Freak Meet

This was a great event organized by Hot Sails Maui last Sunday.
Light wind (good for longboard sailing) and sunny, lots of people showed up to show off their Superfreaks and socialize.
I got too many photos to chose from and very little time to sort them all out and do a complete post, so I'll start by posting a couple. I'll add more day by day.

Here's the man who had the balls to come up with such a de-volutionary idea of doing modernly cut sails with dacron.
In the name of thousands of happy sailors all over the world: THANK YOU JEFF, those sails rock.


Ask anyone in this photo and they will say the same thing.


First photo was from Bob. Here's his other ones.
Second photo is from Sharon. She got a few more in her latest post, along with a tango dancing Francisco Goya.

After a super windy March, Maui disappointed his windsurfing vacationers with one the the least windy Aprils I can remember in the last eight years.
Still some fun wavesailing sessions (if you knew where to go) and some great (finally!) surfing conditions. My back is sore from paddling and my body is asking for rest. Goodnight and come back for more photos on this post.

-----------------------------

Here we go: more pics.
I like the new red of the Ultralights.


Not a fan of the black. But I like the devil woman...


You can put whatever you want on a Superfreak. The name of your company, your favorite rockstar...


The socializing part was great too.


Also thanks to the Superfreak punch...


Juliana dances gracefully (must be the punch).


Bart shows off a classic rail ride on my good old 12.2 (must be the punch).


What are you guys exactly trying to do? (must be the punch)


Tandem boards were a big hit.


Only Superfreaks out at sunset.


What a great day it was!

The most forgettable surf session ever...

See? I already forgot it. Oh, yeah... it was at Crossovers, after a stressful day of testing kids all day, and afterwards somehow pressing the panic button on my car door alarm in the parking lot at Office Max, and then dropping the thing between the seats. I had to get into the water, or risk another meltdown. It was a bit of relief, but not much, as the waves were choppy and the sea a depressing shade of grey-green. How could the seas be five feet at eight seconds and yet the waves seem so small and weak?

Just enough to restore my sanity...

That's all I was asking for, and it came overnight, a tiny little swell, but glassy and green, and enough to surf with my friends. Well, except for Karen, who had to work the cafe. This little bit of a respite was what I needed, to restore what sanity I still possess. After yesterday's swift punch to the gut, and subsequent melodramatic meltdown, I needed something. My sensei responded to my late afternoon call with his usual calm focus and guidance, as I walked alone on the beach. "Devil, the best way to make God laugh is to make plans."

I had received the dreaded call as I left work, still in my happy bubble of illusion that I would soon be ESE certified and on my way to a real paying job. There were only two seats left in the program, the director's secretary informed me. I signed up, do you hear me? She had told me I was in, that she was even bending the rules for me since I was late to jump aboard. She liked it that I seemed so driven and enthusiastic. I HAD SIGNED UP, REGISTERED, SENT MONEY, AND ...

But, read the finest of fine print and jump through the fiftieth hoop I had not.

That stupid math CLAST caught up with me, finally. My new test score would never make it time, she said. "Sorry, it is first come, first serve, and we had a glut of entries this week."

So, my sensei said, without a pause, "Be the stick, not the salmon." OMG, WTF? He then explained to me that it is much better, sometimes, to ride the stream, rather than swim against it. I am so tired of swimming upstream, I sighed.

Junior Devil had come to my rescue earlier, had caught me at THE moment of impact. She did it again, saved me, with her calm assurance that quite possibly this was a gift. A GIFT? Yes, because I may have saved myself much unecessary stress, time, and dinero, not to mention my summer break. Quite possibly, and we will not know until Monday, I can take the subject area exam, and if I pass, be granted full access to the throne, and three years in which to jump through all the hoops and complete the classes.

And then, we went to dinner, and Matt even picked up the tab. Nearly all was restored with a little help from my friends.

So, this morning, after not much sleep, and crazy dreams (I was being driven off a cliff again), there they were. Little waves.

Andy was standing at the overlook at Summerhaven, his cell phone in his hand. As I pulled up, he was smiling, "I was just about to call you!" It wasn't much, but it was clean and warm. This was the first day I paddled out without a wetsuit. What fun we had! We caught a million of those little peelers. Andy did a coffin, and paddled back out laughing, telling us how he had seen the curtain of water spilling over his face as he lay on his back. All too soon it got crowded, but everyone was mellow and smiling. Glenn, Andy, and I talked story, and hooted at each other's stylin' moves HA! on the funboards. I came in after two hours, after the tide's drop took the push away. It felt so good, to sit in the sun, to look out at the surfers having fun in the green and glassy ocean, to breathe again, and to NOT have somewhere I absolutely had to be.

