The smokin spring and summer Maliko report

[LaPerouseBay]

Glad you like that V10S Eric.  The more I learn about skis, the more I realize that stability before ability is so important.  All those stories of paddlers with better form - not necessarily stronger - outrunning 'elite' boats are true.

I tagged along for a maliko run with Oscar and his students.  He had 6 students and 2 reps for his downwind clinic.  He put them all in V-8's and a few V-10S's.

Conditions were quite good, with excellent glides all the way down.  Not big wind, but great current and nice connections.  2 Epic reps were helping Oscar switch the students in and out of the double.  I'd watch and do the segments along with them.  He did the heavier, less experience students first.  I was able to keep up with the double for the first few legs, but I was at my limit.  About half way down Kathy got in with Oscar and they really motored.  They quickly dropped me.  The reps and I tried to keep up, but no chance.  But they paced me in V-8's.  When I pulled up to Kathy after she got back in her V-10S demo boat (she has a V10L) to ask her how it was, she looked like she had seen a ghost.  "you have to get in the boat with him.  His strength was unbelievable."  Just like Oscar said in his clinic, If he wants to beat top racers half his age, only technique will work.  It's all in his legs...

So back to the V10S scooting along.  A rep gets in the double and it vanishes.  Poof - one swell - gone.  Kathy starts off in pursuit of the double.  The rep in the V-8 drops me.  Kathy drops me.  Not by much, but I chased her for 2 miles as she floated along in milder conditions -  never caught her.  Granted, she's light as a feather and all muscle, but that boat and the V-8 surf real good.  I was a bit fried from a long day, but that's when elite boats make you pay.  When you get tired, stable boats are faster.  Have fun in that V-10S and don't worry about not having an 'elite' boat.  I can't go long in mine without falling apart.

Fun south shore yesterday, big wind was more offshore than I expected.  I was WAY outside.  No trouble getting in, but I paid a bit in overall speed because it was Left, left left all the way.  Big bombs out there.  Super fun.  The chart shows 2 miles out at Kam 1.  That's out there.  The Epic rep from Hood river was with me, we had a blast.



Gopro3+ silver has great clarity.  White balance gets tricked a few times.  They will probably remedy that glitch later.  I tried the wide angle for this run.  I like how it includes 'more' picture on the sides, but it distorts the waves too much.  I'm going back to the medium view.  They both flatten the waves, but the wide angle is just terrible for downwinders.  This was a big swell.  The rest of the run had some good stuff, but it all looks flat. 

The Gopro Studio editor has improved a lot.  I'll be switching to that and dumping the windows live movie maker.  I'll try Vimeo too.  Gopro studio is set up for it, so the vids should start looking better.  Vimeo accepts a lot more data than youtube.  The data from the cam to HDTV is astonishing.  Getting that quality to the web is not cheap or easy, hope they catch up soon.

 

     

[covesurfer]

Nice, LPB! You are flying on those glides! Interesting to have the speed readout vs. trying to figure out how fast you're going from the vid itself.

Yesterday was pretty amazing. Your line was bold, I stayed much further in. At one point, I was probably about a mile out and I got sketched with the wind blowing out so much. At that point, I just kept heading left. Today is not looking too good as far as I can tell.

[PonoBill]

I need to talk to that HR Epic rep, I want to try a V8, but I probably have plenty of time.

My surgery is Friday, and the doc says I'll probably be in a sling for six weeks. Yikes. I told him I wanted to be paddling in three months and he said "possible, not likely". My suprapinatus tendon is pretty much toast. It's been mostly detached for too long, all pulled back and atrophied. The Doc says he'll see if there's any possibility for partial reattachment, but not too likely. But I've lived without much there for two years, so I've been recruiting other muscles to do the work. The subscapularis is torn deeply and the tendon is rolled into the joint, which is why I can't touch my stomach. The tendon is in there like a doorstop. the Biceps tendon that runs next to the subscapularis is mostly detached, and they're going to decide where that gets reattached when they get inside. As long as I don't have to pull a string to raise my arm I'll be happy.

I guess it's a bit of a mess. The Doc says he'll be able to fix quite a lot of it, and I should be back to at least where I was before the most recent injury, and maybe a little better. So a Ski might be a good choice for rehab. At least that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

[covesurfer]

You need more gear on your roof rack, hahaha! Good luck with the surgery. Rehab on a ski sounds like something to look forward to. Maybe the different movement with the paddle stroke is therapeutic.

