Fabulous Four Days
Jan 8th, 2008 by billb
Been running pretty much non-stop since we got back to Maui. I have this frantic feeling that if I don’t spend enough time in the water, then I’m going to really suck when we do the Board and Paddle Showcase. It’s not as if I really think I’m going to become a good surfer in one month–well, maybe somewhere in my reptile brain that thought is circulating. After all, a normal guy surfing on the weekends might get decent in a year. That’s 52 to 104 days a year if he goes every weekend. I can hit that in a month and a half if I get a giant bottle of advil.
The weather has sort of cooperated. First day I got up at 00: dark: thirty and beat feet for Kanaha. Found it windy and choppy. Didn’t even unload, just made a beeline for Puamana on the south side. Small waves but what the heck. Had a nice day paddling around on my new Jimmy Lewis 11er (Jimmy replaced my original early production board, which delaminated under my feet) and catching little stuff. I know this is the same board, but it feels like it surfs better. I’m sure that’s just in my head.
I shot a bunch of video testing camera positions. It needs a lot of editing, but I’ll post some as soon as I can get to it. I’m doing a lot of experimenting to get decent video for the Board and Paddle Showcase. I’m building a lot of camera mounts, including a homemade 15 foot steadicam boom. I’ll do an article on them soon, probably both here and in Ke Nalu.
Next day (saturday) same story. So I hit Puamana in the morning, then drove back to Kenaha in the afternoon for some wavesailing with my JL 11′7″. Had a blast. I was using a superfreak 6.3 meter sail, and the wind picked up to the outside edge of being overpowered. I was starting to long for a set of footstraps, so I finally decided to call it a day, but i got three good sessions in. Made a few slow jibes, blew a bunch, sailed into some remarkably big waves on the upper reef and was able to catch and ride them. So much fun, and when everything starts going bad you step back, sheet in your sail and zip away.
Sunday Diane and I usually avoid going anywhere because it gets crowded, so we worked on planning for the Board and Paddle Showcase, and I made some modifications to the new magazine site (www.kenalu.com). About noon I got antsy and the areas between my toes started drying out, so I talked diane into going to the beach. We went over to Cove park in Kehei so Diane could enjoy the water too (she’s a big chicken) and I had a surprisingly nice SUP session in some knee-high waves. Every so often there was a set of waist high waves that pushed nice faces way out. Got some really long rides–the bottom is flat there for a long way.
Today (Monday) I had to do some work. WORK! for my company. A rush writing job. I actually started Sunday night, but fell asleep at the keyboard about 10:00. So up at 5:30, banging away until about noon. I headed for Kenaha expecting to wavesail, but when I got there it was about as glassy as Kenaha gets, with small waves foaming the reefs. There were four or five standup surfers and a couple of longboarders out in the break. I grabbed the JL11er and paddled out.
I wanted to time how long it takes to paddle to the break. I plan to do the Board and Paddle Showcase at Kenaha and I’m a little concerned about the long paddle. Turns out it’s three minutes with no wind on a JL11. Not nearly as long as I thought, but still it will take some time for people to run through ten or so boards. I’m assuming that we’ll have roughly ten boards that will fit the skill/weight profile of each evaluator. If each evaluator tries each board twice that’s twenty trips to the reef and back, forty times three minutes: two hours of paddling just to get to the break. I might have to rethink this and do it at thousand peaks.
But Kenaha was wonderful. Empty break, glassy, and knee hight to chest high waves. I caught a zillion, and paddled until my knees were shaky. Came in, drank some water, paddled back out to time the trip again. Two and a half minutes. The waves had abated with just little swells oming through. Must have been all local wind swells. I stayed out until about five, then loaded up and headed home.
Stopped in Paia for salad, pizza and beer at Flatbread, brought a quarter of the pizza and a salad to Diane. It was supposed to be half a pizza, but I had beer left when I finished half, and so… It was all tasty, but pretty expensive. I see lots of families in the place, must get spendy when you’ve got a crowd.
nice write-up, bill, and i’m glad to see that you’re back in hawaii and having a good time and working on the upcoming evaluation or showcase or whatever it ends up being! meanwhile, i gather you’ve been spending most of your sup time on the jl11. i’ve put my own jl11 on the backburner in favor of the starboard 12-6, because of my balance issues; but one thing i’m hoping that comes out of the showcase is that we find a board that’s more stable than the JL11 but that also surfs about the same or better. i love the starboard but it is one big beast on the waves. still, i currently prefer it for its other attributes.
I’m pretty high in the Starboard 12′ 6″ too, I love how it cruises. I don’t have one here yet. If I get one it will be the THIRD one I’ve bought, and that seems just ridiculous. For now the only boards I have are the JL11er, the 11′7″ which I really bought as a longboard for fat guys who lumber to their feet (you call that a POP) and the Ku Nalu. I need to get my sea legs back before I start using the Ku Nalu again–it’s demanding, but it rocks.
