Let's start with two more photos from day 3.
The first one is the most incredible windsurfing shot I have ever taken. Prolly the most incredible I've ever seen too.
It's Tristan Boxford in a huge aerial off the lip. The lip of the first wave, not the one on the back...
I sent him an email to double check that the wave was the first. Here's what he replied:"I believe it was the same wave, but the wind was so strong that when I hit the lip, it propelled me up and way downwind, to the point that the section that I hit is not even in the picture any more...I hope that this makes sense. No lies!!"
If I was the managing editor of a windsurfing magazine, I would publish it... got the message, there? ;-)
And if you don't believe that the wind could "propell" him so high, just check Polakow's board in this other picture.
This is Robby Swift. I love the colors in this photo.
And this is Josh Stone. It takes balls to hit the lip of such a big wave...
Kevin Pritchard (on the wave behind) and Jesse Brown make good use of a set.
In the morning Laird went out again on his standup board (sorry, I missed him). A lifeguard told me he saw him getting completely barreled. Then, on another wave, he wiped out and the strong offshore wind blew his board on his face forcing him to seek medical help at the hospital. 14 stitches. One for each foot of his board.
This morning, four days later, he was surfing Hookipa again on his standup doing board 360s sticking the paddle in the wave and then passing it behind his back. Or catching waves fin first and then turning the board 180 degrees. Making it look like it was the easiest thing in the world.
He didn't look like he was whining neither on the lifeguard tower after his session.
Swallen detail.
44 more photos of another epic Kona day here. Check them out, there's some interesting stories...
The day after the wind was straight onshore but I sailed on a longboard prototype. I couldn't believe how much fun I had in those conditions. I was catching the waves going right, then jibing on the wave and continuing the ride to the left. So much fun.
When I got back in, Jeff showed me a prototype (not a 2008 sail, just a prototype) of a Superfreak with an extra panel in PVC to improve the visibility on the wave.
Prolly the best looking sail I have ever seen. Let's see who's the first one to open a topic on the Superfreak forum. Nah, I can't resist... I'll open it first.
BTW, the name of Jeff's dog is Patch... how funny is that?
Detail of the ancient Japanese graphic.
Today the surf was superfun and glassy at Hookipa. I surfed there in the morning and on the standup at Lanes in the afternoon. 5 photos here.
Unfortunately a few days ago a surfer girl in California didn't have fun. Read this.
I found this on another site:
The following was written by Michelle after the death of her first child:
Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. The past no longer is. The future has not yet come. Looking deeply at life as it is, in the very here and now, the practitioner dwells in stability and freedom. We must be diligent today. Tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it? The sage calls a person who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night and day “one who knows the better way to live alone.”
Do not rely on individuals; rely on the teachings. Do not rely on words; rely on the meaning. Do not rely on the adapted meaning; rely on the ultimate meaning. Do not rely on intellectual knowledge; rely on wisdom.
I'm so sorry that such a person died.
Thanks Wardog for those links. And thanks also for your online juke box. I don't like everything in it (but it's easy to skip to the next song), but I'm listening to it right now and Bob Marley just came up after Miles Davis... not too bad. ;-)
Tomorrow's forecast is for big waves and light Kona. And I could be doing one of the things that I like most in life: sailing Kanaha with light Kona. And with this thought in my mind, I'll go to sleep with a big smile...
Ad maioram waves gloriam.
16 comments:
is Laird on 'roids?
Yes, he's on asteroids...
Actually, he's FROM asteroids...
Was Polakow windsurfing or skydiving???? That had to hurt.
Aloha GP!
A year has passed since Michelle was lost... Good to hear she is still touching people a year later... and for many to come...
truly a beautiful soul!
A Santa Barbara Sister you once knew...
Nice post again Cammar. I have given up reading Windsurf Mags and just get my fix here every day.
Kona winds look brutal, but it the same tack as Western Australia so makes me feel at home.
Keep on the Laird trail very interesting.
Hi Cammar,
I have a modest little windsurfing blog that occasionaly shouts out and links to one of your posts...if you look at
http://www.peconicpuffin.com now you'll find throws to the amazing Laird/Robbie material, and (god help me) your Pee Jibe post, amidst my own reporting.
How do you feel about me (or another blogger) using one of your photos to help promote one of your posts? Unedited or trimmed, still with the "mauisurfreport.blogspot.com" mark that you have on your photos?
I've wanted to do this in the past but would not without permission. Let me know, thanks!
Michael
www.peconicpuffin.com
Ben, on the first three days the wind was very strong. I sailed Kanaha the first two days and almost killed myself overpowered on a 4.2. In the gusts I would have been good on a 3.5. But there's plenty lulls too.
