Hope on the Horizon

Maui weather today saw a slight improvement over the last few days. Still no wind, but we actually had a few thin spots in the clouds - enough to actually cast shadows! The weather guys are starting to talk about trades returning, possibly as soon as Sunday, but more likely not until Monday. This has got to go down as one of the worst Marchs for windsurfing in Maui history. Speaking of historical windsurfing stats, I got a cool link from Kanaha regular Steve R. yesterday that shows historical wind data. Check it out, there are indeed better days ahead:

Windfinder.com

Maui Kokua Classic

This week and weekend, Maui was supposed to have hosted the PWA's first wave event of the season at Ho'okipa Beach Park. While I don't know the details, that event has been postponed to later in the year (probably the fall) due to some "sponsorship issues," whatever that means. Turns out that was probabably a good thing as our wind is just not cooperating. However, the upcoming Maui Kokua Classic, an event for the kids, was scheduled to coincide with the PWA event. The Kokua classic is still a "go." Here's the details:

The event will consist of a beach clean up on Saturday, April 1st with a competition for April 2.  It is a no entry fee event.

04/01/06: Day 1 of the Maui Kokua Classic:

07.30am: Meet at Ho’okipa Beach Park, event site, for a welcome to all involved and a blessing by a Kahuna for a successful weekend.
0.800am: Beach Clean up begins at Hookipa Beach Park
10.00am: Beach Clean up shifts to Paia Bay in conjunction with the Youth Center
12.00pm: Lunch at Ho’okipa Beach Park and
1.00pm: Skippers meeting for Bull’s Eye Expression Sessions
1.30pm: Pro Men’s Bull’s Eye Expression Session
2.45pm: Women’s Bull’s Eye Expression Session
4.00pm: Legend’s Bull’s Eye Expression Session
8.00pm: Red Bull Party at Jacques Bistro, Paia

04/02/06: Day 2 of the Maui Kokua Classic – Keikis (kids)
10.00am: Meeting for Keiki Contenders at Ho’okipa Beach Park and start of competition workshop by top Windsurfing Champions
12.00pm: Lunch
1.00pm: Skippers Meeting for Keikis
1.30pm: Start of competition
5.30pm: Hawaiian Style BBQ at Paia Youth Center, Paia and Prize-giving for Keikis - Traditional Hawaiian Music and Dance – Community event

There is some possibility that the wind may cooperate. Some of the weather models are predicting a return of a trade wind-like pattern some time this weekend. Others are pushing it out into next week.

March Madness

To most people in the U.S., March Madness means NCAA basketball. To Maui windsurfers this year, it means the mental condition we're in due to the incredibly wet weather. Yep, more rain folks. While the other Hawaiian islands have been getting more rain the Maui over the last month, Maui saw its fair share today, with some huge downpours and even a tornado warning.

I suppose it was technically sailable at Kihei today. If you subscribe to iWindsurf, check out the graph for today. If you don't, well, let's just say that the wind in Kihei was a bit up and down. Starting in the morning with average wind in the low 30s gusting into the 40s, that dropping back into the 20s, then to absolutely 0 mph, followed by another gusty period with winds averaging in the upper 30s, gusting to the mid-40s, followed by a drop into the 20s and then lower. I'm interested to here from Norm if he and Bernd sailed there today. I can't imagine anybody could have picked the right sail at any given time.

Anyway, believe it or not, the forecasters are finally saying that this weekend may see an end to this rainy madness we've suffered through for the last several weeks. And our very own Speedy has unconditionally guaranteed that the wind will return even earlier, perhhaps Wednesday or Thursday. Personally, I'm a bit dubious about Speedy's prediction, but I'd love to see that come true. My personal prognostication is for light trades to return on Friday at 10:13 am with NE wind at 13 mph building to 17 with occasional episodes of 19 or so in the afternoon, then sailable trades on Saturday, starting in the mid- to upper-teens in the morning, and hitting the low 20s in the afternoon. But, what the hell do I know.

Kihei Day

Following Norm's advice from yesterday, I decided I better monitor Kihei's winds today. Sure enough, Kihei was reporting low 20 readings to start the day. Normally I wouldn't get too excited about this since Kihei reads a bit high on the wind sensor. But when I saw it hit the mid-20s, I decided I was desparate enough and headed over.

I got there around 11:30 and the place was already a zoo. Almost parked out, rigs all over the lawn and lots and lots of sailors and kiters on the water. South Kihei road was gridlock as wind junkies jockeyed for position along the shoulder of the road. Knowing how Kihei can be lighter than it seems, I rigged my biggest gear, 5.7/90L. Wind was side-onshore from the south, no waves despite a very slight south wind swell. The 5.7 turned out to be barely enough and at times I found myself slogging along with lots of others. The only people who really seemed be powered up all the time were those who rigged 6.0+ or the rubber-boned freestyle gumbies putting on a show 10 yards from the beach (there was some very impressive freestyle action goin' on). Looking at the graph afterwards, the readings were still saying 24, 25-ish for averages. Definitely reading at least 5 mph too high.

