No wind on Maui…

The last two weeks have been some kind of a wake-up call for me, as I had grown accustom to the never-ending wind and waves here on Maui. Yeah, it’s been at least two weeks since any real wind here on the north shore. Last Friday I managed to catch a few waves at Kanaha, but the wind was so light it was irritating, and usually I’m not one to complain during light wave-sailing. When the wave is powerful enough, you only need a light breeze (8-10 knots would be a reasonable minimum, but I have made attempts, some successful, in even lighter winds) to shlog out and get passed the breaking waves. Once you are on a wave, you don’t need the wind to move anymore. What I did learn, is that you still need it to turn though. In the surf, having the sail can be seen as both a handicap and an advantage. It gives the rider extra power in the turns, and opens up a whole new range of possibilities in terms of aerials, but it also makes the turns naturally wider and less vertical. Some riders are able to compensate that by engaging themselves thoroughly in both the top and the bottom turn, but by nature windsurfing  is less dynamic on the wave than pure surfing. The challenge is to be as radical, as vertical and as powerful as surfers by going as fast as possible and pushing the turns as hard as possible.

Instead of wind though, the north shore of Maui has received, last week, one of the biggest swells in a few decades. This resulted in some very epic action at Peahi, but also in some really fun, challenging conditions at other beaches, like Paia Bay, where I’ve been surfing pretty much every day for the last week.  Surfing is very different from windsurfing, and at the same time so close. One of the biggest challenges for me is definitely to learn to be patient. You can’t just start paddling on anything that looks somehow like a wave, you need to wait for the right one, and that is something I am not used to. The extra mobility we have with windsurfing makes us feel almost as if we’re on a conveyor belt, taking one wave after the other, with almost no pause in between. Anyways, the perspective of surfing is without a doubt really interesting, and I’m stoked that I am actually making some progress, hopefully I’ll have something worthy of putting on video to share with everyone soon!

-F.

Peahi

Last week, we had a quite a treat. There’s a wave on the North shore of Maui that is even more famous than Ho’okipa, because when it works it can reach unreal heights. I’m talking of course of Peahi, better known as Jaws. It is really rare that the wave works, as it needs really consistent swell in the right direction for a long time to be able to push all the water on the reef, creating a wave that can reach up to 50 ft.

The scenery is quite epic at Peahi, as the public stands on a very tall cliff, overlooking the wave and the pile of rocks that is at the bottom instead of a beach. Many people were present, just to look at the action, most of them probably not into surfing at all. It is so rare that Jaws works that whenever it does, it makes a lot of noise on Maui, and the action attracts a lot of tourists.

The day was mostly occupied by tow-in surfers (surfers pulled by jetskis into the wave), but some windsurfers were waiting all day for the wind to show up, and managed to catch a few waves at the end of the day. We didn’t wait all day though, since the conditions were also firing at the regular spots of Kanaha and Sprecks (mast-size waves are always fun, even after you’ve seen the triple-mast-size monsters of Peahi), and so we missed the first Jaws experience of pro wave sailors Marcilio Browne and Ricardo Campello. Nonetheless, it was very impressive and quite inspiring to see people ride such incredibly big waves, and actually pushing themselves to be radical in such hardcore conditions.

-F.

Rides on the rocks

Today has been quite an epic day, and it is most likely going to be the smallest day of the week, so expect some pretty exciting posts. First of all, today was my first day back on the water (I had to take a 3 day break due to a small staph infection in a wound on my foot) and it was quite a good one. We started the day at Kanaha, where the wind was a little bit light, but some shoulder-high waves gave us some great jumping and some decent riding opportunity. Just as we were about to get off the water for our lunch break, a nice set came in and I rode a very long logo-high waves, one of my best rides at Kanaha. After the lunch though, instead of going back to Kanaha, we thought it’d be nice to change things a little bit, and head to Ho’okipa for some hardcore wave-sailing. When we got there, the waves look like a lot of fun, challenging but not epic. So we rigged and headed out, and after only 2 or 3 rides, the swell really kicked in and the height of the waves doubled. I took two waves, the biggest of my life, and ended up in the channel. Usually that is not a bad thing at all, as it brings you and your gear really quickly to Lanes, where the waters are usually a little bit calmer and where you can waterstart and head back out. Today though, things were different. The waves were so big the water in front of the rocks were really agitated, making it really hard to get back up. Also each time a wave would come in it would push you really hard towards the rocks, and when it would pull out it would take you back out without asking any questions. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by rocks and I had no other choice but to look for the easiest way to exit without hurting myself, and doing my best to save some of the equipment. I managed to get out with only a few bruises and a nice big crack in my board. It was worth it though, as I got the best rides of my life just before. Tomorrow morning I’ll fix my board, and tomorrow afternoon, I’ll try to ride something else than the rocks.

