Windsurfing in Hawaii for the flat water sailor
andy...@my-deja.com
while I'm there.
Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate windsurfer
who would rather avoid waves?
By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have managed
a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in 20-30 knot winds.
But all the sailing I've done has been on flat water, so I'd like to find
a place with as few waves as possible. Onshore or sideshore wind only;
I'm not interested in being blown across the pacific.
Suggestions for where to rent gear, especially near the recommended sites,
is also welcome.
I'll be on Oahu, Maui, and the big island.
I'm also interested in knowing locations (Ho'okipa on Maui is one I know
about) where there is big surf, not for windurfing myself, but for gawking at
the experts riding the waves and doing jumps and flips
Thanks!
Andy Latto
Andy....@Pobox.com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
andy...@my-deja.com
while I'm there.
Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate
windsurfer who would rather avoid waves?
By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have
managed a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in
20-30 knot winds.
All the sailing I've done has been on flat water, so I'd like to find
a place with as few waves as possible. Onshore or sideshore wind
only;I'm not interested in being blown across the pacific.
Suggestions for where to rent gear, especially near the
recommended sites, is also welcome.
I'll be on Oahu, Maui, and the big island.
I'm also interested in knowing locations (Ho'okipa on Maui is one I
know about) where there is big surf, not for windurfing myself, but
for gawking at the experts riding waves and doing jumps and flips.
dubois
slightly more comfortable with your waterstarts.
Later,
Fran
andy...@my-deja.com wrote:
> I'm going to Hawaii in two weeks, and want to do some windsurfing
> while I'm there.
>
> Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate windsurfer
> who would rather avoid waves?
>
> By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have managed
> a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in 20-30 knot winds.
>
> But all the sailing I've done has been on flat water, so I'd like to find
> a place with as few waves as possible. Onshore or sideshore wind only;
> I'm not interested in being blown across the pacific.
>
> Suggestions for where to rent gear, especially near the recommended sites,
> is also welcome.
>
> I'll be on Oahu, Maui, and the big island.
>
> I'm also interested in knowing locations (Ho'okipa on Maui is one I know
> about) where there is big surf, not for windurfing myself, but for gawking at
> the experts riding the waves and doing jumps and flips
rhona green
slalom sailing takes place. IMO the best spot is Maui Sunset condos where you can
launch from the back of the building on a very nice lawn area. Usually good winds
4.5 - 5.5.side shore and watch out for the sea turtles!
Unfortunately, all the rental shops are on the Northshore, 30 mins drive. I used
Maui Windsurf Co.(mostly F2 and Pryde). They rent you one board one mast and boom
and two sails. They also supply a small roof rack. You can change when you want
but that means driving North again. For transport, I would recommend renting a
van rather than a car if possible, so that you can keep you gear secure. I stayed
at Sugar Beach Resort in Keihei and had to rent storage lockers to stow the gear
every night ( a lot of work).
Good luck,
Brian.
John Lechmanik
> I'm going to Hawaii in two weeks, and want to do some windsurfing
> while I'm there.
>
> Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate windsurfer
> who would rather avoid waves?
>
> By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have managed
> a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in 20-30 knot
winds.
Hmm, stay home? Just kidding Hawaii is too cool for that. I'm not the
expert that others are, but Kanaha and Kihei in Maui are the usual places
for less experienced windsurfers. HOWEVER, the problem is that you normally
sail with a sideshore wind AWAY from the shore into deeper water, then turn
and come back in. So if you can't waterstart reliably, then I don't know
what you are going to do.....
Maybe the other islands will offer better choices....
--
John Lechmanik
http://members.home.net/johnhl
To Reply directly put "johnhl" where it belongs
Bryan Lewis
Kanaha, you'll have to rent a car or van & haul rental gear from the shops a
few miles away but they supply everything that you need.
Bryan
John Lechmanik wrote in message ...
ch
"that you normally sail with a sideshore wind AWAY from the shore into
deeper water, then turn and come back in. So if you can't waterstart
reliably, then I don't know what you are going to do....."
why woudl it be important to be able to waterstart?
"John Lechmanik" <put-my-n...@home.com> wrote in message
news:osqh5.69994$i5.11...@news1.frmt1.sfba.home.com...
Ken Maskrey
and cut skin.
Ken
rhona green wrote:
> Andy.............the south shore of Maui is where the typical flat / small chop
> slalom sailing takes place. IMO the best spot is Maui Sunset condos where you can
> launch from the back of the building on a very nice lawn area. Usually good winds
> 4.5 - 5.5.side shore and watch out for the sea turtles!
