Author Topic: kapakahi wednesday  (Read 7248 times)

headmount

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kapakahi wednesday
« on: April 02, 2014, 07:34:40 PM »
Taught Cove a new word... kapakahi.

Today was a post tsunami downwind run and the county had closed all the beaches until noon so we launched at 11.  Looked like kapakahi wednesday

Paddling out of the gulch and realizing that I was right behind one of the top male and female paddlers... was something.   Conditions had a strong onshore tilt to them and Andrea and Dave were cruising along cross wind out to sea, like cats working their way into position to pounce on a herd of wildebeests.  Even in this first gear mode they're impressive paddlers.  Andrea finally turned and burned. Dave continued to paddle upwind of our group while we all began to go off the wind.  Then about a mile later he blew through our pack like a raging bull.  Had to stop paddling and just check it out.  He's 14 years younger than me but he isn't what you could call young at almost 50.  How he can maintain that level of intensity for a 10 mile run blows my mind.  Looking at him my body felt like lead.

Decent conditions but crossed up a bit with NE angle and contrary swells.  But some drops were heart pounders.  First really wild Maliko of the year.

1st pic paddling out... DK and Andrea in red
2nd our pack turning off the wind.
3rd Southbay and I had to race this barge into the harbor.  Saw it approach from a few miles away and the intensity was more than any race I've been in. Scary with cables and all that mass and ship suck.

pdxmike

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2014, 07:44:26 PM »
I won't even try to guess what that means, because my answer would be all messed up.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2014, 08:16:36 PM by pdxmike »

PonoBill

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2014, 08:03:44 PM »
Kapakahi indeed. It was pretty crossed up just coming out of the gulch. My left arm felt weak right away, and I immediately realized the difference between southside runs and Malikos--you need mo powah to get into those big guys, and once you're in you need a firm brace to stay up. I didn't fall for the first few miles, but after that it was a splash fest. I gotta do something about my Bullet 17 V2 tendency to punch straight in when I land from steep faces. I can just turn and run across them on the southside, in Maliko there's so much stuff coming at you, it's often just not enough.

But I think the biggest problem is that I've been playing in the waist-high baby waves, thinking I was surfing, and today it was DOH and breaking top to bottom. Whole different thing. I'm just out of practice.

Takes me so long getting back onto the board with just one arm, and it takes a lot of energy. The last two miles I probably fell thirty times. An absolute record. I also got pulled way inside when I thought I was well outside. When I came to upper Kanaha I realized I was inside that last big reef break. I had to paddle out like a lunatic to just clear it. Fortunately nothing big came across when I was running over the reef. I was too far inside and a bigger wave would have tagged me. As it was I was skirting whitewater.

Worse yet, as I passed kite beach I realized I couldn't angle out to clear the end of the jetty and avoid Pier One. I had to get on my knees, jam the rudder under one knee, and paddle for Oahu. Did that for a while while the barge was coming in, then got back up and started falling about every hundred yards. Sheesh.

Finally got over that, but the wind and current swept me right by Pier One. Fortunately the set waves weren't that big, and the current started pushing along the jetty, so I made the corner. Fell about ten times getting it lined up, then made the last two hundred yards on one wave, and then fell right at the mouth. Damn.

For tomorrow, my big reminder list is:
--Fix your rudder, stupid.
--Bring water in your camelback, stupid. I was dry at the start. Pretty sure dehydration influenced my unsteadiness--well, that and the washing machine texture. When I got home I was a little dizzy and my veins were prominent. Diane brought me two boxes of coconut water and a big glass of water. I said it was too much, but suddenly it was all gone and I was looking for more.
--Go harder, stupid. I caught myself doing these weak little ineffectual strokes even on the side that wasn't hurting. Pure brain fart. Get over it and paddle.

Looking good for tomorrow.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2014, 08:07:22 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

stoneaxe

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2014, 09:33:04 PM »
It freaks me out to have you guys thinking how slow and weak you are. Makes me feel kapakahi ( yeah google)
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

covesurfer

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2014, 10:09:56 PM »
It was one of those days where the ocean was moving in so many directions, and in such magnitude, that you were focusing so much on balance and board trim that laying down significant power was way down on the list. Unless you're one of the crew that blasted out in front of us.

DK blew through our little group which consisted of the Road Warrior (Art Aquino), R-squared and myself, bringing up the tail end mostly. It felt like we took a pretty outside line but it became very clear at the end that we were getting pushed left towards the inside the entire run. The outside line was good. Art had a good paddle on his new 17 Bullet and he had enough in the tank at the end to go for a second run.(!)

Somewhere around Upper Kanaha, I noticed the barge. I immediately looked for the tug and to my dismay I saw it on the harbor side of the barge. The tugs have a long steel cable that they tow the barges with. They can extend it a huge distance but when they approach their destination, they reel the barge in close to the tug. I never stopped checking that thing (which is the size of a downtown city block, complete with a mid-rise building on it) for the rest of the run to the harbor entrance, maybe 2 and a half miles. Knowing the thing was there and that it was bearing down on the narrow entrance between the jetties made me find a new gear. I paddled that last few miles like my life depended on it. For some reason. Lots of great glides made it a little bit better but I knew I couldn't outrun the thing. Fortunately, we slid inside, just as the pilot tug was heading out through the entrance to assist in getting the barge inside. I knew some of the other guys, who were a little bit behind us, were going to have a worse time of it than we did. Well, at least I laid it down at the end of the run!

