I don't remember having so much fun windsurfing ever.
I want to thank:
- mother nature that is providing us with some killer conditions (today superfun waves shoulder to head high at Kanaha)
- the 87 liters wave board that I recently bought that allows me to rip in crappy windy conditions (today at moments it was like 5.8, at moment like 4.2)
- the ability of the Superfreak to handle the overpower (I was on my 5.0)
- my attitude. I had no expectations at all and I got in the water already stoked just to be windsurfing in Maui. I ended up sailing four hours in two memorable sessions.
The slideshow of the best photos of a great day at the beach on my flickr page.
As usual, to see the caption, you have to go here and click on them individually.
So long.
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20 comments:
Looks like a fun session! I had one as well yesterday (trying my new s.o.s. board) but it was 8 degrees celsius, your session definitely looks warmer :-) Quite some Superfreaks on the water as well, are they a very common thing on Maui? Here in the Netherlands I'm most of the time the only one out with a Freak (but slowly more and more people are converting). Anyway, hope you will have some more awesome sessions this year. I know I will (temperatures slowly dropping though :-( )
Great action indeed, looks quite choppy, if you forget about temperatures and watercolour it just looks like Robin's and my homespot...the North Sea!
I'd better gotten a coloured sail and superfreaked around on the Canaries instead of getting a cold here, brrrr!
Liked very much the day 7 video, nobody seemed to lean backside in the wave like Andy Irons, truely impressing style!!! How long these guys do dive after a wipeout... they must be half fish ?!
Robin, where you are sailing in the lovely Netherlands ?
Giampaolo, sometimes the klabauterman is in charge for my viretuel stuttering...! So hold back, klabauterman, when I post my comment!!!
Have a nice day everybody,
chris
Hi Chris,
You're right G.P. is just sailing a photoshopped version of our North Sea! Lol. I mainly sail on Zandvoort, Wijk aan Zee and when the wind switches NW I go to IJmuiden. Today had to go to a Lake since the wind was dead onshore, sailed the Freak 6.3 and had heaps of fun! What about you Chris and G.P. ?
Love this... it's getting like a forum here.
Here's the three spots where I mostly sail:
Kanaha (MAIN winter spot) - 15 min.
Kuau - 100 yards walking
Hookipa - 1 minute by car.
I don't sail Sprecksville because the wave (which wave?) sucks for wave riding and it's only good for jumping... which I don't do... unless it's strictly necessary... and I try only table tops. I'm done with rotations. My left knee is too weak. Ah, plus there's no showers and no grass in the parking at Sprecks and the everything gets all sandy when you put it away.
...Am I stupendly spoiled or what!?
The inside of Kanaha is very choppy indeed. Also, the swell of the photos is a quasi-windswell of just 10 seconds period. But, coming from ENE (the direction of the trade winds in Maui), it was wrapping on the reef making the right peel real nice for some long downwind rides.
Usually, instead, in wintertime we mostly have 14-16 sec. swells from NW that are a lot cleaner (those won't look too much like your spots, I assume), but, depending on the size, the may close out a bit more.
Anyway, saturday I sailed Kanaha overpowered (but confortable on a SF) on a 4.7 for an hour and it was a lot of fun. Then the wind shut down and then it picked up again but lighter. Too tired to go out again, I went home and took a fat nap instead.
Robin which SOS board did you buy?
A friend just bought a rocket 92 like the one I tried for a couple of times and I can't wait to try it compared to my 87 liter Drops. I can't really remember which one I liked better...
The thing it that the more yyou use a board, the better you can turn it, so it won't be a fair comparison...
I forgot to answser the SF question.
The SF are now extremely common at Kanaha. Very few at Hookipa. And it makes total sense, since IMHO they are not sails for pros. They are sails for normal sailors without professional ambitions.
It's like the ski boots.
I remember all my friends buying the same exact boots of the top race skier and having problems with them because they were too hard to be confortably used for 8 hours...