The Bolt

In the last few weeks, I’ve been gaining more and more confidence on the face of the wave, hitting the lip harder and closer to the critical section, taking more speed in my turns, etc. etc. As a result, a few sessions ago, I completely destroyed my main sail, my 06 neil pryde combat 4.7, which was pretty much the only one I used. I punched a hole with a 1 foot diameter right in the middle of one of the main panels, making it very hard to repair. Since the sail didn’t cost me a lot, it’s not that big a deal, but I still need a new 4.7. I’m starting to think it might not have been a coincidence, because I managed to get my hands on a brand new 2010 Bolt, which is hot sails maui’s new freestyle-wave 4 batten sail. It’s a super light, powerful and lively sail, very good for both jumping and riding a wave, perhaps the best sail I’ve ever used. As a result, my level went up a notch as soon as I got on the water with that sail, and I managed to rotate my first push loop, almost landing it. Sadly, the conditions have been lacking the last 2 days to try more jumps, but the forecast is looking incredible for this week for both wind and waves. I can’t wait to get back on the water.

-F.

Kanaha ’til sunset

Sailing has been very good this week, with many light wind wave-sailing sessions at both Ho’okipa and Lanes, one powered-up big wave session at the first and one excellent wave-riding session at Lower Kanaha today. Lets go in chronological order. First up, Ho’okipa in light winds. It’s definitely not easy, as Ho’okipa is a tricky spot to sail at, with weird tides and wind patterns, so in light winds it’s even trickier because you have way less power to move around with on the water. Also, because the waves have been pretty small this week (nothing bigger than shoulder-high), it’s been pretty hard catch them, i.e. synchronize with the sets of waves coming in, so be at the breaking point (where you ride the waves) at the right time (not between the sets when it’s flat). The other issue is the cohabitation in light winds of both surfers and windsurfers. On a wave, surfers have absolute priority. Normally, when it’s windy, they just don’t go out, but it’s light wind, they’ll be out there, and they can be quite territorial. Bottom line, it’s been some excellent training to get ready for when  the spot actually does turn on.

Next up, Lanes in light winds. Lanes is just the break downwind of Ho’okipa, so it’s bit of a messier wave, not quite as long, but it doesn’t break on those gnarly rocks and it’s never crowded. On the other hand, it’s probably the worse launch I’ve ever seen. You basically walk on a reef for 10-20m and then you go in about one foot of water, still walking on that sharp reef, but now not seeing where you step, for another 20m or so. Basically, there’s no way to get through it without cutting yourself, booties or no booties. And coming in might be even worse. Anyways, the wave there is really nice, and almost always deserted. So two days ago, I caught a few by myself in super light winds.

Yesterday, the trade winds came back to Ho’okipa, with some pretty big sets (some waves mast-size + for sure). My session was amazing, I felt very confident heading out, now that I know the spot a little bit, and I know how to get over that massive whitewater, and even though I’m still playing it safe on the wave-face, missing out on a turn or two to make sure I get off the wave before the rock, I enjoyed some of the best wave rides since I got here. That session ended on a bit of a bittersweet note though, as the wind totally dropped in just a few minutes, at the same time as the waves got about twice as big, leaving to go back in without enough power in my sail to do anything. Basically, a mast-size wave monster swallowed me up and spit me gear out about 30 m in front of me. If it wasn’t for a very nice surfer who held my gear while I got there, I would’ve swam for quite some time (probably all the way back to shore).