Maybe I will be the stick for awhile. I won't plan to be in New Zealand by August, or have a regular paying job by fall. Maybe I will just move slowly in that direction, and see what happens...

short Kauli interview

Just received a FB message about the Freak Meet event that says:
WE ARE STILL ON!!!
Rain or shine, wind or no wind let's meet at Kanaha at 10 AM!
Then it's all up to weather... but we will have fun regardless.
Aloha,
Hot Sails Maui Crew

PS. Talking about Facebook, I'd like to celebrate the 100th unaccepted request of my friendship. Mr. Carlo Buono was the fortunate winner of.. absolutely nothing.
Sorry to all of the people that requested my FB friendship, but I already have too many friends (thinking about deleting a few...) and FB is becoming unusable and quite uninteresting.
Knowing that someone that I don't even know is getting ready to go the gym on the other side of the world, is not a particularly exciting thing for me.
Jesus, am I snob or what?
Ops, 101...
PPS. Good looking women are welcome exceptions.

----------------------------------------------------------

The other day I parked behind Kauli's truck.


Here's a de-tail of his quad.


Today I met him at Mana food's and I asked him a few questions.
GP. Hey, what's up with these quads now?
Kauli. I like them: as loose as a twin fin, but more drive in the turns.
GP. What's the downside?
Kauli: Haven't find it yet.
GP. Did you sit together with Keith in front of his computer and designed it with him?
Kauli. Yes.
Then a couple of hot chicks passed by and we both completely lost our focus...

GoPro

A blog reader sent me the link to these two incredible GoPro Wide clips.
The first one shows John John Florence getting a 5 seconds barrel at Backdoor Pipe.
The second one shows Jamie Sterling going left at Pipe. Enjoy.





Here's the text of the first email I sent to the GoPro guys. The subject was:"I'm not a dealer..."
...but I could almost be one! I already had three people buy it in 10 days that I have it.

I'd like you to let know whoever thought about such a killer product, that I really enjoy it and I think that you guys are going to make some major money out of it. Once it's out in the market (in the water), it will basically sell by itself.
I also told a couple of surf shop owners in Maui that they should order a few.
If you feel, have a look at my blog. I posted a good number of pics and videos.
And also let me know if you need some help of some kind in Maui.
Cheers,

It was September 27 2006 and the little camera was not wide angle, had no SD card, and could only record 15 seconds mini clips. Still, it showed (at least to me) how extraordinary it was (going to be) compared to those ridicolous backpacks with heavy batter packs, water proof cased camcorder and (hopefully) water proof connection cables...

Thanks to the GoPro guys for having supported me since then and good luck for an even more brilliant future. Don't stop the development and make it even better!

Jealousy isn't pretty...

But this photo of Nicaragua, taken today, makes me want to stamp my little feet on the... whoa! That reminds me of the dream I had last night. I was riding my bike in the middle of the night. It was completely dark, not a trace of light anywhere, not even a star in the sky to light my way. I had this wonky headlight that pointed straight down at the ground. It was the only way I could move forward. I was being very cautious. After all, I didn't know what lie ahead. AHA, I SEE YOU, METAPHOR! I was scared, yes indeed. I kept thinking I was going to come to the edge of a cliff, and fall off into oblivion. But, gradually, the sun was coming up. In the distance, I could see them. There were people on bikes, riding toward me. It was an army of them, dark, indistinguishable figures. And as they came closer, I realized, with a warm wave of relief... they were all my friends.

awesome superlight wind session

Never planed once. Shoulder high waves. 4.7 Superfreak UL absolute perfection in light wind. Blog author never stuck so many aerials in one single session before. Blog author happy.

At the very least... there are our friends ... and there's cupcakes

... please send waves ... losing mind ... the only thing saving me ... are my most awesome friends...

blog author in Hana

Blog author shows that it's possible to bodyboard even with an amputated leg.
He just got to figure out a better way of wearing the fin.


Blog author knows how to look sexy.


Blog author decides that bodyboards are not as fun as surfboards and grabs an old 9.2.
Notice the remarkable depth of field of this photo. You can see the canoe paddles lined up on the beach at Hana bay.


Blog author goes right.