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[Aero]

Hey Bill - you can try my Fenn Bluefin sometime.  Definitely worth trying it before committing to a V8.  I liked the Bluefin much better, but it is all personal preference.  It seems like less of a barge, but just as stable.   I am planning to paddle in HR a lot this summer.  Cove can give you my number.  Aij.

[PonoBill]

Love to try it. It's going to be a little longer than I planned perhaps. I had my surgery yesterday, and it apparently was kind of messy in there. 1.5 hours turned into 4 hours. Hopefully that extra time equates to even better results. Or at least that's what I prefer to think.

[Aero]

Best of luck with your recovery.  You should be good to go by the time the water in the Columbia warms up .  Make sure to follow your doctor's recommendations on rehabilitation.  Worst thing you could do is to overdue it too soon and mess up the repair.

[covesurfer]

Yeah Bill, listen to Aij!

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[LaPerouseBay]

The wind is back boys.  Maliko was insane fun today.  Check your tide charts and look at 12-oclock.  The tide was DRIVING.  Inside was unreal.     

Hope your shoulder is healing up ok PB.

[Muskoka SUP]

I am stoked..  Looks like I lucked out, got into Maui Saturday, checked out the north shore spots yesterday - Kanaha was flat. 
Headmount will be taking me on my first Maliko run..I hope he's as patient as Pono
Suggested..

I watched a bunch of outriggers do a Southside run today.. Pretty cool looking out from our condo at Kamaole.  I can sure see why the South side is pretty good when the wind is right...

[PonoBill]

I am stoked..  Looks like I lucked out, got into Maui Saturday, checked out the north shore spots yesterday - Kanaha was flat. 
Headmount will be taking me on my first Maliko run..I hope he's as patient as Pono
Suggested..

I watched a bunch of outriggers do a Southside run today.. Pretty cool looking out from our condo at Kamaole.  I can sure see why the South side is pretty good when the wind is right...

He generally is, though he seems to be getting crustier as he gets older. Or maybe that's just from hanging around with me.

[Muskoka SUP]

Actually Bill is extremely patient, and an extremely cool guide.  I was in over my head, he politely suggested we bail at Ho'okipa.  I did the sitting/kneeling paddle of shame after getting beat and worked about a zillion times on J.C.'s Bullet (used to be Ponos?).  Bill went and retrieved his truck at the gulch, then we drove back to the harbour and waited for Steve. 

Lesson learned.  Don't try to change too many variables at once.  As in having no open ocean experience, as well as never having used a ruddered board before.

Humbled, yes.  But very thankful for having Headmount looking after my best interests. 

[stoneaxe]

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. At least I tell myself that,,,,

I tasted the humble pie on the south side with lots of open ocean experience so don't feel too bad. I couldn't handle the bullet either. I managed the rudder OKish (oversteered into a fall more than a few times.) but she was just too tippy for me.

[Muskoka SUP]

Thanks Stoneaxe.  I was thinking maybe I'll get back on the horse..on the Southside if conditions warrant it.   And on a 14' board.

[covesurfer]

First off, seriously beware of the southside right now. HM called and told me it was looking amazingly good over there on the cameras.

The problem is that a sperm whale is sick and dying off the south coast of Maui and is being systematically taken apart by a group of large tiger sharks. The whale, and sharks, were last reported off Wailea although I haven't seen any updates since early this morning (Tuesday May 27).

Yeah, the sharks are always out there but if there is a big attractant, like a dying whale, I don't want to be anywhere nearby.

I finished up a Maliko around 3 at the harbor with Southbay and Kathy S. It was on the light side but there were plenty of small bumps that were catchable. I fell in three times, all of my falls were pretty smashing. I don't know what is putting me in but I think it may be that I sometimes catch the nose when I'm trying to angle down a steeper face chasing a glide. This happens if I try and stay in the front seat, steering with the rudder but definitely not stepping back very far. The forward position is good on smaller stuff because you can get the nose into the glide and not stall the board by overtrimming on the back. But it requires finesse to not poke if you stay up there. Gotta work on that and moving my feet around more deftly.

This was my first downwinder in almost 2 weeks. There was plenty of paddling today if you wanted to get any glides. Nothing was ridden for free. Seems like the trades may be returning. Can't wait to go again!