Another reason that will slow down the spreading of the SF, always IMHO, is the fact that they are so durable that you won't need a new sail every year, so shops and distributors won't be that happy.
But it's a matter of time. One day half of the sails in the world will be SF... or imitations. That's my prediction.
Cheers for your answer on the Superfreak G.P. , nice prediction as well, half of the saolors on Freak (or Copyfreaks) it certainly would be more colorfull on the water. Today I switched gear with a mate of mine and sailed his monofilmsail. I instantly knew why I don't want to go back to this anymore! Concerning the S.O.S. I recieved the Rocket Fish 82 (you might have read my write up on the Hot Forum) in a month or two my FR68 and R92 will arrive (I'm spoiling myself, I know). This friend that bought the R92, might this be Dolf? ;-) small world I guess (at least that's what internet is making it anyway).
Hi there,
never heard of these sails, durability saves resources(and surfer's finances), so hopefully they succeed!
Robin, I did not sail today, my 5.9 was to small here in Oostende, a bigger sail I do not have.
Let's see what it's gonna be like this week, still not that cold this december.
I know Ijmuiden with the fresh NW, great spot and conditions, sailed there some time ago. Waveheight could then be photoshoped (funny word!) from GP's spots, truely. Wijk and Zandvoort I know but never surfed there...the dutch northseecoast is the finest, the sand dunes are left, along the belgian coast they are ugly, giant, conctrete wind blockers, it's not nice anymore!
GP, of course you are spoiled and you wanted it like that, so that's ok!
Enjoy solving your "problem" about the two boards!
So long,
Chris
I want a Superfreak for christmas!
Great to hear about life on teh North Sea as well guys, can this blog get anymore international!?
Great photies again GP.....
Lano,
'Course is Dolf...
Robin, I'd love to read your write up. Which topic should I look?
Want a superfreak? Buy one online at http://www.hotsailsmaui.com/2007/
Be aware of the risk that once you buy one, you'll want to replace all your other sails...
Check: http://www.hotsailsmaui.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=528&p=4
The Mr. Happy bit is me
Bugger, that didn't work, with a bit of copy paste you'll get there:
viewtopic.php?id=528&p=4
(it's in the s.o.s. topic)
got it. very interesting stuff.
I thought I had a lot of boards, but I'm nobody compared to you guys!
Stay tuned for tonight's (Monday) post... I got some killer stuff.
Huh, I am allready more than curious and killer stuff hungry!!!
kooks
Waiting!
Lano,
inclined to agree with anonymous on this one. it's like a scene out of upper kanaha with the old geasers.
anyway, did you go south today?? any surf? (you'll probably say no after my comment!!) out of the water another week with the neck according to the DR. so it's just out of interest (..... but if you tell me dumps was double overhead, clean and barreling - I'll see you at dawn!!)
Meesh, as you see from the Monday night post, not worth it.
As for the kooks comments... I my world, the best one is the one that has more fun. And those guys are pretty good at that.
Robby Seeger gave me my first custom wave board on Maui in 1989. He speaks better English than anyone I know that was born in Europe. I've seen him sail Pe'ahi (Jaws) in double to triple mast high waves with light Kona winds, an extremely deadly combination. I assure you that not only is he as you said Giampaolo, "A total waterman" but he's a good guy who has grown and mellowed with his two-plus decades in Hawaii. , Hele on Robby...... Mystery Bob
Bob, you always have kind words for everybody... even for me!
That makes you a very kind person.
Good job.
The sport combines aspects of both sailing and surfing, along with certain athletic aspects shared with other board sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, waterskiing, and wakeboarding. Although it might be considered a minimalistic version of a sailboat, a windsurfer offers experiences that are outside the scope of any other sailing craft design. A windsurfer holds the world speed record for sailing craft (see below); and, windsurfers can perform jumps, inverted loops, spinning maneuvers, and other "freestyle" moves that cannot be matched by any sailboat. sportsbook
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