Maui Race Series State Championships: a racer's view - 60 Days of Summer Day 23

26 years ago (in 1984) the first Maui Race Series champions were being crowned. If you are old enough and were windsurfing at that time cast your mind back to what it was like in those defining years. I still have windsurfing magazines from 1984 (I was 7 years old); the iconic images of Robby Naish, Mike Waltz, Pete Cabrina and many more of that era inspired me and began to mould my future path. I was 18 when I put my academic career on hold, sold all my race gear and bought a ticket to Hawaii. I owe a debt of gratitude to those early pioneers just as the sport of windsurfing owes a debt of gratitude to the organisers of events and competitions around the world. Without event organisers there would be no stages for our champions to be born and publicized. I want to publically thank the Maui Race Series organisers and volunteers for their hard work, it was hell out there at times today and it took grit to get through the races, imagine how horrid it was on the start boat and this is Hawaii, people do it in Denmark, in Scotland and many other cold and wild places just so that we can race, jump and spin in front of the cameras. I also want to thank the sponsors of the series and all companies who have sponsored events in the past here and around the world, without this cash injection it just would not be possible. I am sure that association with such an amazing sport is beneficial to these companies so it is a win-win situation.

Some last minute advice is always good. You can see the flag order clearly writting on my arm so that I didn't forget! Picture courtesy of Jimmie Hepp

This post will concentrate on my experiences today and reflect on where my racing career might go from here. For an article about the whole event and all the results check out The Maui News - Double honors for McGain, Roediger.

The alarm sounded at 7am this morning and it took a period of total concentration for the next ten and a half hours to ensure that I was: prepared, rigged, at briefing, at the start line, ate food, drank water, changed sails, changed fins, completed races, de-rigged, packed my gear, attended the after party at Neil Pryde and finally drive safely home! I didn’t stop for a moment and had very little time to actually step back and ponder what was going on, I didn’t even notice the results to other divisions or races, how others were doing, barely had time to say two words to Liz who was gallantly supporting and assisting all day (Thank you xx). It was great to see baby Jack turn up to support his uncle on his first trip to the beach and I am sure that he will become a regular feature of the Kanaha and Ho’okipa car parks in future years. I did manage to grab my helmet cam for a couple of heats so that you can experience what it was like out there.

The Maui Race Series is split in two parts; first up it is age groups then in the afternoon it is mixed up into ability groups each section has four races with one discard and prizes are awarded for both. This format is excellent but some sailors do feel the strain and there tends to be a few less survivors on the start line in the afternoon (especially today with the brutal conditions). The quick running heats are extremely efficiently organised and a total of 44 heats were run in 4 hours of racing.

My camp during the pre-race set up. Picture courtesy of Jimmie Hepp

Nervous, yes extremely nervous is the best way to describe how I had been feeling in the run up to the event. I knew that I had put a lot into it over the last couple of weeks, I knew that I had been absent from racing for a long time, I knew that I had been writing about in online, I knew that lots of people have been reading about my adventures… the list goes on, lets just say I was nervous! I was pleased and sort some comfort into the fact that my logistical preparation had gone well and I had a very calm set up in the morning although the changeable wind made equipment choice critical and had many scratching their heads a little. Before long I was sat on the beach upwind of the start with just 5 minutes to go with a bunch of other racers. My nerves were calmed a great deal when Matt (Wicks) joined me (we races together from age 13 to 18 I think) and his cheerful words made me feel at home.

To the start, well I have been practicing so was a bit confident but the strong winds of up to 40mph+ of the last couple of days had made it extremely choppy with some rolling waves out to sea so setting up was rather hard. Two minute count downs go extremely quickly and all of a sudden I was crossing the line with the pack sprinting to the first mark at full speed and within just a few minutes I was crossing the finish line just behind Matt and in 8th place (out of 10). Wow that was quick, I knew that my hesitation on the turns had cost me a few places but I was so pleased not to have embarrassed myself and completed the first race.

End of Race # 1, Matt wins this one. Picture courtesy of Jimmie Hepp

During the set up for the second race I was concerned that a heap of the other sailors seemed to be way ahead, was I late? But, as we came within ten seconds of the flag it was clear that a number of sailors were over early and would be disqualified. Matt and I were again side by side, I led to start but my lacklustre gybes let him through and I was playing catch up. After 3 minutes with the throttle on full we both crossed the line within 15 feet of each other, that was so much fun! I thought I was in trouble with the officials as one came running down the beach screaming at me, luckily all he wanted was my name!

