All Contents of this Page Copyright(2009) of Randolph Kashino
Maui 2000
"Windsurf and SUP Adventure"
March 28, 2009
I arrived late last night on the flight from Vancouver. The trade wind (mauka) showers were in full force as I drove from Kahului Airport to my vacation rental in Haiku. At Pu'u Koa, I dug out some of my gear in storage before going to bed. I woke up late this morning.. I guess I was pretty tired from the flight yesterday. It was still overcast with mauka showers. I made some coffee, checked the weather online, packed some gear into the car and then headed into Paia for some breakfast at Charley's Restaraunt. As I drove toward Paia, Hookipa was windy but the waves looked on the relatively small side. After breakfast I headed into Kahului to pick up my new SUP that I had ordered from Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport on my last Maui trip. I also picked up a Starboard Kombat 97 from their rental fleet. Since I was shopping I picked up a used 4.6 Sailworks Revo at Second Wind to complete my Maui quiver of sails. Then I headed back to Puu Koa to pick up the rest of my gear and then headed to Kanaha Beach. When I got there it looked like it was going off solid 4.0 to 4.5. I rigged the 4.6 Sailworks and put it on the Starboard Kombat. Heading out the wind was solid to the beach and my first session was perfect with my gear combination. Waves were small and even Weird wave was tame to non-existent. Ah yes... warm water and perfect trade winds... this is what I missed. After about an hour I came in and had a beer break. My next session was blasting. The wind had cranked up a notch and if I would have had a 4.0 it would have been the sail to have. I hung on and blasted out and upwind. On one reach I went out pretty far waiting for a spot to jibe where the wind would be a little less strong. The jibe went Ok and I blasted back to the beach and jibed again to blast back out. After a couple of these I was finally downwind enough to get back to the beach. After derigging I headed to Pinatas to get a burito and a cerveza. I did some food shopping then headed back to Puu Koa to relax after a perfect first day in Maui.
..Windy!.. Kanaha..
March 30, 2009
Woke earlier this morning. It's still windy but there is a lot more blue in the sky. After breakfast I headed up to get a coffee at the Pauwela cafe and while I was there I went in to check out the boards at the Quattro/Goya shop. I think I walked in about the same time as Francisco Goya. After this I headed down to check things out at Hookipa. Waves were still really small, but the wind was solid. Josh Stone was rigging up when I got there. On his first run off the beach he hit a wave and did a push loop and did some nice wave riding on really small waves. After getting inspired by this I headed to Kanaha. When I got there the wind was cranked up. I rigged the 4.6 and headed it. It was nukin out there and I managed to keep it together for about an hour when it cranked up another notch. Dave Wingate showed up and went out his 4.0. It was windy enough that most of the other sailors came in also. Only those with really small gear stayed out. I derigged my stuff and rigged a beer instead.
Josh Stone having some fun at Hookipa
March 31, 2009
The mauka showers were heavy this morning and the wind was still blowing strong. My energy level was feeling low after the last couple of days of sailing and I needed to stoke myself up for the day. I made a breakfast of bacon and eggs with pan fried potatoes. After breakfast I got ready for the day...beer and lunch in the cooler...set up the camera... update the daily blog. On the way, passing Hookipa it already looked pretty strong and there was some 2 to 3 m surf happening. At Kanaha the wind still looked reasonable when I arrived but it soon cranked up. Fellow Vancouver Island sailors Chris Law and Dave Wingate had also arrived. I rigged my smallest sail which was the 4.6 and my first session was a very powered up one. On my second session my fin blew off its retainer and I had to reverse the fin to get back to shore. I replaced the fin with my smallest wave fin which made the next session just barely sailable as winds were cranking up above 30 knots. It was also a lot gustier than yesterday which meant some big holes followed by big gusts. Even the sailors with smaller sails were having problems. No right sail today. I concentrated on perfecting my high high wind jibes..that means really big and long downwind turns. I was done by 4 o'clock and rigged the beer. After sailing I cruised over to the supermarket and picked up a fillet of Mahi Mahi. I pan fried it for dinner and had it with rice and Kim chee served with a chilled Sierra Nevada IPA.
Another windy day at Kanaha
April 1, 2009
It was a little drier this morning but the wind is still gusting and the forcast for the day says the same as yesterday. After breakfast I headed to Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport and exchanged my Kombat 97 for a Kombat 89 then I went to Second Wind and picked up a used Ezzy 4.2 wave sail. At Kanaha the wind was strong but very gusty and most of the sailors were commenting on the big lulls. My body was tired from the previous days of sailing so I decided take the day off from windsurfing. I headed over to the other side of the island to Ukumehame beach to see if it was surfable. Winds were nuking there. the water was literally white with waves being wipped by ferocious winds. I had some lunch there while watching the awesome site of winds that were in the order of 40 to 50 knots. I then decided to head down into Kihei then down toward Wailea and to my favorite snorkelling spot at Oneuli Beach. Unfortunately it was also too windy and the visibility looked like it was pretty bad. I decided to drive further toward La Perouse Bay and the little Ahihi Cove was where I decided to go snorkelling. Visibility in the Cove was only 3 to 4 feet but became better as I swam out into deeper water off the cove where it was about 15 to 25 feet. Nice coral heads here and the most interesting creature is the Pencil Urchin. I'm always facinated by its blunt spines which is an interesting adaptation to a high surf environment. It's unique reddish colour contrasts against the paler coral reef. It is a favourite of mine to photograph. After snorkelling I drove back into Kihei to do some shopping at the Star Market and then headed back to the north side. I checked out Sprecklesville beach. Not many sailors there. Most had come off the water for the day. It apparently had been pretty gusty offshore there. I then headed back to Puu Koa and made myself a pasta dinner served with a nice Australian Shiraz wine.
