maui 2008
All Contents of this Page Copyright(2008) of Randolph Kashino
2008 Windsurfing Adventures
View of Maui's Kihei coast as I flew in
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Well it snowed in Victoria yesterday. With the weather this winter as it has been, I was ready for Maui. I nearly froze my hands off windsurfing last weekend at Jordan River.
My plane arrived late in the afternoon. First thing was get my Word of Mouth rental car waiting for me in the parking lot. Then I headed to the grocery store to pick up some basic groceries (ie.beer and coffee). Then I headed down the Haeakala Highway through Paia past Hookipa to my usual digs at Pu'u Koa place in Haiku. As a surprise my fellow Victoria windsurfer, Andrey, had been here for the last couple of weeks and he had some "Longboard Island Lager" in the refrigerator for me.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Lots of wind this morning. I brewed some Hawaiian Lion Brand Coffee to get me going then I headed up to the Pauwela Cafe to get some breakfast. The special this morning was Eggs Benidict on Corn Bread. I had on an outside table taking in the tropical climate. After breakfast, the next thing was to dig out the windsurfing gear and make sure everything is there and load things onto and into the car then I headed down the road. I stopped at the unofficial lookout over Maliko Gulch and saw 4 standup paddle boarders heading out for a coastal cruise. Next stop was at the Hookipa Beach Park lookout. It definitely looked like it was going to be windy, but waves looked small. Next was a stop in Paia to pick up some lunch for the beach. On the way to Kahului, I drove down the red dirt road to Sprecklesville beach and it was already filled in, however the waves were definetly looking small. Next I headed to Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport to pick up a smaller board, A Starboard Kombat 89 was my weapon of choice. Then I headed to Kanaha Beach Park and it looked windy enough to rig the 5.0 Sailworks. My first run was on my JP 98 and it was a definitely windy and I came in and I spent a few minutes adjusting the sail and rig then headed out again. The wind was solid on the inside and it really picked up on the outside. After an hour of sailing on my JP98 I switched to the Kombat 89. No real waves anywhere and no sign of weird wave. This was a perfect day for getting into my windsurfing groove and getting the jibes and tack down. A turtle popped up in front of me on one of my reaches. Another sign I'm sailing in the tropics. By 2 o'clock the winds really started to crank and but I was able to keep the 5.0 comfortably under control. By 4 o'clock I was pretty well spent. This was perfect for a 1st day of Maui sailing. I derigged and headed to Las Pinata's for a traditional burrito and cerveza.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Mauka showers again this morning. Another sign that the trade winds are still blowing. My muscles were feeling the first day of sailing, so I was a bit slow to get going. By the time I headed down the road is was eleven o'clock. I stopped at Hookipa Beach Park and there were a few sailors out. It was windy again but waves were small. By the time I got to Kanaha it was noon and the wind was cranked up, so I decided to rig my 4.4 Sailworks Revo and head out on the Kombat 89. The 4.4 and Kombat proved to be a perfect combination. I did several reaches up wind to Uppers. Not many real waves and I was only able to get one half fast bottom turn on a mushy wave. However, these made for reasonable jumping waves. Lots of turtles out here today. I saw 4 in one spot just on the outside of the reef. After an hour or so, it was time for me to come in for a break. Kevin and Matt Pritchard had showed up and were setting up a little slalom race course of the beach. While everybody else was rigging down to their 4.0's, they were rigging their 5.6 race sails. After a short break I headed out again. It was time to get into the groove of jibing in these gusty conditions and after a couple of blowouts I was back in good form. After another hour out on the reef I came in for a late lunch break. By this time the wind came up another notch and most sailors also came off the water. I also took the time to take some photos. My final session was around 4 o'clock, and I spent it practicing jibes and tacks on the inside of the reef. Winds were 25 to 30 knots and gusting. By 4:30 I was done tired. A good second day of windsurfing.
Kanaha Beach Park
Kevin Pritchard heads out for some race training
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
I got up early this morning and there was just a trace of Mauka showers. Updated my blog and had a short breakfast. Then it was out the door and down the road. This morning I had a 10'8" x 29" Jimmy Lewis wave Stand Up Paddle board to try out on the south shore. A half an hour later and I was at Papalaua Beach Park. There was a good 3 foot swell coming in, but it was windy offshore. When I drove past Maalaea Bay it looked like it was blowing 30 plus knots. I haven't been on a SUP in over a week and the 10'8 felt a bit tippy compared to the 12'6" board I have back home. The wind here really made surfing really difficult because the wind was blowing right up the face I was trying to surf down and it completely stalled the board. I decided to pack up and head further up the coast towards Lahaina to find a spot with less wind. Launiupoko Beach Park looked good so I put in there. Perfect, no wind and there were some 2 to 3 foot swells. The board felt a lot better here and I was getting the hang of standing on a smaller board. My first wave was a nice little one footer and it took me right back to the beach. I made the mistake of falling off on the inside. OUCH! No sand bottom here, just sharp rocks and coral. I was a bit more careful on my next wave which was a nice 1 to 2 footer and I took it right and ended in a deeper channel. The swell seemed to be picking up as I paddled out again. I went way out, turned and a 3 footer went under me. The next one was actually starting to break outside of where I was. A few strokes and I was surfing a nice 4 foot face and the board performed beautifully and I didn't need to be as aggressive as with my 12'6" board back home. After that ride it was time to come in an have some lunch and head back over to the north shore for some windsurfing. When I got to Kanaha, about 2:30, it looked like it was 25 knots, so I rigged my 4.4 Sailworks Revo with the Kombat 89. That turned out to be a perfect combo because it wasn't as windy as yesterday and there were some really light spots on the outside for awhile. It picked up a bit and I made several reaches outside and back, trying to perfect tacking with the smaller board by 4 o'clock I was done and packed up and headed to Pinata's for a Chimichanga and a cerveza. When I got back to my digs at Pu'u Koa I was exhausted and cracked a beer and relaxed for awhile. At 9 o'clock I headed to the airport to pick up Angela Leski who was arriving tonight. Angela arrived with no luggage except the eight foot bag with all her windsurfing gear. We headed back to Pu'u Koa and celebrated her arrival over a couple of beers.
