Our weird weather continues here on Maui, with cool temperatures and gray skies prevailing. I finally got out on the water on Thursday afternoon – 5.0 Manic and 85 Da Curve. Conditions were far from epic but it did feel good to get out on the water after two and half weeks without sailing. The wind was pretty decent and the 5.0 was the right call. The waves at Uppers, as is often the case, were kinda funky at times. Some good head- to logo-high sets, but lots of that Uppers weirdness where you spot a nice set, get positioned, sit on the peak and wait for your moment, only to find that the sweet spot is suddenly 50 meters downwind. Pretty sectiony at times and a lot of timing and luck required to get the nicer waves. And it’s not just me. Neil Pryde’s product manager Peter Biejl commented to me while I was derigging how weird it was at Uppers. I replied back, “yea, typical Uppers.” To which he replied, “yea, but this seems worse than usual.”
Despite the cool gray weather, lots of people are still managing to have a great time. I chatted briefly with Andy from Hatteras who seems to be having a great time here on Maui while testing Gaastra and Tabou gear. Goes to show that fun is all relative and subjective. If you read the latest issue of Windsurfing Magazine, they’d have you believe that the best windsurfing is in the winter when it’s 30 below and you can barely move because you’re wearing a 10mm of neoprene. Sorry guys. I’m not buying it. I moved to Maui to sail in the sun and warmth without a wetsuit.
Speaking of wetsuits, I’ve been seeing a lot of shortys and full-on wetsuits at Kanaha this week. I went down to Kanaha again yesterday, intending to sail, despite the continued gray skies and temps in the low 70s. Wind yesterday had clocked around more to a bit of a side-off shore direction, making it pretty light on the inside. Waves had also declined significantly. Standing there at Kanaha, looking at a light wind slog to the wind line, small, sloppy waves, and already feeling cold, I realized I had zero desire to go sail. Spoiled snob? You bet! It’s not just me though. A visiting Canadian, who requested anonymity, commented how cold it was yesterday. A Canadian commenting on how cold it is in Maui!
There have also been a lot of injuries at Kanaha lately. Yet another dislocated shoulder incident on Thursday along with broken wrist and I hear yesterday that Nick Warmuth broke his ankle at Uppers. Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to all the injured windsurfers out there.
Sadly it looks like the cool gray conditions will continue for several more days at least. In fact, today we get to add light to moderate rain into the mix. It might be epic conditions for the staff at Windsurfing Magazine, but I think I’ll pass until conditions improve a bit.
