Topics

1

SUP General / Ugg, I lost THREE paddles yesterday!

« on: May 03, 2009, 02:45:10 PM »

The were accidentally left just a few yards down from the monument at Haleiwa Harbor on Saturday May 2nd around 2pm.

We have some friends from Canada visiting our family and I took them paddling yesterday at Haleiwa Harbor. We took two cars since staking 4 boards on my van is pain in da rear. All 3 people I took had tried SUP, but they young and athletic and did exceptionally well. We paddled for 2 hours and a had a blast!

After our paddle we came back sunburned but thoroughly stoked. We packed the boards in the two cars and somehow forgot to load the paddles! I thought they got loaded in the car, but it MY fault for not double checking. What a bummer! That the only 3 paddles I own. Its not like anyone stole them, it was just bonehead move in my part!...lol

I know its a long shot to have them returned, but I am putting the word out. I already let Surf N Sea and other shops know I lost them. I am also putting up some fliers just in case. Plus Rad Sports was doing a demo today in Haleiwa so I informed Eddie,  JT and Leimomi Prasser to keep a lookout.

I would appreciate it if anyone HERE would an eye out for me? Thank you and yes I am offering a $100 reward for their return.

Here is description of the three paddles

#1-Kialoa "Shaka Puu" all carbon (black) one piece. This paddle also has the new sticker that Austin at PSH designed on the blade. It is wood looking with shark teeth outlining it.

#2-Werner 74"-78" one black all carbon one piece adjustable.

#3-C4 Waterman about 76" with a wood shaft and fiberglass blade.

Sadly I never got around to putting my names on these paddles, so even someone found them, they would go out of their way to find the owner.

Anyway, I would certianly appreciate if anyone in North Shore area would keep an eye for me.

2

SUP General / Any of you guys attending the events this weekend?

« on: July 24, 2008, 02:07:59 PM »

If so, I would love to meet up! I will be surfing in China contest tomorrow at Queens. They will be running through the finals of pro-am SUP in one day. Are any of you guys going to surf or attend this event?

Sat morning I will be going to Molikai to cover the  QuiksilverEdition Molokai to Oahu race. Then on I will be on the escort boat that is following Big Island Mike. Apparently the forecast is for 20 knot winds and 7 foot seas! Yeeks, I might be safer in the water!.....lol

3

Gear Talk / I finally got my PSH 9'3" Ripper model!

« on: June 24, 2008, 04:52:50 PM »

Thankfully, they still had a few of these stock when my &^%$% tax return finally arrived! I picked the board up last week and although the waves have been small, I already have four sessions under my belt. And all I can say is WOW!!!................Thank you sooooooooooo much Blane! Not only for the INSANE board, but also for your wonderful customer service and special attention to the deck pad. To say Blane goes the EXTRA mile for ALL his customers is an understatement! MAHALO!!!

It definitely took a couple sessions to get used to this board. Especially considering my age (50) and weight (214 lbs) and the fact that I am coming off a thicker longer full nose 10'6. However, now that I am getting it dialed in, I absolutely LOVE this board! It is by FAR and away the best "surfing" SUB I have ever ridden.

Despite there being only 15" difference in length from my two boards, they are worlds apart in performance. The 10'6 has a full nose and is pretty much a "longboard", while the 9'3" performs like a "shortboard. It features a double concave bottom and pulled in nose. I am currently using 3" side bits with a longer center fin, but will likely go to a thruster set up soon. I would keep the current set up for bigger hollower waves and the thruster set for all other conditions.

I had one day where I surfed a left (backside) that had a steep take off section. I was blown away at how fast and powerful the board was! I swear I felt like Pancho Sullivan on a couple of those gouges! Okay in my MIND anyway!....lol

I took some photos of the board and will post them later on this thread. I will also being do a full write up/review for our magazine, but just could NOT wait to tell all you guys how throughly stoked I am this board NOW!