My New Stand Up Paddle Board a Jimmy Lewis 10'8" by 29" pintail
Taking the SUP out for a maiden voyage
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Raining harder than normal this morning and the weather forecast wasn't looking good for wind at Kanaha today. More Northerly than normal. After a coffee, Angela and I packed up for a day of shopping, windsurfing and surfing. First we had breakfast at Charley's in Paia and then headed to Kahului to do the Windsurf shop circuit. First shop was Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport, where I picked up my shiny new Jimmy Lewis 10'8" Stand Up Paddle board which I decided to buy after trying one yesterday. Then we headed to the Hi Tech Surf Sports shop and Angela looked at a couple of used boards, then it was off to the Second Wind Shop to see what was in stock there. Next a short stop at Word of Mouth Car Rentals to sign the contract. And then our final shop stop was at Niel Pryde where Angela had her eye on a JP 78 wave board. The wind was still looking pretty light so we headed for groceries to get some lunch bits. On spec, we drove down to Kanaha and confirmed there was no real wind there, so we made Kihei our destination. By 12:30 we were at Maipoena Oe Lau Park in Kihei. A single windsurfer was out, it looked light on the inside but windy offshore. I rigged my 5.0 Sailworks to use with my JP98 and Angela rigged her 4.2 Sailworks to use with the Kombat89. Angela was first off the beach and she got planing just out past the reef. I got out about 50 feet then the wind died and I had to wait for a gust to waterstart and got out past the reef then got planing. Challenging sailing as there were some big holes in between big gusts. The plan is to get up enough speed in the gusts to get you through the holes. A few reaches and a big cloud was starting to form over us. That meant the wind was going to die. I headed to the beach but the wind died about 100 feet off the beach and I had to swim the rest of the way. Well..time to take the new SUP board for its' maiden voyage. This was pretty challenging in the gusty winds, but it was good practice. Angela decided to do a walk up the beach while I paddled around out on the reef. After an hour or so, Angie got back and decided to try out my board. She looked like she was getting the hang of it pretty fast. After we finished playing we headed to the STAR Market in Kihei to get some groceries. After groceries, Angie had blown out her flip flops (hmm... isn't that a line from a Jimmy Buffet song), so we headed to Longs Drugs to get some new ones. Now it was getting dark, so we drove back to Haiku to our home at Pu'u Koa. Exhausted, we barely made some dinner, had a beer or 2 then crashed. Another day of playing in paradise was over.
Angie's first day at Kihei
Angie's first try at Stand Up Paddle Surfing
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The wind looked like it was going to be light again. We loaded up and headed to Kihei where it looked windy offshore, but nothing on the inside. Angie was quite anxious to get windsurfing, but we finally decided to go up to Thousand peaks area to get some surfing in. We went to Papalua beach just past the tunnel. Wave were pretty small but good enough for Angie to try out some longboarding on my 9'2" Southpoint. I got some more practice in on my new SUP and caught a couple of 1 footers. After a couple of hours of playing in the really small surf we headed back to Kihei. It looked much the same, but there were more windsurfers out. We rigged, Angie on her 4.2 and me on my 5.0. It was quite a slog to get to the wind line, but once out it was plane-able. The wind was really offshore so our reaches were right up the beach. The wind started to die and shift more offshore and I end up quite far down the beach and had to walk back up to our launch area. We then decided to go snorkeling, but when we got to Oneuli beach it was choppy and windy. Snorkeling was out of the question so we started driving back to Kihei and ended up stopping at the Wailea shopping center. This ended up being a little bit of a shopping spree. We ended up buying some tee shirts and other stuff. We passed on going into Tiffany's but went into an Art gallery shop and gawked at some amazing paintings, carvings and other creations. There were no prices on the art. If you have to ask, you can't afford it...
Angie goes Longboarding
Randy goes SUP boarding
Friday, April 4, 2008
Another bright morning, it only rained very lightly this morning. That means another light wind day, probably at Kihei. We made some bacon and eggs with fried tomatoes for breakfast. After this we headed up to Pauwela and checked out the Dakine shop. Ended up buying a hat, a new harness strap and some gloves which should be good for biking back home. We then went into the FFw shop and talk to Jake and Pascal. I introduced Angela to Pascal and he talked her into taking a Goya board to demo. We then headed back to Pu'u Koa to drop off my Kombat which I didn't think we would need. Then it was off to the other side. Stopped a Kihei and the wind was pretty light so we head off to do some surfing. Papalua looked really small, so we drove up to Ukumehameha, and it was windy and no waves. So, we drove further up toward Lahaina to Launiuopoko Park. Angela went surfing while I shortened my SUP paddle to fit my height. I was ready to go on my SUP when Angie came back from surfing with an big wind anxiety. So, we packed up and headed back to Kihei. It was still looking pretty light, but the wind was onshore. Angela was anxious to windsurf so she rigged her 5.0. I went out on my SUP and paddled around for an hour. Angie came in and rigged her 4.2, so I decided to rig my 6.0. My first reach out was OK. Powered up, but when I jibbed the wind just didn't seem right and it was hard to get planing. On the way in I started to slog and my mast base popped out of the board. I swam into the reef and managed to get it back into the board and sailed back into the beach and readjusted everything. Angie had been doing better than me and had been shredding it up with her 4.2 until the wind died a bit, so Angie re-rigged her 5.0. I was out againg and for me it was the same story. Powered up on the way out, but tough to get planning on the way back. I gave up and slogged back to the beach. Angie slogged back too. By the time we finished derigging and had a beer the sun was starting to set. We sat on the beach and watched a spectacular sunset over the West Maui mountains and Lanai.
