JUMPFEST Voting Day #1 - 60 Days of Summer Day 45

As JUMPFEST voting for day #1 comes to a close we have a number of early front runners. Currently in the lead in the pro section is Picture #11 Graham Ezzy and his no handed backloop with nobody else close at the moment. In the Amateur Men's section Tom Hammerton (HSM Desigmer) and Morgan Henderson are currently neck and neck with 31% and 29% of the vote respectively. Nadia has moved into a clear lead in the Girl's vote with 42% of the votes cast, Shawna is currently trailing in 2nd with 24% of the audience. Finally but very importantly Tom Hammerton's 2012 Beer Prototype is holding of stiff competition from Shawna and Bjorn.

CHECK OUT THE ACTION AND CAST YOUR VOTES @ WINDSURFINGMAG.COM

As we move into Day #2 (of 7) of voting remember that you can vote once in every 24 hours so support your favourite picture/sailor and remember to leave your name in the comments section so that you can have the chance of winning a signed and mounted print of the winning image.

Graham currently has the leading image, I wonder if that will last?

60 Days of Summer Update: Since the conclusion of the Jumpfest I have been rather quiet and actually took 2 days fully out of the water, my tiredness was neatly paired with my cracked and water logged wave board so I have been grinding, filling and laminating in the hope that I'll be back at Ho'okipa for day # 46. This morning I went for a short surf on the west side but the surf was too small and choppy although it is expected to be better tomorrow. Late on the wind was light on the north shore so I got out on my 8.0m for the first time in a while but didn't manage much in the way of speed.

Sailing Record: 86% (38/44)
On water Record: 91% (40/44)

More to follow...

Maui Race Series State Championships Event Preview - 60 Days of Summer Day 22

Saturday brings the Maui Race Series to a close with the final event of the race season here on the Valley Isle. The Neil Pryde sponsored State Championship will bring together racers from around the globe as far a field as South Africa, Australia, the UK and of course there are a lot of riders from the USA many of whom are Hawaiian grown. All racers will have one thing in common as the first hooter blows, a desire to become State Champion in their respected division and by this time tomorrow we will have our champions crowned.

All sticker'd up and ready to roll...

On a personal note this event will mark my return to racing after a 15 year gap and I am really looking forward to it. This afternoon it all camer back to where it begun some 20 years ago at Alton Water in the UK when I first applied my sail numbers to a green and black Dolphin Sails 6.0m, back then it was K197 but I later shortened that to K97. The sails and boards may have progressed some what but, the feeling of marking a sail and preparing your gear for race day is still the same and those feelings came flooding back today.

Planning is everything and I thought that I had all bases covered but, then it got stupidly windy for Maui with gusts of 41 mph today with the same forecast for tomorrow. Today I could not sail in a straight line with my 5.5m (my smallest!). The last 2 weeks of training has been with 8.0 thru 6.0m. Enough of today, tomorrow is race day, all bets are off, the sun will rise and I will be on a mission until the final chequered flag falls to signal the end of the final race.

Bring it on!  Tune in tomorrow for the full report with pictures and onboard video action, see what it is like to compete and hear how my return to racing goes!

More to follow...

Eight in the 808 - 60 Days of Summer Day 20

My Tabou received some more attention this morning and is now sporting a flesh lick of paint. I am itching to get back onto a wave board and sail after a couple of weeks dedicated to being overpowered on big gear. After confirming my entry this morning and choosing my event t-shirt size (which ended up being quite difficult!) I arrived at a much windier Kanaha than was presented yesterday. It was set up to be a great opportunity to get some high wind practice in and I rigged a 6.0 with most people of 5.5 – 5.8m sails. It looks like it will be rather windy on Saturday so I had picked up a 5.5m to add to my ever growing quiver of boards and sails. There are not many details online about the 2010 Maui Race Series but this weekend Kanaha will host the Neil Pryde State Championships, the first possible start is 11:30am so get down and check it out. It should be a good watch for all the family (entry if FREE for spectators!). I will be posting a report on Saturday evening which will include onboard video from my races so that you’ll be able experience what it is like to hurtle round a slalom course with 10 other guys all trying to beat you!

With my two week preparation almost complete my plan for today was to simulate a full race day which consists of 4 races in the morning and 4 in the afternoon, I would use my timer to practice my starts and try to get into some sort of rhythm. It was extremely choppy especially in the upwind area where the races will start. It is hard to fully visualise the course without the course actually being laid but I know the Kanaha waters well and the GPS tracks are interesting and show that I managed to keep a fairly constant course throughout the day. I completed 4 back to back downwind slaloms with a max speed in the low 29’s.

