Author Topic: Olukai 2018  (Read 5654 times)

digger71

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Olukai 2018
« on: April 26, 2018, 05:51:19 PM »
Each year life tries to get in the way but I keep working my way over to Maui for Olukai week...and here I am again!  Really is a great event that unfortunately happens at not a great wind time of year for wind.  There are however worse places to be :)

Wind has been very good all week and I've managed 4 solid runs so far.  Even managed to finally get in a Kihei run with some of our regular contributors: Pono, Headmount, and Covesurfer - accompanied by several more paddlers.  The first 5 miles were the best downwind conditions I have ever experienced.  Almost made up for the grind the bottom half turned into when the wind died.

Unfortunately for Olukai today is the end of it.  For the 2nd year in a row the event weekend looks like crap -  North winds and likely rain.  To top it off they are calling for pretty significant surf on Sunday for the OC-1 event.

Great to be here and to see everyone, but would love to see this event run in July!

peterp

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2018, 11:53:36 AM »


Unfortunately for Olukai today is the end of it.  For the 2nd year in a row the event weekend looks like crap -  North winds and likely rain.  To top it off they are calling for pretty significant surf on Sunday for the OC-1 event.

Great to be here and to see everyone, but would love to see this event run in July!

One of life's great mysteries......same as the surfski M2O....

PonoBill

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2018, 09:40:35 PM »
I'm signed up, but no.
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: Olukai 2018
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2018, 01:14:01 PM »
Signed up months ago with my fingers crossed. Last year was even more awful looking but north winds today in the 20+ range will be sending everybody way more left than they will want to be going. And, there's enough surf that crossing the reefs at Kanaha will be plenty festive for those who tough it out.

I was still hoping for OC1 tomorrow, which can be fun even with less than ideal wind conditions but with good sized surf forecast to build in later today, that too would be a potentially costly race. I want a new boat but I can't afford one so I darn sure don't want to break the one I have! Hopefully, things will go back to trade wind before Paddle Imua next week.

PB, bummed we don't get to do Olukai. I was looking forward to that as your send-off race. Not going to be the same rattling around this island without you.

digger71

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2018, 01:47:22 PM »
And the race is officially off for today.  All the crap above plus bad visibility.  Oh well, hope it’s better for Imua

digger71

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2018, 12:44:33 AM »
I was still hoping for OC1 tomorrow, which can be fun even with less than ideal wind conditions but with good sized surf forecast to build in later today, that too would be a potentially costly race.

Gonna be carnage tomorrow if the surf forecast holds up. 

NORTH MAUI: Solid, short to mid period NNW swell with double to triple overhead surf at exposed breaks, while standout spots see sets pushing 18-20’ faces during the afternoon.

I'm heading to Lanai for a couple days so going to miss all the fun tomorrow.  Hopefully the winds pick back up by Weds.

PonoBill

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2018, 04:10:09 PM »
There's no wind to speak of, just a little out of the north, but the surf is BIG. I watched the start of the race. A small contingent of pros and a fair number of non-locals wh were going to do the race no matter what. Brave, but geez. Some of them didn't look really up for it. Everyone got out of the gulch OK, though it was pretty challenging, Some sets came through that almost closed the entrance. I've seen it wilder than this, and I've done winter Malikos that were wilder, but we had good wind to try to avoid the mackers, and except for one nutty time with Boyum and client of his from Alaska, we've never come over the outer Kanaha reef in this kind of stuff.

They moved the turn buoy and are having everyone come in past the Portuguese Triangle, which is good. Archie Kalepa is the safety director, and if Archie says it's good then it's good. He knows the waters as well as anyone alive. Lots of safety boats and skis. I expect everyone will get in OK, but there might be some board damage. I was happy to see a number of non-pro folks with PFDs. They might need them.
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: Olukai 2018
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2018, 08:40:39 PM »
I watched the OC1 finish after I grabbed my two pairs of slippahs.  There was carnage and these guys were very accomplished paddlers.  The triangle was normal and then a macking, hollow, dumping two and a half overhead set would pump through, closing out the channel. I saw a handful of OC1’s flying through the well overhead whitewater, some with amas attaches, some without.  Looked insane. Even crazier, lots of guys made it in unscathed.

PonoBill

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2018, 08:56:55 PM »
That doesn't sound promising for the SUPs, though the swell was dropping a little and the tide peaked at 3:17. Saving graces. Hope they all did well, glad I didn't go.
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.

blueplanetsurf

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2018, 10:39:44 PM »
The wind was very light but there were still some bumps to catch and the big surf added some excitement, so it was far from a boring flatwater race.  I'm proud of our 18 year old team rider Ty Judson who finished 4th.  He was in first or second position for much of the race but fell in twice coming in at the end.
I paddled for a bomb at outer Kanaha and rode the shoulder for a while at the end of the race, that was exciting.  Here are the preliminary results on sup racer.com:
http://www.supracer.com/2018-olukai-stand-up-paddle-race-results/

Here is a new video we posted of Ty with the new Unlimited dugout board he used in the race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmRTdoT3-8U
Robert Stehlik
Blue Planet Surf Shop, Honolulu
Hawaii's SUP HQ
http://www.blueplanetsurf.com

headmount

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2018, 08:29:47 PM »
Kudos to Conner who raced after what has been a long sickness and still did it right.

headmount

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2018, 08:31:42 PM »
Kudos to Conner who raced after what has been a long sickness and still did it right.

TallDude

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2018, 10:32:19 PM »
The wind was very light but there were still some bumps to catch and the big surf added some excitement, so it was far from a boring flatwater race.  I'm proud of our 18 year old team rider Ty Judson who finished 4th.  He was in first or second position for much of the race but fell in twice coming in at the end.
I dig the board Robert. That balance of slightly rounded vs flat bottom and an inch in width either way is a complicated formula. Sounds like it got a little messy at the end. It'd be nice to be able to just dial a inch or two in width, on the fly:)

Glad Conner is getting back to a healthy life....Great news.
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

digger71

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2018, 11:35:07 PM »
Some of the pics coming in are pretty nuts!

This is the paddle out at Maliko


Travis Grant coming in at Kanaha


And a 2 man getting in trouble somehwere

headmount

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Re: Olukai 2018
« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2018, 09:18:44 AM »
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