Slogging past Molokini
Sunset over the West Maui Mountains and Lanai
Saturday April 5, 2008
Again very light showers this morning, which likely meant a very light wind day. We packed up and headed off early to get some snorkelling in on the south coast. We went to my favorite spot, Oneuli Beach. Some locals were fishing and and some other tourists had just come out of the water from snorkelling. Angela and I headed out toward the point. The water was pretty clear, but there was 1 foot short period waves which made it difficult for taking pictures. I could here humpbacks singing if I dove down 10 feet and just kept still. There weren't many big fish around and was wondering about this, until I saw some guys on scuba with spear guns out toward the point. hmm... the big fish know when there is something after them. I headed away from the point and soon I saw a turtle sitting on the bottom. It was pretty cooperative and I got a couple of pictures off and some video. After this I headed back to the beach and half way there I got engaged with taking photographs of a Humuhumu (Hawaiian Triggerfish) that wouldn't sit still. When I got to the beach Angela was already out, taking in the sun on the black sand beach. After drying off, we headed into Kihei to get some lunch stuff at the Star Market then headed back to the north shore to check things out at Kanaha. Things looked pretty light so we headed to Hawaiian Island so I could pick up a big board (Starboard Carve 133) then we stopped at the Naish shop and the Kanaha Kai shop on the way back to the beach. Angie rigged her 5.0 and I rigged my 6.0. The winds were really onshore and looked about 10 knots or more. Angie slogged out a couple of hundred yards then jibbed and slogged back. I was still stuck on the beach waiting for a little gust of wind to get out. After about 10 minutes I jumped on my board and slogged out through the channel below wierd wave and jibbed outside of the top end of lowers. Winds were less than 5 knots and I saw a big swell setting up behind me and start to peak. I tried to pump the sail to get some speed, to no avail. The wave dumped right on my board and I went for a spin cycle in the washing machine. After a couple of cycles the big swell stopped and I managed to uphaul the sail and get a couple of little waves back to the inside of the reef. I reached back toward the launch but didn't make it and had to tack to head back out. After a couple of tacks I got back. We then took our time derigging and relaxing at Kanaha Beach Park. Being the weekend, the locals were having a little beach party with their kids. Lots of activity around us. After packing up we headed to WalMart for a little shopping spree. I ordered some prescription sunglasses from their optical department while Angie loaded up with Macadamia nuts. We then drove back to Pu'u Koa, I dropped of Angie, then headed to Airport to pick up Dave Fishwick who was arriving tonight. Dave arrived with a minium of luggage and without Barbara. After getting back to Pu'u Koa we had a couple of beers and then crashed.
Fishing at Oneuli Beach
Oneuli turtle
Wahine surf competition at Ho'okipa
Checking out Sugar Beach near Secrets Cove
Sunday, April 6, 2008
First thing this morning, on the road, was to check out hookipa. Waves were about 8 feet and there was a wahini surfing competition going. Next was to stop at secrets cove. Next we headed to the Maui Windsurfing to pick up Daves gear. Now we had 7 boards on top of the car, 3 surfboards and 4 windsurf boards. Next it was off to Kihei. When we got there the wind was looking pretty good with the gusts filling into the shore. It was raining in the valley between the west Maui mountains and Haleakala and the clouds looked Gorge like. I rigged my 5.0, Dave a 5.3 and Angie her 4.2. We headed out and the wind was gusty with sections of light wind between blasting wind. I should have rigged down to my 4.4 but downhauled the 5.0 instead and hung on. We were finished by about 3:30 as the cloud closed in over Kihei. We then headed up the coast toward Lahaina to see if we could find some surfing. We ended up driving up to Kahana, checking out a couple of beaches, ended up at Napili and Dave and Angla went snorkelling while I went for a walk out the north point to take some photos. We drove back to Haiku in the dark. A pretty nice day considering there was no real forecast of wind.
The board stack
Launching at Kihei
Randy and Angie at Kahana
Napili Bay
Monday, April 7, 2008
First thing this morning was to take Angies board back to Pauwela. While there we went into the Dakine shop and I bought a board sock for my small surfboard, Dave bought a pair of board shorts and Angie bought a boogie board leash. Next it was a drive to Kahului. I dropped off my big board at Hawaiian Island, and then we went to Niel Pryde. Angela decided test an almost new JP78 freestyle wave board. Then it was off to Kihei to check out the wind. We got there about noon and it was looking pretty good so we rigged. Unlike yesterday, it was real nice sailing, no super gusts and it was filled in to the shore for easy jibbing. The Starboard crew was also here for a photo shoot. Sailing on the way out we had to watch out for turtles and on one of my reaches way out into Maalea bay there was a Humback whale do fin slaps. It's big white pectoral fin looked bigger than my rig. By 4 o'clock Dave and I were done, but Angie needed another session. We took our time derigging and watched the Starboard pro's doing freestyle for the cameras. After sailing we headed back to Neil Pryde. Angela had decided to buy the JP 78. We then drove to Paia to buy some stuff at Mana Foods and we had burritos for dinner. As a cap to our day we watched The Windsurfing Movie and then crashed.