The timers used these days are rather better than what I had15 years ago with a big display and being easy to use.

After a brief lunch break I was back on the water for the second set of 4 races. The wind had picked up (but looking at the online data it appears that it wasn’t as windy as two days ago when I was on the 6.6!) and I was thankful of the extra inch of downhaul that I had added during the break but, the broad downwind legs especially the first two were extremely tough and it was hard to keep the board in a straight line and from smashing into the chop. I have been practicing on a figure-8 course in recent days so it was interesting to try out a different angle.

This is the analysis of one of the practice races, you can clearly see the sail upwind and start (the shorter red ones) where I was coasting and then the 5 legs. The start is towards the beach from the outside and it this clearly shows how much slower it is going out through the chop on the 2nd and 4th legs. At the weekend I will try to set a WAYPOINT at the startline so that I can assess my speed at each of the starts.

By 4:15pm I had successfully completed 8 practice races and hadn’t fallen off at a gybe mark even once! I figured that was a good time to quit for the day! My max speed was clocked at 29.82 knots and I was pleased with a new Alpha 500 PB of 22.734 Knots which will go towards the HAM challenge score, looking more closely this was completed with only a max speed of 26.7 knots which makes me think that there is more that I can do here.

Check out the HAM website, maybe you could do a challenge in your sailing area?

This GPS image shows all of the tracks from today, again you can clearly make out the start area in the top right, the five legs and the upwind cruising (back up to the start).

After arriving home having completed some errands (of which one was to stock up on Powerbars!) I once more donned my running kit and set off into the wind and up to Paia before going straight up the hill, it was a fairly short but tough run and I was really pleased after a fairly taxing day at the beach. I do feel somewhat ready now for the weekend and I may not train tomorrow or Friday instead opting for some bump’n’jump action as I am keen to get on my waveboard and try those new fins some more.

Pic of the day

On top of the world, click to enlarge

Sailing record = 100% (19/19)

More to follow...

A Beautiful Day to go Sailing - 60 Days of Summer Day 19

The morning started with some much needed repairs to my wavebaord, who will be back to pounding the waves in Sunday once the racing is completed rather than sat in my back yard cooking in the sun.

It looks rather messy at the moment, but a good layer of filler today and plenty of sanding and it looks much better, all that is left now is some spray paint and some Sharpie markes (for the graphics) and she'll look as good as new (almost!).

My box of board fixing tricks.

With not too much wind forecast in the 808 state I had half planned an SUP downwinder before the wind picked up enough to get some light air slalom practice in. The downwinder will have to wait until after Saturday as I really need to keep training. It was a very different to normal Kanaha today with very few people at the beach, it was a peaceful and pleasant place to hang out and the 10-14 knots onshore breeze was perfect for the 8.0m and 80cm wide board.

Later in the session the wind picked up a little but not enough to challenge Tom’s record speed of yesterday.

I tried a slightly different set up today with more downhaul, slighter higher boom and longer lines, this seemed to work well and I felt the most comfortable that I have on the big kit. With the sun shining on the deserted beach it was great to hang out and swim with Liz before getting out for one final session. No great speeds today on the GPS as it was a little too light, it would have been good to have tried an 8.8. Thanks to Liz for all the pics today.

Not much wind today but great to be on the water on such a beautiful day here in Hawaii.

So it is just a few days to go until the Neil Pryde State Championships and everyone is getting geared up. It looks like there will be 20-30 knots of wind on the day so looking at the logistics because I definitely need 5.5, 6.0, 6.6 and 7.3 rigged and ready to ensure that I am covered. The thing that I never forgot about racing was the enormous amounts of equipment needed, it is a bit easier here in Hawaii because it is one warm but secondly the wind is relatively constant but it will start off lighter in the early rounds, get windier as the day progresses and be lighter for the later races so I need to be prepared for everything. With the first race at 11:30am I am guessing that my mound of gear will need to make the short journey from my house to the beach around 9am.

It was great to feel a lot more comfortable today in the gear, what a difference from 2 weeks ago!

One more question on my mind is whether to enter the Semi-Pro or the Expert division, I want to race against my buddies Matt Wicks and John Smalley (who I used to race against when I was young) but I don’t want to chew off too much and be at the back of the pack all day. I will get the opportunity to race in the 19-39 category too which will be really tough but great fun. I need to register tomorrow so will sleep on it and make up my mind in the morning. I finished the day with the Kanaha and back run and was pleased with my pace.

