Ferry/Freak/Sunset(s)

Fat post full of stuff. Let's start with some serious bullshit.

Superferry
Here, read this article that appeared today on the Maui news about the Super-Fucking-Ferry.
Here's a close up of the map.


My first comment when I read it was... WHAAAT???!!!
This is just too much. This way of obtaining things is really disgusting me. Here's a short summary:
To avoid potential protests like there have been in Kauai (surfers paddling in front of the boat) the Superferry corporation with the help of the governor managed to get approved a law that will forbid surfing in the harbor from an hour before the boat arrives to 10 minutes after it leaves.
FORBIDDING SURFING IN HAWAII??? You got to be kidding me... AND CANOE PADDLING???

Un-believable. This is un-believable. As a matter of fact, I don't believe it will happen. If the harbor is going off, there's no way you can keep the surfers (me included) out of the water. Overall a very stupid move, since it will piss off a lot of people.
I'll take part to the rally organized by Maui Tomorrow on Sat 12/8. Everybody who thinks this is unfair, (and/or is concerned about the other issues that the SF will bring: more traffic, criminality, drugs) should come to the rally and protest. Not convinced? Read this (don't be deceived by the date, they changed it to Sat 12.8 so that more people could attend).
More details about the rally.
The best way of protesting, in my opinion, is to boycott the Ferry. Just don't use it. Even if they put tickets down to 5 bucks, please don't buy them!
Enough of that.

Jaws.
Different SF story. Much better one, since SF in this case stands for SuperFreak...
Last Friday Diony Guadagnino took his SF at Jaws. It was his first time there. Read the story on the Hot Sails Maui site.


Sunset beach
Great surfing at Sunset beach in Oahu, where the second event of the Triple Crown of Surfing is taking place. In Maui it rained pretty much all day and I really enjoyed watching the live webcast.
Here are the best waves of yesterday. Check it out, it's really worth it... I love the water shots that give a much better idea of the size of the waves.
BTW, the first surfer is not Bruneau, but 15 (!!!) years old John John Florence who advanced two heats before being eliminated...
And these are the best waves of day two.

Sunset session
Inspired by all this great surfing, and by the fact that finally around 4pm it stopped raining, I went to Hookipa to check the surf. It looked pretty damn good, but I knew that it was going to get pretty big and crowded, which is a combination that I don't particularly like... specially at Hookipa.
So I chose to challenge the break of Noriega on my standup board. The launch at Kuau is from the rocks and it's a bit tricky with a big board on your shoulder, so I picked my super light 12.2 Starboard, instead of my extra heavy 12.6 Timpone. Actually, I was just lazy... it was already on top of my car and it was getting late...
When I paddled out, there were three tow-surfing teams on their stinky skis. They were all smiling and friendly with me, also because in theory they should move somewhere else as soon as a regular/standup surfer shows up.
I don't care. I let them surf, even though I hate the noise and the smell of the jet-skis. "At least it's good to have them around in case I break my leash", I thought...

Anyway, the sets were rolling in often in the double overhead range (thank god I didn't go out at Hookipa, I thought...) and I managed to drop into four bombs that really got my heart going...
Then the sunset started to go off. Big time. I just knew it... when it rains all day and there's a big NW swell, the sunset is often amazing... one of those special winter days that just stays under your skin for a while.
I was admiring the beauty of the incredible sunset (slightly disturbed by the jet-skis noise) and contemplating to catch a last ride in (it was 5.45 and it was starting to get dark), when - CLEARLY - a huge set appeared on the horizon.
"Oh well, looks like I'll take a few on the head... no big deal, as long as the leash doesn't snap".
I dove under the first wave and... SNAP! The leash snapped.
In a fraction of a second I went from the extasy of a gorgeous sunset to some seriously deep shit. The jet skis? Magically disappeared...
And there I was, in the middle of the impact zone, with a paddle in my hands, taking wave after wave on my head under a dramatic red sky...
Swimming in the current with a (long) paddle is not the easiest thing in the world, but somehow I managed to get back to shore. While walking back on the rocks, I even ran into my board! Well, actually into the two pieces in which my board had snapped...

Still... stoked! I really like that shape a lot and tomorrow I'll take it to Ding King and ask Mark (the original shaper) to put it back together. He already did it once... that board, in fact, is a particularly light and fragile one that was only built for a photoshoot. I assume the production ones are stronger, but hey... a twelve feet wave is a twelve feet wave! It will break even the strongest board if it hits it right...

Forecast
Here's Pat Caldwell's latest forecast.
The surf is going to be ginormous on Saturday. Not hard to believe, seen the Tursday morning weather map...

Mmm... Kona wind. Is it going to be one of those epic days when the pro sailors challenge Lanes? We'll see...
For sure, I'll put the Timpone on my car so that if (after the rally!) there's light Kona at Kanaha, I'll be sailing on mountains of water... let's see if I manage to snap another board! Well, considering how delaminated most of the deck is, that is not unlikely at all...
And it's also not unlikely that the Eddie Aikau will take place at Waimea bay. Check their website for the webcast.