Angie on a reach in off Kihei
Dave blasting in while Angela heads out.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Clear skies and warm this morning, no wind in the forecast. We decided to head to Sprecklesville (Sprecks) Beach. Almost no wind and no people at the beach. The surf looked about 2 feet off the point, so we went surfing. Dave on my Naish short board, Angela on my Longboard and I went out on my SUP. We surfed the first break for about 2 hours and came in and enjoyed the beach. Soon other people started showing up and the wind was picking up a bit. A couple of locals were fishing. KP was teaching a friend to windsurf. Dave gave us some beach looping lessons. Then rigged is sail for further demonstration. The wind then picked up another notch and he decided to grab the board and go sailing. This inspired Angela, so she started rigging her stuff. Meanwhile Dave had slogged out to the wind line and was getting planing on the Sprecks surf break and got some good jumps in. I went for a swim with the longboard and caught one mushy 2 footer. It was pretty bumpy paddling the longboard. When I came in Angela, was heading out off the beach and then the wind dropped significantly. Angela did a few low wind reaches and then came back to the beach. Dave slogged back in after the wind died. In the meantime, some local windsurfers showed up rigged and slogged out to the Sprecks beach. Dave took my SUP out for a try and did pretty good considering it was his first try at it and in choppy conditions. After toasting in the sun all day we packed up. We went to the Niel Pryde shop for a short stop and then headed back to our home at Pu'u Koa. We barbequed some Mahi Mahi for dinner...
Dave Surfs Sprecks
Paddle Surfing Action at Sprecks
Da Surfin Boyz
Da Sufin Girl
Beach Looping Lessons
Dave goes Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
High overcast clouds this morning and weathermand Glenn James was calling for statewide rain. Dave and Angela went for a hike up to Haiku town. Dave rented a road bike and rode back. When we all got on the road it was raining at Hookipa and all the way across the island. We stopped at Ulua Beach, thinking we might snorkel there, but the wind was chopping up the water. We went further along to Makena Five Caves site then to Makena Big Beach and the same thing. We finally ended up at La Perouse Bay and it was nice and calm there so we got the mask, fins and snorkels out and went for a swim. The inside bay was pretty murky, but as we went out further the water cleared up and there were more fish. Lots of yellow tangs and a moray eel posed quite nicely for some pictures. When we got out of the water it started pouring rain. On the way home we stopped for groceries and got some swordfish for the barbeque. While we got started dinner, Dave went for a little ride on his bike up to Makawao. By the time he got back the swordfish was on the grill and we soon had dinner. There is nothing more tasty than barbequed swordfish...
Dave and Angela get ready to go snorkelling
Its' A Moray
La Perouse Snorkel Team
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Last day on Maui for Angela and it was looking much the same as yesterday. Dave went for a ride upcountry while Angie spent the morning packing. Late in the morning it looked like it might be getting windy. Dave got back, Angela went for a walk. I offloaded some gear thinking we weren't going windsurfing, however, we decided to take a ride down to Ho'okipa to see if there was anything happening. Almost no waves, but it was looking promising for wind, so we went back to Pu'u Koa and loaded the windsurfing gear and Angela's luggage on the car. We headed to Sprecklesville Beach. Kevin Pritchard and K89 were out racing around some marks on big sails. The wind looked sailable so we rigged. Dave his 5.4, Angie her 5.0 and I rigged a 6.0. My first run out was a bit sloggy, I got planing on the way out, but had to slog back to the beach. I walked my gear up the beach to the reef and by the time I got there the wind had picked up and I was able to plane off the beach and up to Sprecks Reef on one reach. The wind was quite onshore so we were able to sail right into the bay. All my transitions were tacks on the inside on smooth water. The wind was nice and reasonable, around 18 knots. The waves were small and pretty much unrideable, but they made good jumping ramps. Angela had a lot of fun, and it made her trip to be able to sail here. After sailing we packed up and took Angela to the airport. Aloha Angela...
Angela shreds at Sprecks
Friday, April 11, 2008
Still lots of cloud around this morning but the forecast was for wind. Dave went for a ride while I updated the pictures for our adventure. We made some lunch for the beach and headed down the road. Stopped at Ho'okipa and it was looking flat however the wind was filling into the beach so we headed to Sprecks. The parking lot was already full when we got there. Another Starboard photo shoot was in action. There was still lots of cloud and it didn't look that windy, but I rigged a 5.0 hoping for more wind. When I sailed a little way out the wind was really cranking and I was definitely overpowered. The overcast sky had made the wind looking deceivingly small. I came back in after about 4 reaches and downhauled the sail. That was a bit better but still a bit over powered. I came in had some lunch hoping the wind might die down a bit. Watched the Starboard sailors doing some pretty awesome tricks. I finally ended up rerigging down to the 4.4 Revo. That was a lot better and had some fun on Sprecks reef for the rest of the afternoon. Dave had been overpowered most of today with only 4.7 as his smallest sail. After derigging and packing up we had to manuever out of the full parking lot. We went into Kahului so that Dave could get a smaller board and sail for tomorrows session. We also stopped at Longs Drugs to pick up some rum, beer and flip flops. Back at Pu'u Koa we barbequed some chicken with a curry sauce that we had picked up at Mana Foods.
Hookipa sailing
Saturday, April 12, 2008
It was raining hard this morning when I woke up then it started to clear up a bit. Winds at the Kanaha Airport were already 17 gusting to 21 miles per hour which translates into 20 to 25 knots on the water. It was going to be a windy day. Our first stop was at Hookipa and it was going off and lots of sailors were already out. Next thing was to go to the Hawaiian Island shop and pick up a smaller board. An 89 litre Starboard Komabat. Then it was off to Sprecks. Rig...rig..rig. Go sailing. The wind was 25 knots and gusting and the waves were 3 to 4 feet. Wave sailing was pretty difficult because the periods were inconsistent, but when we were lucky we could get a couple of bottom turns. Jumping was a lot better on the way out. When it got too windy for my 4.4, I came in for a rest. By a little after 4 o'clock we were pretty much done for the day and packed up and headed back home.
