The smokin spring and summer Maliko report

[headmount]

Today the great Maliko conditions returned.  Light load on the shuttle which included Justin from Melbourne.  He was amazed at the conditions.  Ear to ear grin.  After the grim conditions for the race it was great to have a visitor experience the full enchilada. Stick around here long enough and you'll get it.

Today somehow the glue from my graphite slip pad under my rudder peddle, decided the leak out enough to gunk up the slip pad.  Result was rudder peddle got stuck in various positions and when I forced it over with my foot, it went to extremes.  Challenging to operate like that.  My board PBill not yours.

Got home and rubbed it off with alcohol and smooth as silk now.  But it's something to check, especially if your board is getting on in age like mine.

[LaPerouseBay]

South shore was excellent too.  Wind was about as good as it gets.  My plan was to hang back on the glides and angle across the bombs as much as possible.  It's the best practice for keeping my hull speed going.  The downside is that it seems slower, as if big opportunities for fast glides are passing under.  I made a ton of mistakes and worked some big angles out and in from my destination.  But, as is always the case, not trying for a fast time resulted in a new personal best. 

The wind had a lot to do with it.  It was cranking.  But it's great to know how much more speed is out there.  Relax and keep the boat going downhill is working great.  Lots to learn about steering the boat more quickly on the small bumps.     

[LaPerouseBay]

This lady can write.  A must read for anyone contemplating ski.  She has a lot of sand, that's for damn sure.

http://runningwithwaves.com/

[peterp]

This lady can write.  A must read for anyone contemplating ski.  She has a lot of sand, that's for damn sure.

http://runningwithwaves.com/

Brilliant use of a keyboard - couldn't stop reading! Nice find!

[LaPerouseBay]

Yeah, she's amazing.  It almost works better for me reading it backwards.  But if zoners get turned off by the ski stuff in the last post, start at the beginning.  Don't miss it, she's very, very good. 

She's a bad motor scooter to be signing up for Mauritius.  Wow.  Big fan.  The trip in WA with the boys is on everyone's dream list.  She's SO cool.  She learned more about ski's on that trip than I did by reading every word on the interwebs and it shows.  Simply masterful how she dances around such controversial subjects.

Green dragons indeed.   

[LaPerouseBay]

Smoking E wind today, good E swell.  I experimented with an inside line, closest I've ever been.  Kinda spooky and technical.  Wore out my brain.  ET was ok, a bit faster than usual, but the run seemed longer.  Too much worry in there.  I prefer deeper water.

[ericspin]

This lady can write.  A must read for anyone contemplating ski.  She has a lot of sand, that's for damn sure.

http://runningwithwaves.com/

Larry, this is good stuff. I can so relate to 100% of this. It is good to know that I'm not the only one that mindfcuks the whole _which is the right boat_ thing. Lots of respect for her commitment to training and to stepping out to paddle in a big event. Speaking of big events you have surfski royalty in your backyard right now. Sounds like they might miss out on the excellent conditions you guys have had the past days. Hopefully they get enough bumps to help it rockin'. I love that we have this thread here.

[LaPerouseBay]

Thanks Eric, glad you enjoy the ski thread.  We have some royalty of our own right here on the zone.  Kissa beat Oscar back in '94.  Here's a clip from the history of the race, from this site: http://www.molokaiworldchampionships.com/about/

2004 ~ Herman Chalupsky crushed the field with a time of 3:48:40; Aussie Dave Kissane came in second with a 3:55:16 and Oscar Chalupsky third with a 3:58:10. OC-1 Karel Tresnak Jr. was back in play with a first place time of 4:11:15 with Mike Judd taking second with a 4:13:32 and Danny Ching with a third place finish of 4:22:23.

It's mind bending how fast skis go across the 32.3 nautical miles of that channel (59.8km, 37.2 miles).  Kissa's average speed on that day was 9.48mph, or 15.25kph.

Deano has the record at 3.21.26, set in '97.  That's an average speed of 11.07mph, or 17.81 kph.    

[headmount]

Today it was smokin hot.. as in temperture.  Worst VOG I think I've seen.  Burning eyes.  No wind. 

Paddled this morning  until I drained my camelback.  Sweated gallons.  Caught little perfect glass 3' at lowers on my Bullet to practice wave riding skills on extra long board.  Having to cross the reef with breaking waves during  the Olukai race made me realize this is a skill I want to keep sharp.  Lots of blade work to accentuate any rudder control, which by itself isn't enough. 

Checked my steering and made sure everything's set for this weekend when the wind is forecast to return in a vengeance. 

Covesurfer just arrived from HR so we're keyed up for the weekend.

[PonoBill]

Keep that kind out of trouble and don't let him get killed. We can't afford to loose such a reliable shuttle driver.

[LaPerouseBay]

Nice to have the wind back, south shore has been fun.  The south swell is a welcome addition.  It drives the currents, and snags them too.  Patience is a virtue when downwinding.  If glides are not working due to a swell - go easy.  It's just a matter of time until things swing around and glides rip better than usual.  Sandy beach landings are a blessing, but you need to be quick on your feet. 

[headmount]

Should have listened to LaPerouse Bay today.  South side was the call but I joined a gang for a Maliko.   Great crew in the 1pm shuttle, full of Bullets, good paddlers and two great paddlers, JR and Scott.  Greg from HR did fantastic on PBill's V2 and the board floated his light frame  high out of the water.   Probably the best Bullet for the day.   Conditions were light and suppressed by a few low clouds.  Still, it was better than it looked on the drive up.  Guess it's good practice to have to hunt hard for glides but hopefully tomorrow will bring an uptick in wind speeds. 

Body felt good after so many days of rest and hopefully I don't seize up tomorrow.  No falls today felt like an accomplishment.

[covesurfer]

Lighter conditions downwinder for sure but being here and getting to paddle is amazing! For my first Maliko in 5 months and being on the V2 for the first time, I was pretty happy with what we got.

At my weight, the V2 is pretty stable and it steers well if you sashay back to the tail. Because you have to do that dance all the time in the short period swell in the Gorge, the V2 didn't feel terribly weird, it was actually pretty confidence inspiring. I was amazed that I only had one fall near Lowers. Got a few really nice glides and some good surfs going into the harbor. The cross wind was mercifully light paddling across the harbor, a far cry from my last run. I know it's going to be more challenge on a bigger day.

HM claims he's slow but I don't think so. Chased him the entire run. Nice way to spend an afternoon. Big thanks to HM and PB!

[LaPerouseBay]

South shore was blasting today, fun run.

[hbsteve]

The story line made me laugh.  Thanks.