One good run

The last two days in Maui have been a bit frustrating for me. The wind was good - I was overpowered on a 5.0 and a 100 liter board (which would be really small at home). The board was a JP SuperSport, plenty fast but a bit bouncy in the chop & swell here. It gave me a nice lesson in being a one-sided flatwater sailor - nothing worked here. Most of my jibes are wet, not a single one has been pretty so far. Most of the time, I'm either underpowered or scarily overpowered. It was obvious I needed a smaller board, but we decided to give Kanaha a try first, since it's flatter. Well, that was not much fun, either - the first runs were ok, but then wind and swell picked up, and I had problems getting into the straps! Something I thought I had learned 30 years ago...

We decided that windsurfing in Sprecks, right in front of our apartment, was more fun, and went back, after switching my board to a 85l FSW. We also decided to pay an extra $10 per day for a second boom, so that we both can keep 2 riggs ready to go. So it got late until we were back on the water. Wind had gotten very gusty, with huge holes. That gave me plenty of opportunity to practice my waterstarts :) But finally, after a lot of frustration here, I got in a great run, were I finally had the feeling of being in control, rather than fighting like hell to avoid catapults (no insuracen plan at Neil Pryde Maui!). That run made the work of the last few days worth it - and hopefully, it will be the first of many before we leave. The wind died of afterwards, though. I discovered how much the 85l board sinks without any wind (a bit more than knee deep), but I left the practice of sinker uphauling to another day.

Nina had a much better time the last couple of days. Her jibe success rate is better than mine - was just a question of time, I guess. She also got a great new waist harness from Neil Pryde that she loves, sailed her smallest board ever (85 l), and is looking forward to trying even smaller boards in the next days.

Since yesterday afternoon, and more so this morning, we have some breaking waves her in Sprecks. The better windsurfers (almost everyone here) played in the waves, which is fun to watch. I've seen a number of great front and back loops, high jumps, wave rides, and a few Vulcans, Spocks, and Shakas thrown in when coming back to the beach. Here's a random picture of someone on a nice high jump:

Maybe one of these days I'll jump like this - but it seems like a long way to go...