Dave reaches in and out at Sprecks
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Mauka showers this morning again. Dave was off to do a ride with the local bike shop. I checked the weathers and it was looking like it was going to be windier today and the wind swell had picked up a notch. On our drive past Hookipa it looked big and the Starboard crew was lining up for a photo shoot, when the surfers got off the water. There was a big crowd of cars at Hookipa. We headed down to Sprecks to find an unexpectedly empty parking lot. Looking out off the beach the water colour had turned to a milky blue and sand, churned up by the waves. It was looking messy out there. The waves were breaking way out on Spartan reef. Only a couple of sailors were out to start. Dave rigged a 4.1 Goya and I rigged my 4.4 Sailworks. Dave was able to get out and up to Sprecks reef on his first try. I headed out but was turned back by a big wall of white water from a big wave that had made it by Spartan's. I came in jibed and tried again but the break was still impassable so I came in to wait. Dave seemed to be dialed in so I took the time to take some photos of him sailing. On my next venture out I made it past the break, but found it choppy and gusty. The reach sailing back in was difficult because even the down wind faces had a chop on them. The gusts were intense and on one reach I got blown right of the top of a wave. The waves were messed up because there was a 4 foot swell from the north mixing with a 9 foot easterly wind swell. There was lots of intense cloud offshore and this caused the wind to shift to almost onshore. I ended up sailing the break below the channel. The water here was a sandy colour churned up by the waves breaking. The waves were much smoother and made for nice jibing faces. On the inside I was practicing high wind tacks. The cloud was getting more intense and so was the wind. I went out and was blasting jibed and got the sail ripped out of my hand, so I came in and called it a day. It was about 4:30. It started to rain at the beach and everyone started packing up and left the beach. Dave finally came in when it completely clouded over and the wind died. We took our time derigging and then packed our gear and went to the airport to pick up Joe McBride who was our new adventurer. On the way back from the airport we stopped in Hana to have dinner at the Fish Market. Longboard IPA and Mahi Mahi Fish and Chips all around.
Joe gives a shaka for his first sail at Sprecks
Monday, April 14, 2008
Clear skys and windy this morning. Local weatherman Glenn James was pointing to a 1045 milibar high to the north of the Hawaiian islands that was dominating the North Pacific with very close isobars which was intensifying the trade winds. Our Hawaiian words of the day were "makai'na ikaika"..winds with power. Today was Joes first day and Daves last day on Maui. Dave rode his rented bike up to Haiku where we picked him up and then headed toward Kahului. We stopped at Hookipa where windsurfing was already happening with strong winds and about 8 foot faces. Further down the coast we stopped at Secrets Cove and found a North Sail photo shoot in action. Then it was into Hawaiian Island shop to pick up some gear for Joe. We were still hungry, so we went into the Maui Mall to get some lunch at the Maui Mixed Plate. Then it was off to Sprecks. It was looking windy and messy but not as much as yesterday. Almost no one was out. Joe rigged a 4.0 Ezzy, Dave his 4.1 Goya and I rigged my 4.4 Sailworks. The wind was more offshore today, so you had to wait for a gust to come into the beach in order to catch a ride out. Once out beyond the little reef it was really gusty with big holes and big gusts of wind. There was no right sail. I came in and decided to take some photo's and wait for things to stabilize a bit. Joe found the 4 foot confused chop challenging for his first sail. There were swells from 2 directions happening. One from the North east and the other from the east. By 3:30 the wind and waves were getting better and I had a couple of good sessions. Jibing on the outside was still challenging. Finding a clean spot to jibe was a challenge in the confused seas. Wave riding was also a challenge in the gusty wind. On the inside there were some big holes. I got caught in a couple of rinse cycles after sailing into a big lull. Only a few metres away it was nukin', but where I was there was nada. We all sailed to a little after 5 o'clock and then derigged, packed up and went to the Maui Windsurf shop to drop off Dave's gear. Then it was back to Pu'u Koa to pick up Dave's luggage and then we headed back into Kahului and had dinner at Pinata's before dropping Dave off at the Airport. Aloha to David...
