That Was Then, This Is Now!

My friend Keith McCulloch reporting in from Maui:

Maui Surf Report - seems like groundhog day here! 80 degrees every day. man i can't take this place:-)


a wahini exiting ho'okipa

Yesterday: Lowers goes off. solid logo high with occasional mast high waves with 17 to 23 knot NE wind made for a fun day at lowers.

the prototype 5.0 North ICE i was using was working well. I sailed for about 3.5 hours with 40 other people at one point. Like a conveyor belt, jibe on the first big nugget you see and peel off down the line smashing and bashing your way to a kick out point...and then watch out for the next set rolling in! Lowers makes you feel like a hero. no wonder these guys get good. like a great day at the cove without the rain:-) I think it wasn't as windy as the locals are used to... so lots of guys on a 4.7's and 70 liter boards bobbing around like corks. maybe they were rigging for the gust? i know its nice to have a small board on the wave.. but the time and pain you have to go thru to float that kind of gear into position? I guess i'm getting old.:-)

Then today.."Ho'okipa mast high+ , Redemption!" First a little history, a long time ago in 1998 I was here in January. Fresh off the boat as they say.. inexperienced with the winter conditions at ho'okipa..and full of excitement looking at mast and a half waves rolling in.. i rigged up and proceeded to launch into what was one of the biggest days that they have seen here in a while..little did i know.. isn't like this here all the time? (i saw it in the video) i should have know something was up since it was crazy windy and there were only 4 guys out.. well I just went on out like it was nothing......... to make a long story short.. Ho'okipa bit me hard that day.. i ended up on the rocks and broke all my gear. I even had to climb up the cliff to get the heck out of there since the current was so strong there was no way I was swimming back to the launch site...that was then... this is now!
 

Today similar conditions existed, maybe a little smaller wave than back then in 98.. but still pretty respectable and well over mast high on the big sets. light fluky wind side off.. lots of east in it. 10 to 23 knots.. i rigged a 5.0 and rode a Mark nelson 76 liter single fin custom (hey Stuart you'll be proud of me i sailed a board under 90 liters!) I slogged out thru the slot and proceeded to get warmed up on a few nice mast high nuggets..
 
slogging out!
 

then with each wave I was getting dialed in.. making deeper and deeper bottom turns and coming closer to the lip.. no big air off the lips for me today... just playing it safe, having fun and getting in tune with the swell and the place.
 

here i am on a small warm up wave...

nice wide turn.. getting the hang of things..

slowing down to let it catch up..

 
Martine says one wave I rode was easily mast and half.. I can believe her, as I bottom turned around the pitching lip and looked up it was bigger than my house. I sailed 2.5 hours or so thru some varied conditions.. real windy..then not so windy..
 

another wave. getting more comfortable..

probably 25 sailors out at one point. a couple of guys were really good.. lots of fun to see real action up close. I hate to say it.. but my best and biggest waves were not caught on camera.. isn't that the way it always is? so these photos of some logo high waves will have to do.
 
a local pro..showing how its done..
 

some other guys sailing

I hope a get another crack at this place before we have to leave.. forecast is for even bigger swell on sunday with a return of the trades. i've got 4 days left.

Well Keith, I get chills reading this post, and looking at the pics. I too have a similar story from my first time in big Maui Wave conditions. I'm looking forward to redemption there, AND at the Cove. hehehee- Yup, I can't forget that one either.


ps: Here on the east coast, we're getting hit with what they're saying is the biggest snow storm in recorded history. We have almost 30 inches so far. This fence is 3 feet tall

Trees are down everywhere

at there are many w/o power

This is my jeep

and the roof of my house

I tried to pull onto the street, which has 25-30 unplowed inches

It wasn't happening

so we're basically not going anywhere until at least tomorrow

OK, Catching Up On The Maui Surf Report

George,

Hello.

ok catching up on the reports...

since my last report i've sailed 2 times.

a few days ago i caught a killer slog and surf session at lowers. slog out.. and catch a clean, well organized logo high nugget.. snap off 3 solid bottoms turns and kick out tack up wind..and do it again.. every hour or so a mast high sets would roll through.. lots of fun.. there were about 10 guys out at one point... the wind was light..but steady so it was easy to slog into position for a killer ride.. no photos of that sesh.. too far away from the beach for martine to snap any..and too much work for me to hold onto a camera and slog around in big waves.. that sesh lasted 3.5 hours.. lots of work..but worth every moment..