4

SUP General / Leonard Foster RIP

« on: June 06, 2008, 07:54:53 PM »

Life long waterman Leonard Foster has passed away at age 56 from cancer. Leonard was the older brother to well known Hawaii surfers Marvin & Kalani Foster. This all happened VERY quickly, as he was diagnosed just a few months ago.

His brothers, both good friends to our family, had been keeping us informed on the situation. I saw Kalani a few hours ago and he is understandably still shocked and devastated at this loss.

Services will be held this Wed (May 11th) at the Queen Liliuokalani Church on Kam hwy in Haleiwa at 5pm.

I offer my sincere condolences to the Foster family. RIP bruddah Leonard.

5

SUP General / Surf-n Sea demo day-update

« on: May 21, 2008, 02:19:01 PM »

Aloha everyone. I just wanted to let you know that they added another clinic on Sunday as well. This one will be conducted by Derek Doerner. Here is how the weekend breaks down

Saturday May 24th
11am to 4pm
12pm and 2pm clinic by C4 Waterman Brian Keaulan, Todd bradley and Dave Parmeter

Sunday May 25th
11am to 4pm
12pm and 2pm conducted by Surftech's Derek Doerner

Each clinic will last an about an hour each. During the other hours you can demo boards from C4, Southpoint and Surftech. Plus there will be drawings and give aways!

It is hard enough to get all these guys together in one place, let alone be able to talk and ask questions of the worlds elite watermen and SUP surfers!

Nate and I will be there and we would love to meet any of you from da stand up zone! This thing is gonna rock. We hope to see you there!

6

SUP General / Steinlager video

« on: April 15, 2008, 01:04:50 PM »

Aloha guys, this is a short clip I filmed of Nate catching a few waves during his heats at the Sunset contest. He was riding 9'4 PSH in very windy challenging conditions. Great job Nate! Congrats!

7

SUP General / Hanging with da "steamroller"!

« on: March 17, 2008, 02:53:22 PM »

Steamroller and his 12 yr old Jamie flew back home to Oahu (he moved 8 to da mainland 8 yrs ago for work) on Friday night and I meet with him for a surf first thing Saturday morning. The poor guy was in obvious NEED for Hawaii waves!

I was little concerned the waves would be disappointing as the swell from the day before was dropping fast. However, we scored some solid head high waves at a really fun spot! The place has a left and right, with the latter being longer. The only issue was SEVERE headwinds for a couple of big guys whos bodies acted like "sails".......lol.........but, that did nothing to stop us from surfing for several hours until we were to tired to keep going.

I have to admit I was totally BLOWN away at well that Uli SUB surfed! yea they may be a bit slower than hard boards, but Clinton surfed the heck out of that thing! Then he  simply deflated it when he was done. Those boards could be killer for all kinds of travel and transportation issues!

Then on Sunday, he brought his out to the North Shore and hooked up with my family and two of my sons friends. In total we had 3 adults and 4 kids on 5 SUB's and went for paddle up the Anahulu river. As always the river run was beautiful and everyone had bast paddling and playing around like fools. Actually it kind of hard to tell WHO was the adults and who were the kids!.

Anyway, it was genuine pleasure to meet and surf with steamroller. He a classic guy and it was great to finally meet him. He still has a few days on Oahu and I think we be hooking up for another surf session tomorrow. His son will probably stay at my house with son, Noah, as both kids are also HUGE computer "gamers" types. That is cool, me and steam can surf in peace anyway!

8

SUP General / A great day!

« on: March 14, 2008, 08:15:37 PM »

No, I did not charge giant open ocean waves or pull into 12 foot death defying barrels over razor sharp reef!....LOL ..........but it was a wonderful perfect day none the less!

The day started off with the usual. Get up at 6am and get kids ready for school, send some emails and do some magazine work and then take the wife to work since I needed the van to go surfing. I drop her off at Sunset beach where she works part time for Kennedy Chiropractic (in addition to a FULL schedule at UH) and then casually check the waves at each spot on the way back home.

