The smokin spring and summer Maliko report

[LaPerouseBay]

Here is a google earth picture of today's run, boardwalk to makena landing.  The red x is up high where RainWaves was hiking.  The yellow x is molokini.  The island upper right is Kahoolawe.

[paidmydues]

how was the wind on that run,did it turn against you past Sarento's?

[paidmydues]

about leashes,on a downwinder,don't fxxk around,wear one,and calf leashes are only safe with surfboards and small sups,more volume than that,as a wave crashes on you and pulls on the leash,your calf muscle compresses,the leash slips right off,now your board or oc-1 is gone with the wind,wear it around the ankle.you can tie the leash to the cuff by removing the screw with a FCS wrench and passing the string through the hole,that way it doesn't interfere if you are on a oc-1.
Speaking about oc-1,how is that Storm on a downwinder.My concern is that as light as it is supposed to be(15lbs?),there is not enough momentum to catch the bumps.yeah,it will fly when paddling on a flat day,but how well does it do on a downwinder,connecting the bumps? any feedback appreciated.

[LaPerouseBay]

Wind was very good through makena.

Excellent advice on the calf leash slipping.  It's happened to me a few times.  Just like you say, it went right over my foot in a flash.

The storm belongs to Jono.  It was his first time on it.  I didn't ask him how it goes. 

Not sure what they weigh, but it's light. 

[paidmydues]

mahalo La Perouse

[JonathanC]

Well this video doesn't really have any right being in a post that has 'smokin' and 'Maliko' in the title but here goes anyway. It was fun and gentle and a great way to start the day out on the water with a buddy...

[LaPerouseBay]

Good one JC.  Looks like you are enjoying the ski.  I was chuckling to myself as the video progressed and your speed kept going up.  'He's hooked, no going back now.'   Ha Ha. 

No worries about posting here, this is now the unofficial ski thread.    

Keep the videos coming.  Great for training aren't they?   

Speaking of smokin' maliko, today was 10 of 10.  Unfortunately, my camera was tough to reset.  My rear display is toasted, so I rely on the beeps to let me know if it's filming.  It was so windy I couldn't hear clearly - missed the entire run.  Tomorrow should be a bit lighter, I'll try again.

[headmount]

Couple years ago it smoked like today on the last day of March... out like a lion and it roared today. Was stoked I rested yesterday.  Wind blew in my window, hard, all night long.  Woke up to it fully blasting by 8 am, with ocean surface in front of my place at least 50% white caps which always looks like solid white.  Realized this might be a day to do two runs.  There is always talk of channel crossings and I knew if I were doing anything other than whistling dixie, then I better find out if I can still do two runs, which at roughly 20 miles, still isn't the mileage of any of the channel crossings. I've done two before but not in a few years and at a much slower pace than I go at now.  You know you get older and you never know when you might start sliding backwards.

 Pono is older than me and was up for it and along with two other pals we were launched by 10:30Am with two trucks waiting at the finish.  Earliest start I've ever had.  We saw the 8-10' swell along with the white sea and knew we were in for a ride and it was in one word.... intense.  Constant focus right out of the gate, navigating between the wash cycle at the mouth of the  gulch and a nearby wave.  But we did and we were off and gliding.   I caught the longest wave I've ever had across the reef at kite beach, skimming over inches deep reef, praying I didn't screw up.  A huge fire off Stable Road laid a smoke screen over us for the last few miles.  Water turned a weird orange and breathing smoke, after a clean air injection for the previous miles, was a harsh finish to one of the most fun runs ever.  Wind was still hard east down towards the finish and getting in wasn't as easy as usual.  


 The scene at the harbor at the end of round one was that time just before the shuttle pick up.  HCC was full of frenzied paddlers, SUPs and OCs.  Drank a few coconuts and drove back up for round two.

Got clipped by a capping swell just out of the gulch on round two but it backed off before making its big break on the inside, thus saving me from absolute devastation.  Got back on, committed  not to screw up.  Felt too tired to have to swim.  

Pono had a friend of his, Rod, I just met, along for round two.  PBill told me Rod hadn't done Maliko yet but was good to go.  Stared at PBill wondering why his sentence didn't make sense to me on a day like today.  This seemed to be confirmed by Rod falling at the start a few times.  I waited up thinking I may as well take this one easy anyway.  But soon Rod was right with me, ripping and catching huge glides and really laying the hammer down when it was needed to catch one.  Inspirational stroke to watch and an incredibly powerful dude.  Back and forth for awhile but then he slipped away.  Sometimes waiting for me.  I felt like I'd been set up.  The guy was really good, even  kept up with Devin when she slipped by us.  

Afterwards I find out from Scott he's this famous Hood River guy, great mountain guy, a real athlete, in his 40s, the works.  Typical Bill giving me understated info.  Anyway it's always great not to have to worry about people and when they're ahead it's never an issue.  So another great run.  Legs felt slightly weak at the end of round two and shoulders were screaming a tad inside the harbor but I think I still had a few miles in me if those miles were DW or light.  But if I had to do more than a mile into a headwind at the end of round two, I would've been tapped.  Still have questions in my mind about endurance for 28 miles... straight... or crooked..  

[PonoBill]

You must have though I was nuts, that's was pretty radical today, no place to bring someone that couldn't handle it. Rod is Rod Parmenter, we've done probably a hundred downwind runs in the Gorge together. The Gorge isn't Maliko, but I knew he could hold his end up. And he's done kiteboard downwinders from Hookipa so I knew he knows the coast.

He did a lot better than I did. I was playing tail end Charlie, falling a lot. Probably fell ten times on that second run. Sure was whacky stuff though. Camp One was pretty big.

Sure was fun today, sure does hurt tonight. I'd say from how calm it is tonight that we chose wisely.

[ericspin]

JC, beautiful dawn sky in your vid. Curious, are you paddling a V10S?

[LaPerouseBay]

Wind was lighter today, but the E swell was still strong.  Skis and outriggers don't need a lot of wind to get great glides.  Yesterday felt like 30-45 mph wind, today was 15-20.  Today's time was only 3 minutes slower. 

Here's a short clip from upper kanaha. 

[ericspin]

Hey, for all you Epic guys. Have you seen the V8 vs V10S comparison on Epics FB page. I couldn't wait to see who got to the _rock_ first.

[JonathanC]

Hey, for all you Epic guys. Have you seen the V8 vs V10S comparison on Epics FB page. I couldn't wait to see who got to the _rock_ first.

Looked on the FB page but couldn't find the video, could you please post the link to it ericspin.

[LaPerouseBay]

Starting to sneak in across the reefs.  Lighter wind, no NW swells and no breaking waves.  Great fun.  Ran the ridge through upper kanaha for the first time since oc-1 days.  Wow, they don't call them surf skis for nothing.  Great fun. 

Chris and I were always neck and neck in oc-1's.  Looks like I can get him now in light-medium conditions.  But last Saturday when it was big, he put at least 5 minutes into me.  Big conditions are still too spooky to charge in ski.  But the lumpy big stuff just before the entrance is super fun in ski.  They really shine over outriggers in the slop.  Crazy fast bouncy speed that last quarter mile, regardless of wind or swell. 

[ericspin]

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCAjiJIugejs&v=CAjiJIugejs&gl=US

Try this link for the V8 V10S video.