Joe gets some air time
Dave catches a last wave
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The wind today was forecast to be lighter than the previous days. First thing this morning was to head to Hawaiian Island to get Joe another board. Then we headed to Kanaha Beach Park. I rigged my 4.4 and Joe his 4.1. The wind was really offshore so there was a big hole close to the beach. We had to swim the board out to the windline. Once out I sailed out and up toward uppers and did a few reaches up their before moving down wind to Lowers. The wind was much lighter than expected and I probably should have rigged a 5.0. I managed to catch a couple of waves before coming in for a break. Joe also came in for a break. I switched to my JP96 and and Joe took my Kombat 89. The wind had lightened another notch but I managed to slog out and finally get going. I tried coming in to the upper part of Lowers to jibe and get some jumps but the wind died completely on the inside. I managed to get a gust back out and tried a few times to get a wave, but this was difficult with the gusty, holey wind. Finally I slogged onto a big over head high wave and got 4 or 5 bottom turns. Perfect. Satisfied I called it a day and managed sailed back to the Lowers beach and carried my gear back to the car. Joe eventually came in around 5:30 and we packed up and went into Kahului to get some Ahi. When we got back to Pu'u Koa we had barbequed Ahi tuna for dinner...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
No rain this morning and the forecast were for light southeast winds which meant no windsurfing today. We loaded up the surfboards, went to Hawaiian Island Shop and dropped off the windsurfing equipment then headed over to the south side. We stopped at Maalea to get a coffee and muffin before heading up to Papalaua Beach. I went out on my SUP while Joe went out on the 9'2" longboard. There was a good south swell coming in. About 2 to 4 foot with a couple of larger ones. The waves were challenging to catch with the SUP because of the wave speed. We ended up surfing until about 3:30 and then headed back to Paia where we had a burger and beer at Milagros, then headed home. We were tired and sunburnt from the days activity...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
It was going to be another no wind day so we were prepared for another day of surfing. There was a good south swell coming in so we decided to head over to thousand peaks area. We did a little shopping on the way, looking for a camera harness to take surfing with us. It was looking crowded at our normal spot at Papalaua so we headed further west. The normally calm snorkelling bay to the east of Olowalu was peaking up and no one was there. We stopped at what looked like a nice surf break. It was about 2 to 3 foot. I paddled out on my SUP. The reef was really close to the surface here, less than a foot. That is why no one was surfing here. We through caution aside and tried anyway. I caught a few good waves, but it was unnerving to see the glide over sharp coral outcrops. After a few rides over this we felt our luck was running thin, so we packed up and headed up to Launiupoko Park. The crowd was not to bad and the surf was about 2 to 4 feet. We surfed the west break until about 4:30. We packed up and on our way back to Haiku, we stopped in Kihei to get some groceries at the Star Market. For dinner we barbequed some Mahi Mahi.
Joe takes movies
Joes 1st Surfing Movie
RK catches some SUP waves
Friday, April 18, 2008
This was looking like, yet, another windless day. For breakfast we headed up to Pauwela. After breakfast we browsed windsurf gear at the Goya/Quatro shop. After breakfast we loaded up the cooler with beer and headed down the road. We decided to take the road north around the west Maui mountains. A narrow, now paved, road with spectacular views which made for some nice photo opportunities. By noon we had made it to Kapalua Bay. We donned our mask, fins and snorkels, armed with underwater cameras we headed out into the bay. The water close to the beach was a bit murky with about 5 foot visibility, but as we headed out into the bay it increased to 40 foot. Lots of fish were seen and nice coral. Schools of yellow striped goatfish were around and we saw 3 turtles during our excursion out toward the west point of the bay. After snorkelling we got some lunch stuff at the Star Market in Kanaapli and then went to Launiupoko Park to eat it. It was looking crowded, so we headed further east to our regular surfing spot at Papalaua Park. We surfed there until 6 o'clock. Waves were coming in at a regular 3 to 4 feet. Just as the sun was setting over west Maui, the near full moon could be seen rising over Haleakala, and just then some big 6 foot surf was breaking offshore.
Exploring the West Maui North Coast
Kapalua Turtle
Kapalua Moorish Idols
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Windy this morning and a little bit of mauka showers. The trade winds were blowing again. After a light breakfast we unloaded the surfboards and loaded the windsurfing gear. A stop at Hookipa and it was looking good already blowing about 15 to 20 knots. Next was the windsurfing shop to pick up a smaller board and a full set of gear for Joe. His board of choice for the day was a JP85. Then it was off to the Maui Mixed Plate to get an early lunch. Then to Kanaha Beach Park. It was looking really nice. I rigged the 5.0 Sailworks and Joe rigged a 4.5 Ezzy. On my first reach out the 5.0 was powered right up. I did a long reach out beyond weird wave and then a couple of reaches up towards uppers and then headed down to lowers to catch couple of waves. Heading back out I was slightly overpowered so I reached back into the beach and downhauled the sail. My next session I headed down to lowers caught a nice wave and when I tried to tack on the inside and fell the top haul cup popped off. I had to re-rig the sail and then out again. Being down towards lowers the way out was through the surf break and there was a set breaking. This made for great jumping. The first 2 waves were easy ramps the last one was a 4 foot face getting critical I picked the best possible launch and went straight up. I landed tail first and on my back. In the water another wave was setting up to break. I swam to get the tip of my sail. Another sailor went by a few feet from me but didn't make it and the wave crashed on his board. It was a near tangle of his gear and mine in the foam. I quickly waterstarted and headed out. I was really overpowered now so I came in, had a beer, and re-rigged down to a 4.4 Sailworks. Joe came in about the same time for a break. It was about 2 o'clock and the wind was peaking at about 25 to 30 knots. Next session was a sail out and then down to lowers for a few rides. I caught one wave and at the end of my bottom turns I was way down off the kitesurf beach. I made a long reach out offshore. Big easterly rolling waves out hear and nice smooth wave slopes to jibe on. I made a couple of reaches upwind and was soon at Uppers. Joe was up here and looking like he was having some fun. There were a few turtles up here, so you had to be sure you didn't hit any of them. The waves up here don't break as cleanly as at lowers and they can be harder to read where they're going to break, but when they do the can be a lot of fun. They can also be really big when the wind swell and a northly swell get in phase. Joe rode a good mast high one today. It was past 4 o'clock when we finished. A really nice day of windsurfing on Maui...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Windy all through the night and into this morning. Looks like another day of windsurfing in store for us. I spent this morning sorting through the last few days of photographs. Later I made some eggs and bacon with potatoes for breakfast which we had outside on the lanai. Discussions about gecko's and lizards in the garden led us to a photo expedition around Pu'u Koa. I took some photo's of a lizard and then Joe found some spiders, snails and lizards. We then loaded up and headed toward the beach. At Hookipa it looked like there were already 20 or more sailors out. At Kanaha it was looking about the same as yesterday so I rigged my 5.0. Joe rigged a 4.5 and also his camera rig for some on the water photography. The 5.0 was perfect, although the wind was a lot gustier than yesterday with some holes and blasts to contend with. I did some offshore cruising then up to Uppers for a bit. Then I cruised down towards lowers on the inside. Joe was there with his camera. Then I went out and caught a couple of waves. Then on one of my reaches out, right on the surf break, my boom went crack and I could see a break up forward. I gingerly jibed as a wave was starting to form and break and luckily I was able to surf it in and then sail to the beach. It was about 2 o'clock. Back on shore I derigged and headed off to the windsurf shop to buy a new boom. I got back a little before 4 o'clock, re-rigged, but with a 4.4 Sailworks because it was looking like the wind had picked up. The new boom felt solid, and I had a great session out at the Upper Kanaha surf break. After windsurfing we stopped in Paia and had a Work's Burger at Charley's...