> Unfortunately, all the rental shops are on the Northshore, 30 mins drive. I used
> Maui Windsurf Co.(mostly F2 and Pryde). They rent you one board one mast and boom
> and two sails. They also supply a small roof rack. You can change when you want
> but that means driving North again. For transport, I would recommend renting a
> van rather than a car if possible, so that you can keep you gear secure. I stayed
> at Sugar Beach Resort in Keihei and had to rent storage lockers to stow the gear
> every night ( a lot of work).
>
> Good luck,
>
> Brian.
>
> andy...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> > I'm going to Hawaii in two weeks, and want to do some windsurfing
> > while I'm there.
> >
> > Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate windsurfer
> > who would rather avoid waves?
> >
> > By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have managed
> > a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in 20-30 knot winds.
> >
DDM
board that does not float your weight. Thus, if you had trouble waterstarting,
you would wash OUT to sea rather than into shore which is a much safer way to
learn.
ch wrote:
> This is a stupid question, but in the scenario that you pointed out:
>
> "that you normally sail with a sideshore wind AWAY from the shore into
> deeper water, then turn and come back in. So if you can't waterstart
> reliably, then I don't know what you are going to do....."
>
> why woudl it be important to be able to waterstart?
>
> "John Lechmanik" <put-my-n...@home.com> wrote in message
> news:osqh5.69994$i5.11...@news1.frmt1.sfba.home.com...
> > <andy...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
> news:8m4l60$crc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> > > I'm going to Hawaii in two weeks, and want to do some windsurfing
> > > while I'm there.
> > >
> > > Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate
> windsurfer
> > > who would rather avoid waves?
> > >
> > > By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have
> managed
> > > a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in 20-30 knot
> > winds.
> >
> >
ch
non-sinking board could feel safe enough even with wind that heads out to
sea?
"DDM" <Do...@pagesz.net> wrote in message
news:3987093E...@pagesz.net...
RMoore 41
>non-sinking board could feel safe enough even with wind that heads out to
>sea?
I think it needs to be made clear that all the sites on Maui are ROUGH and
WINDY. Flat water by local standards is wind chop less than three feet. Unless
you are taking lessons in a controlled environment you won't be safe by
yourself unless you are a good waterstarter or maybe find the rare day when the
wind is slack. Think of how easy it would be to uphaul your sail in a washing
machine.
MTVNewsGuy
I was there for three weeks in October, it was 8.0 and pretty flat at 10AM. At
noon it was generally 6.0 with the chop coming up, and at 4PM it was rocknroll
on a 4.7, with 10 feet of air easily available. Staying on the inside at
Kanaha during lighter wind hours is manageable.
Michael
US5613
RMoore 41
before. Maybe 11:00?>A great thing about Maui is that the wind tends to build
MTVNewsGuy
allowed to windsurf
before. Maybe 11:00 >>
You are right. I meant it was 8.0 around 11 oclock, btw. The fisherman have
the water before then.
Michael
US5613
John Lechmanik
news:CjDh5.127$Z2....@nnrp1.uunet.ca...
> This is a stupid question, but in the scenario that you pointed out:
>
> "that you normally sail with a sideshore wind AWAY from the shore into
> deeper water, then turn and come back in. So if you can't waterstart
> reliably, then I don't know what you are going to do....."
>
> why woudl it be important to be able to waterstart?
Not a stupid question, but I guess I left out an important part. I assumed
that if you can't waterstart reliably then your jibes are less than perfect.
So if you miss a turn, there is a very great possibility that you will be in
the water. Hence the importance of a reliable waterstart.
Now I guess I made another assumption. Every time I have gone sailing there
it was at least 5.5 or better conditions (except in the mornings when
longboards and easy breezes were present). These windy conditions usually
means shorter boards, which means you won't be able to uphaul and will need
waterstarting experience. I've noticed that nobody else seems to say this.
So either the winds CAN be lighter and people will sail on larger boards, or
else I'm the only one who thought of this :-)
I seem to remember Lac Bay, Bonaire is a great place to learn to waterstart
:-)
Mike F
there, rather than towards Australia. Hell, YES, you can wind up lost at sea
... permanently ... sailing in offshore winds. But the waves you see in the
mags won't be a problem in summer because those waves are a wintertime thing
in Hawaii. Ho'okipa is a light-air pussycat most summer days, except for the
reefs near shore you do NOT want to get washed into.
BTW -- you WILL learn to waterstart very quickly in Hawaii for one simple
reason: motivation. Otherwise, you won't get to sail, 'cause you AIN'T gonna
uphaul in two-to-three feet of chopswell.
Mike \m/
To reply directly, remove the SpamDam.
<andy...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8m4l60$crc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> I'm going to Hawaii in two weeks, and want to do some windsurfing
> while I'm there.
>
> Any recommendations for good places to go for the intermediate windsurfer
> who would rather avoid waves?
>
> By "intermediate windsurfer", I mean that I can beach start, have managed
> a waterstart or two, but not reliably, and am comfortable in 20-30 knot
winds.