Blog author made sure not to drop in this guy.


Blog author and blog author's buddy on a hike.


Blog author met fellow countryman Dario a few days ago. He looked like a nice guy and blog author invited him in Hana. Little he knew he would have turned into Jesus.



Blog author catches a left at Koki beach.


Blog author rides a left at Koki beach.


Blog author wonders if he's ever going to be as confortable on a shortboard as he is on a longboard.


Blog author will find out this summer.

Before saying goodbye, blog author links Sharon's Hana post.

Blog author says goodbye.

I think I forgot how to surf...

I was up at dawn and off to Crossovers. Ugh, the tide was too high, of course! Andy called from the pier, and said it was a little fat, but it looked worth it. It took me no time to get there, and not much more time to realize that spring is definitely here. Everywhere I looked, there was someone getting ready to go out. Oh heck, everyone has been waiting forever just like me. Mark was talking about how he had been sick, and we compared stories.

Soon, Andy, Mark, Mikey N., and I were paddling out into the green water, slowly warming, under sunny skies, and I felt alive again. From the first wave, I remembered why I love that Randy French model. The waves weren't all time, but there were enough surprise sneaker sets to keep us motivated and alert. One wave, in fact, was better than good. It jumped up outside, where I had decided to wait. I had seen it stack up every fifteen minutes or so. Some guy sitting out there would stroke and miss it every time. I decided to go out the back and give it a shot. Soon, one came to me, I stroked, and heard two guys shout, YEAH! as I took off. Oh, what fun that one was. Late drop, green wall, and the board flew. The wind was southwest (offshore) for most of it, but by the end it was taking a decided turn to the south. I was glad, because I kept thinking about Bruce taking the time to help Karen open the cafe so that I could stay out longer and surf. That's the kind of friends they are. She will have it tomorrow, when it is straight offshore. And, me? I will be concocting some excuse, and they are wearing out, as to why I might be late to work in the morning.

A couple of memorable sessions

Here are some photos from Wednesday late afternoon session.

Andres, when the wind was still cranking.


Me and Kauli (it's a thrill just to write that...)


Carbon copy of the previous turn. Way too early, way too downwind of the peak... and there's not even Kauli on the background!


Levi shows me how to do it.


And Eyal too.


6.05 The conditions are improving (and my turns too).


6.13 This is the last photo my friend took, before a squall came and he had to leave.
After that there were four sailors left in the water (me, Levi and two others) and for twenty more minutes we had consistent logo high superclean sets. Surfers were out at green trees, so we only had the last bowl, but it was a freaking blast.
Levi was screaming "sooo good" and that should give you an idea of how really good it was. Luck, somebody said. The power of knowledge, I replied...


Thursday was another phenomenal session, with light offshore wind and clean big waves. Hookipa supercrowded (I guess I was wrong, assuming that the photoshoots were over), I sailed down the coast and had another magnificent session.
Now the wind is going to really get light (maybe another scholg and surf sesh this afternoon?) and I'm off to Hana for the weekend. But first to surfing this morning before work.
Stoked.

It seemed to happen overnight...

I looked up, after the spring break, and it had happened. There on the barren tree, were tiny green leaves. Now every day, it seems a hundred more burst from its grey limbs.

non pro sailors post

Strong and gusty wind yesterday at Hookipa. This is the iWindsurf.com graph.


Way too windy for me, I got in the water at 5.20 and sailed till 6.20. Clearly the last 20 minutes were my favorite. Just schlog and surf on a 72l board and a brightly colored 4.0... I'm definitely becoming a dusk sailor.


I like the symmetry of the sails in this photo.


Lil backwind ride.


Thanks to my buddy Maurizio who is visiting from Italy and took the photos (and cooked a delicious dinner last night). He's using a very old 4.7 of mine and he says that the sail works great! One more advantage of the Superfreaks: they last much longer than monofilm/xply sails.


Talking about Superfreaks, here's again the page with the description of the Freak and Meet event that will take place Sunday April 26th.
(Please let me know if everyone can open that page no problem). If you have a Superfreak, make sure you don't miss out and please tell the other fellow superfreakers at the beach. Should be fun.

This below is blog reader Matt from Oregon who hired me to film him while sailing. Unfortunately it was cloudy, but there were waves at Lowers...
Every time I film someone down the line, I learn something. Videos like this will get better and better... keep me busy you guys!