Joe sailing in off Kanaha
Monday, April 21, 2008
More wind in the forecast for today, so the first thing was to go to the windsurf shop so Joe could get a smaller sail and board. He took out a JP79 and an Ezzy 4.0. Then it was off to Kanaha to rig the gear. First session was a sail up towards Uppers. Waves were small and chaotic so it made for poor wave sailing. The wind swell offshore was pretty nice though, for jumping and jibing. For my second session, around 2 o'clock, I rigged up the camera to take some sailing pics. The first reach out was solid, but the second and third reaches had winds starting to lighten up for my 4.4 sail. I finished my photo taking and headed in to store the camera. My third session was a cruising session was again up towards Uppers and offshore with good solid 4.4 sailing. Lots of turtles out today and some flying fish. On my fourth session, Joe and I headed out to sea off uppers, I only lasted a few reaches in blasting 4.0 conditions so I sailed back to shore. Another good day of sailing in Maui was done. After derigging we headed to Pinata's to get a Burrito for dinner. On the way home we stopped in Paia to get some staples (beer and coffee). Mauka showers had started as we headed back to our home in Haiku..
Earthday, April 22, 2008
Last day of sailing in Maui for Joe. After a bacon and eggs breakfast we headed down to Hookipa to check things out. Surf was small, about 2 feet, but the wind was filled into the beach. There were already some sailors out and more were going in. We headed to Kanaha Beach Park. Winds looked lighter than yesterday so I rigged my 5.0 and Joe his 4.5. Once out I found it quite light, just barely planable so after a couple of reaches I came in and changed from the Kombat89 to my bigger JP96 board. That worked much better and we had a some good reaches outside. Then it started to lighten another notch and I ended up slogging for a good bit outside until I got to the reef where the wind picked up. It was up and down like this for most of the afternoon until the wind went completely flat to only sloggable around 4 o'clock. We derigged went to the Hawaiian Island shop and Joe turned in his gear. We headed back to Pu'u Koa had a beer and a quick shower then headed out for dinner at Hana Hou's in Haiku. Real Hawaiian food. We had Kalua Pork and cabbage with poi.
Stand Up Paddle Surfing on Maui's North Shore
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Absolutely no wind this morning. After a light breakfast the first thing was to take Joe McBride to the Airport. On the way we could see the ocean was like glass and waves off Hookipa were less than 2 feet. Not a single white cap could be seen. Before the airport we stopped at the Kmart so Joe could get some leis for the family back home. Aloha to Joe. After dropping Joe off at the airport at about 9 o'clock, I headed to Kanaha Beach Park about 5 minutes away. Kanaha Lowers was glassy with some 1 to 2 footers coming in. A few Stand Up surfers were out. I got my SUP board off the roof and paddled out. I lucked out on my first wave which had a nice 3 foot face. Then all the other SUP boarders left. I think it was a instruction class. So, I was left with the reef to myself for about an hour or so. Another couple of SUP's came out. The swell was from the North at about a 10 second period or so. The sets were about a few minutes apart. Everything was set up nice for Stand Up Paddle Surfing. The waves had about 2 to 4 foot faces and there was no crowd. It was almost 1 o'clock when my body said I had enough. That session was about as perfect as it could get for stand up paddle surfing. Nice glassy wave faces, no wind and no crowds. After loading the board back on the car I headed back to Haiku and had lunch at the Pauwela Cafe then a short rest at Pu'u Koa. I then went into Kahului for the afternoon to do a bit of shopping and on the way back I stopped at Secrets to take some photo's then headed home. Watched some windsurfing video's then put my tired body to bed...