>
Chris Schefler
calls a "snap uphaul" on a 100 liter board and he weighs 200 lbs! But in 3 foot
chop, i don't know, that might be a different story.
MTVNewsGuy
he demonstrates what he
calls a "snap uphaul" on a 100 liter board and he weighs 200 lbs! But in 3
foot
chop, i don't know, that might be a different story. >>
Three years ago at an in-store appearance in Cape Hatteras, Robby Naish
responded to a comment about uphauling being a newbie move with "I uphaul all
the time." We can be sure that Robby can uphaul any board he wants.
Andy Brandt, Alf Imperato and the ABK mob have taught to position the sinker so
it's pointing dead upwind, and pull the sail up from the back directly into the
wind, fast. Then grab the boom, shove rig forward, and bear off like you're
coming out of a tack.
Michael
US5613
ch
a windsurfer existed that actually doesn't support your weight. If I
couldn't stay upright without sinking, I wouldn't know what to do when the
wind just STOPS like it often does.
Thanks for all of the comments everyone, pray that I get relocated to Oregon
or Hawaii
Chris
"Mike F" <iso...@earthSpamDamlink.net> wrote in message
news:wvNh5.1839$0W4....@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
RMoore 41
waterstart effortlessly in all conditions. Experts drop their sails in the
water from time to time and it may be easier to pull the sail out the water
that to fish the sail out of the water by hand, position it and waterstart.
possibly faster too. But it takes more skill to uphaul a shortboard in rough
water than it is to waterstart. The original poster needs to realize that if he
sails off the beach at any of the popular sites on Maui and all he can do is
uphaul he might not come back.
ch
In the described Maui conditions with strong winds and 3 foot chop, a
windsurfer would also need to know how to gybe well right? Would you use a
turn into the wind (tack?) with those conditions?
(If anyone is tiring of the questions, let me know!)
The reason I'm asking is because I went to Cabarete in December and loved
it. (Although the rolling seas took a lot of getting used to) I'm thinking
of going back this year but am looking into other sites. Also, the
"experts" at Cabarete were quite forgiving of a guy like me, trying my
damnedest to learn to gybe quite close to where they were racing around.
Are individual windsurfers so friendly elsewhere?
Another question--chop is windblown waves right? Entirely different from
waves that roll in from the ocean?
Chris
"ch" <aj...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:B9_h5.681$Z2.1...@nnrp1.uunet.ca...
Chris Schefler
how/where it attaches. When I took it off I was thinking it was useless on a
shortboard. I suppose it still is useless at my (low) skill level...
That's exactly what Peter Hart said, that sometimes, like in a failed jibe, the
sail is dropped, it can be easier just to snap it back up than to water start. He
also demonstrated a clew-forward waterstart. That guy has all kinds of tricks up
his sleeve. (Thanks to whoever recommended the video series, they are great).
RMoore 41
a pretty good waterstarter. I had a great time! I would sail way out avoiding
the waves and reefs, try to turn, fall in, waterstart and ride the chop and
swells back in
.>In the described Maui conditions with strong winds and 3 foot chop, a
>windsurfer would also need to know how to gybe well right?
>Would you use a
>turn into the wind (tack?) with those conditions?
Unless you are a well skilled sailor it is much easier to jibe than to tack in
rough and windy conditions.(maui) You can turn on a piece of chop or swell when
jibing and if done well the board will remain stable and all you have deal with
is sail handling. Tacking takes more precision as when you come up into the
wind the board loses speed and becomes unstable. and you still have to deal
with the sail handling. Ever done the Hoola?
Mike F
lakes are, not that they are lakes. It's a matter of wind quantity, not
water salinity; of how far you're willing to wal or fly iof you do get blown
away; and whether you speak the language native on the nearest downwind land
mass. And, BTW, that last concern applies even to some lakes on the Rio
Grande and the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Jibing ability REQUIRED in chop, swell, etc? Naaah, it's just icing on the
cake. Waterstarts, OTOH, are critical IF the downwind shore is not
convenient. That's what's nice about the windward shores on Oahu and Maui
.... they are nearby, perfect sandy beaches. One can walk back all day, but
one will still learn quickly to waterstart because sailing is so much more
FUN than walking.
Yes, 98% of us are just smiley idiots everywhere, 'causewe were you just a
year or a decade ago. And as in every wal of life, there are a couple
percent of ... well ... 2 percenters. Those people are 2 percenters
everywhere they go, whether windsurfing, at the office, or breakling in line
at the pay phone. Some KNOW they're flagrant buttholes, others go through
life never comprehending why life treats them so badly.
And for your purposes, chop is small, harsh, random bumps that make sailing
rough, while swell is smooth, regular rows of mounds that interfere with
uphauling but not with sailing. Their sources are varied, and are not very
important to you yet.
