Messages

2761

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: February 04, 2014, 12:47:29 PM »

Am under the impression that riding big waves in crowded conditions often entails getting stuffed.

- Affirmative

What is amazing is that Haley and Ian seem to shrug off what otherwise would terrify big wave surfers.
  Remember they were wearing football jerseys having a mock superbowl.  I attribute this to attitude, experience and a lot of float.  I emphasize that they both wear 2 sets of flotation.  This wipeout highlights Don King’s advice from Susan Casey’s The Wave “If you get hit by a wave,” he said, “the thing is not to panic. You don’t want to stay completely loose—that’s how things get dislocated—you want to kind of ball up. Remember: you do have the lung capacity to wait it out.”

In surfing, specifically crashing, there is an observed rattle factor.  You get to see what someone is made of when they return to the lineup after a fall.  Some people can’t talk or their voices start to crack and they fail to make eye contact.  In the military they call it the 1,000 yard stare.  In the following video @ 1:30 you will see how Haley responded to what most people would consider fatal.  I put his rattle factor at just 1 / 10.  Clearly the armchair quarterbacks go to work on a play like this.  But note Haley’s response.  Where he could have broken (more of) his board, been injured or worse he just calmly recounts the crash (which I had not yet seen).

Haley: “Oh yeah I took a beating.  What was trippy’er was the cartwheeling I was like in the air going like this (twirls hand) . . “ then asks “Did Jamie Mitchell make the wave?”  No malice or fault suggested.  

I owe all my SUP’ing history to Haley.  From learning at the Lagoon to catching bigger waves, wearing flotation, waist leashes and mentoring me at Mavericks.  He was the first local surfer to migrate to Stand Up and inspired his good friend Rich to convert to SUP.  Rich motivated Jeff Clark, Mark Alfaro, me and so on down the line.  He is like the Yoda to all us hopeful Jedi in Half Moon Bay and beyond.  

Updated version here:

2762

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: February 03, 2014, 09:53:28 PM »

Haley's comment on this wave:  

"Frank (Q.) thanks for the shot and the rescue! Once again I owe you big time. If anyone is wondering... I was right on the seam and I would have made this drop no problem. I've made drops like this 100's of times. Unfortunately there are people in the line up trying to make a name for themselves that are willing to kill you."

2763

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: February 03, 2014, 09:48:22 PM »

And then there's all the haters.  Must be a bunch of Broncos fans:

http://standupjournal.com/sup-crash-close-encounter-mavericks-video/

PS:  I have updated the original Video (Page 1) with Haley's immediate remarks after the wipeout if you want to see just how rattled he was (or wasn't).

Referring to:  

2764

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: February 03, 2014, 09:46:55 PM »

OK, so Ian and Haley's prediction wasn't perfect.

But the instant replays just keep getting better and better.  If you weren't impressed before here was the final play in all its gory detail: Next Page

2765

SUP General / Re: Cost of Progression

« on: February 03, 2014, 03:17:52 PM »

Sometimes the old stuff just works.  In my SUP lifetime I have caught ~ 10,346 waves using 10+ different boards 6 of which I have owned.

This board was my first.  4 1/2 years and old enough to have a mast track.  It has been snapped in half put back together and then buckled 3 more times after that.  It currently has stress cracks on the bottom.  The front 2 quad fin boxes are nearly falling out so I have temporarily dry docked it.  I may just glass them over and get back to it with a thruster arrangement, just the center fin and 2 rear quads.  

This is still my go-to, favorite for 8 - 15 feet or when there is wind.  It has a flat bottom and paddles faster than my 10' 6" PSH gun that I use as its backup.  It took me 3 years to realize that if I put my back foot on the tail The Board actually turns.  

This board has caught ~ 5,251 waves and cost $1,400 new.  Add $300 for the repair job and $50 more for materials and it is right at 33 cents per wave.  I am hoping to drive that cost down from here.  

