New GoPro LCD BacPac

When I first got my GoPro last year one of my only issues was the lack of a screen which sometimes meant that alignment was hard to set up and it was impossible to check your footage without going back to the PC, not great when you want to get the perfect shot on location.

I knew back then that the GoPro HD was set up already for the promised LCD BacPac but there was no release day. Well it is here now and at less than 80 USD you can have one too! It comes with a number of backdoors so that it fits into the housing that you already have. Looks fantastic and I can't wait to try it out.



Now you have watched the video check out some product pics...

Put quite simply, the best just got better!

More to follow...

F-Hot GoPro Mast Mount

Having spent many hours of my youth at the F-Hot factory which was near my childhood home in Essex it is great to see them thrust back into the limelight. I have not yet seen one of the mounts in person, it is a bit harder to get to the factory these days but I will be for sure contacting Steve and getting one of these beauties sent out. I love the idea that it rotates round the mast so that you don't have to turn the camera off it just keeps filming on the new tack.



More Windsurfing Videos

Made from carbon the mount is lighter than the camera. I would like to see more adjustment options so that you can point the camera exactlty where you want but I will have to wait to test before I can criticize in any way.

For more info check out the F-HOT website.

More to follow....

South Side Ride & Head Cam Ho’okipa - 60 Days of Summer Day 54

Liz and I started the day with a 23km ride from Wailea to La Perouse and back. After so much riding on the windy north shore it was great to have less of a battle and be able to check out some different scenery for a change. It was hot and I cannot explain just how good it was to dive into the cool Pacific afterwards.

How amazing it felt to be in the cool Pacific waters after a hot ride.

On the north shore the wind was back to full strength today and it is amazing how much better small waves can look when you have some power to boost. With small waves I chose to sail maxed out and opted for a 5.0m and strapped on the head cam to shoot some stills and clips so that I could share the experience here.

Not a special moment of action, I just liked this shot.

Again nothing special about the action but love the photo. The whole point of mounting the camera to yourself or your gear is so others can see what it is like and that is one reason I like this picrure it just captures windsurfing.

Mid way through a high spock (which I didn't complete!) on the outside.

Gazing at the sun midway through a backloop.

On the way down, time to spot the landing.

The view from above, this is what it looks like when you are 20 foot up and rotating through a forward. The pic doesnt look like much but enlarge it and look a little closer.

I will edit some video soon but for now here is some unedited stuff from today's action.

Over rotated this one!

I had such a fun session with tons of jumping, a few slashes and just a few friends out.


Sailing record: 85% 45/53


On Water Record: 89% 47/53


More to follow

5 Fins the NEW Fad? - 60 Days of Summer Day 36

So we have had singles, doubles, tri, thrusters and quads - which are currently the favoured choice out here and around the world. We have been here before numerous times and we have always returned back to the trusty single fin. I myself have been using a twin fin set up for more than a year on my wave board and while in some areas I see improvements it does seem to come at a cost at other times. Recently I have wondered whether I should follow the fad and grad myself a quad and I must say the Quatro ones look kinda sexy! With all this hype about quads at the moment I wonder how long it will be until we start to see a The Five Fin Concept being used and photographed? As we add more fins we get more weight but some of that issue has now been negated by the new Slot Box from Tabou and Starboard which cuts the weight of the boxes down dramatically.

The new Slot Box saves weight and makes it easier to attach your fins, important when you have lots of them.

So could we now see five fins become the norm and if so what format would it take? One of the issues is that we need to have board and fin companies working together; those who have been reading my posts will know that I have been working with Black Project fins the newest kid on the block in terms of fin design out here and this is what they said when asked: Could a five fin set up be the new quad?

“Hmmm, 5 fins? The problem is that every time you add a fin you decrease efficiency due to losses at the fin tip and interference drag at the base. The benefit is that you can get a faster roll rate due to the shorter fins which have a smaller rotational moment. So to put it succinctly the more fins you have the easier it is to roll from one rail to the other..." sounds good!  "but the more drag you have which requires more energy to overcome." Not so good! "If you have plenty of wind and a steep fast wave you have plenty of energy to play with and it may not be a problem.” So it sounds like it could work on Ho'okipa's fast waves.

I didn’t have time to get in contact with Quatro but will try to canvass some opinions and post them here in future updates. Based on the above comment and the recent trends to me it seems likely that we’ll see people testing the 5 fin set up this winter.

Okay, time to talk about today’s action. It was great to get my bike back as it has been in for some repairs at Maui Cyclery in Paia and I went out for a short test ride before I take it into the back country and immediately I knew two things, firstly the bike felt great and secondly it was very windy again!