Finally, today was the return to Kanaha, with an amazing wave-riding session at  Lowers. The waves were about head-high, very long and not very powerful. The only complaint I could’ve had is that the wind was a tiny bit side-on, making the bottom turns a little tricky, and inconsistent, making jumping a bit hard as well. Nonetheless, I got plenty of great waves and I’m feeling more and more confident, working my way, slowly but surely, towards my own surfing style.

Tomorrow, it’ll be back to Ho’okipa before the wind switches to Kona…but that will be a story for next post.

-F.

Sailing at Ho’okipa

The last few days have pretty much all been the same, very light wind in the morning, slowly building up throughout the day, with a small to medium swell at best, creating the ideal conditions to get used to sailing at Ho’okipa, making it easy to go out, and very hard to actually catch waves. So for the last couple of days, I’ve been taking it easy in the morning and sailing at Ho’okipa in the afternoon, until there would be no more wind or no more sunshine, and now I can’t wait for the conditions to actually turn on again. I’ve been sailing with lots of famous kids; Kai Lenny, Camille Juban, Dean Christenner can all be seen almost everyday on the water. They are all pretty impressive to watch sail, sometimes because they’ll throw a sick move like a goiter or a wave 360, but also, and probably mostly, because they are catching so much more waves than everybody else. The trick (I’m starting to figure this out after a few days) is that the timing is crucial. Between two sets of waves, the water is almost perfectly flat, and the area where the waves are breaking is very small, so you have no other choice than being on the reef at the right time, which is a lot harder than it sounds, because of the offshore wind, which makes it hard to move upwind, and even harder when you’re close to shore because it will usually become really light right next to shore, but also because of the strong current near the waves that moves you downwind really fast as soon as you fall in the water.

Ho’okipa is, without a doubt, the most challenging place I have ever sailed, and I’m already eager to get back on the water the next time it will really be working.

-F.

Ho’okipa, take 1

Yesterday, the wind was non-existent at Kanaha Beach Park, but it was very present at Ho’okipa, with a relatively small swell (only mast-size in the big sets), so I figured it would be a good day to give it a try. Just pulling over in the parking lot was quite an awesome feeling. The scenery is really quite epic. 2 very tall cliffs are over-looking the massive waves breaking on the world-famous Ho’okipa rocks. So I rigged my combat 4.7 in the parking lot, and started studying the way things work over there. Without a doubt, it’s completely different from anywhere else I’ve sailed so far. Heading out through mast-high waves and head-high white-water would already be a challenge in powered-up conditions, but because of the side-offshore winds, there is an area right after the launch where the wind is non-existent. If you don’t fall when going over the whitewater, that’s not so much of problem, but if you do, then waterstarting becomes almost impossible, and the strong currents take you directly into the rocks. And, of course, you have to time your launch perfectly to go out right between two sets, because if you try to head out during a big set, it is sometimes simply impossible to head out.

After studying the wave, I summoned all the courage I could find, and I attempted launching. I managed to get almost all the way out, there was just one wave left for me to be ready to turn around and start riding, but just before I got to the wave, a pro kid riding that same wave turned right in from me, making me fall. I had right of way though, and he came to apologize at the end of his session, so no hard feelings. It was a really bad place to fall though, because there was not enough wind to waterstart. I was lucky enough to get pushed back by the waves right at the launch (which is about 20 m wide). I waited a little bit, and gave it another try. This time, there were about 4 other guys heading out with me, so I was pretty confident about my timing. I might have been a bit too confident though, because when we got to the no-wind zone, we all fell in the water, and none of us got to waterstart. I was in the worse spot though, as the current and the breaking waves brought me straight on the rocks. Luckily, I managed to swim back to the launch with my gear (and my body) unscathed.

The rest of the day was spent studying the experienced Ho’okipa riders, their technique heading out, as well at their style on the face of the wave. I have to say I was quite impressed by guys like Camille Juban, Kai Lenny and Dean Christenner, who were all ripping with a ton of style.

So my first take at Ho’okipa was quite a humbling lesson, but now I am confident I’ve figured out what I have to do, and I will try it again next time the conditions turn on.

-F.