Nau Wiliwili Nukunuku Oio Oio
Slate pencil sea urchin
Thursday, April 24, 2008
No wind again this morning and the sky was pretty hazy. Local weatherman Glenn James says this is VOG. A fog like haze caused by volcanic particulates in the air from the small eruptions on the big island of Hawaii. When the trades shut down like the last couple of days the VOG accumulates around the islands. If the winds are light southeasterly then Maui gets a lot of VOG. This on my drive from Haiku the VOG was so thick I couldn't see the normally visible point of the north side of the west Maui mountains. The ocean was glassy again this morning and some small swell was coming into Hookipa. I drove over to the south side of the island to Wailea Beach and went snorkelling. The beach has a nice sandy entry but was very busy with people from the 2 hotels that surround it. The Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons Wailea hotels. Nearshore the visibility was about 5 to 10 feet but increased to about 30 feet once I got offshore. The coral here is extensive, but fish are scarce for some reason. Lots of coral heads and mounds. No turtles today. A dive charter boat anchored just off the bay near where I was snorkelling and I saw a 3 scuba divers on the way into the bay. The coral reef goes out a long way here so there is lots to explore. When I finished I had been in the water for nearly 2 hours and was famished, so I drove to the Star Market in Kihei and got my self a stack of chicken wings and inari (sweet sushi rice in a deep fried tofu wrapper) from the deli. I then drove back to Kahului taking the high road that goes through Wailuku and ended up at Kanaha Beach park to check things out. Surf was really small almost none. So, I took this as a sign to take the rest of the day off. A short stop at Secrets on the way back and the same thing for surf. So, I headed back to my digs at Pu'u Koa and cracked a beer and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Surfing at Honolua Bay
Friday, April 25, 2008
Very voggy morning and still no wind. That meant a surfing day. After a quick breakfast I headed into Kahului. Passing Hookipa there was a north west swell about 5 feet coming in. When I arrived at Kanaha I could see there were already a lot of surfers out on lowers. When I paddled out there were longboarders, surf kayaks and stand up boarders. Much busier than the last time I was out here. The swell was coming in 3 to 5 foot sets every few minutes, and with the crowd I had to pick my wave. Even with the crowd it was pretty nice surfing and after an hour or so I paddled in and had a quick lunch. A short stop at the windsurfing shop and I headed to the other side of the island. I head to the upper west side. Checked out Honolua Bay. Nice swell coming in, but way to busy with surfers. I then drove a little bit further to a little known beach a couple of miles away. The surf was a bit to big for my SUP and it was dumping straight onto the beach. Only about 4 shortboarders out and they were only getting short rides. So, I decided to drive to Kahana to check if anything was working there. Fleming beach was a shore break, but between Napali and Kahani I found a nice little bay with what looked like a reasonable wave offshore. A Kayaker was out trying out this wave and paddled in as I paddled out. The wave was a bit difficult to catch because you had to be exactly in the right place and the ride was short, but I could complain about the none existent crowd. I stayed out for about an hour before coming in. On the drive back I had to endure the little rush hour traffic in Lahaina and once in Kahului I stopped at Pinata's to get a chimichanga with rice and beans and a Pacifico for dinner. When I got back to Pu'u Koa the sun was just about to set. It was a spectacular red colour caused by all the vog around the island...
VOG Sunset
Ukumehame Beach Park and the West Maui Mountains
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Still voggy this morning and just a hint that the trade winds might be returning. Just in case I loaded up the windsurf board and 6.0 sail. I then headed into Kahului to Kanaha Beach Park. The surf was big about 8 to 10 feet and was closing out according to one of the surfers coming off the water. I decided to head over to the other side to catch some more freindly waves. I ended up at Ukumehame Park. No real crowd this morning just a few longboarders and other SUP boarders out. I got the SUP off the car and headed out to the break on the left which no one was on. Nice 1 to 2 foot swell with a long 18 second period which made it easy for catching waves. I moved over to the middle break and it provided some nice rights. I saw a couple of small turtles hanging around here. After my first one hour session I rigged up the camera then went out to take some photos offshore. Then I made a final session over on the right break. This was the busiest with longboarders. I was finished here by 2 o'clock and headed back over to Kanaha and sure enough the trade winds had kicked in. I rigged my 6.0 sailworks and headed out with my JP96. Nice steady wind. A Nitinat wind. The surf was still pretty big which made for some exciting wave sailing. Logo high waves. I got caught a couple of times on the way out and had to go through the rinse cycle a few times. My 6.0 got some minor damage with a couple of broken battens. That's what happens when a 8 footer dumps on your gear. It was real fun sailing because the wind was so steady. I was finished by 5 o'clock. I mean I was pretty exhausted. After sailing I made a stop for groceries and beer and headed home to Pu'u Koa. Cracked a Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale and made some Spaghetti with a Shitake mushroom sauce...
Longboarding and Stand Up Paddle Surfing at Ukumehame
Catching a last wave at Kanaha Lowers Reef
Aloha Sunday, April 27, 2008
Brilliant clear sky this morning. The trade winds have cleared away the Vog. This my last day in Maui for this trip and it looked like there was going to be wind. After breakfast I did a little cleaning up and packing, then headed into Kahului. Passing by Hookipa it looked like the swell had dropped significantly overnight. In Kahului, I went into the Hawaiian Island shop to drop off my SUP board for shipping back home. Then it was off to Word of Mouth Car rentals to pay the bill for the car. Then I headed to Kanaha Beach Park. It was 11:30 and the wind was looking good, so I rigged my 5.0 Sailworks and headed out on the JP96 board. Perfect setup. Again the wind was real steady and the 5.0 was just right. I did a reach out past weird wave and upwind toward Uppers then a reach in and a jibe outside the reef and another reach way out. Nice wind, waves were not real choppy. After awhile I sailed in.
I had one more thing to do before I left Maui. My good friend John Read had passed away earlier this month. He had been a windsurfing and kiteboarding fanatic and had been an inspiration to my windsurfing. I had gotten a couple of leis earlier. And on my next session I sailed way out off Lowers. I passed a kite sailor on the way. When I got offshore I let go of the two leis one by one...
Aloha Johnny, I wish you good sailing on those seas on the other side...
The wind had picked up another notch and on the way in I caught a nice 10 footer on Lowers and then came in for a break. The rest of the afternoon was perfect sailing conditions. Nice steady wind 20 to 25 knots with nice smooth chop outside the reef and some big rollers coming in. Waves at Lowers and Uppers were 8 to 10 feet. I reluctantly finished at just past 4 o'clock. Packed the gear and headed back to Pu'u Koa. I packed and stored my windsurfing gear then packed my luggage and headed to the airport. The sun was setting as I drove past Hookipa...
Aloha to Maui for this years adventure... no ka oi.
In Memory of John Read
Arise! Arise! The great surf from Kahiki
Arise! Arise! Great wind of Hilo
Bring the big wind gourd
Leave the small wind gourd
make the sails
filled with wind