Wild Winds off Ukumehame
Pencil Urchin at Ahihi Bay
April 2, 2009
Blue sky and what seemed like a lot less wind this morning. I checked the weathers and yes the wind was about 10 to 15 knots less than yesterday morning. It was looking good for some reasonable windsurfing today. After breakfast I did some work on cleaning up one of my surfboards that I wanted to sell. Then I worked on my JP 98 which had a soft spot on the deck. I made lunch, packed some beer and headed to Kanaha. It was looking nice out there with no clouds and nice and sunny with a steady wind. There was a helicopter hovering off the beach. It was the Starboard photoshoot. Kevin Pritchard was sailing under the helicopter that followed him. After taking some pictures off this I rigged my 4.6 sailworks and put it on a Starboard Kombat 89. My first session out was real nice. The sail and board combo was working pretty good. I sailed out and upwind toward Kanaha uppers break. On my way in there where 4 turtles congregating in one spot. I got further up and was able to catch a nice 4 foot wave and made a good bottom turn. I came in after about an hour and took a break. Chris had arrived and and Dave showed up a little later. I had purchased a Hero Cam and decided to mount it on my helmet and try my own photoshoot. In the meantime the wind had picked up a notch, but the 4.6 and Kombat 89 still worked OK. The sailing remained great and I sailed right up to around 4 o'clock. After derigging and an apres session beer, I headed over to Maalea to the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium and sat in on a lecture on the Hawaiian False Killer Whale population that my friend Robin Baird was giving. Robin works for the Cascadia Research Collective . Got some interesting information about this whale. Like the Orca of the Pacific Northwest there seems to be 2 distinct types. Inshore and offshore. The inshore population hangs mostly right around the Hawaiian Islands and the offshore population ranges way offshore. The inshore populations seem to be declining steadily in number and is now estimated to be only 120 to 200 in numbers. Be caught accidently with Longline fishing gear and bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals are the two possible causes. After the lecture I was pretty tired so I drove back over to the north shore to my digs at Puu Koa. Had a beer and crashed for the night.
Starboard Helicopter Photoshoot
Photographing the action offshore with my helmet cam
April 3, 2009
Another nice morning with just a bit more cloud. This morning I decided to go up to the Pauwela Cafe for breakfast and had their Breakfast Platter Special which was eggs with Portuguese sausage. Having a coffee while waiting for breakfast, Peter Thommen of Thommen Sailboards sat at my table and we had an interesting conversation on the current state of windsurf and sup board manufacturing. After breakfast I wandered into the Dakine factory shop and then into the Ocean4Hawaii (Quatro/Goya) shop. I started talking with Pascal Bronniman about their new boards. During this conversation Pascal often spoke with other clients. He was amazingly multilingual easily carrying out mulitiple converstations in German, French and English. I ended up buying myself a birthday present. A new Quatro Freestyle Wave 95 board. That being done I head to Kanaha Beach Park. The wind was a lot lighter than yesterday and most sailors were on their 4.5 to 5.0 sails. Perfect..I rigged my 4.6 and put it on my new Quatro 95 and headed it. Real nice sailing as I passed some turtles just on the outside of the surf break below uppers. The Quatro easily jibed off a windwave face and I cruised in and the board jibed easily through the chop on the inside. The board pretty much felt like the Quatro Freestyle wave board I had bought back in 2007. Waves were still pretty small which made for easy cruising over the reef, however it made wave riding nearly impossible. After an hour or so of sailing I came in and had a lunch break. I then mounted the gopro cam on the top of my mast and my next sailing sessions were with it taking photos every 5 seconds. The wind was getting even lighter and some of the sailors were starting to slog a lot. I managed to keep my rig and board planing nicely. I finished sailing again about 4 o'clock and had a beer as I derigged. Talked for awhile with the other sailors and then headed the Hawaiian Island Surf shop to drop of the Starbord 89 and buy a new pair of booties. Then for dinner I headed to Pinatas for a Kitchen Sink Burrito with a Pacifico Cerveza. A satiating way to end a perfect day of sailing on Maui.
My new Quatro Freestyle wave 95
Sailing over the reef and looking up at the mast cam
Jibing offshore
April 4, 2009
This morning the sky had an high overcast and the trades didn't seem as strong. Made myself some breakfast and then worked on sorting through some of my photos and did some other chores. By the time I got going it was around noon... I can feel myself going tropo... Got to Kanaha about one o'clock and rig the 4.6 sailworks. It was really flat out there. When I got sailing the 4.6 on the Quatro 95 was perfect and with no real waves out on the reef it was smooth sailing. I cruised half up to Sprecks before making a big downwind reach back to Kanaha. I had a short lunch break of pineapple and a beer then headed back out. It was getting real flat out there but the wind was a consistent 20 to 25 knots. Weird wave was no existent. I practised tacks on the inside and duck jibes on the outside. After sailing I stopped in Paia to do some shopping at Mana Foods. Back home at Puu Koa I wrestled up some angel air pasta with a nice tomatoe sauce served with some wine. After dinner I relaxed sipping on some Hana Bay rum...
Kanaha gear fest
April 5, 2009
The sky was really overcast this morning and the trades seem to have backed off quite a bit. I had a quick breakfast and decided to head over to the south shore to find a spot to surf. On the way, passing by Hookipa the wave looked like they were up to 6 feet, but the wind was definitely light. On the south shore Ukumehame still had a strong offshore wind but as I got above Olowalu the wind lightened significantly. I turned into Launiupoko Park and there were already a couple of local stand up paddle surfers out. The swell was pretty small maybe 1 to 2 foot with an occassional 3 footer. It was still nice to get on the SUP board again. I paddle for about 2 hours before coming in for lunch. I packed the board back on the roof of the car and headed further up the coast past Lahaina and stopped at Honolua bay. There was a some northwest swell coming in and the short boarders were having some fun. I stayed awhile and took some photos. I was thinking about snorkeling but I could see the visibility was pretty bad. I started driving back to the north shore. On the way I stopped at Kapalua bay, but it started raining so I headed back down the road. Lots of rain on the way back. Wailuku was socked in and when I got to Kanaha I could see that everybody was back onshore. The wind had died. I looked out and I could see sailors either slogging back in or in the water wating to waterstart. I decided to take the day off from sailing and I headed up to Paia and had a late lunch at Milagros Restaurant which is right at the intersection. I had a grilled ahi (tuna) burrito with a Lava Rock Golden Ale. After this late lunch I headed back to Puu Koa and had a siesta.
