Author Archives: billb

Carles Carrera recently published an excellent article in his blog about measuring the paddle length that best suits you: http://www.carlescarrera.com/2010/04/definitive-guide-for-choosing-your-sup.html. Carles is a guy after my own heart, Stand Up Paddle Surfing fanatic and a motorcycle nut, with an engineering … Continue reading →

Yesterday I did the Maui Canoe and Kayak Club race in the Stand Up Paddle Board division from Napiili Bay to Canoe Beach. Favorable wind and small bumps at first, followed by wind in our faces and swells from all … Continue reading →

One of the best things about being on a Stand Up Paddle board is the marine life you can see. It’s always a privilege, even just looking at a little school of fish, or a nice reef. But when you … Continue reading →

When you perform any exercise it makes sense to have your body operating at optimal levels, and hydration is clearly necessary to achieve optimal performance. But proper hydration is even more critical for Stand Up Paddle Surfing, because hydration has … Continue reading →

Apple’s iPhone is a great tool for anyone, but it has some features and available applications that make it particularly great for Stand Up Paddle Surfing. The phone I’m going to cover is the 3G version, which is handiest since … Continue reading →

A bit of business–Camelback(tm) is a trade name of the leader in hydration packs. We’re using the name genertically because most people refer to hydration packs as Camelbaks. We’ll get to the Camelback part in a little bit, but first … Continue reading →

As many regular readers know I’ve been working on GPS features for Ke Nalu. In my typical poster-boy-for-attention-deficit manner I have fertilized this already challenging project with a thick layer of new ideas and redesigns, Ke Nalu into a publishing … Continue reading →

Rudder or no Rudder It’s immediately obvious when paddling behind a long board like the Penetrator that rudders are a necessary evil. Tap the rudder and the board slews a little sideways. That can’t be good. So the plan generally … Continue reading →

George Herbert said that sometime in the 1600′s, still true today. Stand Up Paddle Surfing has plenty of detractors, none of whom have the slightest idea of what SUP really is. For example, yesterday started off inauspiciously. The North Shore … Continue reading →

Bob (Stoneaxe) remixed my SIC Animoto video. I like the results a lot. More active and upbeat. Shows that in Animoto, as in other things, less is more. http://www.kenalu.com

You may wonder why there have been fewer articles in Ke Nalu recently, and why it’s taking so long to get the SUP surfing and SUP distance e-books done. it’s not just that I’ve been spending all my time getting … Continue reading →

So maybe you’re getting tire of hearing about Maliko runs, I think this is the last one I’ll write up for awhile. But this one was kind of special, and perhaps a little stupid. I called the usual suspects and … Continue reading →

I hope readers don’t mind these totally off topic videos. I don’t go scouting youtube for this stuff, but I get a lot of email correspondence from fellow nutcases, and it seems lately that whacked videos, especially as related to … Continue reading →

I NEVER say that. Never. But OMG. Watch this video and tremble. wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo. http://www.kenalu.com

I’ve had a few people ask me what’s so special about a Maliko run. Hard to sum up. When it’s big and nasty it’s like nothing you’ve ever done before. Ten miles of hanging on for dear life. I was … Continue reading →

Wow, I thought conditions were wild yesterday. Today the mouth of the channel that leads out from Maliko Gulch looked like death and destruction. Waves smashing on the rocks on both sides of the channel, spray everywhere, huge chop in … Continue reading →

Maliko run number four is in my official record book. Last guy to the beach again, but I improved my time over the last run (the Maui Canoe and Kayak club race) by 15 minutes. If I keep improving at … Continue reading →

I turned the corner onto South Kihei Rd and saw whitecaps. Big, fluffy spraying-off-the-top whitecaps, and chunky swells even with the short fetch from Maalaea Bay. Perfect for a fast downwinder to the Four Seasons beach. Diane was dubious as … Continue reading →

Mark’s Big Idea Kiwi Jackson got sick just prior to the showcase, which upset him as much as it did me. Not only is he a fine SUP racer but he has a couple of very interesting boards and he’s … Continue reading →

Sorry for not being very active with Ke Nalu this last week. I’m in San Diego helping the family of my closest friend, Barney Li, who died last Saturday in a motorcycle accident. It’s just kind of taken the air … Continue reading →