When I arrived at Ho’okipa it was immediately apparent that it was going to be a better day with what looked like a more consistent (4.5m) wind and small waves. Jumping was certainly on most people’s minds and crashing was the order of the day. In comparison to past years there is a core of sailors who seem to be pushing themselves more that they normally would in the summer and I wonder how much that is down to the fast that Jimmie and Franck have continued to shoot all summer when normally the beach park would be devoid of professional photographers at this time. I myself have certainly been motivated to get out there is the knowledge that I’ll get shots.

Lets start with some jump shots...

If he gets any more inverted he'll have to move to Australia.

Here me controlling my crash landing rather than going for the second scoop. I seem to have a mental block, I have plenty of hight, plenty of rotation but apparently not enough balls! Maybe the knowledge that it was Friday 13th was holding me back?

This was a sweet pushloop tabletop from Graham

Low altitude push

Still working hard on improving backloop consistency - hard in the recent strong winds.

This was the jump of the day.

Shawna Cropas showing that girls can jump. Here pictured with here great looking new JP Quad.

For those who had the patience and were not scared of being hit by the crashing jumpers there were some teeny waves to slash and bash. With September approaching proper waves will be here soon, I just hope that we get a swell on September 1st. I am not sure that I will be able to leave the island if we get some early swells, I might just have to quit my job and stay!

Some nice wave shots...

I set up a GoPro mount today which almost didn’t happen after I broke one of my mounting pieces as I tightened too hard, arhhh… luckily I was able to raid Col’s van and grab some tools to fix. I got a couple of pics that I like and some video (which I will post later).

For anyone learning forwards note 3 things here: #1 my hand position way back on the boom, #2 how my body is inboard and looking back and #3 that I have sheeted in hard. This was quite a big forward and they are so much fun but you have to wait to start your rotation or you will over cook it.

Note the very different position here on this pushloop.

I have had alot of questions about my mast mount and this image clearly shows its position, here set up for jumping.

Overall, a fun day on the water, hopefully more of the same tomorrow.


Sailing record = 91% (32/35)


On Water record = 94% (33/35)

More to follow…

West Side Story - 60 Days of Summer Day 29

With the forecast for wind to remain a feature of the current weather pattern for the foreseeable future, my painful foot and an unluckily placed cut (sustained on my finger while opening the peanut butter pretzel jar) I decided to make the hard decision to give windsurfing a rest for the day and let my body recover a bit. I have not been able to push it this week because of pain and I want to get back on track. I am confident that a day of rest will do the world of good and I will be back for the weekend. A day off windsurfing didn’t mean a full day out of the water and we once again packed our things and headed to the west side to catch a few waves.

This angle was ok but later I angled it up further towards the sun and that was better. You can clearly see the moisture strips and the leash, I have added a loop with kite line to the board so that it is easier to attach the camera safety leash, be sure to tidy up any loose lines and these can easlily mess up a good shot.

The GoPro Surf Hero set up I used today and positioning on the board. The stick on pads are great and it is so easy to attatch the board and or swap with your friends while on the water if they have a surf hero mount, I am going to get them for all my surfboards and would love to try mounting on a windsurf board but I am worried that I will smash it off with the rig.

While the waves were smaller and bumpier than yesterday it was again great to be out on the water enjoying some summer time treats. I managed to set the camera up better today and as a result got some better pictures.

Riding bubbles!

I love spray and water droplets in pictures.

The waves were small but super fun and there were not too many people about and the weather was perfect and you can see!

Happy to be on the water!

I need more speed, someone give me a paddle!

I really like this shot, would be good with another surfer in the background.

You might ask why I took a rest but still went surfing, well the plasters (Band Aids for the US readers) I am using are so good that they stay on and protect even in the water especially when combined with New Skin. The problem with sailing is that they only stay on so long and then the straps have been rubbing and making my gash worse.

These are the best plasters (band aids) I have ever used.

As the day draws to a close I look forward to having some friends over for curry and relaxing with a beer. I do feel ready to get back on the water tomorrow and hope that there are some waves left. If it is flat I plan on going SUPing and/or working on some freestyle moves. In any event I recon that tomorrow will be lots of fun and I look forward to reporting back in due course. I must remember to pick up the sander from Colin and get working on the speed board, the Maui VMAX Speed event is coming up very soon.

Sailing record = 93% (26/28 days)

On water record = 96% (27/28 days)

Pic of the day

I chose this as the pic of the day just because it made me laugh when I saw it, I look so funny!