Honolua Bay Surfing
Honolua Bay Surf Action
April 6, 2009
I was awakened by the sound of mauka showers and when I finally cleared the cob webs I opened the door to my patio and the sky was blue but the grass was still wet. The trades were blowing steady and I felt renewed after a yesterdays rest. After breakfast I drove to Hookipa and checked things out. The surf was up to 6 to 8 feet and the trades looked they had backed off to 15 to 20 knots. There were some good sets coming into Hookipa
The surf was up at Hookipa
I headed down to Kanaha Beach and the wind looked lighter than before so I rigged a 5.5 Sailworks Retro on the Quatro 95. It was perfect sailing as I cruised out. I could see the surf was up and occasionally the channel between Weird wave and lowers even closed out with some big surf breaking. On the outside it was perfect cruising with the 5.5 retro. I did a jibe and sailed to just the outside of the reef and jibed again and cruised out. I sailed upwind and jibed again and cruised back in. On the way I could see the swell building on both sides I rode it into the reef and then it began to peak.
Surfs up at Kanaha uppers
Made a bottom turn or two
The wave front was smooth so I took a bottom turn and then another before blasting towards shore. I jibed again and cruised out through the reef. No big breakers..so it was easy going out. Another jibe and another big swell to ride in...perfect...After an hour or so I cruised in for a break. Everybody else had big grins on their faces.
Everybody had big grins on their face today
I took a short break and rigged helmet cam and headed out again. The wind had picked up a bit but it wasn't too much for the 5.5 retro. It was probably more like 5.0 sailing but no problem for me. I cruise past the turtles still in there same spot on the outer part of the reef. A couple of jibes and I was into the uppers reef an caught another wave. A few more jibes and waves and I cruised back to the beach. It was nearly 4 o'clock when I finished. Time flies when you're having fun. Back at Puu Koa it was nice and sunny..I had a beer before cracking open the wine for dinner. Made a salad and pan fried some Mahi Mahi..Listened to Brazilian singer Vanesa de Mata while I dined...Had some rum later...
Mahi Mahi with rice and salad and wine
April 7, 2009
This morning it was heavy overcast and the trades seemed to have back of a lot. At Hookipa the surf was still up and the trades were definitely off. As I drove into Kahului it was still really overcast and the wind seemed light so I decided to head over to the other shore. At Maalea the wind was blowing and as I drove up toward Lahaina way it didn't die out until Oluwalu. At Launiupoko it was crowded so I drove back to Oluwalu and hung out there for a bit. From Oluwalu landing the West Maui mountains were spectacular this morning. The tide was low so it didn't seem like a good idea to go surfing here. As I drove back towards Kihei I stopped at Maalea to chech things out. It looked like it might be going of in Kihei so I drove down to Maipoena Oe Lau Park. The wind was a bit offshore and gusty inshore but it looked sailable. One sailor was out and he looked powered up so I decided to rig. I rigged the 5.5 retro. I had to slog out to the wind line but once there I was instantly powered up. I blasted through the chop offshore and jibbed and blasted back to Maipoina. Jibed again and blasted back out. On this reach I sailed through some lulls and then hit another windy spot. The 5.5 seemed overpowered sometimes but other times it seemed just right. I guess there was no right sail today. Other sailors were on sails ranging from 4.7 to 5.8. After a break from sailing I rigged the cam on my boom and went out again. Conditions hadn't changed much, but it was nice to be sailing in the sun. I could see that the north shore was still pretty cloudy. After a couple of hours of sailing I packed up and headed south to check out La Perouse Bay..maybe there was some surf to be had. When I got there it was really flat and almost windless. Interesting how different the island is at different places. I headed back to the north shore to Puu Koa. Cooked a steak for dinner and drank some wine...
Tranquille Oluwalu
West Maui Mountains
Why is this man smiling?...because he's sailing in Maui!
April 8, 2009
Another overcast morning but a bit more blue patches in the sky. The trades still seemed pretty mellow. Made myself a cheese omelet for breakfast then headed up to the Pauwela cafe to get some coffee for the road. Driving past Hookipa the wind was definitely light. In Kahului I stopped for gas. $2.69/gallon. Checked into Hawaiian Surf and Sport shop and they said there was some south swell happening so I headed up to Ukumehame but there was an anoying offshore wind so I headed up to Launiupoko Park. Lots of people out. I took the SUP out and my first ride was a nice 3 footer. Got at least 3 bottom turns. And then... a big set started coming in..at least 6 foot faces. This cleared out the tourists and I was pretty much left to myself except for one long boarder. My next ride was another 4 to 5 footer and got at least 6 bottom turns right the the breakwater. I had a hard time getting out this time because it was closing out right across the reef. Had to wait for a calm period. On my next wave I got caught in a break and ended up in the washing machine for a few minutes. Caught a few more waves and I was almost done. My last wave was a another nice 3 to 4 footer and it took me right back to the beach. Had a beer and a sandwich and packed up and headed back to the north shore. The wind looked up so I headed to Kanaha. Got there a little after 4 o'clock. Rigged the 5.5 Retro and headed out on the Quatro 95. A little light on the inside but about half way to the reef the wind picked up and I blasted out just downwind of wierd wave. Cruised past the turtles and out for a long way. Wind was just right and the swell out here was about 4 to 6 feet. Lots of wind and smooth cruising made a couple of reaches back to the reef and back out and then a reach to find the waves at uppers. Caught a nice shoulder high wave and made a bottom turn and into a nice curler that broke right as I turned back down wave. That got me stoked so once on the inside a jibed and reached back out over the reef...got a couple of nice jumps on some 2 foot faces. After a few more waves it was time to come in. The wind was getting light and it was nearly 5:30. Back at the beach I derigged while enjoying a beer. What a great day. Stand Up surfing early on and then Windsurfing later...
