days have seen average wind speeds well over 30mph. 3.5 wind and waves makes for some pretty intense conditions. It has been crazy jumping and some good waves too. Not the best quality pics, but they show fun conditons.
Storm Surf