At Lanes the wind was gusting up to 50 knots. Sailors were still out on 4.5s, because they need some power to go thru the channel. I have no idea on how they sheet in the bottom turn. Given the very offshore direction, the face of the wave is the the windiest place, because the wind gets channeled by the wall of water.
The fourth day it was a bit lighter and there 4.7s-5.0s.
For Robby Naish it's a degree 8 of difficulty. That makes it impossible for most of the windsurfers in the world. You gotta be really good to sail Lanes in those conditions. I saw very good sailors go out and eat shit and look like cooks because of how gusty the wind is. I saw pro sailors falling in a reach just because of a gust.
Outdrsmn, that can't be too bad. Worse looks the one with K.P. with his foot stuck in the footstreps.
Santa Barbara Sister I once knew (oh boy, that's tricky one...), I had no idea that happened one year ago. But, yes... she's still touching people.
Korey, glad to make you feel at home.
Michael, thanks for asking. You guys can download the photos with my website address (that I just started to use). If you want an old photo, just make sure to mention my blog address. Enjoy.
Hey Cammar,
Could you drop me a mail, I'd like to publish some shots.
chris/@/windsurf/./co/./uk
(lose the /s)
Thanks
Chris
That sail is so cool! So Jeff prints on the dacron now?
Wish I could be there on those Kona days - such a rush just viewing the action from the Hookipa hill.
/Oljons
la cosa bella sono le foto, ma quella irresistibile รจ la storia dietro, quella che nessuno (a parte te) racconta..
GRAZIE
what about hemoroids? Great pics ... did you get a new camera or have you figured out some new shit that we don't know?!
Hey Giampaolo, another great post and great photos. You're turning into a pro journalist. I'll be shocked if you're not selling photos and articles soon.
One problem, when I read your blog using firefox I sometimes get black boxes over the some of the text. If I click on the photo nearby the box has a piece of the high res version of the photo inside it. I haven't found a way to move the box, so part of the story gets lost. Any ideas?
Chris, I just sent you an email.
Oljons, from what I understand you can have pretty much whatever you want on your custom superfreak.
But double check with them...
I just noticed they added a Jimi Hendrix and a ninja turtle to the list of the available ones: http://www.hotsailsmaui.com/2007/sfcolors.php
Number 270 was a common design effort from an idea of my friend Domenico in front a bbq and a few beers on warm night of August in Paia...
Nico (sorry if I answer in english, but in this way everybody understands), thanks a lot for you compliments for what I write in addition to the photos.
Meesh, that's what I am on...
No special trick, just shooting with the max resolution now... my disk is going to get full soon...
Bill, I have Firefox on my PC and it works fine. If you have a Mac, I would only suggest to google someting like "blogger firefox mac" and see if there's any tip on the net.
Actually I have been a "pro" journalist for almost 6 years now. I write an article a month for the Italian windsurfing magazine Windnews.
I haven't made any money out of this blog yet, but I like it like this... just for the soul.
If one day somebody wants to pay for a little advertisement on it, I may think about it...
BTW, thanks for the compliments!
Well, while am at it, let me share how we met (I hope you don't care).
I taught Bill a shortboard windsurf lesson a year ago or something... a jibing lesson, I think. He was a bit rusty and overweight (by his admission), but other than that he wasn't doing nothing particularly wrong. It was a typical summer day with strong and gusty wind and he wasn't sailing confortably. After having tried a couple of unsuccessful adjustments to his gear, I wanted to try it personally. And that's where the problem was. The sail he was using - I am NOT going to mention the brand, because it doesn't really matter... it applies to all full monofilm sail - was just too stiff and too responsive to the gusts. Which can seem a good thing for a sail. Not in strong and gusty wind. The only thing I could come up to help him at the end of the lesson, was to suggest him to go ask Hot Sails to try a Superfreak. I felt bad because I couldn't really find a better way to help him, but, again, he wasn't doing nothing particularly wrong.
Well, he's now a superfreak addict and he's a lot happier about his sailing.
So, at the end, it was worth to take a lesson!
Hey GP,
Not had anything from you, would you mind trying me again? chris windsurf co uk
Cheers
Hey GP, was great to see how much Jazz has grown up, last time we saw her was June last year when we shared a table with Jay and Jazz at the Fish cafe in Paia.
Lano,
Chris, got the email, I'll reply tomorrow.
Lano, Maui's north shore is a small place... Jazz is such a cute little girl. Luckily she looks like her mum a lot... ;-)
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