Nice Waves, Crappy Wind

We got our first big swell of the season today on the Maui's northshore. It was a beautiful site driving down the hill and looking out at the northshore and seeing the waves rolling in. When I got to Kanaha midday, the waves on the outside break at Uppers were pumping pretty good. I could see one or two guys way the hell out on the outside break and the waves were easily over mast high. Lowers was already packed. Probably 50 - 100 people out contesting for the head to logo high waves at Lowers. No doubt about it, the waves looked sweet. The wind on the other hand, was pretty pathetic. Very, very light and very onshore. I rigged 5.8, my biggest sail and put it on my 83 liter wave board, not really expecting to be able to make it to Uppers. Sure enough, I ended up slogging around Lowers. Caught one or two waves, but it was such a crowded zoo and the wind was so light it just wasn't much fun.

The wind didn't improve at all through the day. A steady stream of squalls seemed to keep the wind from kicking in. I took out my big freeride board just to be able to get around, but it's such a beast in the waves that I could only fool around on the little waist high shoulders at Lowers.

The thing to do today was probably to do a downwinder. I chatted with Matt Pritchard on the beach a bit. He and a few other launched from Sugar Cove near Sprecks and did a downwinder. He said there were some mast and half high sets on the way down, but the swell was a bit out of the northwest and with the northerly component in the wind, he said there were a lot of sketchy areas where there was just no wind at all. Proof of that was lots of broken gear today and lots of lifeguard rescues in progress throughout the day.

Maui Windsurfing Lesson of the Day - windsurfing on Maui isn't alway epic, even when the swell is pumping. Wind and waves don't always cooperate.