Aloha from an extremely stoked simple guy who bloody loves winter in Hawaii...
Geez, it was sooooo beautiful out there today!!!
I wish I could record that feeling on a disk and send it to all the governments of the world (and to the Superferry managers): they would immediately stop thinking how to make money and wars and start reconnecting with nature...
Mmmm... on a second thought, I'm not sure I wonna have all those jerks in the lineup though...

PS. Do you smoke? Have a look a this, maybe it'll help you quit.

I love light wind...

Oh boy, am I tired... here's what happened since last update.

Thursday (Thanksgiving): light wind and beautiful head to logo and sometimes even mast high waves at Lowers. I got in the water early and caught a bunch of lefts backwinding on my 5.5 and floaty shortboard...
I absolutely love that, because I can surf frontside on my natural goofy stance. I'm now working on the technique of the bottom and top turns and on the first hits to the white water... so much fun!
Around 3pm the wind picked up a notch and it was possible to go down the line... at least for a couple of hits. I had so much fun that I stayed out for 4 hours in a row. I don't think I never did that. Not even when I was 20...
Definitely a five stars day for me. I just love light wind...

More photos from the photo shoot of a month ago (the sail in this case was a 4.7). Notice how my stupid fart-aerial on a insignificant wave ruined a nice sequence of Diony about to vertically hit a big one... Next time I better make sure to be always behind him...


Friday it was outer reefs kind of big. I was busy and didn't make it to the water till 3. Didn't have my longboard (it should have been the call), went out on the floaty shortboard again, but the waves at lowers were just closing out too much. Not enough wind (and time) to slog my way to the outer reef at uppers (where it was epic).
I went back in and looked for a good place where to surf. Didn't find it... what did I say about my local knowledge?
BTW, what did I also say about being the undisputed king of kanaha for another winter? Yeah right... Taka was out on a longboard and, even though it was probably his first time or so, he was already sailing it way better than me...
Aaah, feels good to be a kook!

And here I am again, throwing gigantic amount of spray off on a double foot high wave!


Saturday, more light wind and big waves. More backside rides on the lefts at lowers. I did check out uppers this time, but the outer reef wasn't breaking anymore.
Anyway, had a couple of waves on a board completely different from everything else out there... stay tuned for a report.

Here's Diony. Nice hit, nice shot, nice sail, nice colors, nice everything.


Just checked the modelled weather maps for the next week... more big, large and even giant swells on tap. I bloody love winter in Hawaii...
Wait a moment... what? It's already November 24th??? Oh my god, it's almost over!!! Aaaargh!!!!!

PS. Meanwhile, in Haleiwa (Oahu) the first contest of the Triple Crown was run in some seriously heavy surf. Roy Powers from Kauai won it.
Here's the waves of the final.
Here's plenty more videos.

PPS. Check this out. And this.

photoshoot 1

A month ago I sneaked in a Hot Sails Maui photoshoot.

I just got a nice cd with a lot of photos by photographer Kris Mills.
I was told not to post the very good ones. So, here's a couple of the BAD photos of Diony.




Here's a couple of the BAD photos of Andres.




I wasn't told anything about my photos, so here's a couple of my BEST ones.




I got plenty more, stay tuned.

Lil' weather/activities update.
The week started with some big and messy waves out of N and NE and light sideon wind that made Hookipa unsurfable (too big and junky). In these conditions, most of the poeple I know don't surf nor sail.
That's when my toys and my knowledge of the spots of the island come handy.
Monday and Tuesday it was an easy call for longboard sailing at Kanaha. I took the good old 12.6 Timpone back out and with 6 knots of wind I enjoyed a huge number of fun backside rides on head to logo high waves. I was surprised that none of the new SUP board with mast truck owners was out sailing. Cool, looks like I'm going to be the undisputed King of Kanaha for one more winter... stoked!
Wednesday a slightly cleaner and even bigger NW swell hit (14 feet, 14 sec at the NW buoy!!!). The wind was out of NW and I scored a really fun surf sesh in a spot with no wind and glassy head high waves. Where was it? Da hell, take a Maui map and figure that out yourself...

Today the waves are a bit smaller and the wind is back to NE. If strong enough, I'll shortboard sail. If not, I'll longboard sail.
Tomorrow a extra-large swell (although I think this one has been over-estimated) should hit and the wind should go back to a more easterly direction and stronger speed. In which case, I predict busy times for the lifeguards at Kanaha, since a lot of windsurfers will hit the water.

Oh, yeah right... Happy Thanksgiving to all the americans!
Specially to the few native indians that survived the colonization.
Specially to the ones brought in from Africa that survived the slavery.
Specially to the families of the people who died in 9/11. I believe that the day when the truth will be revealed is getting close.
And, even if they're not americans, I wish a happy Thanksgiving especially to the families of all the innocent civilians killed in Iraq. I'm sure they celebrate it over there as well...