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surfing and wave sailing

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
Olaf Mitchell wrote:Hay mobley,Thanks for posting this exciting little film clip! Each of those craft takes a lot of skill and massive balls to perform at the level of those competitors! It's interesting that an old friend of mine Kent Marinkovic was in on the production of the race and documentary. Kent and I go back many years. The last time I saw him we were down in southern Baja at Los Barriles together with a bunch of other friends. He was just getting into kiting at the time. Kent was on the US Olympic wind surf team and is hands down the best freestyle longboard windsurfer that I have ever known or even seen. I remember watching Kent and Andy Brant of ABK windsurfing put on a freestyle demonstration. They each were both awesome but Kent ruled that day. Damn it's a small world. Kite racing is getting very popular here on Maui. I have many friends that are designing and building race boards. Alix Aguera for one and my friends Wess and Peter as well. My girl friend Karen raced in the last Nash race series.
I dont know about the massive balls thing, especially coming from a climbing background but this is an impressive vid of three of the fastest and most simple sailing rigs in the world. Its funny that it takes millions of dollars to make a boat that can go as fast as a kiteboarder you have to admit. I'm more of a sail until I cant drink anymore and race/try to race someone along the way kind of sailor myself. I'm looking for someone to strap in to my mast while holding a trainer kite(at first) on my Laser next summer in the LI sound if anyone is interested. We could set some local records, that 49er at Yale really pisses me off sometimes...
Jasonn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 170

Hey guys, here is an update from the North East. I did not get the best photographs, so ill just have to use my words. Enjoy

The snow that fell last night covered Long Island in its entirety. I knew that there was also a swell forecasted to be about head high coming in. This morning I noticed that the winds changed. Now they were going NW, making for some great waves, with cleaner conditions than anticipated. As soon as I got out of work, I put on my suit, booties, grabbed my gloves and board, and headed to Gilgo. The air temperature was a screaming 24 degrees, leaving the water as a place to warm up, still being 50 degrees.

My buddy mike joined me, talk about an empty line up. We had the place to ourselves. Starting off with a short run to the best break, we were able to get some warmth going. The first few duck dives were the most painful. You had just enough time to make that Ice cream headache go away after coming up from you last dive. Than another wave would roll in and leave you with yet another head pounding duck dive.

I was amazed that we both found the time to surf before class during finals week. Long semi clean waves were breaking consistently, decent tubes! I think Mike caught the first wave. Than, I caught an amazing left, lots of power out there. The wind kept pushing Mike and I out, so we had to continually paddle in, quite Ironic being that we spent all that time paddling out. I turned around only to notice that I was in the rite place at the rite time; this was my wave. This thing was forming rite behind me. As soon as I dropped in, I knew that this was going to be a great ride. After a few quick turns and gaining some speed, I was in an amazing tube.

After a few more great rides, some wipe outs, and getting blasted in the face with freezing mist, we called it. It's not that we were ready to go, It's just that I still had an exam to take in a hour. Getting out is always the hard part anyway. Dealing with the cold is a drag, especially when doing so outside. Even taking my gloves off to grab my keys from above my tire was an adventure in and of itself. I went the extra mile and took off the top of my suit.... Cold!

Unlike Mike, who walked into the school gym to take a shower, wearing only his suit, I changed and than quickly made it to class. With my red windburned face, sandy eyebrows, and that kind of grin you cant wipe off because you just spent a few hours riding tubes in the north east during the winter, taking that test in a room full of what appeared to be dead people was a surreal experience for sure.

On the ride home I realized why I surf, because its empowering, captivating, and now, essential to my life. The ocean is where I go to celebrate, debrief, and understand. No matter what happens, what I get, lose, or give away, I will always surf. To this day, I still remember the first wave I ever rode.

Keep reaching, never stop loving, and always remember to go surfing!

- Jason

Dec 14

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190

Jasonn wrote:
"On the ride home I realized why I surf, because its empowering, captivating, and now, essential to my life. The ocean is where I go to celebrate, debrief, and understand. No matter what happens, what I get, lose, or give away, I will always surf. To this day, I still remember the first wave I ever rode. Keep reaching, never stop loving, and always remember to go surfing!- Jason"

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
PTZ wrote:Why would you want to go into the ocean? It is full of fish crap and toxic waste.
I think PTZ that if you keep reading this thread you might get a clue.
Heyun · · Charleston S.C. · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 455

Here is a good reason to paddle out....

Strictly from a gentleman's perspective, of course!

need a better camera

Heyun · · Charleston S.C. · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 455

How old were you when you first caught a wave?

My daughter and Me on her first wave when she was just shy over 2 years old... and later... encourage stoke!

first wave at 2.2 years old

shaka kine

not surfing but sometimes it is the best form of communication

got boards?