It is already windy, overcast and the swell has dropped considerably since yesterday. But hey we have had a MONTH of perfect weather and waves, so I am not about to complain! I run into Nate around 8:30am and as we talk the rain starts pouring. Its not looking so good, but despite the conditions, I just needed a "salt water fix", so I head back to another spot determined to surf anyway.

But a wonderful thing happened as I take my SUB from the van? The rain stopped (apparently just a trade shower), the wind stopped and what little there was is offshore and the sun came out! The morning is shaping up! I end up surfing some very small and average waves, but dang it was FUN! I put a new small back fin  in my 10'6" PSH board and man this thing s LOOSE! I am doing turns and cutbacks better than ever and just having a blast! I am joined by a another SUP'er who says my fun little waves inspired her to come out! Cool, always love making new friends!

After, my great session I decide to do something nice for my truly amazing wife. She works her butt off and will graduate this semester with a BA in Physcology and forensic anthropology. So I take her out for a "lunch date" at a little outdoor place called the Sharks grill. We are stoked to find out they have a special today, grilled swordfish sauteed with mushrooms and zucchini, brown rice, a salad and a killer smothie. We sit outside and the view is stunning. The ocean is a gorgeous deep blue and the waves breaking against the reef make for great setting. With kids we dont often get time alone and we cherish the moment, just stoked to be alive!

To finish the day, I plan on BBQ'ing and spending a quiet night at home with the family. Not a bad day, and one that reminds me that is the simple things that make life so wonderful. I hope you all have good day as well, aloha....................Bill

9

SUP General / SUP @ Buffalo big board event.

« on: February 16, 2008, 09:20:16 PM »

Buffalo's big board started today and because of the huge number of entries they are dividing the SUP division into two catagories. Novice and expert.

They did not run any SUP heats today, but will run them both tomorrow and Monday. The event was originally scheduled for two days this weekend and two days next weekend. However, the city and county of Honolulu is extending them an extra day (Monday) this weekend.

This is great news because another larger swell is expected to start filling in on Sunday (3-5 feet) and by Monday should be in the 6-10 foot range (Hawaiian scale).

They are going to run the novice division first on Sunday. Depending on how quickly the swell builds the experts will go out either late Sunday afternoon or Monday. Should be another epic event for SUP surfing! I will be there for the entire event will keep you guys posted.

BTW-I will be surfing the in novice division, should be fun!!

10

SUP General / Is everyone okay after the storms?

« on: February 04, 2008, 10:50:20 AM »

Hawaii has seen heavy rains and flooding the last couple of days. You know it is a huge storm when schools are closed on both Kauai and the Big island in the same day (today). It was even cold enough the big Island summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea have received several inches of snow.

The North Shore got pounded pretty hard but thankfully no report of major damage or injuries. Nor did we get the heavy winds that accompanied a bad storm a few months ago. That time most of Oahu lost electricity for 1-3 days.

The river that runs behind our farmland property is typically high from such heavy rains and is filled with fast running brown water (my wife calls it the "Leptospirosis rapids") but it has not risen high enough to affect the Taro patches. However, it wont take much rain for damage to the crops. The only problem was getting one of the goats (her name is "Tin tin") unstuck from the mud where she was grazing.

How are you guys doing?

11

SUP General / C4 invitational at the Duke's Oceanfest

« on: August 24, 2007, 12:49:42 PM »

As you weave through traffic in the concrete jungle of Waikiki in search of the elusive parking spot you almost forget that this is where modern day surfing got its start. The feeling gets worse as you are reminded that the secret parking spots you knew oh so well 20 years ago are gone. Sure there are still a few to be found but they were all taken in the early morning hours. I give up my search and dodging Japanese tourists jaywalking while taking photos of well, everything, I pull into a paid parking lot. I fork over my 9 bucks to yet another machine and start my journey to the beach.

As I approach the world famous Waikiki beach and the Duke statue I instantly feel at peace. The banners for the Duke’s Oceanfest come into focus and the water, despite being crowded, looks beautiful and inviting. The surf is a respectable 2 to 3 feet and the tandem event is underway. As I walk on the sand, the spirit of Aloha, the one that Duke so proudly and unselfishly shared with the world, permeates the humid Hawaiian air. Smiles, aloha’s and howzit’s are heard with every step.

