Trip to Italy.

I'll be in Italy for three weeks taking care of my injured knee. I don't expect to post much from there (slow dial up connection), so let me do this last post before I leave. It's a few assorted photos that I wanted to post since a while. Here we go. Let's have a good start with this one taken at Hookipa recently...


Same day (5 25), just a bit more surfing action.


Just like me, Micio enjoys the softness of the dacron of my Superfreak... I told you he's quite technical!


How a mistake can turn into an interesting photo.


Puamana sunset.


The only dry shorts I had in the car where this ones... I had to do a little photoshoot session at sunset. Just for your pleasure...

A weekend in Hana

We were supposed to leave from Kuau on Friday May 19th at 1 o'clock. Pm, of course. The planned start was delayed because of some killer windsurfing conditions at the Kuau secret spot... I HAD to go sail! Check the conditions below at Hookipa and you'll understand...

This is Sharon's truck fully loaded with toys.


And this is Sharon's way of repeating italian verbs' conjugations while driving... a bit dodgy, I'd say.


On the way to Hana, of course, we stopped at Hanamanou. The waves were really nice. Hanamanou is a beach break. The wave itself doesn't even look like Hawaii (where most of the waves are cleaner reef breaks), but the vegetation in the valley around defenitely does. You can have a glimpse of it in this rear view mirror self-portrait. By the way, I returned my old camera and bought a better and cheaper Sony. I take huge advantage of the return policies of the big american corporate stores...


There were a couple of very good surfers in the water. Sharon took some pics (the best below), I took some videos instead: http://www.vmix.com/viewVideo.php?ID=423581




Even though I was quite tired after windsurfing, I had to go surf. I was just too good. Sharon got on her bike and started cycling towards Hana. I would have surfed one hour and then picked her up on the way. That was the plan. But, after my surf session I made the dorkest possible move, locking the keys inside the truck. It was 6pm and my only hope was in the other surfers still in the water. Fortunately, one of them, a guy call Abbaia (Indian name that in italian means 'it barks'), managed to open the back little window with a butter knife and his girlfriend was tiny enough to be able to squeeze in it. They were instantly rewarded by a cold beer. It was almost 7 when I finally could catch up with Sharon that was getting a little nervous waiting on the side of the road in the dark...
All is well what ends well.
To make me forgive, I cooked a good pasta with peas.


Who's miaoing outside the door?


Let's see who guesses what kind of glass detergent I used to clean up the table... Maybe a bit gross, but I love the details... all those tiny bubbles...


Saturday morning. What? The cat barks now?


Well, Hanamanou was so good yesterday that I wanted to go again. It wasn't as good as the day before, but still quite fun and I was completely alone. Sharon took a bunch of little videos that I am happy to share, despite the fact that compared to the previous ones I look like a total cook. Am I humble or what?
It doesn't matter how good you are... it's all about the fun you have...
These little videos are also a very good way for correcting mistakes. I could see how I am used to ride longboards. Basically I ride the shortboard like if it was a longboard. Standing too far back on the board and with my legs not open enough, I slow down the board too much and can't get the speed necessary to achieve the turns that a shorboard would allow to do. Well, now that I know, let's see if I can fix that...
By the way, the first two waves really express the uniqueness of my style. Signature moves, I'd say... Also, notice how effortlessly I get out of the water at the end... http://www.vmix.com/viewVideo.php?ID=423459

In this pretty photo taken by Sharon, you can see a bridge over that waterfall. Who built it and when? It can't be the ancient kings' road! We'll have to investigate...


Cartoon teeth. The snot coming out of my nose is the leftover of an intense post surf nose dripping session I just had... Overall, a funny picture... I'd say!


Pretzels moment in Nihiku.


One of the many streams on the Hana highway.


Plants are happy in Hana.


The proud hunter.


The catch. Freaking delicious...


