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...

Run Rabbit Run, HAM Challenge & Molokai Crossing - 60 Days of Summer Day 17

Ever watched that little rabbit being chased in a greyhound race by the pack of angry dogs? Well if the answer is YES then you’ll know how I felt today at times during my training. A mark had again been laid again but today we had up to 7 guys all challenging for places. The basic set up goes something like this; all race out to sea from the beach, the leading sailor gybes and the rest follow, the leaders(s) stall to let the others get close before accelerating and racing full tilt towards the mark, round the buoy and then race back out to sea. In a bar pool type winner stays on manner the leading sailor then decides when to turn and the next drag race is started. The racers included Peter John (super fast and infamous Kiwi), Gregg Thomas (the oldest PWA slalom sailor), Tomohiko Komai J202, J???? (not sure his number or name but he is on JP/NP) & HI5 (earlier in the day HI34 was also racing). I am starting to get to know some of these guys and it is really motivating to get some input into my challenge.

Gregg in action at the last event. This pic was taken by Jimmy Hepp and you should check out his website and Facebook page, he is becoming Maui's businest photographer, keep up the good work, you are great!

More of the rabbit, well to get experience leading and chasing you can choose to gybe at different times and naturally if you are behind you tend to become the leader at the start of the next race, not to say I was always in last place but it did get a fair few opportunities to lead out the pack and having Peter John’s massive frame maxed out chasing you and more often than not hammering past you, is quite a sight. The set up meant that by the time get got to the inside mark there would often be 4 guys all trying to negotiate the choppy turn and this was really the best part of the session, being that close at the mark to some really fast guys was great fun and really challenging. I spent a lot of time checking out what lines they took and trying to follow and react. It was so hard to keep a smooth line and maintain speed with all this confusion. It was again reinforced how important it is to stay on your feet, a few times I managed to sneak inside a fallen rider and make up some great ground, at other times I fell from the #1 spot and came out half a leg behind EVERYONE. A great day of practice and I say a big thank you to the guys for their help, I look forward to some more sparring over the coming days. I was on my 6.6m again and that was great but later in the session the gusts became too much and my crash percentage rose, you can see from thart below that it was gusting 35 mph at times. My session finished as I took a massive fall on what would be my final gybe of the day, not sure what happened but one second I was at full speed coming into the mark, I had just unhooked (luckily) and coming over some chop, the next thing I remember was being under my gear in a heap, my shorts hap ripped off and my timer had started itself! I seem to have got away with just a stiff neck so nothing that a few Advil and some ice can’t sort out.

Advil - keeping windsurfers on the water when they should be resting in bed! I can't count the number of times I have trashed my ankle or something but loaded up on ibruprofen to reduce the swelling an numb the pain so that I could go out an wreck some more!

Click to enlarge this and take a look at the highlighted area, you can clearly see that the exists from my turns were rather messy today and they got worse as it got windier.

I was on the water between about 2:30 and 4:15 pm today, the big gusts around 4pm were getting tough for me to control and a 6.0m would have been fater round a course.  

I have been invited to take part in the HAM (HawaiiAmerican) Speed Challenge this is a GPS speed event where a team from Hawaii competes against a team from The Gorge and one from New England. There are 3 scores that count; best 100m, best nautical mile and best Alpha 500 (this is a leg and a gybe in the middle). I set out today to set a respectable nautical mile and estimated that it would take me 2 minutes (at 30 knots) so I set my timer and set off for a massive downwinder which was so much fun. When I got my tracks back on the laptop I was pleased with my speeds during the main part of the run but my overall speed was hindered by my acceleration time at the start and because I didn’t go far enough and my gybe out to sea counted. Next time I will run for 2min 45 seconds so that I can be at as close to max for the entire 1852m (= 1 nautical mile).

Click to enlarge, you can clearly see my nautical mile attempt in green. My avergae was 25.39 knots but most f the time I was running in the 27 to 29 range. If I can get a full fun anywhere close to 30 knots I would be thrilled.

Over the next few days I will try to set a decent 100m speed, I need something in the 35 knot range (my current PB is 33 something – on choppy water) and good Alpha 500 for that I need to set myself up on a one mark downwind slalom course, this is a really good concept and one which would be very interesting to the racer because it is not just about your top end and is a better measure of how you would fair in a slalom race.

All in all a good day and one during which I had a lot of FUN and after all that is the moto for the 60 Days of Summer Project.

Today's pic of the day: This pic was taken with the GoPro mast mount and captures the moment I landed an over rotated forward, you can see that I let go on impact to try and save my board! I think the result is pretty cool and I hope you agree.

One of the aims of the 60 days is to encourage others to be inspired, so the question is simple "What would you do with 60 days?" If you have read this far please take a few minutes to leave your comments below and share with the me and all the readers what you would do. I have found that by voicing your thoughts they are more likely to become a reality so by leaving your little note below you will be one step closer to your goal.

Whats up next? It is time that I registered for the race event next weekend, I will try to get that sorted tomorrow and in 3 weeks time there is a Maui to Molokai crossing so I need to find out some more info and look into the logistics; that would be a great experience, the channel is super rough and really dangerous. I am a little sore from a few days of having the pedal to the metal and really think that my wave board needs some attention so taking a day off racing tomorrow and will go in search of waves, jumps and tricks, maybe a good day to get working on those freestyle moves, that is sure to be a funny thing for people to watch!

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 3: Family Day and Summer Time Surf

I was really pleased to wake up at 6:30am today rather better than yesterday’s effort. The 13 hour time difference between here and Bahrain is sometimes rather hard to cope with but the jet lag seems to be wearing off a little. Luckily I was awake enough to avoid the 3 massive centipedes who has been chilling out in my board bag over night to avoid the rain (later we found a dead scorpion in our bedroom!).

A bite from one of these can lead to plenty of localized swelling, they love to hide under things like sheets of wood, board bags etc.

Anne (Liz’s sister) is a big fan of family day and always puts together a plan for the 4 of us (5 at the moment with Liz’s mum visiting from the mainland) luckily it always resolves around the beach, today was no different and it was great to go to Kanaha to hang out, chat, sail and swim. The wind didn’t want to play game though and just as soon as Tom and I got 500m off the beach on the way to Uppers the wind started to shut off eventually leaving me to slog in from about a mile out on my 73 and 5.0m.

It was still early so Tom went Wind Fishing (for those who haven’t seen this imagine an old windsurf board sailing around with a fishing line attached to the back) and in hope of finding more wind and better waves I rode up to Ho’okipa to check it out. The waves were good by July standards with head high sets and not too many out, the wind got better as the late session went on but the crowd of surfers and SUPers were taking their toll on my wave count so I called it a day at 5:30pm.

It was a beautiful day here and while Tom was unsuccessful in catching our dinner the Mahi-Mahi he almost caught got bigger as more empties stacked up.

The Hawaiian Mahi-Mahi, rather strange looking fish, they get real big and taste great.

Tom on a more successful wind fishing day after cooking them on an open fire at the beach, perfect!

Coming up tomorrow...

The forecast is for the wind to drop for the next few days, looks like a perfect opportunity to get onto so slalom gear so tomorrow’s post will likely be dedicated to finding out how to set up some gear and working out how I am going to get round a course with 15 other guys trying to beat me on Saturday!
More to follow…