Messages

23281

SUP General / Re: Funny discussion with shortboarder friend

« on: January 07, 2010, 10:39:50 AM »

A keeper for sure. Just don't grill her.

23282

Downwind and Racing / Re: what do you do to prepare for a race? mentally or physically

« on: January 07, 2010, 01:03:50 AM »

I go back and forth between a camelback fanny pack and a North Woods hydratiion pack. I find the slim North woods pack rides best of all the packs I've tried, the hose holder is magnetic so you can just stab the hose at your chest and it sticks, likewise just pull to get it to your mouth. the chest buckle is a whistle, the waist buckle is designed to clip blind (splayed receiver buckle) and the pockets drain instantly if you fall in and crawl back on your board.

Best I've found for paddling

The fanny packs are comfortable and keep weight low, but don't hold much and you need a separate holder for you music. I find in a pack I don't need headphones. I just stuff my iphone in a waterproof back and let it play over it's internal speakers. High in a pack the 3GS seems as loud as many portable radios. In the lumbar pack I can't hear it as well.

23283

Downwind and Racing / Re: Starboard Racer Ernie Johnson heading to the Caribbean

« on: January 07, 2010, 12:55:02 AM »

He sure looks like one:

23284

Random / Re: Power To Weight Challenge

« on: January 07, 2010, 12:01:45 AM »

i got problems in the other direction.  i'm 6', weigh 170, and am so skinny if i turn sideways i disappear.  wtf?  in my case, i believe and have been told it's all genetics, as in, sheesh, i've never seen genetics as bad as yours.  it truly is weird.  

Yup, we're all livin' in our genes. Weight, muscle mass, and obviously height are genetically determined. It appears that in normal circumstances (no famine, no prison camp) you can be at the high end or low end of a band for weight and muscle/bone/fat ratios. Some folks have a very efficient metabolism, others burn hot. Randy (admin) can outeat me five to one and be looking for seconds, and there doesn't seem to be an ounce of fat on him.

A brief visit to Michigan will demonstrate that people can eat their way out of the upper limit. The purpose of this little exercise is to help us all get to the low end of ours (and maybe stay there this time).

I also think BMI is whacked.

23285

Sessions / Re: Awesom evening sesh

« on: January 06, 2010, 11:50:54 PM »

Hey, it was a day late, but that's what you get for your 63 birthday. Don't rush it.

23286

SUP General / Re: Funny discussion with shortboarder friend

« on: January 06, 2010, 10:59:30 PM »

Hey Bill, you think you can take a crack at Cali like that cause it's ur birthday? i dont think so...  

I didn't really say that right. When I first got to California I was a kid from Boston. Now you'd think that people in Boston would be very conscious of what their culture required of them, but it never seemed that way to me--it's such a melting pot, there didn't seem to be a "right way". Maybe that was just me and my friends, because Boston sure got sideways on school integration for awhile, which seemed really weird to me.

In California it seemed that if you were a hippy, you had to go here and do these things. If you were a surfer you had to dress this way, have this kind of car and board. If you were a biker into Cafe Racers, you hung out at the Rock Store, and you did your bike this way, and you hated Harleys and loved Nortons and Ducatis.

I see it everywhere, it's not just California, but it seems very concentrated there. Know what I mean?

Oh, and SUPer Dave, time for a new picture, only this time more girlfriend and less Dave.

23287

SUP General / Re: Most embarrassing SUP moment?

« on: January 06, 2010, 10:48:54 PM »

You win. Nuclear Dookies always do.

I had a pair of pants that Diane really hated--they had all these pockets and loops and stuff. I ignored her comments until my daughter said "Dad, those pants look like you have a dooky in your drawers". Now I had never heard the term "Dooky" before, but I didn't ask for clarification and the pants went straight to the trash. We now refer to that as the Nuclear Dooky Option for fashion criticism.

23288

Events / Re: Kihei Canoe Club Race Schedule

« on: January 06, 2010, 10:23:56 PM »

I'm going to do it. Wind Guru says the Konas will be back, wavewatch says ENE (straight in our faces going from the Canoe Hale to Sorrentos) at 3 knots, but it's a short run.

23289

Sessions / Awesom evening sesh

« on: January 06, 2010, 10:17:50 PM »

Kanaha was pure magic tonight. Blowing hard Kona this afternoon when I went out, but the sets looked good from the beach, tho I didn't see any SUPers out, just longboarders. Typical for Kona winds--no one wants to get blown to Oahu. I went anyway, and it wasn't that bad. My Winguru app on my iPhone said the wind was going to swing westerly and die down at 4:30.  Like clockwork it settled off to the west and the water got downright glassy. Best of all the big sets were coming in like clockwork in sets of three. Chest to overhead, with the first wave almost always big, second biggest, and third about the size of the first. Most of the longboarders took off on the first wave, the rest of the outside folks took off on number two and the inside folks got swept in or were busy diving. I had the third wave to myself--every time.

Every time I paddled out a new set was coming. Just enough time to get to my spot, look hard at the third wave to find the peak, and paddle for it. Alone, every time. I think between 4:00 and 5:00 I must have had 20-30 excellent waves, and I didn't take a ride away from anyone. My shoulders were screaming, I was exhausted because I spent the morning and early afternoon riding my bicycle hard on the south side.

I decided "one last wave". Paddled into a very hefty face that was feathering as I dropped but the little bit of remaining southerly wind held it long enough for me to trim in. I looked at the west Maui mountains and the sun was setting in Io Valley, with rays of sunlight splaying out in the haze. Overkill if you ask me, all I needed was a flight of white storks and perhaps a whale jumping to have a complete Wyland moment. Squeezed everything I could out of the wave, paddled past a stunning french girl who was laying on her board struggling to get the two square millimeters of her bikini bottom to cover some part of her nether regions, headed to the beach and that was that.

