surfing and wave sailing
|
Hank, dude I can totally see u in Paia, btw what are you doing in Mexico did the front range loose another hero on patrol? |
|
kera we had very minimal damage from the tsunami |
|
I haven't checked in for a while. |
|
Olaf Mitchell wrote:http://mauioceansports.blogspot.com/2011/03/kite-beach-crew-maui-tsunami-cleanup.htm...da link not workin' braddah |
|
kirra try this one, mauioceansports.blogspot.com/ |
|
Bob Tinkler: "It makes no difference. You're just actually putting energy into the tail. Storing energy, and being able to release that energy to give you drive through your turn." |
|
|
|
Olaf Mitchell wrote:kirra try this one, mauioceansports.blogspot.com-got it amazing photo*= Kai Lenny paddling in at Jaws on his SUP |
|
Big wave surfer Sian Miloski died at Mavericks yesterday to follow the story click on the links highlighted below. |
|
The American Windsurfing Tour is gaining momentum |
|
I think this good! |
|
Kai Lenny waiting for his dad to park the car so they can go paddling. Photo: Olaf Mitchell
I shot a few photos of Kai and his friend Dean doing some bump and jump sailing at secrets the other day check it out! mauiwindsurfing.blogspot.co… |
|
I's been so stinking windy here on the north shore of Maui that it really hasn't been much fun for me. I have been completely over powered every time that I get on the ocean. The conditions have been very hard to judge and I am always rigging moer sail than I can handle at 140lbs. |
|
I went out on the ocean today and it was real big and I got some great waves! Game On! |
|
A BUNCH OF GRUMPY OLD MEN SITTING ON THE LOG AT THE KUAU LAUNCH Photo: Sam Bittner
Well it has been a heck of a week out on the ocean. We had some dynamically diverse sessions ranging from super nuclear wind with small waves to strong wind and good waves to giant waves with steady wind to steady wind and head high waves to head high and very light wind. Wednesday was absolutely giant! We had mast and a half to near double mast high sets that were coming in sets of five to eight waves in a set. There were defiant lulls between the sets so timing was critical in order to get out through the impact zone. Well mine timing was off so I had to take quite a few of the massive walls of white water on the head and wait while protecting my gear before I was allowed access to the open ocean on the outside. When I finally did get out through the impact zone and got my wits about me after the pounding I had. I got down to the business of getting some waves. I made damn sure to take a good look over my shoulder before committing to a wave because If I rode one that closed out I stood the chance of getting caught inside again and possibly breaking my gear or having it ripped away from me and loosing it to the strong currents and not being able to swim fast enough to catch it. I had a great session and rode quite a few of those magnificent wonders of nature. I was able to sail really far into the channel and didnt have to swim very far at all to get back to the beach. The next day the conditions looked too gnarly at Kuau so I thought I would give Kanaha another try. Like I thought the waves were much smaller but everyone on the north shore was there and what a zoo it was. Ive committed in past posts about this phenomenon. Professional level wave sailors mixing with intermediate local wave sailors mixing with entry level wave sailors then toss in a variety of absolute clueless Kook s, and now lets not forget the kite surfers as well. You get all these people going for the same waves and in the same little break and you have a scene where no one is having fun and no one is able to express themselves at all other than how FU their session was. I knew what I was getting into when I went there so I just tried to put a big smile on my face and enjoy being a part of the show. I n reality I did get a few really nice waves. Yesterday was an entirely different. The waves had dropped to about head high or a little bigger in the sets but the wind shut down as I was trying to get out and it took forever to get a water start and get through the impact zone. Once I was out the wind was so gusty that I really didnt want to be out there any longer so I set up to catch one wave and then head back to the channel. The wave I dropped in on was a respectable size and I made one bottom turn and hit the lip and dropped back in and pointed back left and hoped to use the energy of the white water to push me all the way into the narrow channel. Well that didnt work at all the white water just mowed me over and shook the hell out of me. When I absorbed the next two white waters I was left about thirty meters from the rocks at the mouth of the channel with absolutely no wind what so ever. I just hate being in that position but I knew the drill. I had to just start swimming with my gear and try to negotiate the currents as best that I could. I made what I considered to be good progress and made it in to the mouth of the channel. I actually got pretty far and started feeling pretty confident that I was going to make it in without much trouble. Thats when this ripping surge of current hit me and in less time than I can describe I was swept back out to the mouth of the channel and caught in what I now describe as the Eddy from Hell. I have described this place in previous posts and the description is still the same. Once EFH gets you No amount of swimming will break its hold. Drowning wasnt the issue since I did have my board and sail for flotation. Its sheer exhaustion that is the danger. I fought the current until I was really tired and I am so thankful that Samantha Bittner was on the scene. She swam out and helped me break through the current. I was pretty whipped when I got to the beach. I am not in really bad shape but I intend to step up my training by swimming the Kuau Channel as often as possible. This is an article That I posted in our on line magazine aboy Wednesdays wave sailing at Hookipa. I hope you enjoy it! mauiwindsurfing.blogspot.co… |
|
Awesome Olaf! |
|
I found this to be really cool. |
|
I couldn't have stated it better! |
|
Hubby (also a climber) kiting at Outer Banks. I was too scared to go out this day, crazy winds. He ended up taking out my bitty 7 meter and being pumped (and he weighed 250 lbs at the time): |
|
Alicia, Thanks for posting the kiting photo! It must have been cranking to get your husband ripping on a 7m! |