More to follow…

New Skin - 60 Days of Summer Day 26

I didn’t expect to be on the water today but my fingers were crossed and even at lunchtime I thought that it was not going to happen. I decided to get the New Skin bottle out, boy that was painful but the pain wore off and I strapped my gear to the car and rushed up to Ho’okipa where I was greeted with fun waves and wind.

I have used this a few times now, it stings like hell but helps to get you back on the water sooner.

In all the rush I had forgotten my duct tape but luckily Colin was on hand to lend me some. So unexpectedly I was on the water and not in too much pain, in fact the duct tape lasted about 15 minutes before I crashed a back and it was gone. I was actually less painful with the tape gone but I knew that my time was short before the New Skin would rub off. I managed to get a few fun waves but I was a little out of sorts and didn’t achieve anything close to special. In all the rush I put my camera too high up on the mast and to rub salt into the wound I had to bin the pictures. While I didn’t have a great session in any regards it was good to be back in the water, I need to improve my sailing though in the coming days and I need to get some decent shots, I think a little more focus will go along way!

Some of the shots would have been great if the camera had been 3 inches further south. Gutted!

Sailing record = 96% (24/25 days) there has been a few sketchy ones recently, ready for a good day wave sailing!

More to follow...

New GoPro Mount, waves and new challenges - 60 Days of Summer Day 24

I woke up this morning and could not believe that it was August already, the time is flying. I also realised that my foot was rather sore; I had cut it on my fin yesterday. The forecast of 20 knots and 7 ft wind waves looked promising and I had arranged to go sailing with my buddy Marc at Sprecks.

Plenty of duck tape later my foot was ready to hit the water. It was such a joy to be on super light kit today after two weeks of being maxed out on big heavy sails. There were some fun waves on the Camp One reef and while my 4.5m Bolt was a little small for jumping it was great fun to be in some swells and getting some backside rides.

The sun was shining, the wind blowing and the waves somewhat peeling but one problem, my right foot! The cut on my right foot was rubbing too much and it was super painful to do anything particularly when in the front strap. I tried to loosen the strap but that didn’t seem to change anything, I was OKish riding with it in the back but I knew what the real solution was and it wasn’t long before I limped back to shore and packed my gear. It was only then that I realised just how painful my foot was and I was rather angry at myself because I should have known better and sat out for the day, the waves have just been too tempting! Tomorrow I will have to stay off the water and likely avoid running or walking much too. Maybe I’ll hit some golf balls but I want to be super careful in the hope that I can get back on the water after just one missed day. GUTTED!

Before I went on the water I tried out a new mount on Marc’s gear and on review I am really pleased with the new angle and when I am back sailing and we have some conditions it will hopefully produce some good shots. I do need to solve the water droplets issue and will try the RainX solution.

I used a mix of bits from the bike seat post and roll bar mounts. It attached to the mast about 6 inches about the boom and facing towards the sailor in a portrait orientation. We had the camera at a slight angle, you really need to try to think about the sailor, sail and board positions while sailing to ensure that you get the shot you want. We realised later that we should have rotated it into landscape for the video footage.

This will be a great angle and I look forward to trying it!

I really like landing shots with tons of spray. Can't wait to get this to Ho'okipa. Thanks Marc for your camera work today.

With the racing finished and the wind blowing hard one of my next challenges will be too see if I can break 40 knots on a windsurf board. Last year I had one day on a slalom board (the same one I used for the racing) and a 6.0 and managed 33 something. This year I have a F2 Missile to fix and I know that can go REALLY fast in the right hands. The board does have a few issues but nothing a grinder and some resin cannot fix. While 40 knots does not seem fast by modern day speed sailing terms we do not have a proper speed course here, we just have the inside of the Camp One reef and you sometimes get a flattish section between the waves so getting fast times is really hard (and scary!). There are some MauiVMAX days in the pipeline for August so that should help. I will be spending a lot more time in the waves too and I cannot wait to get back into my normal habitat.

66 litres of pure speed! I think that the smaller size will really help me becuase with my lack of weight I find it hard to keep the board on the water when it gets super over powered.

Sailing record (for now) 100% (23/23 days)


More to follow…

GoPro tails, Weird Wind and a little bit of Perspective - 60 Days of Summer Day 21

I decided to take a rest from my slalom training and popped down to Sprecks for a quick session to test out some different sets of twin fins for Black Project on my wave gear. It felt rather strange to be on small and loose kit after two weeks of slalom sailing. I am not sure what was happening today but I couldn’t seem to get comfortable even for a moment. One second it seemed stupidly windy the next not much was there, I wasn’t the only one having the same issues, it was just a really funky day. When I looked online later I saw that it was gusting from 20 to 36 mph and rather shifty so that explains a lot. With the wind so unpredictable it was hard to settle into any sort of rhythm but the sun was shining and the water is warm so I wasn’t complaining (OK maybe a little!).