2766

SUP General / Re: Still proning thread won't load for me...... part two

« on: January 29, 2014, 06:55:29 PM »

I am usually a pretty good 'poster' child.  BUT Noooooo not with this demon thread.   

Blew it up twice.  There was some good video about scotch and other stuff.  Don't even try to talk about proning or 'it' will be censored.

2767

SUP General / Re: wind sports @ Hookipa

« on: January 29, 2014, 12:05:02 PM »

What year was that?  We windsurfed Cayuga Lake in 1980-84, it sucked, so we moved to NC. . .

I learned to windsurf at Dave McCreary's A-Frame shop in 1985.  So I must have just missed you.  There was Steve ? who ended up as a Hypertech dealer and he had a side kick Skinny Pete (I think moved to the Gorge).  That whole area has apparently been nicely built up as the "Merrill Sailing Center."  My dad likes to throw graduation parties there for all his former Teaching Assistants (TA's) kids who are now attending Cornell.

PS: Apparently the latest Bachelor (ABC show) grew up in Ithaca and then like the rest of us GFO.  Except for my parents, my Dad wants to live out his time like he's been in college forever.  Never ending cycle of youthful enthusiasm.   

2768

Sessions / Re: Found some fun waves yesterday.

« on: January 29, 2014, 12:51:28 AM »

Great video DJ.  Just trying to keep up with all the love and quality of editing.

How do you get embedded HD from Vimeo?  (I assume it may be a 'premium feature')

2769

SUP General / Re: Best Barrel

« on: January 28, 2014, 11:04:42 PM »

Many more here:

http://www.norcalsurfphotos.com/p1046255733/h34dfe31b#h31078c21

2770

SUP General / Best SUP Barrel

« on: January 28, 2014, 11:02:06 PM »

Kai Lenny hung around San Francisco after the Mavericks competition on Saturday.  He went to Ocean Beach and surfed with Matt Becker and locals Haley and Mark Alfaro.  

Here was the best barrel of the show.  And it was Mark's:

2771

SUP General / Re: wind sports @ Hookipa

« on: January 28, 2014, 10:31:56 PM »

. . .Our real estate guy--Maui Meyer--used to rip by me just about every time I did a downwinder a few years ago.

Small world.  Maui was my windsurfing coach in college.  Didn't think such things existed?  Well they didn't outside of Cornell and the Naval Academy.  

Maui went to the Hotel School (Cornell) and I was lucky enough to have a dad that was his professor and all the kids liked him (my dad).  He introduced us and I was just 19 and trying to perfect my planing jibes when Maui came to town.  Maui was the next biggest thing to Robby Naish back then and we would windsurf together on Cayuga lake.  It sucked so bad I had to move to California.  He moved to the Gorge started a restaurant, then real estate . .

Be sure to tell him Beasho said Hi!  

PS:  Back to the theory that there were only 30 windsurfers in the world.  How many SUP'ers are there?
PSS: Smaller still, just did a search on Maui and forgot he was partnered up with Ben Stenn at 6th street. He and I were in the same class in high school.

2772

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: January 27, 2014, 04:48:59 PM »

This is like the gift that keeps on giving.  So at the Competition 'Halftime' Manning took of his jersey and headed back out.

It's only funny because they aren't dead.  This is Ian Wallace.  He might have been sad because I forgot to mention that he is pretty tough too  

Then again it looks like Haley must have gone home and procured another board.  He is in the bottom left, just couldn't get enough.

2773

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: January 26, 2014, 05:34:13 PM »

From this angle its just wrong'er.  Who is the official governing body?

2774

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: January 26, 2014, 11:04:54 AM »

And in the end Twiggy wins!

2775

SUP General / Re: MAVS SUP Final: Broncos 28 Seahawks 17

« on: January 26, 2014, 10:58:39 AM »

Manning threw for another touchdown just to ice the cake. 

The crash left Sherman without a functional board, rather the leash plugs ripped completely out. 

It really is amazing, even inspirational, watching somebody bounce back from a fall like that and still be laughing about it.