Wednesday, March 23, 2011

ole fart style + campaign for Nico

The alternative title to this post could have been:"The least radical Hookipa sailor".
That's what I am and that's my style and I don't give a damn, since I have just as much fun as anybody else!!

Big thanks to Harry Wievel (this is his website) who put together this little video that sees me as a protagonist! Fortunately it shows also other sailors, so it's not totally boring... :)




That ole fart was out yesterday in super light wind (the rain killed it) in the late afternoon catching gnarly (Levi's definition) logo high messy waves resulting from a mix of NW ground and NE wind swells in the company of Levi Siver, Kai Katchadourian and Victor Fernandez. I surely brought down the technical average level of the session, but I know that I contributed abundantly to the overall stoke level!
Four sailors and a few surfers, light wind wave sailing under the rain? I'll take it any day compared to sunny, strong wind and 40 people out!

Here's today's weather map that shows why the wind should be nuking today too. Plenty isobars, straight and very close to each other. Everybody knows that that means high wind.


And this is a satellite photo that shows that there is no storms whatsoever in the vicinity of the islands.


So why there's so many squalls? Because the strong wind push a hell lot of humid air towards the east facing cliffs of Haleakala. The humid air gets colder when pushed at higher altitude and condenses forming clouds. Clouds that are so localized that don't even show on a satellite map like that. But they can get pretty damn thick and low and, as a result, they can temporarily block the strong winds that generated them. At the same time the rain they drop will cool down the land and slow down the thermal component of the wind.
In other words it's like nature has a self built antidote to nuking winds. Thank god for that, it's my only hope to enjoy a windsurf session.

Go rain!!!


Different topic. I just received this press release:



Oxbow Ride the Sky presented by Naish will take the sport of windsurfing to world-record breaking heights on Maui in April. This event will be held at Ho'okipa Beach Park on the east side of the Valley Isle and its one-month holding period begins on April 1.



Oxbow Ride the Sky officials will choose the best possible conditions for the single day of competition. Competitors will utilize a GPS system on their boards, which will measure their amplitude, speed and height. These professional athletes will be competing for highest air, best trick and worst wipeout. The highest air will be awarded a $100 per foot and $2,500 will go to best trick winner.



There are 20 world-class windsurfers invited to this event, like Oxbow team riders Jason Polakow (AUS), Levi Siver (USA), Kai Lenny (USA), Phillip Koster (GER), Levi Siver, Jason Polakow, Kai Lenny and Phillip Koster but also Naish International'sRobby Naish (USA), its invitees and alternates, Julien Taboulet (FRA), Boujma Guiloul (MAR), Victor Fernandez (SPN), Marcilio Browne (BRA), Ricardo Campello (VEN), Robby Swift (UK), Francisco Porcella (ITA), Camille Julban (FRA), Kauli Seaudi (BRA), Graham Ezzy (USA), Antoine Albeau (FRA), Dale Cook (USA), Keith Teboul (USA), Alex Mussolini (SPN), Thomas Traversa (FRA).



This event will be held at Ho'okipa Beach Park on the east side of the Valley Isle and its one-month holding period begins on April 1. Oxbow Ride the Sky officials will choose the best possible conditions for the single day of competition. Competitors will utilize a GPS system on their boards, which will measure their amplitude, speed and height.



This is the facebook page of the event and this is the comment I just left:

Hi there. With all the respect for the 20 world class windsurfers that are invited to the event, a jumping contest at Hookipa SHOULD see the local sailor Nico Drasimino competing too. He regularly throws the highest backloops. Ask anybody at the beach at Hookipa and they will confirm you that. I really hope you guys will manage to invite him too or at least have a trial session first to give the local sailors a chance. Thanks!

If you just click on the "I'm attending" button, you'll have the possibility of posting comments and I invite all the blog readers/Nico fans to post a comment like mine. Nico is the king of the backloop at Hookipa and a jumping contest without him just would not be fair.

I also linked Nico's mega backloop, which I will never stop to admire.

Thanks averybody for the support. Let's get those comments rolling!!!

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