Author Topic: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report  (Read 403281 times)

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1380 on: April 21, 2015, 09:26:54 AM »
Oh yeah, the barge and the heinous harbor crossing. Forgot about that in the general whining. When Randy Royce passed me in the last mile we were both staring at that thing. I fell a bunch of times before I started my mongol charge, but Randy and the barge got to the entrance about the same time. I would not have enjoyed that. I came in while the thing was maneuvering at the dock and the tug was sending turbulent water shooting out into the harbor. those boys have some horsepower.

Those gust across the harbor were 40-50, maybe higher. With the cruise ship in there's a venturi that you can easily see from the water being whipped to continual spindrift.

Looks good again this morning, but the SS looks good too. I don't want to take a break, I'm afraid I'll seize up like concrete. I've only got a couple of weeks left, but I might need to dig out some knee braces.
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.

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1381 on: April 24, 2015, 06:58:32 PM »
The stretch of runs last week was powerful but with a very gnarly NE swell crossing up from about 45 degrees at our backs.  Some were breaking and were like linebackers sweeping in from blind corners.  You'd think you had a clear runway for a glide and then you'd get your clock cleaned.  So it was rugged.  Felt like I had just started doing downwinders rather than having 12 years under my belt.  Began getting tentative and not attacking which of course is a recipe for further punishment.   All in all I felt old until I got in and everyone else echoed the same sentiment.  Some big drops though and that's always a rush on a 17' board.  How far back do you need to shuffle?  Strange after surfing for so many years to have over 10' of board in front of you on a steep drop. 

Made me realize I have so much more to learn.

Blue crab

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1382 on: April 26, 2015, 10:48:59 AM »
Back from a week in Maui with some time to reflect on Maliko runs with Jeremy.  The final run we had was on a 40 mph blistering day. I resolved to concentrate on JR's most central teaching points which were to paddle about 75% less (only paddle when chasing a realistically catchable bump and never uphill) and to keep feet in the mid line when surfing. For the first 5 miles of the run, it worked like a charm. No falls and countless connected glides, along with a few rides on large swells which felt like catapulting into outer space.  Then I fell. Then I fell again. And again... I probably had 10 or more ultra lame falls in less than 10 minutes.  I got pretty heavy into self diagnosis and tried all sorts of failed techniques to stay on the board.   I took a rest on the board and tried to focus on what worked for the initial part of the run: paddle less to go faster. I am hesitant to infer causality for what causes success and failure in athletics. However, when I started falling, I clearly also started over paddling and exhibiting far less patience.  After re-focusing on only paddling to get in to a swell, the last portion of the run was bliss. Only 1 fall (and a "good" one with a pearl and very satisfying face plant) and some massive runners. The last glide into the harbor was particularly harrowing and fast but I managed to see it through: felt like hitting a 3 pointer to end the game.

A major concern for me was that after Maui, downwinding at home would lose some of its luster. Thankfully, this is not the case.  We had a great southerly last week on the Sound and the F16 was just humming from bump to bump. The advice to paddle less was highly relevant in our local conditions which I found to be pretty cool.  Then the wind stopped, and it was like driving a Maserati through the desert. Such is life in the PNW.

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1383 on: April 26, 2015, 12:47:08 PM »
Glad you caught that run of great downwinders. The North Shore went kind of bad mid week, and was best as a run to Molokai--offshore and fickle. Coming into the harbor was sucko. right now the north shore looks like a lake, and there's no surf. The serious whining is going to start soon. I hope OluKai Ho’olaule’a has some wind. I'm sticking around for that.

I fall a lot, partly knee, but mostly head. Once you get it in your head that you're going to fall, you're going to fall. Looking ahead and reading the water focuses me on the right stuff, which is catching a bump, and translates those ineffective little distracted dabs into serious effort, which means you're moving with the big stuff, which means your board is more stable. For me it's charge or fall, especially when the going gets tough. If I focus on catching every practical bump I can stay on my board no matter what my stupid knee is doing. But if I lose that focus for a second, or let doubt creep in, I'm down.

Best thing about a tough, big Maliko is that it's all in the head.
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.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1384 on: April 27, 2015, 09:20:34 PM »
South shore was really good today.  Broke the hour to Makena - that's rare for me.  Conditions were stellar.  Glides were feeding into glides all the way down.  Super fun. 

