Sunday, June 21, 2009

oahu day 17 - fun windsurfing

The wind is blowing and waist to shoulder high waves at Da Spot offered fun wavesailing conditions.

Provided that one can handle the extreme gusts and holes of the wind and the shallow reefy bottom, that is a perfect place for learning how to ride waves on a different tack. Waves are clean and easy to ready. I'm slowly starting to click into it, but still obviously far from being as good as I am on the other side.
I actually noted one thing that made me come up with a new theory. Being goofy when I surf, is rather a disadvantage than an advantage. Yes, I'm used to riding waves with the right foot forward, but a surfer doesn't have the windsurfers' third leg: the mast.
In other words, I found myself cranking those turns mostly out of the back foot because I know how to do that from surfing, and forget to put pressure on the mast foot to make the whole rail of the board bite in the water.
Anyone has an opinion here?

Another thing I'm wondering is how I will feel once I will go back to riding waves on the other side, after two months here. Will I be better, same or worse?
Well, if I was forced to brush my teeth with my left hand for two months, I'm pretty sure I would still be able to do that with my right hand after all... we'll see.

Anyway, let me post some photos... I must have bored you guys to death already!

I went to check out Diamond Head. What a beautiful view.


But conditions suck! There were two sailors out and a bunch of surfers and I couldn't get any good shot in 45 minutes. Very light on the inside, mushy shifty peaks, really not exciting...
Or maybe I was distracted my the people walking by. This girl was gorgeous.


Da Spot, instead, is the opposite. Ugly to photograph, but a hell lot of fun.


Decent size waves.


Decent size legs.


The beach became an even better place when this lady showed up.


Only in America.


With a total of 28 waves ridden in two sessions, the windsurfing waves have now surpassed the surfing ones. This trend will continue as long as the breezy trades condition will last. Monday night the a new south swell will start hitting, but the big stuff is scheduled towards the end of the week.

Wave count up to date.
windsurfing: 180
surfing: 178
total: 358
average per day: 21

5 comments:

Dave said...

G, This is something I did to get my brain to tell my body how to sail as good/comfortably on a port tack.
Stand next to a wall, preferably a logo-mast high wall. Now pretend the wall is a wave and imagine how you would sail it starboard,ie; sheeting in-out,bottom turn-top turns. Now turn around and ride it port tack, same thing, turns & sheeting.When it feels awkward turn around to starboard and do it.Then turn back around and do it port while you have that instant reference.
Sounds odd I'm sure but it worked very well for me.Don't ask me how I came up with this because I have no idea!
Dave

Anonymous said...

Girl #1 is lovely, girl #2 is rubbish. She looks like a trollop wearing heels on the beach, she should be in the city!

Anne

cammar said...

Dave,
phenomenal tip.

Despite the fact that it's 10.15pm, I'm very tired after two sessions and 33 waves ridden, I'm also very relaxed after a wonderful fish soup and a few glasses of Falanghina, I just watched 'The hitchiker guide to galaxy' (rather disappointing, but still kinda fun) and I was very, very close to going to sleep... despit all that I had to try it.

I see how it can help, but it can't replace the real thing, can it?
But I'll take any help and that is great. Tomorrow morning, I'll do another wall sesh.
Question: do you actually mimic the moves ore do you only imagine moving your body? It gets tricky with the legs...
Thanks anyway for a great tip.
BTW, I know a few Dave's...

Dave said...

G,The wall thing is more of a mental exercise and visualization tool. The body movement is obviously limited but. like I said , it helped me a lot.
Westside Dave

cammar said...

Thanks Dave, I knew it was you...