I’ve been sticking with the Jimmy because it’s so comfortable and easy to use. Still a great board. I’m looking forward to seeing what Jimmy has in store for next year.
As far as I know Starboard is going to be participating, I’m excited to try some of their new designs. right now we have about ten manufacturers who have said yes, all of them stellar designers. I’m sure I;’m going to fall in love with way too many boards.
I really enjoy the JL 11′ and the 12′ Laird. I’ve also ridden the JL 11′7″ but don’t like it all. JL is coming out with two smaller versions of the 11′ and two bigger versions of the high performance 10′ as well as one smaller version. It also looks like he is doing a 12′ gun and a 12′6″ one design distance board. Check out the catalog at
http://surfingsports.com/jimmy_lewis_2008_catalog/index.html
Do you need any more testers for the Board and Paddle Showcase? The family and I will be escaping the cold Nantucket winter for a month in Maui starting February 9th! Can’t wait to get in the water for lots of fun…
I’m so jealous. I’ve been slammed with work getting ready to get out there with you and I’ve had a real nasty cold. I haven’t been on my board in a week and a half other than in my dreams. Have I told you that I can’t wait to get out there? You have no idea how much I need this.
If it takes you 3 minutes it’ll probably be 5 for me…:(. Hey be ready for some board sailing too. Sue and I both want some pointers.
Linter, I was hoping to hear that you managed to get an article about SUP and headed out for the test. I like the looks of some of the shorter but still wide boards out there. I’m always going to need the width I’m afraid. Not just because of my head but also because of my fat ass.
Christian…….how are you! Awesome that you are going to be in Maui. Funny that I’ll finally get to meet you 6,000 miles from home. I’m the guy that almost bought your wetsuit….:) . I also know a friend of your’s. Mike from Manchester…a.k.a..ECSUP… He bought the Charity auction paddle. In fact we are hooking up this Sunday when I deliver the paddle. Hopefully we’ll get on the water too. Looks like Sat. Sun might be good. He’s going to be talking to you about getting involved in a charity paddle event this summer.
BTW…congrats…my wife says you have one of the most beautiful little girls she’s ever seen.
We are just starting to plan a paddle from P-town to Plymouth to raise $ for some of the charities fighting plastic pollution. Long trip but it should be a fun time. Damn I’m going to need to train for this! I have some good connections that I’m hoping to enlist and Mike is stoked. Hope you’re interested. See you on Maui…..yeehaaa!
bob: i tried as best i could to get out there. men’s journal thought a story about the SUP revolution would end up being too much of a lifestyle thing. i tried to argue but to no avail. then, for a brief shining moment, i took on an assignment to profile laird hamilton; but the mag’s big-picture concept for the piece started heading in directions that don’t play to my strengths, so i gave it back. finally, i was offered a kelly slater profile … but that got blown out of the water when he showed up on the cover of outside. sheesh. but, hey, that’s life in the big minor leagues.
wish i could get out there, though. i can’t tell you how jealous i am. in fact, the whole thing so upset me that i went out and ordered an infinity otter-tail paddle to make myself feel better. got it yesterday. am hoping for waves on thursday. if they come, i hope you get some too!
It?s nice to have PonoBill back in Maui! The all aluminum tour was interesting and all, but I really enjoyed learning about SUP and the other Maui leisure activities here on this blog. I tried to arrange my schedule to get to Maui to be a tester for the Board and Paddle showcase, but I have too many work commitments to get away. Perhaps I can do it in ?09 if there is a repeat Bill.
For linter, let me add that I own a JL 11 and have paddled the Starboard 12?6? and don?t find the JL that much less stable, and it is an excellent surfer. My brother owns the Mistral Pacifico. Its? stability is more similar to the Starboard and it catches waves easily. Perhaps that is an alternative to consider for someone looking for a very stable board for surf. In the end, I think a lot of us will own at least two boards. For me that?s the JL 11 for surfing and another for distance paddling or other activities like sailing and fishing.
Linter,
I bet you’ve got a little fin on the Jimmy. Stick the original huge one back on and try it. Mega stability. And now that you know how to paddle, you won’t have trouble turning it.
I did that yesterday and was astonished at the difference. I’ve been falling off a lot in the side chop. With the monster fin back in place I don’t fall at all. Could be that I’m getting my sea legs back (what a disappointment to suck so bad the first few days).
I’m pretty sure this will be a yearly deal. Might try to expand it into a public demo thing if the board manufacturers like the idea.
holy cow bill i forgot all about that 13″ fin. now that you mention it, i’ve gotta give it another go. thanks for the reminder!
btw/ bill, in your opinion, with the big fin, would you call the jimmy about as stable as the starboard?