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
EdAsh wrote:Aloha Olaf, I was looking at an old P Hubbel guide book and I noticed "Olaf's Roof".
Hi Ed, It's good to here from you. I really don't know the roof that Peter is referring to.
Was it in "The Brown Book Of Lies"? Where in the Platte is "Olaf's Roof"
I put up a lot of routes down in the Platte back in the day. Peter also named a lot of things off the top of his head back in the day. Cheers Olaf
Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
mobley wrote: I dont know about the massive balls thing, especially coming from a climbing background but this is an impressive vid of three of the fastest and most simple sailing rigs in the world. Its funny that it takes millions of dollars to make a boat that can go as fast as a kiteboarder you have to admit. I'm more of a sail until I cant drink anymore and race/try to race someone along the way kind of sailor myself. I'm looking for someone to strap in to my mast while holding a trainer kite(at first) on my Laser next summer in the LI sound if anyone is interested. We could set some local records, that 49er at Yale really pisses me off sometimes...
Hi mobley, You have a point when you compare sailing to climbing at least trad climbing.
That is an interesting idea about using a kite in addition to your sail to super charge your Laser. Keep us posted!
Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
Hayne von Kolnitz wrote:Here is a good reason to paddle out.... Strictly from a gentleman's perspective, of course!
I agree that there is NO better scenery than I have found in the line up!
Thanks for posting the images!
Jasonn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 170

Yea, to bad they go away in the winter.

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
Heyun · · Charleston S.C. · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 455

Thank you Olaf for the images.

We might get some waves tomorrow. I'll carry the camera and get a more recent photo. Amazing how the crowd thins out when the water temp drops below 48!

random summer day

random day at the Washout, aka: Hollywood.

Folly Pier, aka: Pumpkin Head's

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190

Ed Ash wrote: "Rufus Miller? Did you know him? I never met him but I heard some stories."
Ed, Rufus is a true legend and really good friend of mine.
He is one of the most talented and strongest climbers I have ever
known!
As far as that route is concerned if I put it up or It's named after me I hope that it's a good roof!

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190

Kai Lenny is a young man that I have known since he was just a child.
He won the World SUP Championship title a few days back. He is also an all around waterman. Here are two images that I took of Kai this year.

Kai Lenny dropping in at "Jaws" on his windsurfer.Photo: Olaf Mitchell

Kai at the Nash Maui "Kite" Race Series Photo: Olaf Mitchell

Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190

I would like to add this article to my coverage of Kai Lenny and his great achievement.
networkedblogs.com/c1Ke2

kirra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 530
Olaf Mitchell wrote:At first I thought,Well ? This is sorta close to home. Then I thought,No, That's my front yard! Man possibly bitten by shark Posted: Dec 12, 2010 5:26 PM HST Updated: Dec 12, 2010 8:32 PM HST PAIA (HawaiiNewsNow) - On Maui a man is counting his blessings after reportedly being bitten by what sounds like a shark or barracuda.
ever find out who bite 'em eh..?

one would think the bite-marks between those 2 species are substantially different
Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190
kirra wrote: ever find out who bite 'em eh..? one would think the bite-marks between those 2 species are quite substantial
Kirra,I haven't heard a thing more about that incident.
Although, I heard another landlord story yesterday from my friend Brent. He says that a friend of his was towing in at Noriega and he had a 6' tiger shark swim right at him last week with his dorsal fin out of the water and mouth open. (Now that is a personal account from a friend of a friend that has never given me any reason to doubt a single thing he said.) Noriega is the wave that I surf and wave sail on probably 75% of the time.
We surfed that wave yesterday with just my friend Dale and two other guys. The sesh started out with
Some delightful waves in the over head range and grew bigger as the day went on. By the end of our sesh we had dropped in on some real bombs! We were also getting clobbered if we were caught on the inside. The larger sets were closing out the right channel and there was nowhere to go. Nori’s on a rising swell can be really serious!
All four of us called it a day when the sets were coming in consistently around triple over head range.
That is way past my comfort zone. Dale’s new board was snapped in two . He had to swim in with half a surfboard.
Today the waves are bigger than yesterday. I think that I am going to look further down the coast. Probably Kanaha will be somewhat shadowed and more manageable. It will probably be more crowded being a weekend. Game ON!

Dale's surfboard after yesterdays surf session at Noreaga's
Olaf Mitchell · · Paia, Maui, Hi, · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 4,190

Just as I thought Nori's was just not where I needed to be yesterday. I got there just as Dale and two other guys were about to paddle out. I decided to watch their first few waves and I wasn't stoked by what I saw.
There were two tow-in crews working thee same breaks with thier jet ski's. As a rule I go in when the guys start to tow-in. It's usually to big to paddle-in comfortably.Also the peak seemed to be shifting around and it looked 'way' hard to line up. "AND"! There were still those BIG clean up sets that were rolling through from time to time!

I opted to down the beach to Kanaha. This proved to be a good call.
I surfed with friends and got a lot of great waves.
After all those sesh's at Nori's last week Kanaha seemed a bit tamer than usual. The sets were still coming in way over head and fairly heavy. There was absolutely no wind on the wave and it was real clean.
This swell is still very active so I'm going to get my work done and go for a "Solstice Surf".

Holiday surf on Maui

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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