I was working with the GoPro again today. I am still trying to iron out a few issues. Stills from the mast mount seem to be coming out blurred, which I am convinced is due to the vibration, I will try some different settings and see if that solves the issue. My lens for the most part did not fog up but I did notice a little water later in the session but this did not affect anything, this is totally my fault for not changing the water absorbing strips before going out. I have 3 sets and they all look identical, I am going to get my sharpie out and number them so that I don’t make that mistake again. NOTE TO GOPRO: WHY DONT YOU MAKE THE DIFFERNT COLOURS OR NUMBER THEM LIKE GOLF BALLS? The final issue is not quite knowing how hard to tighten the screws, I want to leave a little give in case of collision but today I didn’t do them up enough and most of my mast mount footage was lost because it kept slipping as I went over the chop.

A rare non blurred mast mount shot, often they seem to have patches but I am confident I can solve the issues.

So of you who have read a few GoPro related posts will be starting to wonder; Why bother? The answer is simple to explain. You would take hundreds of photos on land to get that perfect one in relatively controllable conditions, getting the right shot is never easy there are so many variables. Now add water, wind, vibration and human error into the mix and it is clear that you are unlikely to get the perfect shot straight away when you strap a camera to yourself or your gear and go onto the water. There needs to be that element of luck present for you to get the picture that you are looking for. That being said, you need to persevere and eliminate error wherever you can so do take advice from others and do get out there with your camera, gain experience, iron out the issues on the so so days. In time you will be ready for when the conditions are good and you’ll end up with the great clip of video or the stunning shot. I am yet to get there but I feel that it is just around the corner.

This is just a sample of some of today's video, nothing too exciting but great as always to be on the water and hope you enjoy the ride.

What’s coming up?

Tomorrow, I will be looking ahead to the Neil Pryde State Championship which will take place on Saturday with my full event preview including my take on preparing for the big day, hopefully this will give you the motivation to get out and give racing ago even if you are (like me) a die hard wave sailor at heart!

Pic of the day

This picture was actually taken last summer, the stunning Makanalua Peninsula behind me is protected by some of the world's largest sea cliffs and is home to the Kalaupapa leprosy colony. 

In the 1800's it was chosen at the perfect(?) place to isolate leprosy victims. I am currently on a self proclaimed mission to find wind, waves, fun etc. but at age 33 (the same age as me) and in 1873, Father Damien deVeuster, arrived at Kalaupapa. A priest from Belgium, he served the leprosy patients at Kalaupapa until his death 16 years later after contracting the disease. Father Damien built homes, churches and coffins; arranged for medical services and funding from Honolulu, and became a parent to his diseased wards. Puts what I am doing into perspective some what but it is really motivating to see what is possible! You can read more about Molokai and the Makanalua Peninsula  at http://visitmolokai.com/kala.html and lots of other sites. The isolated community is still there today and yes, still cut off from the world although largely by choice.

Sailing record = 100% (20/20 possible 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 8 – GoPro Mast Mount

The aim of the day was to figure out a mast mount and test it on the water. Yesterday I bought the GoPro Roll Bar mount which set me back about 30 bucks. It seems strong and is big enough for a mast. To mount I first had to decide where to position, this was done very roughly and about two thirds the way up the mast (from reviewing pics it could come down slightly). The mount has 2 bolts, one which goes round the front of the mast and one that has to go through the luff so I used a sharp screwdriver to make a small 4mm or so hole for the bolts to go through. I was careful not to tighten too much and put any strain on the mast.

Once on the water the weight was not a problem and I didn’t even notice anything different. I had it set up for photos every two seconds but this meant that I developed a new jibe so that all the memory is not used up instantly; it is called the GoPro Jibe which I shall attempt to describe;

Must check it out before going on the water!

1. enter at full speed as per a normal carve jibe
2. carve hard, keeping constant pressure
3. flip the rig, and then comes the important bit 
4. perform a controlled crash so that you can turn off the camera otherwise you will run out memory card space and you’ll have a ton of wasted pics.
5. water start away and the GoPro jibe is complete!

On reviewing the 800 or so images it seems that there is a little blurring, I am not sure if that due to condensation or something else, however I do hypothesise that it is due to the mast bending too much when loaded up because the images which are taken for example when the sail is lying in the water are clear. It was super windy and choppy so I am keen to try on a smoother day (hopefully one with waves). Despite some of the problems that I am having I am pleased with the results even if I know that they can (and will) improve. The pics would have been good today but I was struggling to find any ramps. Looking forward to trying out again with a few slight adjustments.