The Duke’s Oceanfest is always a special event, but today marks a first for the devotees of SUP surfing. The founders of C4 have sponsored a 24 man invitational to showcase the advancements of SUP surfing to the rest of the surfing world. They invited some of the world’s very best SUP riders from Hawaii and the mainland and once in the water they did not disappoint.

The format, like SUP surfing itself, is a hybrid of other surf contests. According to Dave Parmenter the first two rounds are fashioned after the Eddie Aikau big wave format. They divide the 24 surfers into 4 heats of six surfers. No one is eliminated in the first round, as everyone surfs in the first two rounds. The points for each surfer are totaled from both heats, with the top 12 surfers advancing to the semi finals. The semi finals and then go back to a traditional contest format where the top 3 surfers advance to the finals on Saturday.

The crowd watched and cheered as the SUP surfers made it look easy. Bonga made big beautiful sweeping turns look effortless; Dave Parmenter’s reminded me of his dominance in prone contest surfing 25 year ago (do these guys ever age?) and my personal favorite Titus Kinimaka flat out ripped. Also surfing exceptionally well and making the finals on Saturday were Alika Willis, Noah Shimabukuro and Kalani Vierra.

However, the big winner today was SUP surfing itself. The heats were simply a “state of the art” showcase for SUP surfing. These guys were laughing and having a blast out there and showed us that SUP surfing has no limits. It was wonderful to see old friends taking SUP surfing to new heights. I have no doubt that somewhere above, Bobby Ah Choy and the Duke are smiling. 






Finals Lineup:
Dave Parmenter (Oahu)
Alika Willis (Oahu)
Noah Shimabukuro (Maui)
Kalani Vierra (Kauai)
Bonga Perkins (Oahu)
Titus Kinimaka (Kauai)

Semi-Final results (top three from each heat to the final):
Heat 1: Dave Parmenter (Oahu); Alika Willis (Oahu); Kalani Vierra (Kauai); Archie Kalepa (Molokai); Cito DeSoto (Oahu); Kamaki Worthington (Oahu)
Heat 2: Bonga Perkins (Oahu); Noah Shimabukuro (Maui); Titus Kinimaka (Kauai); Leleo Kinimaka (Big Island); Ekolu Kalama (Molokai); Mel Puu (Oahu)

Standings after combined rounds 1 & 2 (Top 12 to semi-finals)
1. Dave Parmenter, Oahu - 137 points; 2. Bonga Perkins, Oahu - 97.5; 3. Mel Puu, Oahu - 94; 4. Kalani Vierra, Kauai - 86.5; 5. Alika Willis, Oahu - 86; =6. Leleo Kinimaka, Big Island - 85; =6. Titus Kinimaka, Kauai - 85; 8. Cito Desoto, Oahu - 81; 9. Kamaki Worthington, Oahu - 79.5; =10. Noah Shimabukuro, Maui - 79; =10. Ekolu Kalama, Molokai - 79; 12. Archie Kalepa,Molokai - 77; 13. Duane DeSoto, Oahu - 71.5; =14. Nolan Keaulana, Oahu - 64.5; =14. Todd Bradley, Oahu - 64.5; 16. John Kaleopaa, Oahu - 62.5; 17. Bunky Bakutis, Oahu - 61; 18. Brian Keaulana, Oahu - 60; 19. Scott Bass, California - 55; 20. Sam Pai, Oahu - 49.15; 21. Igor Lumertz, Brazil - 47; 22. Kimo Miranda, Oahu - 44; 23. Tiare Lawrence, Oahu - 43; 24. Rocky McKinnin, CA – 21

The finals are on Saturday. I hope to see ya there!

12

SUP General / DUKE Oceanfest

« on: August 22, 2007, 01:27:50 PM »

Just a reminder for those who live on Oahu. The Oceanfest goes all week, but today is the start of the C4 SUP surfing part of the event. The first and second rounds start at 11:20am and the semi finals will be at 4pm. The finals will be held on Saturday at 4pm.