Stand Up at Launiupoko
Stand Up Paddle Surfing at Launiupoko
The Launiupoko Breakwater
April 9, 2009
Heavy overcast this morning and the rain woke me up. Trade winds seemed to be turned off. Made myself a breakfast of bacon and eggs with some Anthony's Paia blend coffee. Got on the road earlier than normal and drove past Hookipa to Secrets Cove. The trade wind was not quite enough to windsurf and it made it too choppy to Surf on the north shore. I stopped in Kahului to do pick up some supplies at the Home Depot before heading over to Kihei. Check things out there for waves but nothing was really happening so I headed up past Maalea. Looked like a bit of south swell still happening so I drove past the tunnel to Ukumehame beach. Finally, there was no stron offshore wind. Only a slight onshore wind and a bit of drizzle. Went out on the SUP and played over on the right reef for awhile before moving over to the middle reef. Got some nice 2 footers and got some bottom turns in. Swell was intermittent with about a 15 second period. No crowds today... only 2 other longboards and one person on a SUP showed up later. I had fun even though it was raining. Can't complain it's tropical rain and I'm getting wet anyway. After about 3 hours I finished surfing and headed over to Kahului and got a plate of Pork Katsu, Rice and salad at the Maui Mixe Plate restaurant in the Maui Mall. Stopped at Second Wind and picked up a Windsurfing video. On my way home I stopped at Paia to pick up another half pound of coffe at Anthony's. Back at home at Puu Koa I cracked a beer and watch the windsurfing video...
Stand Up Paddle in the rain at Ukumehame
Easter Friday, April 10, 2009
Still overcast this morning but no rain. No trade winds either so it looked like windsurfing was off for the day. Made an omelet for breakfast then went up to Pauwela to get a coffee for the road. At Hookipa there was no wind and lots of people out surfing. On the road there seemed to be a lot of traffic. I guess everybody on Maui drives someplace else on a holiday. I drove over to Ukumehame again. Looking nice again with a little bit of south swell. Lenny from Hawaiian Island shop was out on his standup board. I joined him about 10 minutes later. We pretty much had the surf break to ourself. Lots of waves about 2 feet with a 15 second period. My first session was for about an hour and a half and I came into rehydrate and have something to eat. On my next session I rigged up the helmet cam and headed out. The longboarders were out by this time and catching some nice waves. Over on the right there was a surfing class happening and a few more Stand Up surfers were out. The wind was getting really calm so the wave faces were getting nice and glassy. I surfed until about 3:30 and then packed up and drove over to Kanaha to see if any wind was happening. Well Kevin Pritchard and Josh Angulo and the boys were out on the big formula racing gear so I guessed the wind must have been around 10 to 12 knots. A windsurfing buddy from Toronto had a just arrived and we sat watching the big gear being sailed and then headed to Pinatas to get a Burrito. I headed home after this and got another beer out the fridge and watched a surfing video called "Water Man". Pretty good footage of Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, Gerry Lopez, Rob Machado and the Malloys surfing, Stand Up Paddle Surfing, hydrofoil surfing and body surfing in some dream spots in Indonesia.
Longboarding at Ukumehame
A view of the West Maui Mountains while one surfs
Nice SUP waves
Surf lessons at Ukumehame
April 11, 2009
The sky was a clear this morning and a light trade wind was blowing. Breakfast was eggs and bacon with pan fried rice. I checked the weather and NOAA was calling for 15 knot winds, so that sounded pretty good. Just before ten o'clock I drove down to Hookipa Beach Park to watch the "Maui 3rd Annual all womens downwinder from Ho'okipa" which is organized by The Butterfly Effect. Their goal: "The Butterfly Effect brings women together for noncompetitive ocean sport gatherings in coastal cities all over the world. The aim is to instill self-confidence and a love for the ocean in women of all skill levels." At Ho'okipa there was a building trade wind and the waves were small, less than 3 feet with the occassional 4 footer. The event got going with some inspirational speeches by the organizers and the women gathered on the beach. There was also a flurry of rigging of Sails and Kites and Stand Up Boards. First to launch were the kiters followed by the windsurfers and then the SUP's. Once all were launched they headed downwind towards Sprecklesville Beach. It was quite a site to see at more than a hundred women riders of sails and boards in the water at the same time and I could see that it would be quite inspirational for women.
The Butterfly Effect inspirational talk
Launching the Kiter Angels
Launching the Windsurf Angels
Launching the SUP Angels
All the Angels heading downwind
After watching the event I headed down to Kanaha Beach Park. Tom and Louise Vandall had showed up and were rigging. There was also a Naish equipment photoshoot happening and Robby Naish was there to overlook his team riders at work. The wind was still up around 15 to 20 knots. I rigged my 5.5 Retro and went out on the Quatro 95. It was a frustrating wind. I was able to just barely get planing and spent quite a lot of time slogging. At lowers I managed to slog onto a couple of waves which got me planing on my way into the shore. I stuck with it until 3 o'clock and then derigged with everybody else. Tom and I then took some time to watch Kevin Pritchard and the Taboo team riders racing their formula gear off Kanaha. For pupu's Tom, Louise and I headed into Paia and had some Natcho's and Shrimp at Milagros. Tom had Margarita's, Louise had a Lava Flow and I had Big Wave Golden Ale. The sun went down as we sat out on the sidewalk table and talked windsurfing...
Louise makes her Kanaha jibe of the year
Tom making a heli-tack at Kanaha
Kevin Pritchard racing the Taboo team riders
April 12, 2009
Woke up pretty this morning and opened the patio door and there was the moon silhoueted against the palm trees. The sky was clear and it seemed the trade winds were a bit stronger. After breakfast I headed into Kahului. I need some gas and then went to get some beer at Longs Drugs. Then it was off to the south shore to Ukumehame Beach Park. Waves were smaller than yesterday but still looked ridable. I went out with the SUP and surfed for 3 hours. Had some lunch and a beer around 2:30 then packed up and headed over to Kanaha. The wind was strong and Tom Vandall had rigged a 5.0. I rigged the 5.5 Retro and launched and was blasting off the beach well powered up. I blasted over the reef and cruised up wind to uppers. There was a big swell coming in..probable 8 to 12 feet. Jibed and cruised in following a big swell. The only problem was that I was so powered up I couldn't easily make a bottom turn without blowing up. I made a few reaches and then a big reach into shore. Took a break. Louise gave me a Rogers Chocolate Easter bunny that I consumed instantly. Thought about derigging but decided to take one last sail. Blasted out offshore and over the reef past the turtles jibed then made a fast reach back into shore and called it a day. At home at Puu Koa I pan fried some Ahi tuna with soya sauce and wasabi and watched an older windsurfing video called "Surface Tension".