we ran around a little.. drove over to the west side to check things out.. nice cliff hanger roads and incredible views.. (hey Keith, we love that drive, but you gotta do it counter clock wise)

then up the big volcano the next day.. pretty cool.. wish I had a sports car and the road was closed, would make a killer hill climb run. and the views were pretty nice as well:-)

then today it blew directly onshore on the north shore.. waves were about mast high at ho'okipa which has pretty much been the norm since we got here.. only a few days that the surf laid down to "only" head high. well the onshore wind really messed up the possibility of wave sailing in those monsters.. it looked like a bad day at the lighthouse..what a mess.. same story at kanaha..

so off to kihei... sunny windy.. no waves.. bump and jump it was...

fully powered on a 5.0 in side off wind.. big wind shadow on the inside..

but very filled in the middle of the bay.

saw a seal very close up.. 3' or so.. it was huge! several turtles, dolphin and a a bunch of whales.. ho hum;-) where are all the tiger sharks?

i thought i'd toss in a few more photos of why i'm out here..

I repaired and updated two 4'x4' 3 Axis CNC routers that are here in the Tectonics Factory.

Dennis Parton the owner designs the fastest fins in the world and the most race winning.

He's got some serious designs that out perform anything out there.

that's the scoop.. one more week to go.

over and out, Keith

live2sail

Maui Report-Kihei Bump n Jump

Here is Keith McCulloch checking in from Maui:

George,

hello. report#3

3 out of 7.... not too bad.. locals say this is the windest week in 2 months.. so i guess we should be lucky...

Martine and I sailed at Kihei today. Martine was blasting around on a 3.7 and I was sailing lit up a 4.7 , both North Ice sails.

Martine rode a 72 liter mistral and I was on a 78 liter mark nelson custom. bump and jump conditions.. warm and sunny. small mast pad high wave. we sailed sunny kihei since I owed martine a nice easy sail.. the other day...she hung out at ho'okipa for 4 hours watching me sail lanes, so i owed her one.

Today the north shore had big waves.. but was covered in clouds and mist.. making the wind flaky and light. we stopped at ho'okipa on the way home and watched a few guys slogging around catching some mast high waves every once and a while.  

Didn't get alot of photos today sorry. promise to take more tomorrow! over and out, Keith
 
Yes, more pics please.
 
PS. Janis wants you to go up to the Tedeschi Winery and pick her up a bottle of Maui Splash! Snap some shots while you're up there. Its one of her favorite places in the whole world
  
A few more shots from Keith. Looks like they went up the Iao Valley
 

The Battle of Kepaniwai ("Battle of the Dammed Waters of ʻĪao" or Kaʻuwaʻupali, "Battle of the Clawed Cliffs") was fought in 1790 between Hawaiʻi Island and Maui. The forces of Hawaiʻi were led by Kamehameha I, while the forces of Maui were led by Kalanikūpule. It is known as one of the most bitter battles fought in Hawaiian history.

If you've never been, its extraordinarily beautiful up there, and the trades funnel up and accerlate up thru the valley, constantly reminding you of the sailing you're missing down on the coast...hehehe

PSS-I'm going to be off the water for 6-8 weeks. I'm having my left shoulder scoped. I'll be back on it and ready for the spring windsurfing events in Hatteras, and perhaps even some action out on the left coast.

Maui Surf Report

From the North Shore of Maui, Keith McCulloch checks in with his second report:

George,
here is report #2..

out of 6 days i've sailed 2 so far.

I sailed today at lanes, wind was kona, 0 to 30 almost straight offshore at times, (kinda like the bath house in frisco..dirty wind and offshore).

i rigged a 5.0 north ICE and rode a Quatro 95L wave board. sailed for about 3 hours.. small crowd in the beginning.. then it got pretty crowded with about 25 sailors out.

mostly head high sets with a few coming in around logo high.
it was pretty fun and easy. alot like a day on the south side of hatteras with north wind and a swell.

martine snapped a few shots with the point and shoot.

Martine checking out some of the exotic fruit

doing lots of other things as well. snorkeling is good and hiking around checking things out.

I love how Keith nonchalantly says  "snorkeling is good and just hiking around and checking things out"...Like you just visit Heavan and just check things out!

Its funny, Janis and I can probably name the location of every photo in this post. Yup, we miss Maui.

Thanks for the report Keith/Martine. Keep them coming.

Live2sail

Midwinter Doldrums

We cruised down to Assateague Island sunday, hoping for soild conditions. But we couldn't get down there until  around 1pm, dead high tide. There was nothing happening on the sandbar, and the air was too warm anyway, so we decided to head home. Alas 3 weeks now w/o gettin in the straps, and the winter doldrums have taken hold here on the Delmarva.

Snapped this picture of the wild ponies on Azz Isl.

Then I took Janis by to give her her first look at the zamboni

I really need to get on the water soon.

Niko Iampieri

Good news is that January just about history, meaning March just 4 short weeks away.