The event is a 24 man invitational and will feature top SUP surfers like Brian Keaulana, Duane DeSoto, Titus Kinimaka, Mel Puu, Kimo Miranda, Archie Kalepa, Bonga Perkins and Kalani Vierra from Hawaii and Eric Diamond, Rocky McKinnon and Scott Bass from da mainland.

This contest will be a “state of the art” display of SUP surfing at its finest. For those who are unable to attend, I will be reporting back to thestandupzone as the event unfolds. Should be amazing, I hope to see you there.............bill

13

Events / C4 Waterman/Honolua Standup Paddle Surfing Invitational-Part of Annual Duke's Oc

« on: August 18, 2007, 03:55:32 PM »

Hey guys, the annual Duke Oceanfest is including SUP surfing. I will attend as many days as I can and will report back here with the results. This is the press release I got from Jodi Wilmott, Ocean Promotion.
 
 
 
C4 Waterman/Honolua Standup Paddle Surfing Invitational
Part of Annual Duke's OceanFest Celebration
 
Honolulu (August 16, 2007) - Hot on the heels of a highly successful summer of events, C4 Waterman, the leaders in stand-up paddle (SUP) surfing, are pleased to announce the C4 Waterman/Honolua SUP Invitational, as part of the 2007 Duke's OceanFest. Twenty-four invited SUP surfers will take part in the event that will run Wednesday, August 22nd, Friday, August 24th, and conclude with the final on Saturday, August 25. This is the first invitational SUP event in history and is a testament to the rapid growth of this new sport.


 
Among the invitees to this spirited event are esteemed watermen Brian Keaulana, Duane DeSoto, Titus Kinimaka, Mel Puu, Kimo Miranda, Archie Kalepa, Bonga Perkins and Kalani Vierra.

"Whenever you host an invitational event of this nature, you're faced with the impossibility of narrowing down the field to just 24 competitors," said event coordinator Todd Bradley.

"Our goal with this event was to invite those stand-up paddle surfers who have been instrumental in the rebirth and growth of the sport over the past three years. I think it will be a really special time seeing so many of Hawaii's great watermen in one place, paying their respects to the ultimate surfer of all time."

Duke Kahanamoku. Duke, along with many of the original Waikiki beachboys, was a pioneer of stand-up paddle surfing, which is why it is also referred to as "Beachboy Surfing".

"We will also have a few good stand-up paddle surfing friends from the Mainland coming over to play, including Eric Diamond, Rocky McKinnon and Scott Bass. We're looking forward to creating some fun times on the ocean, in the spirit of Duke and all that the Duke's OceanFest stands for."

In addition to the stand-up paddle surfing division, there will also be a C4 Waterman/Honolua stand-up paddleboard race - a 10-mile run down the coast from Hawaii Kai to Waikiki, finishing in front of Duke Kahanamoku's statue.

The C4 Waterman/Honolua SUP surfing competition rounds will take place on Wednesday, August 22nd, Friday, August 24th, and conclude with the final on Saturday, August 25th.

Duke's OceanFest will be a celebration of ocean sports taking place in Waikiki, August 22-25. It will also include the Roxy Jam Honolulu women's pro longboard competition, as well as the World Tandem Surfing Championships. The events will help generate support and funds for the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to encourage athletes and scholars whose endeavors will contribute to the growth and development of athletics in Hawaii.


 
C4 Waterman is the only dedicated Stand-Up Paddle Surfing company in the world, committed to perpetuating the lifestyle of the waterman and waterwoman - a tradition that began in Hawaii. C4 Waterman produces top-of-the-line SUP boards, paddles, lycra surfwear, clothing and accessories. Please visit: www.c4waterman.com
 
 

It is a week long event and if you live here or are visiting its worth checking out...............bill

14

Sessions / Friday family session

« on: August 18, 2007, 03:33:27 PM »

After being “dry docked: for over a week (minor work/back injury) I was finally able to go out again last night. It was a family affair as my wife (Brooke), kids and neighborhood friend of my son all piled in da van and headed out to Haleiwa harbor.