Early morning Maui moon
April 13, 2009
The moon was in the sky again this morning and the trades were blowing a bit harder. Did some chores this morning then drove down to Hookipa. There was a 3 to 4 foot swell with a 9 to 11 second period. The wind was looking pretty strong side offshore and it was still early. I decided that I would sail later, so I started on a drive toward Hana. My goal was to reach a bay just before the Keanae peninsula called Honomanu Bay. I was hoping there would be no wind inside the bay and I could get a little surfing session in. The 14 mile drive took about 45 minutes along the winding Hana Highway and I arrived about noon. The trade wind was gusty and strong and it wrapped right into the bay, so surfing wasn't going to happen. There didn't seem to be any usable waves anyway. I relaxed and had lunch and a light beer. The bay is spectacular with steep mountain sides of lush tropical forest right to the ocean. The occassional tourist would drive down the almost hidden road to the beach take some pictures and then leave in about 5 minutes. They're on the way to Hana so time is of the essence. After my lunch I drove back towards Kahului and then to Kanaha Beach Park. It was windy and according to everyone very gusty. One sailor said 5.3 to 4.0 would be a good sail. I decided to hold off on rigging until the wind steadied out a bit and chatted with a couple of the sailors until 4 o'clock. I rigged the 4.6 Revolution and went out on the Quatro 95. Almost no wind inshore out about 50 yards and then a blast of wind and I was sailing out to the reef. It was super choppy going through the reef zone between Weird wave and Uppers breaks. On the outside it was nice well formed wind swell which made for nice jibing on wave faces. The surf waves were almost unreadable and most of the time I would goto make a bottom turn and the wave would just morph into a swell. I stayed out for about an hour and then came in and derigged slowly. Joe McBride was due to arrive on a 6 pm flight so I hung around the park talking with other sailors until I heard a jet land. I went and picked up Joe and we headed to Paia and had dinner a Milagros. After dinner it was home to Puu Koa. Watch a surfing video and drank some rum before crashing...
Looking down into Honomanu Bay
The lush tropical forest surrounding Honomanu Bay
Lunch spot in Honomanu Bay
April 14, 2009
Clear sky this morning and windy trades. Made a cheese and tomato omelet for breakfast. Checked the weather forecast. Yep..it was going to be another windy day. We stopped at Hookipa and it looked windy with smallish wind waves. At Hawaiian Island Surf shop Joe rented a JP78 freestyle wave board and loaded up with 3.7, 4.2 and 4.7 Ezzy sails. By 11:30 we were at Kanaha and it was looking slightly lighter than yesterday, but still windy. Dave was just coming off the water with an OES twinzer board . I rigged the 4.6 Revo and Joe rigged the 4.2 Ezzy and we blasted out towards uppers. There was a helicopter photoshoot happening. Somehow we ended up sailing right under the chopper as Kevin Pritchard and 3 other sails ripped past us on big slalom sails. The 4.6 sail was just right for me and Joe said the 4.2 was good for him. The wind was blasting on the inside of the wave break but was reasonable on the outside. We sailed unil about 1 o'clock and came in for a break. I rigged the gopro cam just above my boom on the mast. We blasted out for another session with the camera snapping shots every 5 seconds. The camera was mounted to take shots on the starboard side and after a few reaches I came in a remounted the camera to shoot on the port side. The wind continued to be steady until about 3 o'clock when it cranked up another notch. This made it very difficult to get back downwind without feeling totally out of control going at a breakneck speed. I came in after 10 minutes of this. Joe headed out for another session and came in after awhile. It was a great first day of sailing for Joe. After sailing we went shopping and then headed home to Puu Koa. We barbequed some Ono and served it with rice, Kim Chee, salad and Sierra Nevada beer. Rum with a lime after dinner...
Randy and Joe blast off Kanaha
Convective clouds over the West Maui Mountains
Another high wind reach off Kanaha
Joe after a hard first day of Maui sailing
April 15, 2009
No rain this morning and the sky was pretty clear except for the usual cloud over Haleakela. The trades seemed a bit lighter and the forecast was saying this might the last sailable day for a couple of days. After breakfast we were on the road and we stopped at Hookipa for a few minutes. Waves were really small and no locals were surfing. The wind was pretty light. We drove on through Paia and onward to Kanaha Beach Park arriving about 11:30. It was windier there than at Hookipa. After much consideration I rigged the 4.6 Revolution and Joe rigged the 4.2 Ezzy. It was looking even flatter than yesterday when we left the beach and sailed out above weird wave. The wind was good enough for my rig, but there were some lulls that brought me off a plane. Outside the wind was pretty steady and we spent our time out there jibing on wind swell. Waves on the reef were messed up and impossible to read. I came in about one o'clock for a short break then went out again. About a half hour later I came in and had lunch then rigged the gopro cam on the boom. I set it to video mode and on our next session I got some video footage of sailing off Kanaha. I quit sailing about 3 o'clock and Joe stayed out until the wind started getting flukey. A sure sign the trades were shutting down. After sailing we went to the Hawaiian Island surf shop to drop off Joe's gear then went to the Ale House in Kahului to watch the Canucks win their first playoff game against the Blues. We had burgers and beer while watching the game.