What’s on tomorrow in Maui? Looks like it should be a fun day!

1. 9am: Sprecks beach clean up
2. 11am: Maui Race Series starts
3. 12 till 4pm: Windsurf
4. 5pm, Home Gym

More to follow...

60 - Day 5: To GoPro or not to GoPro? (++ Slalom 101 Update)

Ever since I first saw images from a GoPro camera a few years ago I have wanted one but I could never quite bring myself to part with the cash and I wasn’t too impressed with some of the first videos I saw out there. More recently the HD version was released and this has made a big impact so luckily to my complete surprise Liz bought me one for my birthday and had sent it directly to Hawaii, so I finally picked it up this week. So I have decided to GoPro but the question today is “Should we all GoPro?” Hopefully by sharing my experiences you will be able to make up your own decision (for those of you wondering I have no connection to the GoPro company so this is impartial – well at least until they give me some money!).

I can’t say much about setup yet but chatted to GP about how he set things up so started there. I got the SURF HERO HD which comes with a sticky mount for your surfboard but also a neat FCS adaptor so you can add a FCS plug to the deck and easily install the camera when required, when I am next mixing up resin (sure that it will not be too long!) I will add this to one of my surfboards (probably the 8’0”). Yesterday I picked up the bike seat post mount which works really well on the boom and I think with a little adjustment and some longer bolts could work as a mast mount. I saw a guy at Ho’okipa a couple of days with a mast mount but didn’t quite see how it was done hopefully I can check it out. The issue with mast mounts is that you have to cut the luff sleeve and given the increase in the number of people wanting to use mounts I wonder if there is a neat way that this can be built into the sleeve during design – something for Tom to work on in the loft!

I have fitted my camera with a 4GB SDHC ($30) card but I am concerned that it will not be big enough but I didn’t want to drop $120 for the biggest 32GB one but I recon that it could be a good investment in the long run.

So today I have tried a boom mount on my wave gear and immediately learned a few lessons, firstly make sure that you know which setting you need. I thought that I had set up for stills every 2 seconds unfortunately I had it on the multiple shot mode which takes a few shots one after the other then stops. So I thought that I had captured a few good waves that I got (yes I know that it is summer but we seem to be getting some better than normal swell) but I didn’t. I went back to the beach and worked it out but both the wind and waves dropped somewhat and then the camera fogged up. While it wasn’t the most successful first run out I did learn a lot so that is good.

This was my favourite shot that I took today, many of them were ruined by the fogging of the lens, I will get some goggle anti-fog and see if that works, I also need to do something to reduce the water droplets.

My second session of the day was at Sprecks with the 8.0m GPS and I decided to try the head mount shooting video. Looks like we may get some decent waves later in the week and into the weekend, the wind should be building again by then so I keen to get it attached to my wave gear and into some surf.

Ok this is a rather boring video and the quality is not great because I am working on a slow connection but I do like the head cam video footage. Watching the video I look rather more comfortable than I really am.

So that’s my first effort (well actually not, I did borrow one last summer when we had a few waves) over the coming weeks I will try out different options and will post my experiences and you can make your own mind whether to GoPro.







Slalom 101 Update: After my wave session the wind was getting light so I decided that it would be the perfect time to get on the 8.0m. I am finding it a little tough on my arms due in part to the very long lines on the boom that I borrowed, I should try some shorter lines and/or a seat harness and see how that goes. While I found the session hard the good news is that I didn’t fall off any jibes!

I am planning to team up with my old friend Matt Wicks (who is also doing the Maui Race Series) over the next few days to see if a bit of training together will help. I also want to get out the GPS and see if that feeds back any good info. I am starting to think that this weekend may be a little soon and I may have to wait a further two weeks for the State Championships to make my debut/comeback.

Wider Water Community: Congrats must go to 15 year old Connor Baxter who won the Maui-Molokai SUP race a couple of days back. I interviewed him few years back for Boardseeker.com and it is great to see his waterman career develop. Nice one! There are lots of pictures on Jimmy Hepps’ FB page so check them out.

Spread the Word: You have obviously read this far, you may have enjoyed what I have had to say, you may not, but do me a favour and pass on to your windsurfing and other interested buddies.

Up Next: Our friends from Bahrain just arrived today so think that I will take them on a hike or something in the morning so that is likely to feature heavily tomorrow and there are plans to watch the sunset from 10,000 ft +. I will also try to get out for some more slalom action and take some more GoPro shots/video with some different settings.

More to follow...