The end of race #2, maxed on a 6.0m. Picture courtesy of Jimmie Hepp  

The wind had increased and I just had time to change down to a 5.5m but didn’t have time to change the fin. Liz handed me the helmet cam and I dashed off to the start, you only get about 5 minutes before you need to get back upwind to the start area. The start was amazing, I think I reached the first mark in fourth but once again the turns were causing me trouble and I slipped to eighth by the end.

This is mens 19-39 age group race # 3 including the pre-race countdown. A good start but it goes wrong!

With the wind still maxing out at 40 mph on the course I stayed with the 5.5. Not such a great start but again I was right up there at the start before drifting down the pack after a series of poor gybes, I couldn’t understand why my corners were so bad on race day after being so good in practice. I was certainly playing it too safe. With some disqualifications I ended up with a sixth place in this race so it turned out to be a good result.

I didn’t stay for the final prize giving and results so it was only later I got to read the full results and much to my surprise I came 5th overall in the 19 to 39 division and in that second race where a few people were over early I WON! My results were 8th, 1st, (8th discarded) and 6th = 14.7 points. Consistency and start discipline had really paid off and I am really pleased because this was one of my major weaknesses as a teenage racer. I only wish I had known these results before going into the afternoon as it would have given me confidence to push a little harder.

I think this is the start of 19-39 Race # 2, you can just see me in the middle behind the white North.

After a short lunch break where I spent much of my time adjusting my 5.5 to cope with the increasing wind only for the wind to drop down and me have to switch back to the 6.0m! I did get some much needed rest back at my base camp, having a good race day camp is so important and I always try to get out of my wet gear whenever possible, the longer you are in wet clothes, wetsuits etc. the more energy drains out of you.

For the afternoon I had signed up for the Expert division and the increasing wind, swell and rain made for torturous conditions but it reminded me of racing in Denmark at the 1994 Youth World Championships and I was relatively comfortable. With even less time between heats in the afternoon there was barely time to catch your breathe before you had to be on your way to the start boat. The wind picked up some more and I could see more coming upwind. I just had enough time to change down to the 5.5 again and change the fin before the third race. Again my turns were letting me down but my speed was good between the marks. With better turns maybe I could have won the division but I ended up third with a 1st, 3rd, 3rd and 3rd (Discard) = 6.7 points. Again I didn’t realise that I had won the first race until later when I realised that Bernd was over early. As I rounded the final mark I started to reflect on the whirlwind of a day and smiled but was a little sad that it was all over and I would have to wait until next year to race again.

This is the Expert group  race # 3 including the pre-race countdown. Too many mistakes, really over powered on 5.5m.

Max 100m speed of 29.95knots during the races.

So where to go from here? I am certainly keen to continue with racing for fun and aim to compete in a few Maui Race Series events next year. In a month I will be leaving Maui and going back to Bahrain for a number of months and I will be sure to take some slalom kit with me because the conditions are perfect there to train. I had luckily borrowed virtually all the gear used from Hot Sails Maui and Tom and to compete in the future I will have to get some boards and order sails, booms, bases etc. This is expensive but with careful planning I am sure that I can reduce the cost a lot. Slalom racing is fun and my advise to any budding racer is prepare, get your practice in and get signed up, if you approach it with the right attitude you will enjoy yourself and your sailing with improve immeasurably. Now that this challenge has been completed it is time for me to start my next. Check back tomorrow for more info about my next mini-challenge!

Sailing record STILL 100%

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...

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...

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...

Records Smashed! - 60 Days of Summer Day 18

Sorry about the later than normal post, the internet has been down here in Maui, just as a reminder how isolated this place actually is!

Today was a slightly strange day, when you have had wind everyday without fail I guess you get a little complacent. In recent days I have been sailing a little later in the day, we have been so busy and it has been good to avoid the hottest part of the day (although any day feels cold here compared to Bahrain!) too. Tom (HSM Designer) and I had arranged to sail together today so that we could test the 2011 Hot Sails GPS and the new prototype Black Project fins but to our surprise the wind looked light on the north shore so we opted to race over to the forbidden south side to sail at Kihei (most sailors fear the 8 mile drive down south but, as Tom pointed out when you have driven 6 hours to sail in Cornwall only to be “skanked” and drive 6 hours back home a 20 min round trip doesn’t seem all that bad. On arrival in Kihei I was thinking to myself that I had never actually sailed there (yes, I too have been one of those sailors!), I didn’t want to jinx the trip so kept quiet but, those thoughts were enough to ensure that the God of No Wind had cast a shadow on us! Oh well back to Sprecks (where Liz and I live) but rather than the having to listen to the same CD over and over (like on a trip to Cornwall) there was barely enough time for 2 tracks of the pounding Hammer music.