Randy and Joe sailing off upper Kanaha
April 16, 2009
This morning was sunny with a little hint of trade wind. The forecast models said the winds would be too light to sail. Got a call from Tom Vandall and he said it was windy at Hookipa this morning. I checked the weathers and Kahului said less than 5 knots. After a bacon and egg breakfast we packed up and headed over to Ukumehame. It was a bit windy from the southwest but we headed out on the SUP's. There was a south swell about 2 to 3 feet with a 15 second period. We stayed until about 3 o'clock had some lunch and headed back over to the north shore. We drove down to Secrets Cove and could see some guys out on SUP's at the point. Way offshore we could see waves breaking on the Spartan reef and it looked there was a jetski towing a surfer into the big waves out there. We found Tom and Louise at Peter Nori's vacation house just down the road at Sugar Cove. Tom said they had been out on windsurfing on their stand up boards and had gotten lots of waves. From Peters place there was a break just off his backyard and there was a couple of SUP's surfing. The waves were 4 to 6 feet with about a 11 second period. I decided to take Tom's SUP out and give the waves a try and Joe followed a few minutes later. Louise documented our adventure. Tom's board was a Starboard 11 footer with a skinny tail. I found it hard to catch the waves without paddling aggressively onto the wave. We surfed for about and hour. After an "apres surf" beer Joe and I headed back to Puu Koa and made a Spaghetti with a special Chicken, Tomato, Basil sauce for dinner served with a Yellow tail merlot wine.
SUP surfing off Secrets..Spartan Reef breaking offshore
Da Boyz at Sugar Cove
Randy and Joe go for a late session off Sugar Cove
April 17, 2009
Woke up late this morning and my muscles felt the like they had worked yesterday. A red pill took care of that. Joe took a blue pill. I made us an bacon, tomato and cheese omelet for breakfast. I spent the morning doing a sail repair while Joe watched some SUP instructional videos. We packed up and left the house around noon and headed over to Ukumehame. It was windy again and the swell was a lot smaller. So..we had a beer and watched for awhile then decided to head north to Kapalua. At Kapalua we donned the mask, snorkel and fins. We went for a swim out towards the north point of Kapalua bay and then across to the south point. Lots of fish and coral were photographed. After snorkelling we had lunch and then head back over to the Ale house in Kahului and watched the Canucks win again. Back at Puu Koa Joe grilled up some teriyaki beef on the barbeque. Served with Sierra Nevada beer...
The Many Splendored Fishes ...
of the waters of Kapalua Bay
April 18, 2009
Another none wind morning. Nice and warm, clear sky. Joe prepared a monster breakfast of Eggs and Bacon with a Chocolate Muffin. No waves on the south coast so we decided to stay on the north shore. After checking Sugar Cove out we head over one beach to Sprecklesville. We could see the reef was occassionally breaking nicely just off the beach. So, we got the Stand Up Paddle boards off the roof of the car and headed out. When we got out to the reef we were greeted by a solitary Monk Seal which seemed to be curious about us. Maybe it was looking for company. After we took the first wave it disappeared. We concentrated on the wave break directly off Sprecks Beach. Occassionally there was a nice set of 6 footers that came in with 2 to 3 footers in between those sets. Sometimes the wind swell mixed it up which made for difficult surfing. Our first session was a couple of hours. We came in and had a beer then headed back out. Joe took some pictures with his camera and after awhile I went in and got my Canon G9 to take some photos with. With the camera I sat off to the left of the break and waited for Joe to surf down the wave towards me. Got a couple of him and another windsurfer using an SUP. After surfing we had a beer, loaded the gear and headed back to Puu Koa. Barbequed some steak, served with rice and a nice California wind. Watched the Boston Bruins devastate Montreal (5-1) on TV...had some more wine...
Joe catches a nice wave
Joe looking for the next big one
Windsurfing the SUP
April 19, 2009
There was some wind this morning but it was from south west. After breakfast we drove into Kahului to the Hawaiian Island Surf shop so that Joe could exchange his SUP board. Looking for surf we went to Kanaha. The wind was pretty strong offshore and the SUP riders offshore looked like they were being challenged. Looking for a closer in break we went to check out Sprecks beach. The surf looked a lot smaller and the offshore wind looked like it might be challenging here also, so we decided that Sugar Cove might be better. On the way out from Sprecks there was a fisherman selling his catch from last night. We bought a nice chunk of fresh Ahi tuna then headed on to Sugar Cove. Robby Naish was there giving an SUP clinic when we got there and Tom Vandall was just coming in from a SUP session. We got our boards off the car and Paddle surfed until 5 o'clock with Tom and Peter. After the session we had a couple of beers and said Aloha to Louise who was returning to Victoria tonight. Back at Puu Koa we grilled the fresh Ahi on the barbeque for dinner and then watched the Canucks win again.
Tom stand up paddle surfing at Sugar Cove
Stand Up Paddle surfing scene off Sugar Cove
April 20, 2009
Almost no wind this morning and very hazy with VOG (volcanic fog) from the Big Island. After breakfast I went up to visit Matt Pritchard and picked up a fin for Robin Mitchell. Matt has an impressively large garage full of windsurf gear. After this I drove back to Puu Koa and the Joe and I drove down Hookipa to check things out and then to Secrets Cove. At Secrets there were a couple of people out paddling and it looked reasonable until a north wind started blowing and messed things up a bit. The volcanic boulders in the beach zone off secrets are amazing and we did some tide pool exploration. The north wind made us decide to go over to the south shore. On the way Joe need some first aid for surfing abrasions so we stopped and did some shopping at Kmart in Kahului. After this I made a diversion to the HiTech Surf shop to check out fins and thrusters for my SUP. Then it was on the road to the south shore. Once over on the other side we drove down into north Kihei and stopped at Mai Po Ina for lunch and a beer and then checked out the Cove Park for waves. Small...really small. Uninspired we then went to Wailea to do some souvenir shopping and then down to check out Wailea beach and walked along he waterfront for awhile. We were entertained by a tame cattle egret hunting for geckos along the walk way. We then drove out to Ahihi bay to check out the surf. Nothing there also, so we drove across to La Perouse Bay. At La Perouse we hung out there and did some more tide pool exploration and then drove back to Kihei and had dinner at Freds Mexican restaurant. On the way home we did some shopping at the Star Market then drove back to Puu Koa where it was raining real hard. The wind was from the north so windsurfing might happen tomorrow. This day of non windsurfing or surfing was exhausting!...had a rum...watched some hockey on TV...