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PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1385 on: April 27, 2015, 11:26:37 PM »
Yeah, that was a fast one. I would have had a good time but I started falling and couldn't quit. I realized that my knee brace transfers weight to my left leg when I bend my knee. I need to figure out how to use or compensate for that. tomorrow should be good too.
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.

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1386 on: April 28, 2015, 12:34:53 AM »
South shore was really good today.  Broke the hour to Makena - that's rare for me.  Conditions were stellar.  Glides were feeding into glides all the way down.  Super fun. 


Incredible pic Larry.  Best one yet.  Even with wide angle you can see the set up was all time.  Good work.

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1387 on: April 29, 2015, 11:48:55 PM »
^ Thanks HM, glad you are back on the water.  Here's another.

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headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1388 on: April 30, 2015, 08:27:31 PM »
Nice.  Maliko was technical today.

covesurfer

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1389 on: April 30, 2015, 10:33:37 PM »
We launched about 11:30. It was decent wind but nothing that great. I'm going to guess 18 to 24. I guess I could check what the airport says....ha! 16 to 24, not a bad estimate I did!

There was a nice sized windswell running from the East with what I think was groundswell/leftovers from Monday's North swell. When we hit the outer reef off Upper, Upper Kanaha, there was plenty of action. Lots of stuff jacking and breaking. Because I went out to the edge of the deep reef, I didn't have to look up any breaking faces but I saw a few break just inside of where I was and they looked like they'd take you down, roll you and do a maximum pull leash test for good measure.

I was heading to the harbor, no need to risk going in on a day like today at Kanaha unless absolutely necessary but I was looking carefully for a way in. When I got to mile 6.5, measured from about where we'll start on Saturday, I was just a tiny bit east of the lifeguard tower and it looked like a nice, clear, low stress run into the beach if you paid attention and put the hammer down. Saturday will likely be less to worry about.

The usual, casual line to the harbor today was risky. I kept pushing west to line up with the entrance more dead on. Good thing, Pier 1 was drawing in some large breakers. I didn't even see anything there until I was in pretty far, then I heard and saw a monster set of 4 or 5 waves roll in about 25 yards off to my left. Glad I was paying attention to my line.

Fun day, great paddle. Fun to have all the visiting people here for the race. The shuttle was like a United Nations conference, lots of world-wide representation, only these were people you'd actually want to talk with.  ;D

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1390 on: May 01, 2015, 12:08:45 AM »
Well... It wasn't all that stress free heading in. I aimed to miss the last breaker but got kind of close to it. the angling groundswell was pretty hefty. I got some long drops but also got the board kicked out from under me a bunch of times. I wound up on my knees for the last hundred yards.

Tomorrow should be fun.
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: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1391 on: May 01, 2015, 07:06:46 AM »
Any of you folks meet Kim Reilly? She's been there the last week or so.
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

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1392 on: May 01, 2015, 08:39:13 AM »
Nope, never got in touch
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: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1393 on: September 27, 2015, 01:50:34 AM »
No, I'm sure I want to reply to this topic even though it's languishing away on freaking PAGE SIX of the downwind thread.....guess that's a reflection on how NOT smokin a summer it's been  :-[

Tropical storm Niala is passing just south of the Big Island, accelerating our NE trades and amping up the windswell to levels we haven't seen on Maliko in quite some time. A handful of us were pretty keen to go, although I think most of us could tell that it was going to be kind of a sketchy run. Usual suspects included JR, Kathy, LPB, Southbay, R-squared, and myself. Not a huge crew. Kathy and LPB were running their skis, Randy, Jeremy, SB and I were on our standups.

The ride up the coast was not super encouraging, lots of rain squalls around and a very rugged looking ocean with breakers evident at Pier 1 as well as on all of the reefs, including some of the outer spots. Pono Bill has said before, his least favorite Maliko conditions are lighter winds with macking swell. That was kind of the combo today although, to be fair, it was 'just' windswell and we had decent but not super-strong winds. But it was cloudy and dreary looking and that didn't help the conditions to look more appealing.