This blog had a great start of the week: 1,140 unique visitors on Monday and 1,377 on Tuesday. Thanks to everyone for tuning in.
Current advertising prices for a banner: $50/month, or $45/month if you order 3 to 5 months upfront, or $40/month if you order 6 months or more upfront.
Current prices for a one line text link: $20/month or $15/month if you order 6 months or more upfront.


Forecast.
This afternoon (Wednesday) the forerunners of a new NW swell will arrive.
The NW buoy is showing 2 feet at 17 seconds from 330 at 6am. Only half foot at the Waimea buoy. I can foresee another dusk session.
The really big news though, is that after Thursday the wind will die for quite a few days. That will be the end of an incredibly long stretch of wind and (some kind of) waves. Can't be bothered to go check the archives, but I'd say at least one month of consistently decent wave sailing conditions. Whoever chose to come in vacation in the last month should be stoked, just like all the windsurfing brands that successfully had their photoshoot in Maui.
To both, see you guys next year.
Oh, almost forgot. No wind but long lasting N swell this weekend...

You can't always get what you want...

As spring break comes to a close, I reflect. I wished for surf like in this photograph, but never saw it arrive. There was a lack of surf, but I got more done than I would have. It took almost every minute to prepare for Jenny, Joe, and Sarah's arrival.

Tomorrow there will be much more open space in this apartment, as most of the furniture will be leaving for North Carolina. My apartment will resemble a Mennonite's. Aren't they the ones who live so spartan-like? I will have a desk and a chair where I can begin the program of study I signed up for this week, one chair to sit at the kitchen counter, bookshelves with books (essential), and a bed. Oh, yes, and my old art table where the computer lives.

I have no idea where on earth I will be come the end of July. It is at once unsettling and exciting. But mostly, it is scary.

So, yesterday I took Sarah for the surf lesson she was so nervous and excited about. I gave her the lecture, the one about the lesson I learned at Hermosa when that big wave loomed up on me and I thought for sure I was going to die. Fear is the enemy, I told her. Too bad I can't follow my own advice. Go with the wave, don't resist. Breathe and relax. You will always come back up.

Sarah did great. With every wave, she got better at balancing herself on the board, at realizing that it was really fun. At the end, my old pal, Joe, came rushing out into the surf to greet us. Chris had seen me out there and told him. I introduced him to my niece, and he said, "Does she know she is being taught by the best?" So sweet.

We caught up on stuff, and then he told me something disturbing. "Do you remember John McCoy?" I knew it wasn't good by the tone of his voice.

He said he died yesterday.

John had complained that he was having trouble breathing, and had told his mom who he lived with, and he laid down on his bed. Next thing she knew he was dead. He was only 39. He was a big guy, overweight, and it made me think it must have been a heart attack. They won't know for a few days. I remember John was such a sweet guy, funny, he always made me laugh. I hadn't seen him for years, but Joe said he hadn't changed. Joe looked down then and said, "You know Nance, I was thinking about it, and I can't remember Big John ever saying anything mean or nasty about anything or anyone." And now he is gone. I can see him, coming in the surf shop, standing at the counter, smiling, looking down. It kind of makes whining about the lack of surf embarrassing. We are here, and we are alive.

Mark Angulo's Mutant

Last week I asked Mark Angulo a few questions:
GP: "Mark, how many times have you tried your Mutant?"
Mark: "Thousands..."
GP: "How many times have you landed it?"
Mark: "Five, two of which perfectly clean"
GP: "Has anyone caught one of them on video?"
Mark: "No, not yet."

Well, unless something changed in the meantime, here's the first video ever of a successful Mutant.
PS: Well, clearly not after seen the one in the comments.


As you can see also from the photo below, it's definitely a peculiar move, in which Mark gets pretty much vertical upside down.
As you can also see from the slideshow below, the new generation of acrobatic sailors are not afraid of throwing rotations off the lip, but so far I've never seen anyone else trying a Mutant. Who knows, it might be forever a Mark Angulo's unique signature move...


Many thanks to Nico Drasimino who filmed it and sent it to me. Here he is in a shot of his own new personal move. Nico, what's the name of that one?
I also feel like linking once again Nico's mega backloop youtube clip. Respect.


Here's the slideshow from yesterday. Beautiful sunny day, waves, 45 sailors in the water, helicopters, four water photographers, way too crowded for me, but a hell lot of fun taking photos. Victor was all about forwards off the lip and just about everyone was going off big time. Enjoy the show.