Pic of the day - I have talked about the Kanaha run lots in the last couple of weeks so I though that it was about time to include a picture that I took while out on my bike along the path. What a beautiful place to run/ride/walk, it is really motivating to look up and see this.

Click to enlarge

More to follow...

Slalom Sparring and Prototype Fins - 60 Days of Summer Day 16

With just a week until the final Maui slalom race of the season the action at the beach is hotting up. Everyone seems really motivated to do well next weekend and it had led to some great training opportunities as racers jostle for position on the water. Confidence is so important during these super charged testosterone full races and that knowing that you can out pace or out turn your fellow competitors is vital if you are going to succeed on race day.


I am starting to meet a few of the racers at the beach who seem to be at Kanaha every afternoon and it has been really useful to get some input from equipment set up to advice on starting. I remember my first few events on the UK national circuit in the 90’s and how intimidated I felt, that cannot have helped my performance so it is great to feel a little more at home amongst the racers here. Tonight I set up some sparring with a fellow competitor who has his own buoy. Rounding a mark on your own is one thing but when you add other sailors into the mix the perfect laydown slalom gybe may not, okay probably isn’t the best policy and you have to adapt to the situation FAST before you either bounce out and fall and/or get hit by someone else. I almost don’t want to write this but I seem to be developing a habit of falling when the person in front of me falls, not sure why but that is certainly the time to attack rather than falter. After several rounds of sparring I was really pleased, I had plenty of speed and managed to cut inside at the mark and come out with some speed. We were running really short legs to get as many competitive corners in. We were both using GPS tracking and it was great to be able to compare. At first I was running 26-27 knots but as the wind picked up my speeds increased to 27-29 knots. At the end of the session we had a good chat about the good and bad and agreed to meet up to practice starts – I now have a timer so need to get used to using it and the starting procedure.

I am pleased to see less dark colours on the turns today = better speed maintained! Best 100m run today was 29.035 knots with a top end of 29.605 knots.  

I was set to test a 32cm prototype race fin today but that almost didn’t happen when I realised that I didn’t have a set of screws that fit – they were all too long. Luckily after searching my box of bits I just about managed to find enough washers (about an inch think on each screw!) to fit it snugly into the box. (My session was almost halted again when I broke my downhaul rope and had just enough left for a double run through the pully rather than a tripple, it was rather hard to get the desired tension, note to self - get some spare line!) For the last couple of days I have felt the need for more grip and this new fin certainly gave me that, it was really smooth and I felt in more control. I think that this will be perfect for 6.6m and lighter wind 6.0m weather but, I think that I might need a 30cm when I am over powered on the 6.0m and a 34cm or 36cm for the 7.3m.

The 32cm prototype felt smooth and fast, it was great to have more control and better grip. I look foward to getting my hands on some other sizes.

I also have a some 16cm Twins to test out, they have plenty of flex so I am confident that they will have plenty of slide. I have my fingers and toes crossed for some waves so that I can try them out and report back.

On arriving back at the ranch I still wanted to push myself a little further and again donned my running shoes, to be honest maybe I should have rested but I am always keen to see when the max is and I came pretty close to finding it today as I totally blew out half way through my run, eventually I got home but totally shattered. This is where I must pay tribute to Powerbars which proved an excellent way to help speed up my recovery. I think that it is time for some rest and the latest episode of Friday Night Lights!

I have been really pleased with the Powerbars I bought the other day, these seem to really help in the recovery phase and I will certainly be buying some more.

Pic of the day - Paia Bay

This is one of my favourite beaches in Hawaii, whether you want a swim in the summer, to relax in the sun or a surf in the winter this is so often the perfect place to be.

Sailing record = 100% (15/15)

More to follow…

Slalom 102 - 60 Days of Summer Day 15

I believe that I completed the Slalom 101 course yesterday with a Merit and today it was time to face new challenges offered by the Slalom 102 syllabus! With a little over a week until the Neil Pryde State Championships today was time to step up the training on and off the water. While I know that my technique will be rather rusty come race day I want to ensure that my fitness is top notch. I know that it is a grueling day of racing with 8 races to complete (4 in my division and 4 in age category) and the fitter I am the more consistent my pace will be. For those of you who have been following this blog for a while it will not come as a surprise that I feel that fitness will be one of my strengths because I (almost) obsessively train year round in the gym, on the road and in the pool; my GPS device has become one of my training partners and measures of success.