When we got in, a spot on the 1PM shuttle had opened and a second run was now a possibility. Sadly, I was gassed, everything either hurt or was really tired. Or both. I decided to quit while I was ahead. Or alive anyway. ;D

Looking back, my time wasn't bad and it was the first time I'd paddled in the wake of a tsunami. The recorded size of the wave in the harbor was 1.2 meters. Considering these things have a 20 MINUTE period and move at something like 500 mph, that could be potentially ugly. No damage though. I don't think I'll take up tsunami paddling but Kapakahi Wednesday lived up to it's name. Crazy paddle, great fun and very humbling, as Maliko so often can be.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2014, 11:19:57 PM »
The 1:00 shuttle run had a higher tide, you guys had a LOW tide.  That may have contributed to the mixed up conditions. 

It seemed really good out there for us.  Big and scary - as the first big run in awhile always seems (to me). 

It took awhile to remember that my big V-10 does well to charge those steep drops.  Once I got over the fear of taking the plunge, it was game on.  Super fun.  Best maliko in a LONG time.

I didn't make this wave, that white water on the right grabbed the tail and spun me to the right.  But it's a cool pic.  That was a big ramp.  Note the bumps on the face of the big ramp.  Ski's are great at steering around on those bumps.  Did have several good connections today, just rolling along, steering around.  Super fun day.   

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PonoBill

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2014, 12:22:39 AM »
+1 on the scary. Some of those drops felt downright vertical. I guess it's possible that the tsunami wave moved us in some. I don't know when it went under us, I thought it was showing up a lot earlier. I usually don't have any problem holding my chicken line, and that's what I was going for today. It was a big surprise to find myself lined up to go in at the oil tanks.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2014, 12:29:16 AM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2014, 01:06:21 AM »
Tsunami waves came in around 3 or 3:30AM. They were done before we launched but who knows how all that disruption affected currents. The harbor entrance was wild, I thought. Lots of suck and you did NOT want to get in too close when you took the left turn around the corner as jacks were exposing in the troughs.

I basically paddled right for the entire run, save the last 20 minutes going into the harbor. I came in a lot closer than I'd expected. I was thinking I was waay out. Guess not. Still, by paddling right consistently, I managed to get a good line the whole run.

My track is shown on the garmin:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/472516469

+2 on the wild/scary drops. I saw RR get a solid double overhead ramp and just scream down. Art saw it too. And that was before the 'badlands' off of upper upper outer upper outer upper upper Kanaha, if you know where that is.

XLR8

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2014, 05:18:19 AM »
Awesome stuff guys!
Blkbox Surf
Instagram: @greatlakespaddler

headmount

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2014, 08:01:30 AM »
Cove... Don't normally check out the elevations but after yesterday I was curious.  The minor changes on your graph were 10' and bigger were 20'.  Pretty crazy.  mile 9 had a 7.6mph average for you and I know that area was productive for me as well.  That's when I was barge inspired.

I'd bet the low tide was the biggest factor in the swirling water but out there my mind kept thinking tsunami residuals. Word from the guys that did an afternoon run was that it was less topsy turvy.  We'll see today.  Pre-dawn right now, windy with major wind squalls, plenty rain all night.

Oh and forgot to tell everyone but we saw a dead deer washed down the stream while R2 and I  were waiting for you.  Don't fall inside the gulch.

headmount

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2014, 09:09:40 AM »
Here's Southbay exiting the water with big action behind him...

PonoBill

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2014, 09:15:34 AM »
sun just came up. Looks insane this morning, like the whole ocean is rushing off to the west. Should be nutty.
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supdiscobay

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2014, 09:24:14 AM »
We expect pics and some good stories tonight!
8'5" Starboard Pocket Rocket, 8'0" Kazuma Fugu custom,  8'10" Kings Sidewinder, 10' Starboard Noserider, 14' BARK Carbon Dominator, SIC F16 V3, KeNalu and Quickblade paddles, 19' Eaton Prone, 67" Goode 9700

headmount

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2014, 09:50:26 AM »
Here's one of Peggy from the over 60 club out on the afternoon run.  Awesome pic by Jeremy Riggs

LaPerouseBay

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Re: kapakahi wednesday
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2014, 10:11:25 AM »
Awesome picture.  Peggy is looking good this year.  How about all that white water!  That was a big one!

Don't normally check out the elevations but after yesterday I was curious.  The minor changes on your graph were 10' and bigger were 20'.  Pretty crazy.

HM, Garmin elevation data is notoriously unreliable on DW runs.  We see some crazy numbers, so I consider it all bogus.  Let's kill this wave measuring idea before PB gets a hold of it.


Oh and forgot to tell everyone but we saw a dead deer washed down the stream while R2 and I  were waiting for you.  Don't fall inside the gulch.

You may have heard about the outrigger guys that took serious gas a few weeks ago launching in the river.  Wendel got dragged across the rocks on his knees - tore them up pretty good.  2 other guys were limping at the finish.  Darren stepped on something very sharp.  Straight to the ER for stiches. 

I'm wearing a pair of $10 reef slippers at the launch now.  Sports Authority has a ton of them.  Crappy little nylon tops, but the bottom is tough enough for glass. 
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