Monday, August 13, 2007

Flossie

---- start of second and last update ----

Well, Tuesday Hookipa was too squally to offer any good wavesailing (the wind died too often), so I went for plan B: the speed challenge in Sprecks. Not many people, but all pretty good: Erik Beale, Alex Aguera, Tom Hammerton, Patrick Bergeron and a few others. I think Erik and Alex logged something around 35ish, check the event site for updates. You will have to look for results=> speed session 8.
I hit 28.7 on my slalom gear and even though it's a hell lot of fun to just try to beat your best run of the day, learning that Patrick did 31 knots on wave gear didn't make me feel exactly proud of my performance...

Anyway, Flossie is dissipating very quickly. Here's the Wednesday morning photo.


I should have some photos from the Monday wave session coming, so stay tuned.

---- end of second and last update ----

---- start of first update ----

Here's a closeup satellite photo of Tuesday morning.


And here's the surfline readings of buoy 51004, which has just been passed by the hurricane center. It went up to 16 feet, 10 seconds.


The reasons hurricanes don't generate as big swells as deep winter storms is that even though they have stronger winds, they are way more compact and don't have big fetches of wind were the seas can completely develop. Still, 16 feet... the Big Islands south east shore will get some pounding. Not a problem... it's all lava there...
They will get some heavy rain too.

---- end of first update ----

Fourth serious windswell episode from the beginning of July (...and June was pretty damn good too).

Without any doubt, the best wavesailing summer I can remember in the last six years.
Today Hookipa was often overhead. Pounding shore break, people of the rocks (I've been very close myself). Not the same cleaness of a 16 seconds winter NW swell of course, but... BLOODY HELL, THERE'S WAVES!!!!

Here's the puppy that made a bunch of Hookipa windsurfers happy today.


Tomorrow the waves should be bigger and the wind stronger (today it was 4.7, gusty as usual). Here's the projected path.


Just received the email that announces the speed challenge for tomorrow.
I'm gonna go wave sailing first and if the rain will shut down the wind at Hoo (like it happened today), I may move down the coast and try to break my 30 knots barrier.

What a life.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

if the wind shuts down I'm gonna get my speed gear?? i would go for the surf board option ;-)

cammar said...

Oh,
if the wind shuts down at Hoo for a squall it can be still be blowing 30 in Sprecks... you know how it works here...
But surf board option sounds good too!
Did you score some good ones yesterday?

Anonymous said...

Don't feel badly that Patrick did better; he's a top sailor. For years Derek Vana passed me by on a wave board while I was on slalom. Oh well. MB