By about 1:30 the wind had dropped so much, there was a mass exodus from the water. So, props to Norm for reminding me to keep my eye on Kihei. It was pretty marginal sailing at best, but still good to get on the water after 2 weeks of being dry.

Correction

I stand corrected. Norm just replied to my previous post about just getting off the water in Kihei. Sure enough, according to the graph, looks like the wind came up. Probably coincided with that mass of rain that hit us earlier. We'll have to ask Norm to report on the conditions - cloudy and rainy sailing?

Norm is right though. In these Kona-type conditions, Kihei is the place to keep your eye on. When I lived in Kihei it was nice to be able to just jump in the van and be at the beach in 5 minutes, on the water in 20. A definite benefit of living or staying in Kihei this time of year.

Doldrums Continue on Maui

We've still got some pretty funky weather going on here. Lots and lots of clouds, some rain, hardly any wind. There's a Kona low northwest of Kauai pulling up lots of moisture and clouds. Unfortunately that low isn't really bringing the Kona winds that these lows often do. It's just effectively shutting off the trades. Things really don't look like they're going to improve in the near term. Here's a quote from the latest National Weather Service forecast discussion:

"THE GFS 150
SHOWS MUCH DRIER WEATHER STARTING NEXT TUESDAY AS THE WINDS ALOFT
SHIFT TO NORTHWEST. THE GFS 150 STILL SHOWS NO RETURN OF TRADE WINDS
THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH."

No good windsurfing news to report. Last Monday was the last day of even marginally sailable wind. This week has been characterized by very light winds, and lots of clouds here on Maui. Kauai and Oahu are getting super-saturated with heavy rains. Luckily we've missed out on the heavy rains here on Maui. But that's not much consolation for the wind-starved. Today might have been almost sailable for the super-desparate with really, really big gear - formula gear. I wish I could report a change for the better this coming week, but after just going through all the weather sources it looks like we're going to have our pesky low pressure to our west continuing to spin up moisture from our south and no trade winds. The poor guys at the weather office aren't painting a very rosy forecast for the next 5 days or more.

Rain

This weekend's plethora of wind has turned into a dearth of wind with lots of clouds and rain showers on Maui. Looks like we're in a pattern of lots of moisture and rain over the Hawaiian islands for the next several days. At least on Maui we're being spared the flooding conditions on Kauai and Oahu. But still, this March is starting to look a lot like last March - light on wind and heavy on the clouds and rain.

Yesterday was actually sailable if you timed it right and went to the right place. I spoke with Jazz (the guy doing the table top in the photo at the top of the page) last night at his birthday bash and he said he sailed Hookipa yesterday for about an hour. He said it was really offshore wind but fun since there were only about 4 other guys out. Meanwhile, Dave Blythe, the guy that took that photo of Jazz tried sailing Kanaha but ended up swimming in down by the canoe hale (house) at Kanaha.

Today, was a no wind day. Looks like the same tomorrow as well. The buzz around the Maui windsurfing society this week is that Jace Panebianco, Levi Siver and company just returned back to Maui from the Cape Verde Islands were they reportedly scored some epic swell with huge, glassy clean barrels. Word is that they captured this on film and video. Look for the photos in upcoming mags and video sure to be released by Jace's video studio.

You want wind? We got wind to spare!

Very windy weekend here on Maui. Winds have straightened out a little bit to a slightly more normal direction the last two days. Yesterday we saw wind in the 4.2 - 4.7 range for most guys. Pretty gusty, still light on the inside and really strong outside. Water really choppy, not much wave action to speak of.

Today was a bit like yesterday, but on steroids. Readings on the wind graph were already averaging 30 by midday. I went down anyway thinking things might mellow a bit. Conditions by all accounts were nuclear under gray skies and the constant threat of rain showers. Guys today were on 4.0s and 4.2s mostly. Nobody stayed out very long and nobody seemed to like it very much. Me? I didn't even bother to rig. Just didn't look any fun. Somehow ambling down the aisles of Costco with 1,000 other people seemed more fun. As it turned out, I saw several Maui local windsurfers doing the exact same thing. Looking at the wind graphs at the end of the day, the wind stayed above 29 most of the day, with a bried stint into the mid-30s with readings of 35 and 36, gusting into the mid-40s.

Happy Aloha Friday

Friday morning here on Maui and we've got mostly cloudy skies. Looks brighter than yesterday however. Yesterday was a gray day all day. If you monitored the wind graphs, you know there was wind on the north shore. As I monitored it on the web however it looked too offshore, gray, cloudy and cold to bother with. A report last evening from Speedy confirmed my decision was a good one. According to Speedy, who ventured out on his 4.7, it was super-windy outside and dead inside the reef. He said a 4.2 would have been better outside, but getting there on a 4.2 would not have been possible.

Things should be improving as we move into the weekend. Wind should start swinging around to a more normal NE direction by Sunday (that could mean today, tomorrow or Sunday). After that, the forecasts are calling for a long stretch of trades through next week.

