Heading to Maui and then.... THIS!

How can one go from a maui spring trip with 45 days of no wind to a fall trip? the beginning of which will undoubtedly be one of the largest wavetrains of the year! Can a person step off of an airplane and the next day rig up to what this mid-pacific bomb will produce? Stay tuned...

Booked for Maui Fall 09

Since I enjoyed 45 days with no wind in the Spring of 2009 I thought I had better stick to the Fall. I do have memories of one day (see pic) but even that was on a Maui Sails Legend 5.7 and '09 JP Twinser 84. So...

Kite Boarding - trip four to the Puddle

I bought a 15M Cabrinaha Kite and Airush board from Silent Sports - why? Kiting is so safe now and my two new windsurf waveboards have not been wet once in over two months... something needed to be done!!!
Venue: The Puddle (back bay at Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia)
Day 4 at The Puddle, always enough wind and with an even depth of about 3 feet, is at least a kilometer wide and over the same in length. Also a very soft bottom to cushion any wipeouts. Nice sea grass for rigging. And no access for spectators except via a 50 meter walk on soft tidal grass so... the place is ours! Has to be one the best beginner spots in the world!

Finally went both ways on my Airush board AND did my first power slide turn in the fakey direction! Also an off the wind speed run. The board was difficult to control on the chop - 6 inch chop!! So I know I was going fast!!
It is so great to be learning a new sport. I flew the kite 3 feet off the water just out ahead of me. It actually caught on the surface a few times but I kept it in the air. That single off the wind run was an amazing moment - I am sure it was longer but it seemed to happen so quickly and was over in what felt like a moment. Time compression or what!! What happens if I explode at speed hooked in? With Kite flying would I get dragged?? Or launched? I was going quite fast on the water on a broad reach - impressive sport kiting- had no idea of the speed potential of kites!

Thanks to Dave Beck for the $500 worth of free kite boarding lessons. Just knowing of the Puddle has saved me and kite too from injury/damage. Recent pic of Dave at The Range, our point break wavesailing venue which is just down the road from Lawrencetown. Very tired and sore today but lovin' it! Gary

A not-so-old friend passes to another...

Josh wins on a Single Fin

Quadimoso

Here's some news from Kauli Seadi in Cabo Verde.

Here is what Josh Angulo says about Kauli and those much talked about Quatro/JP Quad-Fin boards. "Kauli showed up early in Cabo Verde. His hunger to win here again is evident and his sailing is looking up to the task.

Just as most people are striving to try and mimic his unique style by riding similar twin fins, Kauli has been sailing here on a 6'4" little Quad.

He's shown some clear moments of brilliance on it and looks as though, when he gets them in the groove, that he's got great drive to propel him to where he wants to be on the wave.

All in all , I'd say Kauli is definitely on the extreme edge of R&D, and here in Cabo Verde he will be the main challenger for the title."

One of the best windsurf shots ever.....

More on Cabo Verde

http://www.caboverdeworldcup.com/

Josh Angulo - Winner 2009 PWA Cabo Verde wave contest

Caught!

Yesterday I was 'caught' speeding on my 164 Burtom Custom X at the nearby ski hill - empty runs and an over-exuberant hired patrol person. Asking what the problem was I was simply asked to "slow down". Very disappointing, just another reason to eagerly await the freedom found in the outer reef breaks on Maui where, as of yet, control freaks are few and far between. April 1st coming up!

Crossover vs. 'Different' Sports

It has been many years now that I have been telling those who asked why I do the sports I do. I say to them that my two loves are wave sailing the many reef breaks along Maui's north shore, and snowboarding anywhere at all with good snow conditions. In my mind, snowboarding is the perfect compliment to wave sailing... toeside and heelside turns for the snowboard, bottom turn and off the lip for the wave board. With snowboarding I get to sometimes flail my arms about in the air as I slash the imaginary snowy 'lip' with a heelside slide. Wave sailing demands a much more disciplined approach, both in the pit and on the lip.

Retiring at age 53 has allowed these two sports to near fill my life, with all of the associated activities each demands: From equipment selection and acquisition to tuning for conditions - it all takes time, involves the talents and generosities of many others AND pays BIG dividends in health and fitness. On a clean air summer day I sometimes sneak out for a mountain bike ride, and on a windy wintry day I occasionally slide into the woods on my Atlas snowshoes - the latter to seek shelter from windchill unwelcome on the slopes. However these are 'different' sports to my mind.

When I find myself seeking that unthinking thoughtless flow drug state that many athletes crave: Only high speed carving snow boarding or the wild inhospitable environment found on an outer reef in 28 knots of wind can bring it on.