The first part of my training today was scheduled to be a long bike ride; Liz and I rode 26km including a long stint into the wind and then straight up Haleakala; tough but, great fun. We arrived home rather tired but both managed a sprint to the finish, Liz not happy with 26km carried on to Kanaha and back to make it 33km - nice work before breakfast!

Time for some food, rest and rehydration. During my break I went to collect the new prototype Black Project Fins that I will be testing in the coming days and weeks, they look amazing but more of that in tomorrow’s post.

My on water training today would focus on the turns as this is an area that I definitely need to improve and I wanted to try out the 6.6m and AA combo. There was a buoy set up at Kanaha on the inside which provided a perfect target and with a few others with the same idea often there were others at the mark which created some competition. I was less powered today and the turns were far more successful although I always seemed to fall when the sailor in front of me crashed, not sure why that was! My GPS is providing me with important feedback; my runs today were slower than yesterday in the 27-29 knot range but this was expected as I was working on a figure 8 course today and I was less powered. The 27cm Speed fin was definitely too small today and the new 32cm Race prototype will hopefully change things (the prototypes were being photographed today and were not available for on water testing).

I am getting more used to using the GPS and software and it is providing some great feedback, every flat water sailor should get one!

I was exhausted when I got home but I wanted to push myself a little more and powered down and Gatorade and some water; changed into my running kit and strapped my GPS to my wrist, I was ready to set off down the bike path to Kanaha once more. It was tough but with the wind on my back the first 3.5km wasn’t too bad although when I turned and had to run into the 20mph wind my legs really started to feel it, but with the help of a few good tracks on my iPod I completed the 7km course in 39min. I am not sure that I know a descriptive word to describe how I felt but all I could do was lie flat on my back for a while on our living room floor. Another Gatorade and a Powerbar later I did feel rather more human once more. Training for today was complete and that felt good!

Two Weeks – When I started the project I set out to motivate myself and others, see how much action I could get and have a ton of fun. In the last 2 weeks I have windsurfed everyday, hiked, surfed watched the sunset, ran, swam, biked and had a great deal of FUN. I have pushed myself to do new things and have been encouraged by the number of visitors to the blog on a daily basis. As we enter the 3rd week it is time to step it up a gear so watch out for some interesting posts in the coming week and please keep reading and remember to spread the word as your feedback is extremely motivating.

Facebook Advert – I teach Economics and Business Studies so as a marketing experiment I decided to create Facebook ad for the project, let me know if you see it and be sure to click through. These could be a great way for you to promote your business? I set a $2 a day budget and left it run for 7 days and paid 17 cents per 1,000 impressions. It took about 10 minutes to set up.

This could be a great way for you to target your customers.

Pic of the day

I talk a lot about Kanaha Park in my posts so thought that it would be a good idea to include a pic that I took one early morning a couple of weeks back.

Click to enlarge.

What’s up next? With the forecast for it to be flat and windy on the North Shore I expect that there will be some more slalom training tomorrow and I am keen to test the new 32cm fin but I also want to get out on my wave board and test the new 16cm twin fins, maybe I will be able to do both but I’ll have to wait to see what feedback my body gives me after today’s effort! A south swell is expected to arrive over the weekend and I would love to loose the sail for a few hours.

Sailing record = 100% (14/14)

More to follow...

60: Day 14 – Slalom Training

The forecast for today was for stronger trades and no waves. In the past I would have been sat at home moaning at the lack of swell. However, this year things are different and a flat and windy day was perfect for me to try out the smaller slalom board (more kit borrowed from Tom!) and a 6.0m. It is quite likely that it will be rather windy for the State Champs in 9 days so I was really motivated.

Before going out today I was extremely keen to get the GPS unit working correctly and check on the official speeds from yesterday. After trying a number of different pieces of software I settled for GPSResults from http://www.gps-speed.com/, this is really easy to work out and makes it easy for you to superimpose your tracks onto Google Earth.

It seems easy to use but I will need to read the tips online and ask others how to get the max out of the software.

I was extremely pleased to confirm that I had broken both Tom and Andy’s 8.0 speed and I would be able to claim back the family trophy. The Lightwind Speed Challenge is a bit of family fun and speeds are only counted when the sailor is using at least 8.0m and a board bigger than 100 ltrs. The speed ladder now stands like this;

1st   Chris Freeman  27.14 knots (2009 8.0m GPS, 2005 Exocet S4 125 ltr)

2nd  Tom Hammerton  25.63 knots


3rd  Andrew Freeman  25.33 knots

Tom was a little sad to hand over the trophy but I am sure that my speed is not that safe and he'll back claiming it back at some stage soon enough. When I get out at THE WALL in Bahrain, then I think that 32+ is possible on this gear maybe more.