Just a Quickie

Managed to sneak in an unexpected mid-day quickie session today. It wasn't supposed to blow today, but when I checked my online sources everything looked good to go. So, time to postpone mundane obligations and head down. On arrival, wind looked to be blowing around 20, light on the inside but maybe stronger on the outside. Rigged 5.3/90L. Great for about 15 minutes then the wind picked up about 5mph. Soon the 5.3 was more than a handful. 4.7 would have been ideal. Not much wave action. Just sloppy waist-high stuff, so jumping was the preferred adrenaline fix over wave riding.

So, the forecast is still calling for SE winds - which usually means no windsurfing on Maui - through Saturday. But, wise Maui windsurfers know, not to count out the possibility of sailable winds here regardless of what the weather geeks say.

5 Days in a Row

Yesterday I logged my fifth day in a row of sailing. That may not seem like much, but considering that the wind can be kind of spotty this time of year on Maui, it's worth noting - to me it signals that spring is here and summer is coming. Times when it's possible to sail 20 or 30 days in a row if your body can handle it. Personally, my body is started to complain after 3 days in a row. But, it has been a fun 5 days of sailing. The wind, for the most part, has been pretty good -- good direction, only slightly gusty sometimes usually strong enough.

Yesterday was a little lighter than Sunday. It was a tough decision whether to rig a 5.0 or 5.3. I opted for 5.o and 90L board. That was fine for awhile, but later in the afternoon the wind started tapering off. The 5.3 would have been better so I came in and got that. But the wind then decided to drop some more, to the point a 5.7 would have been more appropriate.

The waves have been on the decline each day in this stretch of wind. Uppers barely eeked out some waist-high sloppy sets yesterday. Still fun to bash around in, but nothing to get your heart and adrenaline pumping.

Looks like maybe another day of wind today, then the winds are forecast to turn SE in response to some low pressure systems to our west. Might bring some rain and clouds for a few days, but then by next week it looks like we have a shot of the trades returning again.

Sunday Afternoon

Turned out to be a pretty fun day of sailing today. Nothing epic as far as waves go, but a good, solid, fun day nonetheless. Got on the water shortly after noon on 5.0 and 90L and only had to share Uppers with half a dozen other sailors initially. Waves were mostly small and a bit junky, but a few head high sets rolled in occasionally. Combine that with bright sunshine, warm temps and you have all the makings for a great Sunday here on Maui.

Around 1:00 the wind kicked in a notch, and the 5.0 was a handful. Went out on 4.5 and a demo 78L Tabou Pocket wave. Perfect combo. Fun, fun board. The waves had dropped a bit and it was almost summer conditions with strong winds and backside riding at Uppers.

Didn't take long before the tank was empty though and I opted to give the body a rest and snap some photos. Team Gaastra/Tabou was out testing some gear today and I got a couple of shots of Matt Pritchard and Ross Williams blasting around. Though I think they were testing speed more than anything else, looks like Matt couldn't help but throw down a spock. Gearing up for his upcoming quest for a 3-peat of the Super-X title no doubt.

Looks like we should get another couple of days of trades at least.

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning here on Maui and it looks to be nice day so far. We've gotten off to a good start for windsurfing in March so far. Three days in a row so far. Friday turned out to be a pretty fun day of sailing. Got the late session after some work meetings, on the water at 4pm on 5.3 and 90L. Shared Uppers with just a few other late afternoon sailors. Some nice logo- to head-high sets occasionally and the 5.3 was perfect. I hear that Hookipa was pretty nice on Friday with mast high smoothies.

Yesterday held promise for an even better day, but somehow didn't quite make it. Winds in the early afternoon were still in the 5.0 - 5.3 range for guys, 4.5 - 4.7 for the wahines. Then around 3ish the wind kicked in and everyone was overpowered. By the time people came in and rigged down, the wind dropped back also.

Kanaha was almost like a summer day yesterday with all the local Maui windsurfers making a day of it with their families. All the local young rippers were out practing their freestyle and the beach and parking lot was a social hub bub of windsurfing parents. The visitors are also starting to return, seeing a lot more rental gear and rental cars. Looks like the windsurfing season has kicked off.

It's Friday morning here on Maui and we're starting to clear out from underneath the pesky clouds that have been plagueing us this week. Winds this week have been pretty flukey. The overall wind direction across the island chain has been out of the southeast. That tends to make the windsurfing flukey at best on Maui. Usually it makes things totally unsailable, but somehow it was actually sailable the last few days, though winds were very offshore on the northshore and very gusty and holey.

Got out yesterday afternoon for a surprise session - 5.7 and 90L. Inside the reef, the wind was almost non-existant. Once outside the reef though, the 5.7 was pretty powered most of the time except for occasional lulls where the wind would absolutely go to nothing. This happened a couple of times resulting in a dozen guys bobbing around in the break at Uppers. A veritable windsurfer smorgasboard for the tiger sharks. But, luckily they must still all be on the south side sampling the treats in Kihei and Wailea.

We should start seeing things improve today through the weekend. Wind should swing around to better direction. Supposed to be another north-northeast swell coming in today too.