Jimmie’s Jumpfest
We just got an early season swell here on Maui. It was small, but quite fun.
It just so happened that Jimmie Hepp was hosting a photo contest for best jump at the same time. It was a 3-day event which I was only able to attend once, but I got the biggest wave day. It was cool to see a lot of people out on the water going for it. Voting for the best picture is taking place at www.windsurfingmag.com, so go check it out and vote if you haven’t already. I’m number 5 in the Pro category. Here are a few pictures from that day at Hookipa. I was using my OES Quad 72L and Ezzy Panther 4.7.
Middle two photos by Jeff Bennett at www.mauiwindsurfing.net.
See ya on the water,
Russ
Trip Report II
So, with the conclusion of the contest, we had a good time at the closing party. There were free drinks and lots of prizes for the competitors. I scored a sweet new wetsuit from O’neill, which will definitely be put to good use. Having a good wetsuit makes all the difference in the world when it comes to cold water.
Here’s an Ezzy team shot from the party. Unfortunately we missed Jesse Brown for the photo op. Let’s just say we were all having a good time, and the hand sign was supposed to be an E for Ezzy.
Photo from left: Sven Esslinger, Russ Faurot, Sam Bittner, and Diego Femenias
Next Sailing Stop; The Gorge!
With limited time, I was only able to get a few days in before flying back to Maui. I managed to score a nuclear 3.7 day at the Hatchery over the 4th of July weekend. That was really fun, and quite intense. Control is always an issue when it’s blowing 40kts! There were plenty ramps to be had, and lots of rolling swells to carve.
I didn’t get any pictures from the Hatchery that day, but here are a few from a more mellow Mosier session with family. I was sailing with my Dad and girlfriend, while my Mom took a few photos.
That’s Sam in close (http://sambittner.blogspot.com/), My dad in blue, and I’m leading the way in green. We all love the Ezzy’s Panthers!
All in all it was a great trip, and I even got to see the Windsurfing Movie II premier. It’s an awesome flick, and everyone should see it when it’s fully released.
Trip Report
Time for a trip report. On the second week of June, I left Maui for the Oregon Coast. I headed straight for Pistol River, site of the newly revived Wave Bash contest, and scored some epic conditions. In the days prior to the contest, we were rewarded with blasting 3.5 winds and mast high swell. It was a great way to warm up for the event.
photo by
Trudy Lary <trudylary@gmail.com>
Conditions backed off a little for the beginning of the comp., but I still sailed with my 3.7 Ezzy and 72L OES Quad fin on the first day. Throughout the 4-day window, we received a mixed bag of conditions, ranging from 3.7 powered to 5.0 underpowered, and waist to overhead waves. I was knocked out on the first day in my first heat, which was disappointing. Fortunately, we ran a double elimination format, and I had a chance to climb back through the ranks in the second bracket. I ended up climbing to a reasonable 15th place position out of 32 competitors in the Expert division. I felt like I could have done better, but that should provide some good motivation for next year. Let the training begin!
Photo by Kevin Pritchard
Photo by Linda Reed
Check the videos produced by Kevin Pritchard chronicling each day’s events.
Pistol River Wave Bash Day 1 from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.
Pistol River Day 2 from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.
Day 3 Pistol River Wave Bash from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.
Pistol River.. The Super Final from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.
Trip Report:
To be continued…
Moroccan Mag
While I am not the feature piece in this shot, I still thought is was worthy to post here. It’s an article about Boujmaa, and I am sailing in front of the wave that he took off on. The picture was taken during the Ho’okipa Jump-off.
Here are a couple more pictures from the Jump-off. I am looking forward to the next one which was just announced by Epic Sessions, to coincide with the upcoming Pistol River Wave Bash. Check out all the details at www.pistolriverwavebash.com and www.epicsession.tv.
Pics by Joe Foster.
Spring/Summer Transition
Maui seems to be switching gears toward summer conditions. I am sure we still have a few North Swells to come, but the trend is seemingly less waves and more wind. It’s good because you get more days on the water, and bad because wavesailing is what I like to do most. Fortunately there are plenty of jumping spots on Maui, and with plenty of wind, you can go very high off of small ramps.
Today was one where the waves were inconsistent, but still fun. I sailed a few North Shore spots and scored some decent waveriding and jumping. Ho’okipa was the best spot with gusty 4.2 wind and steep head high waves to be ridden.
Shot taken by Kevin Pritchard at Ho’okipa recently.