Enough of yesterday today was nothing short of exhilarating. With the wind peaking at 35mph I rigged my smallest slalom sail a 6.0m GPS and paired it with a borrowed Alex Aquera (http://www.alexaguera.com/) designed full carbon slalom board and 28cm speed fin. Wanting to simulate race day and test myself I set about sailing a number of full downwind slalom races, the course is always set up in the same place at Kanaha so it does make training easy. I will try to use a watch to get my starts better but I need to get one yet!

Winds were maxing out at 35mph today, more than enough for my 6.0m!

After the first completed course I was a little shocked how tiring it was, I was on the edge with the sail and board combo and crashed one of my turns. When it is this windy at Kanaha it is so choppy and going out it was really difficult to keep the board on the water, coming in was easier over the back of the waves/chop but disaster was always just a moment away. On checking my GPS my course max speed was somewhere in the 27 knot range, less than I had expected (and not good enough). After a short rest I cranked on 2 more inches of downhaul and slid my track forward 2 inches to keep the board down. I completed 2 simulated races with very a short break in between and my top end speed had increased to over 31 knots, I was starting to get used to being so overpowered. Sailing today brought back memories of my youth when my brother and I always sailed totally maxed at Mersea Island in Essex. I was struggling on the turns and that will kill any chances that I have in the race. For the 4th race I slid the track back an inch and worked on simulating the start better, I was getting tired by now and while the speed felt good, it wasn’t as fast according to the GPS and I crashed 2 turns. Time for a break.

After a brief swim and chill out with Liz (thanks to Liz for some motivating words xx) I went for a final test race. The wind had moderated slightly and I felt a lot more in control and much smoother. I gave myself a countdown in my head for the start and raced to the first imaginary jibe mark. As I powered down the leg I kept telling myself to push it and commit myself in the turn and it would be all ok. A few moments later I had flipped the rig and was settling down on the next leg; that was a better turn, right one down 3 more to go. Confidence is a great thing and my next turn was better still despite the large chop on the outside I managed to come own planning and with one slight pump I was settled back down and hurtling down the 3rd leg. I was enjoying this more that earlier in the day and I nailed the next two jibes. I was so pleased because I had shown myself that with a bit of grit I would be able to complete the races. When I was training for the Amwaj Triathlon I completed the full course after work one night and that gave me confidence, this was the same. I don’t want to get too excited because doing this on an imaginary GPS course on your own is one this but doing it with 10 other guys round buoys is very different but it is a start and one from which I can build.

GPS tracks overlaid onto Google Earth - If only we'd have been able to analyse like this back in the 90's!

During my 3rd race I hit a peak of 31.14o knots and a 100m best speed of 30.329 knots.

Evaluation time; to be able to see your speeds and tracks on the computer after your session is amazing, I could look at each of the races that I did and work out where I was fastest and look at my jibe arcs. My top speed came from my 3rd race with a max of 31. 14 knots and a 100m speed of 30.33 knots. I was pleased because I wasn’t sailing a speed course and that was in the heat of battle. My record on a speed course is only 33 or so knots at the moment (something that I am keen to improve during the Maui VMax events in August). It was windy today but not as windy as it could be, it is clear that 6.0 will be too big for my 72kg medium frame on the windy days and I will try to get my hands on a 5.5m. The fin I was using was a speed fin and I didn’t feel like it gave me enough grip or control, I will try to address that issue too. In all, a great day of training and one during which I learnt a lot about my gear and more importantly myself. Training will continue tomorrow.

At the end of the day I was totally exhausted and asleep on Anne and Tom’s couch at 8:30pm!

Pic of the Day

I finally got my camera working so I will be including some pics from the last couple of weeks at the end of each post over the coming days. Today's pic of the day is from the top of Haleakela.

Click to enlarge, high res image available on request.

Sailing record = 100% (13/13 possible days)

More to follow…

60: Day 13 – Lucky for some

Today’s big news is that Maui has a new addition. A BIG congratulations go out to Anne and Tom (Hammerton) on the birth of baby Jack this morning. From his size we are already expecting him to follow in his fathers speed sailing footsteps. I look forward to the day when he is sailing alongside me at Ho’okipa (hopefully my other nephew Thomas and my God Son Seb will be there too!)