Tide pooling at Secrets Cove
Lava Flow and Waves at La Perouse Bay
April 21, 2009
High overcast again this morning and still hazy. For breakfast I made the famous "Red Potato Madness", a mixture of red potato, tomato, bacon and whatever... all scrambled in eggs served with a croissant and Maui coffee. After breakfast we head into Kahului to the Hawaiian Island surf shop and Joe picked out a 9'8" HISS stand up board to try out today. We headed over to the south shore and stopped at Ukumehame. The surf looked pretty small there so we drove further up the coast to Olowalu. A little more surf there but the reef at the landing still looked a bit to shallow, so we headed up the coast to Launiupoko park. Only one longboarder was out surfing, but it still looked surfable. We did our launch in the tidepool in behind the breakwater and paddled out through the tiny channel to the outside. We chose the middle break to surf and after awhile the surf picked up to a decent 2 to 3 foot faces with a 15 second period. We surfed for a couple of hours then came in and had lunch and a beer and relaxed in the park. We packed up and headed down to see if anything was happening at Kihei and sure enough some windsurfing was happening. Apparently it had just started blowing at Mai Poina about an hour ago, but was starting to get light. This had promise for tomorrow. We headed back to Puu Koa. Joe grilled up some teriyaki beef on the barbeque for dinner. Watched some hockey on TV...
Checking out Olowalu Landing
April 22, 2009
Clear sky this morning and a promise of some trade winds. After a bacon and egg breakfast we headed into exchange Joe's SUP for windsurfing gear then headed over to Kihei. It was already going off when we got there about noon. Parking was at a premium and we had to get a spot on the other side of the street. The traffic along Kihei Beach road is pretty busy so we had to pick times carefully when crossing the road. I rigged my 5.5 and Joe rigged a 4.7. There was a little bit of swell happening and it was occassionally breaking on the reef. Of course when I was slogging off the beach I got wiped out by a *#@! breaking wave. Once out away from the gusy inshore wind sailing was nice. I was a bit underpowered at first but the wind got steadier the further offshore I sailed. After sailing way out into Maalea Bay I jibed and sailed back in until the wind started getting sketchy and then jibed and headed back out. After about an hour I made a powered up downwind reach back to beach. Had a beer and relaxed for a half hour. Joe had come in also and was rigging up to a 5.0. We launched back off the beach when a gust filled right into shore. The wind was a bit stronger probably in the 15 to 20 knot range and increased to about 20 to 25 knots as we sailed further out into the bay. We made long reaches way out about two thirds of the way to Maalea. There was a photoshoot happening with some North Sail sailors and a yellow helicopter was tailing them. On one of our reaches the helicopter came pretty close to us and I got a boost from the prop wash. Waves were choppy but not too choppy to sail. It felt like a normal day of sailing back home on Vancouver Island. We sailed until a little after four o'clock. We had our lunch and a beer, packed up and headed back to Puu Koa. Barbequed some more Ahi tuna for dinner and watched windsurfing videos over wine, beer and rum...
Kihei Sailing
April 23, 2009
Cloudy again this morning with just a hint of wind. The forecast isn't looking tremendous for wind today. Kahului is showing about 10 knots maybe getting to 15 knots. Made a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and fried up the left over rice to go with it. Served with Lion Brand Kona Coffee. After breakfast we started heading for Kahului but decided to stop at Ho'okipa because the surf was looking big. As we drove into park, Dave Kalama was taking his SUP down to the beach to do a session. Waves looked like they were 6 to 12 foot faces. He worked his way along the point then out the rip current channel to the east then out to middles. On his first wave he abort and kicked out just at the start, then another big one came in and he rode that one to the point. Well..that inspired us to go Stand Up Paddle surfing today so we stopped into the Hawaiian Island shop so that Joe could trade his windsurf gear for an SUP board. We headed over to Ukumehame Beach where waves were a manageable 2 to 3 feet for us. We got there a little after noon and my first session was about an hour and a half. I took some pictures while Joe got more waves. My second session was about another hour and a half when I came in had a beer and rigged my GoPro cam on the paddle. Next session was with the camera on the paddle taking some photos. We finished SUP surfing about five o'clock...Joe stayed out a bit longer. A good day of surfing and we were pretty tired so we stopped at Pinatas in Kahului for dinner. We had the Kitchen Sink Burrito and a cerveza. When we got back to Puu Koa it was raining. Downloaded the photos of the day...Had some rum then crashed...
Dave Kalama launches at Hookipa for a SUP session
Dave Kalama's first SUP wave of the day at Hookipa
Joe McBride does a SUP session at Ukumehame
April 24, 2009 Aloha Friday
A little mist of rain this morning with high cloud. It is a little clearer because I can see Molokai island off in the distance to the northwest. Just after breakfast there seems to be a little more blue visible through the clouds. Joe and I head down the road and stop at Ho'okipa for a bit where the swell has diminished quite a lot to maybe 3 to 4 feet. Next we stop for lunch supplies (beer and inari sushi) then drive past Paia to Sugar Cove and visit with Tom and Peter for awhile. The break at Sugar Cove looks really mushy and uninspiring so we decide to head over to the south shore. First a stop at Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport so that Joe can pay his bill. When we got to Ukumehame the swell here also looks pretty small and there is an onshore breeze so we headed up to Launiupoko Park. Swell is even smaller here. We decide to drive up to Honolua bay. On the way we stop at D.T. Fleming Beach park and there is a 15 knot northwest wind blowing here. There is a bit more surf, but Fleming is a a shore break, really only suitable for boogy and body surfing. Next we head towards Honolua and stop at the lookout and have lunch. We can only see a hand full of surfers at the second break, so it's pretty small here also. After our lunch break we head further around to Punalau beach, also called Windmills. Nobody surfing here because the northwest wind is messing it up. This is the last real sand beach on the northwest tip of Maui. Joe spends sometime exploring while I take some photos of the solitary rock off the beach that refuses to be moved by the constant north swell and trade wind waves. After here we decide to drive just a litle further to Kahakuloa Bay where there is rumored to be a couple of good surf breaks. No luck here either, the waves are just too small today, so we decide to head back to Ukumehame. We stop again at Launiupoko and the tide is really high and almost no waves breaking here, so we continue on the Ukumehame. The swell looks usuable so we get the boards off the roof of the car and go stand up paddle surfing for a couple of hours. The surf was usuable with 1 to 2 foot faces and a 15 second period. We quit surfing about 5:30 and then headed back to Kahului and go to Pinatas again for a burrito and cerveza. After dinner we head over to the department store so that Joe can buy some lei's and souvenirs. Then it's to the airport where I drop Joe off. Aloha to Joe...