In the afternoon of Saturday we played tennis. I did another quite dorky move by trying to apply the volleyball jump serve technique to my tennis serve... Not only I missed the ball, but on the landing I injured my already weak (many years ago I broke the meniscus and stretched a ligament) left knee. My mobility after that was quite limited. To make me forgive, I cooked bucatini with tomatoes, mozzarella, parmigiano and basil. I'm quite flexible to be a strict vegan...
Thanks to Julie for sending a few packs of pasta "La rustichella d'abbruzzo" from San Francisco. It's the favorite brand of my father back in Italy. And that means something...


Sunday morning the knee was quite sore. We had to leave. This last photo is again Hanamanou. This girl was pretty good.


That's the end of this post, which I think is the best so far.
I'm loving these little videos. I downloaded a trial version of a software to edit them (Ulead video studio). I like it. But if anyone out there knows a better one (or a free one), please post a comment.
I think that sooner or later I'll buy a water proof helmet cam to film when I sail or surf. I can't wait to show you the flying fish all around me when I sail at sunset at Kuau. You guys are so lucky...
You guys are lucky also because I had the time to do all this thanks (!) to my bad knee. There's a decently sized south swell and I'm typing on this damn keyboard instead of being surfing... dammit! Tomorrow is going to be big. If I still can't surf, I'll go there with my camera... stay tuned, you lucky bastards!

PS Comments, please. I need to know what you think.

And don't forget to check Sharon's blog for more photos: http://www.kinel.blogspot.com/

Sorry, I just can't resist posting another video.

It shows a piece of the road from Lahaina to Kahului and if you have been in Maui (I know some of you have) you will like it.
If you have never been to Maui, but you like reggae, you'll like it too. It features the first song of the Soldiers of Jah army's cd Get wiser. A cd that I'm liking a lot! If you have been to Maui and you like reggae, you actually scored. Too bad the camera microphone didn't pick up the low frequencies...

Thanks to everone that posted comments on my previous post. They are all interesting. Sune, don't worry. The italian accent magically comes back as soon as I talk to a chick that I figure to be sensitive to it... :-)

Here's the address: http://www.vmix.com/viewVideo.php?ID=400137

Video post.

There we go! The new era of video posting has started. I can't believe it was so easy! There's sites on the internet that will host you videos for free. I picked one and here it is. It's a video in which I express my feelings after a remarkable double session (first standup surfing with the paddle on the north shore and then longboard sailing on the west shore later in the afternoon). It's called 'The bliss'. Please, let me know if it was too long to download and if you liked it. I took three more the same day and I need a little feedback if you want to see them... :-)

Check it out at: http://www.vmix.com/viewVideo.php?ID=393876

Here are a couple of photos of the board that allowed me to do what I did. I try not to be attached to any objects, but in this case I just can't help it... I love it!

Honolua bay

Despite the fact that it was Monday and it wasn't a highly announced swell, there were quite some people at Honolua bay... but nothing compared to what it usually is.
I had two sessions. In the first I used an 8.1 with a central fin that was waaay too big. In the second, I managed to fix my smaller fin on the spot, but I got cold right away. In other words, I never really tuned in it. Actually, I never really tuned in Honolua bay in general. It must be because it's a right and I suck back side...
Fortunately, in the morning I had a fun longboard sailing sesh at Kanaha. That's something I'm better at.
Practice... I guess that's it. In need to surf more surf backside. "Tomorrow I'll go to the Point at Hookipa..." I thought driving home.
So I did. 45 minutes with the 7.0, kind of messy. Guess how many waves I caught? None. Zero. Nada. After 4 years surfing... that's humbling.
Enjoy the photos of Honolua below.



Hand in the water and weight on the back foot to slow down the board, hoping for that barrel to happen...


Too bad I just said that I suck backside, otherwise I coud claim that this is me...


Da kine, brah!

Kanaha board depot (the trash bin)

I pick up all kind of boards out of the trash at Kanaha. I fix them and sometimes I keep them, sometimes I put them back there. Why do I do that? Because I like the game of guessing how the board will be in the water. It helps my knowledge of the shapes. And, believe me, sometimes I find some boards that are quite unusual! Check this one, for example. I sealed a few dings, put footstreps and a fin and... voila', back in the water the day after I picked it up. Check that tail! What the hell is that plastic flap for?? Post a comment if you know it...