Perfect.

23290

Gear Talk / Re: sunglasses for SUPing

« on: January 06, 2010, 09:57:26 PM »

Hat plus Maui Jims. Spendy, but worth it. Eyes are very useful, and hard to fix. I have a floating lanyard on glasses. If you're in Maui and you need a free pair just snorkel a while in the lagoon at Kanaha. Before I got a lanyard that works I was liberally seeding the bottom with them.

I've tried cheaper sunglasses. They water spot, and don't help enough with reflected glare. The Maui Jim lenses are pretty magical.

23291

Technique / Re: Preferred technique for a fast 180 (to catch a wave)

« on: January 06, 2010, 09:40:32 AM »

Definitely a thing to practice. You'll often see very good SUP surfers waiting for a wave doing a few practice spins.

When the wave is coming your brain turns to jello and suddenly the board that you've been turning easily becomes immobile. First thing is, reach your paddle up to the nose--way up--and sweep outwards. Boards pivot more or less at the fins (actually, between the fins and your feet, but that's for later). If you reach out sideways and sweep back you are pushing against the fins and not much happens. So your sweep is from the nose to your feet, no further. Wing the paddle up by dropping your upper hand, swing it back to the nose and stroke again.

Doing just this you can turn a board pretty quickly, especially if your strokes are quick and you start from the nose every time.

To go faster, you have to step back, and this takes much more practice. Get into some choppy stuff (no point in learning this in flat water) take a long step back with your non-dominant foot and just balance. Practice taking the step and then returning to center. Then practice taking the step and doing your paddle sweep. The sweep is a little different in this position both because you can't reach the nose and because the board is tilted and the pivot point is more directly under you. You reach the paddle forward some, but as the paddle comes past your feet you can pull it towards the board and rotate the paddle to kind of stir the tail around. Sounds weird, but you'll see what I mean if you try it.  You control the board angle by changing the weight on your front or rear foot. Lots of rear and the nose comes up some. Practice until you can manage it easily. Then take it out to the lineup and practice some more. When you are waiting for waves do spins.

Fast spin
A fast spin requires much more weight on the tail. To do this you take a short step back with your dominant foot, then a LONG step back with you non-dominant foot. Keep your weight forward on the dominant foot for a moment, then shift back at the same time that you sweep. The tail will sink, the nose will rise, and you'll fall off the back. With practice you can modulate the weight fore and aft to hold the balance point while you sweep, then recover once the turn is complete. If you then take a long step forward with your non-d foot and a LONG step forward with your dominant you'll be in a surf stance and already paddling for the wave.

Of course all this takes fine muscle control and education of your brain and balance. It's hard to accomplish at first because the balance has to become automatic in order for it to work well. Time in the water and practice does the rest.

23292

SUP General / Re: Funny discussion with shortboarder friend

« on: January 06, 2010, 09:18:55 AM »

It's sad that people are so stupidly inflexible, especially people in the surf culture, which is supposed to be so free spirited. But there's always people who think their way is the only way, and everyone should do as they say. California has always been a hub of style over substance. When I was working in the motorcycle biz there I was always amazed at how constrained my friends were by social expectations. You see it everywhere, but Cali is king of it.

23293

Random / Re: Power To Weight Challenge

« on: January 05, 2010, 07:48:42 PM »

Yeah, Google Ads are getting better at context sensing.

23294

Downwind and Racing / Re: Speed difference between race and allroundboards

« on: January 05, 2010, 07:35:35 PM »

1 MPH is 20% faster or 20% easier, that's significant multiple days.

Actually 20 percent faster is an almost unbeatable advantage. Consider a closed circuit race of five laps--you'd win by a lap. In a five mile race you'd win by a mile.

In the Hood River race this year I was up against a bunch of twenty- and thirty-something guys in good shape. Some of them weighed less than my leg. In the first race I used my Starboard 12'2" which looks like a typical SUP board but it has straight rails and almost no rocker. I  finished third I think. A somewhat racy board against a bunch of surfboards. I finished about 20 feet ahead of fourth, and probably 100 feet ahead of fifth, in a three mile sprint race. That's less than .1 percent difference.

Next race I used the same board, and everyone had more practice and few better boards. I finished fifth I think.

Next race race people started showing up with racier boards. I switched to my Starboard Point and was able to finish forth or fifth. As the series wore on the competition--both boards and paddlers--got tougher and tougher. I finally uncorked the F18, and finished fourth or fifth.

The paddler didn't change and certainly didn't improve, the competition got better, the only way I could keep up was racier boards. They make a big difference. But they aren't cheap. All depends on how bad you want to win, or at least not get beaten by everyone, and where your resources lie.

On the positive side, once you have a race board, you'll enjoy paddling it all the time.

If you weigh under 200 the Starboard Point would be a pretty fast board for you and should be readily available. Naish also has European distribution, and their 17' is fast. Or you could contact Mark Raaphorst at SIC. I know he took some boards to Holland and I don't think he brought them back. You might be able to pick up a F16 or F18 reasonably.

The newest F16 production boards should be wicked quick. They are being made someplace in Asia and are prepreg CF, autoclaved. Should be light and very strong.

23295

Gear Talk / Re: tail grab made easy

« on: January 05, 2010, 05:26:13 PM »

I've just been grabbing my railsaver. Whatever works I guess... Thick wetsuit gloves tend to keep your hand from getting worked. 

Tree, don't do that. It can really rip you up, better to hit the end of the leash, unless you're just in tiny mush.

Maui Wave--I'm sure it's working well, just never grab it with your fingers wrapping up through the handle.