Liz and I took time out for a South Side visit this morning to La Perouse (which was windy but flat) and Big Beach with our friends, it is always great to see a different part of Maui and get a different perspective, the skim boarders were putting on a good show for the on looking tourists at Big Beach.

Looking towards La Perouse Bay, this can produce great waves (very tough) on a good south swell, although I prefer to surf at nearby Dumps.

The skimboarders put on a good show even if the waves were small.

After a visit to Maui Memorial Hospital to meet Jack for the first time I got on the water to test my new GT-31 GPS unit and see if I could finally get on the family Light Wind Speed Ladder (click for rules). With between 12 and 16 knots blowing at Kanaha and fairly flat conditions I was pleased with my peak (display) of 27.69 knots on my 8.0m and 125 ltr board. I will have to wait until I can work out the software and calculate my official speed before I will know if I will be regaining the trophy.

This is the trophy that I am trying to win back from Tom the current holder with 25.63 knots set back in April.

Today's GPS display, I am keen to see what my offical speed was, fingers crossed!

Liz and I are planning a day at Kanaha tomorrow and I plan on working on my slalom and will be tracking everything using the GPS. To sum up, all good here in Maui and our 13th day turned out to be rather a lucky one. Sailing record still 100% (12/12 possible days). There is a forecast for south swell so we may see some action on the surfboards over the coming days.

More to follow…

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…

60: Day 10 – Destroyed

Twin Falls - The first part of today’s post is related in many ways to yesterday’s and I must have a little bit of a rant about the state of Twin Falls. I took our visiting friends there this morning, I thought that it would be fun to swim in the pools and get a few waterfall jumps in. I haven’t been there for a couple of years and while I knew that it had changed what presented itself this morning was nothing short of disgusting. Who has let one of Maui most natural beauties turn into a trodden down zoo of people?

During my visit this morning I saw at least 3 tour guides each with 20 or so paying customers and hundreds of tourists milling about, I do not exaggerate there was a 100+ cars parked and an estimated 250-300 people in the area. The pools and trails were so packed it was no way relaxing and in no way how Hawaii should be, one particular tour had people lined up ready to jump off one of the upper falls and it appears that somebody (I am guess the tour guides) has cleared some vegetation and rocks so that it is easier to jump.

A rare moment with noboddy in the pool!

I have been going to Twin Falls for 15 years and in the past there may have been 4 cars max, it was beautiful, it was relaxing, it was great to get out into the forest and be surrounded by natural Hawaiian beauty, now it is horrible, a mess and something should be done about it. I am not sure what the solution is but, unless something changes you might as well tarmac it and make it like the Iao Valley, so to sum up and finish my rant I declare Twin Falls an ENVIRONMENTAL disaster and urge you not to visit and speak up if you agree with me.

Summer Waves - We were treated to some trade swell today with waves between waste and head high at Ho’okipa, the variable wind meant that the crowds were kept to a minimum at times and while it was a little light on the top turn it was great to get some rides in. I was using the Starboard again today and was pleased with it on the waves although still concerned about the thin pads and I am going to try some other boards. I had a great fun session with friends today and hope we get some more action tomorrow! Still keeping a firm hold of the 100% sailing record since returning back to the island and it looks like the wind is forecast to keep coming.

I love the sense of movement in this shot

I included this pic becuase it shows the waves that we had today, I had left the camera shooting my mistake so this shot is just down to luck.

Would be good with a bigger wave.

I just love the colours and lighting of this one, again another one that should not have been.

GoPro Update - I am having some fogging issues, my friend Dave tells me that RainX on the outside and goggle anti-fog should do the trick so I will get that sorted in the morning. I did a boom mount and got some fun pics before my lens misted up. Hoping for more waves tomorrow and I think that I will use the headcam and record some video.

GPS - I have had some great runs and bike rides in the last 10 days and what is particularly great is seeing GPS tracks of the North Shore rather than of all the tracks from Bahrain which I have done so many times recently. Today I had a fun 7km run to Kanaha and back during early morning, I was so happy in my surroundings that I couldn’t stop myself singing along to my iPod, hope nobody heard me!

I really enjoyed my run this morning from our house to Kanaha and back along the bike path.

More to follow…

Maui Race Series 2010

After watching Tom and everyone last year I really want to give the Maui Race Series a go this summer. Hoping to get a slalom board and rig, but if not it will have to be a trusty wave board. It should be fun.

I will not be in Maui until the 9th July so guess its the 17th and 31st that I will be aiming for.

More to follow...