Maui's northwest coast
Solitary rock guarding Punalau beach
April 25, 2009
Beautiful blue sky this morning with just some clouds over the West Maui mountains. I made breakfast early this morning and then headed into Kahului to drop of Joe's SUP then headed over to Ukumehame for an early session. I got there about 9 o'clock and only a few other stand up paddlers were out. The tide was real low as I headed out. You could really see the spur and groove organization of the coral reef here. When I got out to the break and turned around the West Maui Mountains were spectacular against the blue water and coral reef. Waves were still small only 1 to 2 foot with the occassional 2-1/2 footer. It made for nice easy stand up paddle surfing. I stayed out until eleven o'clock when I caught my last wave just past the exposed reef. As I approached the beach I saw an old friend. Skip and Keiko, the original managers of Puu Koa. I chatted with them for awhile then packed up my SUP board and headed back to Puu Koa to get my windsurf gear. While at Puu Koa I made myself an cheese omelet for lunch and some coffee to energize myself for the afternoon. I loaded the windsurf gear and headed out to find a place to sail. First stop was at Kanaha, but the wind was pretty light and only big formula gear was out sailing. I got back in the car and headed over to Kihei. At Maipoina the parking was at premium because it seemed every other sailor on Maui had the same idea. I found a parking spot to the north of the park and rigged my 5.5 Retro with my Quatro 95. It was just barely sailable as I went out. I caught a gust and was planing out towards Maalea. It got better as I sailed further out, but there were some big holes in the wind and I had to plane into the next gust a couple of times. Further out it got better and the 5.5 and 95 litre board were perfect. I jibed about half way across Maalea Bay. Sailing back towards Maipoina, for the first time I could see the top of Haleakala during this trip. Back near shore the wind was getting real holely and with the sun at my back it was easy to plane from gust to gust. I jibed on a gust and made another reach. I did a few more reaches and headed back to shore when it seemed like the wind was backing off. I had to slog the last 50 yards and then walked back up to my rigging site. I had a beer as I derigged. Back at Puu Koa I barbequed some Ahi Tuna that I had marinated with fresh lime juice then basted it with a sauce I had made with ginger root, garlic, sugar, balsamic vinegar and Kikoman soya sauce. Served it with rice on corn tortillas and a Sierra Nevada beer. This was a pretty good day on Maui. Stand up paddle surfing in the morning and windsurfing in the afternoon with grilled ahi for dinner...
Ukumehame Beach, perfect for SUP surfing
Sailing across Maalea Bay...
I could see the top of Haleakela
April 26, 2009 Aloha Sunday
My last day in Maui for this trip and the sky this morning is a briliant blue. It is quiet with only a little air moving, just enough to sway the palm fronds on the coconut tree out my door. I check the weather forecast and then quickly make a breakfast of bacon and eggs and Kona Coffee then it's out the door and on the road to Ukumehame. On the way I can see there is no wind at Hookipa and there is already a crowd of Sunday surfers. A low northwest swell seems to be coming in. When I get to Ukumehame there is only a few surfers out and the tide looks really low. The waves are comin g in every ten minutes or so. They are similar to yesterday only 1 to 2 feet the occassional set a little bit bigger. I get my SUP board off the roof and rig the GoPro Cam on the nose of the board and then head out for a paddle. It is really calm this morning, just small wavelets from a very light onshore wind. I turn and the West Maui mountains are a brilliant green-yellow. I catch a few waves and adjust the camera between video and still shots. After one of my waves I paddle back out to the take off spot and notice what looks like a dark rock. I paddle closer and the rock moves...it's a black stingray about 3 feet across. About 5 minutes later a turtle pokes its head above the surface. Pretty soon I'm the only one out here and I catch waves at will. Paddling back out there's a Wahoo chasing some other fish right out of the water, both jumping about a foot out of the water and rocketing along. The whole scene lasts about 3 seconds and the reef is quiet again. It is just after eleven o'clock when I paddle back in. I open a beer and load my board back on the car. The weekend regulars a rolling into the park and getting ready for what looks like a Sunday barbeque. I head back to Kahului and make a stop at the car rental place and then the Hawaiian Island Surf shop to clear my account. I stop at the Maui Mall to pick up a Chicken Karage Lunch Plate then head for Puu Koa. After eating my lunch I spend the afternoon packing up my gear and stowing the boards and sails. At six o'clock I make a quick run into Kahului to drop some gear off at Hawaiian Island and on the way back to Puu Koa I stop at Ho'okipa lookout. The sun is getting close to setting and it is the first time this trip it has been clear enough to see the sun this late. The sky is yellow with the sun this low and the sea is brilliant with Molokai in the background. I head back to Puu Koa and finish packing and then have a final beer and the head to the airport. Another great Maui trip has come to an end...
Aloha,
Randy
Catching one final wave at Ukumehame
Brilliant yellow sunset sky over Ho'okipa
Nani wale ia pu'e one la
I ka nalu he'e mai a'o Kananaka
Kahi a maakou a i he'e ai
I ka 'ehu'ehu o ke kai
so beautiful is that stretch of sand
with the surf of Kananaka
where we also have ridden the waves
there in the spray of the sea
**Traditional Hawaiian mele. For a beautiful rendition of this, listen to a version by Keali'i Reichel (Collection-Two) Kamalei. Punahele Productions. kealiireichel.com
Kananaka is the name of an hawaiian mermaid.
see also: http://www.huapala.org/Kam/Kananaka.html