60: Day 12 – GoPro Update, Board Fixing Memories & GPS Speed

Board Fixing Memories - As I woke this morning my first port of call was to check the quality of my night laminating and that brought back many memories. When I was in my teens and early twenties I used to live in a house in Paia (I think that in those days there wasn’t a windsurfer who had not at some point lived in a Bliss house) with a bunch of guys and the odd brave girl. Each evening the backyard was full of broken boards, ripped sails, resin, bits of glass, sometimes the odd bit of prized carbon (which we used to get from the Sailboards Maui dumpsters up the road) and the swoosh swoosh sound of sandpaper on glass filled the air. We had to get our boards fixed up enough to get them on the water the next day and no job was too big or too small. If it rained and much to John’s (the house owner) disgust the fixing had to move inside. Phil Baker was the oracle; if you needed advice on how to fix something he’d be your man and even if you didn’t need help he spent hours standing by helping people get there stuff back together (he once fixed a board using a used cereal box!). We fixed cracks, we put in mast tracks, fin boxes and even put snapped boards back together all in the dirty, dusty and windy back yard. One of more interesting memories was fixing my K-bay which I had put on the rocks (the one with the swallow tail for those of you who remember), suddenly I heard lots of shouting and screaming, I looked up to see a full FBI swat team storming our neighbours’ house - that was rather shocking!

Don't worry Phil will fix it! I got this Quatro for 50 Bucks and without a mast track but it went on to be one of my favourite boards ever!

Fast forward 15 years and much has changed but much hasn’t. Paia is rather safer, well if you stay clear of Charley’s, Phil has lots of kids so he has a little less time to help people with their fixes but he is still ever present if you need advice but I am still fixing my broken boards in my back yard rather than in a proper work space but, I am pleased to report that all that training in my youth must have paid off and the glass job that I did last night seems to have been good and after some time under the sander (ok some things have changed) my trusty Tabou was ready to hit the water, it will need some filler and paint but it is back on the water.

Today’s Wind and Waves – Everyone was ampted about today, we had all had such a fun day yesterday and I had hoped to get some video footage but, the conditions were far from optimal. It started windy and there were a few waves rolling into Ho’okipa but as we rigged high clouds came over and the wind started a downward trend. I looked out and saw a few people ripping and was encouraged - later it turned out to be Jason Prior that was making it look good and he could make Camber Sands in a Northerly look good. By the time I was on the water there was virtually no wind and combined with the sluggish trade swell it wasn’t the best of sessions but enough to keep my 100% record and that is important. There was plenty of wind for slalom later on but I took the decision to relax on baby beach with friends, I have sailed alot in the last 10 days or so and my hands and ankles in particular are a littel sore. Later in the day I went for the 7km Kanaha and back run and set a new course PB of 36 minutes 43 seconds, I am hoping to improve on this in the coming weeks.

To GoPro or not to GoPro? UPDATE – in an early post I asked this question and want to add some further info for those still considering buying a GoPro camera to capture their sessions. Cost is always an issue with any purchase and at first look the camera look quite reasonable, the HD Wide Angle Naked (this is the best of the cameras) which comes with no mounts retails at $259.99 + tax and shipping but you must consider the extras that you will need before you commit because if you don’t you will be disappointed.

• SD memory card preferably 8GB or more (max 32GB): $50 (for 8GB)
• Handlebar Seatpost Mount (for boom mounts): $19.99
• Roll Bar Mount (for mast mounts): $29.99
• Grab Bag of Mounts: $19.99
• Surf Hero Expansion: $19.99
• Anti-Fog Inserts: $14.99

Total: $414.94

At $14.99 the Anti-Fog inserts are possibly the most important pieces of the puzzle and do not go without them!

If you are happy with that outlay then that is a good first step but buying the gear will not guarantee you success. I have had a few people come up and ask me about the cameras and how I am getting on, one guy said to me;

“Is that new?”

“Yes” I replied,

“Arhh, yes they are always new – people get fed up with them and then don’t use them anymore so they are always new!”

I am keen to prove this guy wrong and strongly feel that they have a place and that many people can get enjoyment and from capturing and sharing their sessions. Once you have got your gear sorted and I urge you to do this immediately when you purchase the camera is this will not only save shipping but lots of frustration you then need to work hard at first to get good pictures, you are unlikely to get a good shot straight away and you will wade through hundreds and very quickly thousands of photos and hours of video until you get the desired result.

My top ten things that you should remember;

1. Buy all the stuff listed above at the time of buying your camera
2. Have a medium Phillips style (cross head) screw driver at hand
3. Don’t assemble your mount on sand – I dropped a screw and had a hard time finding it!
4. Use the screwdriver to tighten the mounts but don’t do it too tight, make sure that on impact it can move, that way you protect your camera
5. Try lots of different mounts and mounting positions but don’t spend to long changing during each session.
6. Ignore all negative comments from onlookers
7. If at first you fail, evaluate why you failed then seek to improve next time
8. Be ruthless with your editing; if it is not perfect delete it. You are better to have one good shot from each session or one small clip of video rather than a ton of so so images and video.
9. Share your results on Facebook, everyone loves the pics, especially non-windsurfers and surfers, one friend said to me after watching a headcam video “Now I can see why you like windsurfing, this video let me ride with you – I want to learn”
10. Remember why you bought a GoPro in the first place and keep going

GPS Speed – Picked up my GT-31 and Aquapak today (thanks Hammer) for sorting that for me, all I have to do now is set it up and put some tracks down and see if I can climb up the Maui VMax 2010 Speed Ladder. I will of course air my trials and tribulations in due course.

Check out this link for some useful Info: http://www.gps-speed.co.uk/gps-speed-windsurf_navi_gt31.html

More to follow…