When the wind is light and from the North or North East then it is usually windier in Kihei but it is not that popular unless you are a racer or freestyler.

On arrival it seemed pretty light so Tom rigged a 2011 8.0m GPS prototype and I rigged a 5.6m 2011 Bolt prototype. I was a little concerned that the Light Wind Speed Challenge was on his mind and fearful that my record would fall. I was also testing the new 16cm Twin Fins and the GoPro anti fog strips. Unfortunately the light wind meant that while I kept my 100% record for the summer it wasn’t the most exhilarating 30 minutes of my sailing career. I was trying to work out the criteria for claiming the day but, as I caught a gust and managed an under rotated back loop I figured that would do it. All the time I could see Tom thundering down the Camp One Speed course and couldn’t help thinking that the record was about to fall but much to my surprise when back on the beach Tom had not managed to break the record YET!

Tom eventually smashed my best 8.0m speed by setting an impressive 29.9 knots (10 seconds) and with that he regains the Light Wind Speed Challenge trophy. That speed is going to be hard to beat here in Maui but you wait until I get the 8.0 out at The Wall, Bahrain. Tom is pictured here with his new 2011 GPS prototype.

The wind had dropped down and I decided to summons the wind gods once more by de-rigging in the hope that the wind would materialise and give the Hammer another shot at glory. Right on cue as the final piece of my kit was neatly stashed away the wind picked up to a steady 15 knots and Tom was back out, even from my vantage point some distance away I could see the record tumble and Tom regained what is rightfully his with a speed of 29.9 knots. Tom will have to wait a little longer to get the trophy back in his house as it was unfortunately smashed in transit between Sprecks and Paia but, the less said about that the better! Congrats to Tom who raised the bar today. If you are interested in joining the Light Wind Speed Challenge and use HSM GPS sails please email me.

1st Tom Hammerton 29.9 knots (2011 8.0m GPS Prototype, 2005 Exocet S4 125 ltr)
2nd Chris Freeman 27.14 knots (2009 8.0m GPS, 2005 Exocet S4 125 ltr)
3rd Andrew Freeman 25.33 knots (2009 8.0m GPS, 2005 Exocet S4 125 ltr)

You will see that we have all set our fastest times with the same board!

2011 HSM Bolt Sneak Peak – I moved over to the Bolts (from the Fire) for 2010 so it was great to be able to try out the 2011 prototype and I was instantly impressed by what it brought to the table. The light weight and easy handling has been maintained but with added stability. The now fashionable shorter boom with over hanging leech, new panel layout and new colour scheme make it look the part too. Sail and board fashions have meant that we have had a variety of contrasting looks over the years (remember the fluro Kleppers of the late 80’s that fell apart at the seams then compare that to the very plain white F2s of the 90’s) but for 2011 it seems that manufacturers have gone for lots of really bright colours and the water will look like a gay pride parade through San Francisco or Brighton for the foreseeable future (that is until the 2012 sails are released when I am sure all will change again).

For 2011 the Bolt features a new panel layout and great new set of colour schemes.

Bolt 2011: Loving the new colour scheme and easy handling. Today I was trying a new boom mount with the camera very close to the clew; I also angled the camera to give this slanted view and to get a wider field of view, will be good when we get some bump'n'jump or wave riding. CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Bolt’s x-ply window has been kept for added strength and the four battens remain (I wonder if any manufacturers will seriously try to make a 3 batten wave sail? I saw a prototype from one company at Ho’okipa a couple of weeks back). As you know from reading the above there wasn’t mush wind so I will have to leave my full analysis until I get a better day to test but, my first comment was; “When can I have one?” I will have to wait becuase they are not available yet.

Providing that there is wind it is back to the training ground tomorrow and some more slalom practice, if the wind is light I will be trying the regain the trophy! I must make sure that I register for the weekend too.

Pic of the day

As I said that the beginning of my 60 day mission, you need plenty of gear to be on the water everyday and as you can see from the photo the gear is mounting up in our back yard. Normally I just have one waveboard and two sails! Luckily for me Hot Sails Maui are always there to sort me out, I can't imagine how I could cope if I had to pay retail for all this stuff!  

Sailing record = 100% (17/17 possible days)

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...