Mike \m/
To reply directly, remove the SpamDam.
"ch" <aj...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:B9_h5.681$Z2.1...@nnrp1.uunet.ca...
> Can anyone tell that I only windsurf on a lake? I didn't even consider
that
> a windsurfer existed that actually doesn't support your weight. If I
> couldn't stay upright without sinking, I wouldn't know what to do when the
> wind just STOPS like it often does.
>
In the described Maui conditions with strong winds and 3 foot chop, a
windsurfer would also need to know how to gybe well right? Would you use a
turn into the wind (tack?) with those conditions?
(If anyone is tiring of the questions, let me know!)
The reason I'm asking is because I went to Cabarete in December and loved
it. (Although the rolling seas took a lot of getting used to) I'm thinking
of going back this year but am looking into other sites. Also, the
"experts" at Cabarete were quite forgiving of a guy like me, trying my
damnedest to learn to gybe quite close to where they were racing around.
Are individual windsurfers so friendly elsewhere?
Another question--chop is windblown waves right? Entirely different from
waves that roll in from the ocean?
John Lechmanik
news:398879EE...@earthlink.net...
> Heck, I think I'm going to put my uphaul back on my boom! I hope I can
remember
> how/where it attaches. When I took it off I was thinking it was useless
on a
> shortboard. I suppose it still is useless at my (low) skill level...
I took an ABK camp a few years ago out here in the SF Bay area (Sherman
Island). Unfortunately the wind was a bit dead on one of the afternoons and
we learned shortboard light wind techniques. These included uphauling,
tacks, and pivot jibes on shortboards. I found myself a total spaz in class
and spend a lot of time in the water.
Now with practice and in fairly light chop, I found I can uphaul my F2
Freeride 282 anytime I want (I weigh 190lbs), and I used to be able to
uphaul my Bic 270 Vivace (don't have it anymore) even though my feet were
underwater. Now uphauling my F2 Axxis 262 is another story. My point?
Well besides patting myself on my back, I was amazed at what you can do with
a shortboard if you practice. Something that can happen out here a lot on
the Delta. Instead of sitting on the shore doing the delta stomp (stomping
your feet waiting for the wind) I tend to go out for a session of low wind
(i.e. no planing) shortboard skills.
However the others are correct. IF the wind is strong enough for
waterstarting, then it is WAY easier than uphauling.....
Mike F
We had a pair of guys who liked to sail submarine style, as they called it.
They'd go out in no wind, uphaul their sinkers, and sail around with water
up to their knees.
DDM
balance and be willing to swim every once and a while:-) I've gotten so I can
"sail" with water up around my calves pretty well, but once it gets to my knees,
things get pretty fouled up. Try it, you'll like it.
ch wrote:
> Can anyone tell that I only windsurf on a lake? I didn't even consider that
> a windsurfer existed that actually doesn't support your weight. If I
> couldn't stay upright without sinking, I wouldn't know what to do when the
> wind just STOPS like it often does.
>
> Thanks for all of the comments everyone, pray that I get relocated to Oregon
> or Hawaii
>
> Chris
> "Mike F" <iso...@earthSpamDamlink.net> wrote in message
> news:wvNh5.1839$0W4....@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> > Sail the windward shores. The wind, by definition, blows towards Hawaii
> > there, rather than towards Australia. Hell, YES, you can wind up lost at
> sea
> > ... permanently ... sailing in offshore winds. But the waves you see in
> the
> > mags won't be a problem in summer because those waves are a wintertime
> thing
> > in Hawaii. Ho'okipa is a light-air pussycat most summer days, except for
> the
> > reefs near shore you do NOT want to get washed into.
> >
> > BTW -- you WILL learn to waterstart very quickly in Hawaii for one simple
> > reason: motivation. Otherwise, you won't get to sail, 'cause you AIN'T
> gonna
> > uphaul in two-to-three feet of chopswell.
> >
> > Mike \m/
> > To reply directly, remove the SpamDam.
Mark H
>
> Another question--chop is windblown waves right? Entirely different from
> waves that roll in from the ocean?
That 's how I always thought of it especially as you get it on lakes. The
small messy stuff rolling in from the sea is what we call "shore-dump" over
here.
Waves are well, waves! not that I've windsurfed on them yet - i'll wait
till I can gybe & water-start half-decently as i've got an image of my kit
getting mashed up whilst I struggle to tack, uphaul and repeatedly fail!
I'll be sticking to a plain old sail-less surfboard till then as I'm hoping
the skills will be transferable someday. Besides my girlfriend just bought
me a gorgeous custom mini-mal!
Mark
David R. Fielder
If you are going to Kona, Big Island, contact Dave Hume prior. You will find
that location very friendly at your level: dhume...@aol.com (DHumeandCo)
David