When we got to Maliko, the waves were breaking all the way inside the bay and the brown water looked like chocolate milk. As we were unloading our gear, a guy walked up and asked me if I thought it would be ok for a beginner to go today. Seriously? Not really. I said as much but he kept asking questions and suggested that he might just run down to Sugar Cove. OK, I said, that's reasonable but be careful to come in before Spartan's because all the reefs are breaking. 'What's Spartan's?' Uh-oh, maybe you should re-think this dude. I guess I didn't sound that discouraging because he was preparing to launch on his fixed fin, 14' Naish Glide right behind us. I hope he either turned around when he saw how gnarly it was or that he made it ok. Yikes.

I watched SB and Randy head out just as a set of 4 waves was rolling into the boat ramp. They weren't big waves but they were enough to sweep you off your board and roll it around for good measure if you weren't paying attention. I jumped in after the set and had an uneventful paddle through the mouth and out into the open ocean. Conditions looked like a Winter day with 12 to 15 foot steep rolling swell moving down the coast from the east. The huge rollers were moving fast and would wall up and look pretty fearsome but they just kept rolling under us. Only the very tops would break on occasion. Still, it was like paddling out through moving mountains.

RR, SB and I agreed to stay close enough to keep our eyes on one another. We scratched out pretty far before we turned down, I'm thinking around 3/4 of a mile. Once we turned downwind, I kept surfing right. It was one of those 'no country for old men' kind of days. The groundswell was just humongous and if you caught 3 or 4 or 5 small bumps, you could sometimes get a fairly big drop. But for the most part, the mountains were moving through too fast to catch the really big bumps. A few times during the run, I found myself looking ahead at absolutely staggering troughs just ahead of me or perhaps a swell or so up. Everything was moving in many directions.

For a couple of miles, I could see Kathy and JR even further outside than I was but their speeds were a lot higher than ours. As I settled into a paddling groove, I quickly decided that today wasn't about seeing what a smoking time I could turn. It was technical and challenging just to find that rhythm that the ocean was laying down for us. Just being out there in those mondo conditions was pretty amazing.

I worked right until I was probably 2 miles out. Outer Sprecks was breaking once in awhile and there were plenty of breakers far out along the Kanaha section. The outer 'chicken line' proved safe with plenty of great bumps but it was very hard for me to connect anything. I probably only had multiple wave connections 5 or 6 times, over the course of the entire run. Because I ran so far out to avoid breaking waves, it was a long way in towards the harbor mouth. We could see Pier One breaking towards the inside so it was prudent to stay further west and surf more or less straight south towards the mouth. Surprisingly, I only had one fall but the potential for a real humdinger was ever present.

Not a very fast run for me, SB and RR but we all finished with grins. JR, LPB and Kathy all made it in long before the rest of us and seemed happy to have done it as well, although everybody was talking about trying for Kihei tomorrow instead of Maliko. Definitely one of those days to remember.

This is a shot of Kathy in her ski that JR took. It only shows a small portion of the big bump she was on....
« Last Edit: September 27, 2015, 01:53:55 AM by covesurfer »

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #1394 on: September 27, 2015, 08:51:04 AM »
Sounds like one of those "go out until you see Waikiki and turn left" kind of days. I probably would have gone, but I would have started hating myself about Camp One. The downwind season seems officially over here. I'm concentrating on the upcoming trip to Dana Point for the PPG. Other than OC6 paddling I haven't been in the water for weeks--well, that and a little Hatchery surfing. From your description I'm not that excited about Malikos, so how about getting things cleaned up a bit. The proper recipe is no wind in the morning, chree to fi' at Kanaha, then 30 kts at noon.

I don't think that's to much to ask.

I love the guys that ask you if it's okay to go when it's death and destruction, but when you say "no" they go anyway. On the one hand I understand the desire to get out there, on the other hand, they probably will never do another Maliko--one way or another. Boyum probably remembers the guy sitting on the sand at the Canoe Hale with the thousand yard stare. He'd had a horrible Maliko run on a rented Javelin, and then got caught inside at Pier One. Former maui lifeguard and surfing instructor, though quite a few years ago I gathered. Figured if geezer goofballs like us could do it, that it couldn't be that hard. From his description it was touch and go whether or not he got through Pier one. Spent a lot of time underwater. It's a good thing the backwash keeps a channel next to that breakwater, or that would be a killing machine. People with a little downinding experience and either a guide or really good instructions can handle a pretty tough Maliko run, but when the groundswell is big, it's not a simple deal. If you start falling and can't stop, it's an awful long way to the harbor.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2015, 09:02:43 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.

 


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