We are blessed to live near the ocean and it took longer to tie down the boards than it did to drive to the harbor. Upon arriving was I was a little concerned about the trade winds which were blowing a hefty but typical 15+ knots. Thankfully, inside the harbor is well protected and as the afternoon wore on, the winds died down considerably to make for exceptional, not to mention beautiful, conditions.

I was sooooooo stoked as Brooke and I entered the water. This was my new paddle (all carbon C4) and my wife’s 12’ Munoz maiden voyages. My wife started off on her knees (yea, yea, yea I made a few crude infantile jokes……lol) since the Munoz was a lot more “tippy” than the board she learned on. But she did great and once on the inside cove at Puaena point she was standing up. Although falling many times she hung there and made excellent progress.

I reminded her of what Curtis Miyashiro said. We met him at the WET FEET shop the day before when we were buying our paddles. I made the comment that despite being together for 18 years, Brooke had never surfed. Curtis responded by saying to her “the first time you stood up on the board and took a few strokes, you were SURFING!. You should have seen the smile on her face when he said that! I could not been prouder and she was just beaming!

We paddled all over the place and got a great workout, Up to the point at Puaena, where she got a firsthand look at how strong the trade winds were outside the protected cove & harbor and back again. At one point we needed a rest, so we just laid back on our boards and soaked up the sun. We were only interrupted when a Honu (turtle) broke the surface to see what the hell those crazy humans were doing now!.......………it truly was a special moment. I see a lot of turtles and sea life when surfing, but SUP gives us such a different perspective.

I then took my turn on the 12’ Munoz. Blane and others have encouraged me to use this board for “training”. It is an excellent long board but was not designed for SUP. Between, the V, the narrowness (26.25) and my own weight it was definitely difficult to master. However, I stayed with it and discovered I had to simply let my surfing instincts take over and once I quit fighting it I did much better. My goal is to master this board so I will be that much when I get my new board in a few weeks.

The day ended with us teaching our kids on the Munoz. My son and his friend (both 12yrs old) picked it up really well and within minutes were paddling up and down the shore line. My daughter had a tougher time but she too, hung in there and had a blast. Not bad way to spend an afternoon, not at all!

 For 40 years prone surfing has primarily been a solitary adventure. However SUP is something my family can do and enjoy together. I will certainly have my solo sessions when surf season hits, but I truly love the way it is bring my family into the ocean with me!

15

SUP General / Oahu fire

« on: August 12, 2007, 09:04:00 PM »

I want to take a moment to offer my thoughts and prayers to all those affected by today’s fire on Oahu. We still do not know all the details, but the fire started this afternoon somewhere in the brush (old sugarcane and pineapple fields) at the top of  Kaukonahua road and as of 5:30pm was still going on. For those who have been to the North Shore, Kaukonahua is the “back road” or “mountain road” that runs parallel to Kam hwy and takes you out to Waialua and/or the rest of the North Shore.

The news is saying that fire is still out of control but we have been watching it all afternoon and it thankfully it does not appear to be as bad as earlier. They are saying the fire has already burned 1000 acres, but thankfully there are no reports of injuries or deaths. Dozens (if not more) of homes have been evacuated with Whitmore village providing a safe haven. Dozens of state and federal fire depts. are on the scene as are the RED CROSS and Civil Defense.

Around 4pm we tried to return my sons best friend to his home by the Paalaa Kai bakery and discovered the fire was right across the street. We stopped by the bakery to make sure the owners were doing okay and watched firsthand as the fire fighters and helicopters with water drop baskets fought the huge 30-40 foot flames across the street. These guy do an AMAZING job of not only fighting the fire but protecting homes as well.

I am most worried for the people who live right at “Thomson’s corner” and the residents of Waialua and “Otake camp”. Even if the homes did not catch fire it sure looked like the massive smoke hit their homes.

Again our prayers are with all affected.