This is the test in the water. The result is: a board for really flat conditions and super light wind. Good, I just bought a 6.5...


Kuau beach. One day I'll be the mayor.


The spectators seem to be wondering:"Where the hell is he going with that board?"


Ok, the test was successful. Let's walk back home. I usually walk that narrow corridor with board AND sail on my head... and, of course, it's always quite windy!

Micio seems to enjoy my new surf racks. They must be good because, as you know, he's quite technical to be a cat...

My friend Bob died.

He was 77 and he died windsurfing. He was every day at Kanaha. If it was windy, he was out windsurfing. If it wasn't, he was out paddling on his paddleboard. And, no matter what the conditions were, when I asked him:"Bob, how was it?", he always answered in his Arkansas accent:"I had good time!".
I used to tell him:"Bob, you are my model. If I ever gonna make it to 77, I wonna be just like you. Always happy, always positive."
When they told me at the beach this morning, I was shocked and sorry, but since we are all going to die one day, I thought that that was the best way to do it.
I had to get on my board and sail out for a while. Getting in the water I thought:"This could be my last time too. And there will be a last time sooner or later. So, I better enjoy it". And, you know what, even thought the wind was light and I wasn't planing, it was sunny and I saw a couple of turtles... I had good time!
Thank you Bob for what you tought me. You'll always be in my heart, just like you'll always be in the heart of everybody who knew you. I'm really, really happy to have been so lucky to meet you. You still are my model. Even more now.

Hookipa May 9th

Stephanie was showing off the beautiful colors of her new Superfreak.

Just like her lucky boyfriend Jeff.


When you have a sailor like Francisco Goya on the wave in front of you, you defenitely expect to see his board pop up off the lip. Jeff wasn't disappointed.


Another non disappointing move by Francisco.


Jeff returns the favor showing Francisco some fin.


Francisco was testing his new prototype sail.


And if you were wondering what Michelle was doing... Wait, let me rephrase it. If you were wondering what athletical activity Michelle was doing, here she is.


A word from our sponsors...
Jeff, what the hell is that switch on the backdoor of your car? Rear bumper self-destruction button? Looks like it works!


Last but not least. This is the most impressive move I saw. Not that the backloops and the wave riding of the sailors weren't impressive, but there's something about surfing that I just dig more.
You don't have your feet in footstreps and your hands on the boom. Hence, you can move your body freely.
That's exactly what this guy is doing. Awesome.

Fucked up world

I just learned on the net that there are hotel rooms as expensive as 29,000 Euros... What?!?

The fact that there are rooms like that, means that somebody actually pays that much to stay in them. And that bugs me. Actually, it pisses me off. How can somebody enjoy that stay knowing that at the same time there's people starving somewhere in the world.
I'm sorry, I said that already and I have to repeat it: this is a fucked up world!

And let me tell you something else. Just make a little donation in charity (unicef.org for example) and you'll feel much better than staying in one of those stupid rooms... It's just three clicks away and this little african girl will smile at you. You have no excuses.

SOJA

Yesterday I went to a reggae concert in Kihei. A nice place right on the beach. Before the start, we enjoyed the sunset. Somebody else did the same. Here's two young girls taking a walk on the reef. It's quite shallow over there.



This guy was doing yoga (unfortunately I missed the most interesting poses...).


Natural fish ponds at low tide.


This old guy was on fire. After he danced with this lady, he invited all the young girls. No luck, though. Too bad he didn't invite me. I would have danced... just for the blog!
The band in the background were the openers: Inna vision. Local band, pretty darn good.


These ones, instead, were the main group: Soldiers Of Jah Army. Even though they played reggae, they rocked! Best reggae concert in the last couple of years.


Check also Sharon's blog for a great photo of the reggaest trash bin in Maui: http://www.kinel.blogspot.com/

What else. Oh, yeah. Today's sailing session at Kuau was a lot of fun. And I was in the shower 10 minutes after I got out of the ocean. How cool is that!