So maybe you’re getting tired of hearing about Maliko runs, I think this is the last one I’ll write up for awhile. But this one was kind of special, and perhaps a little stupid. I called the usual suspects and no one seemed to want to go. Just about as i was about to give Continue Reading
Maliko run number four is in my official record book. Last guy to the beach again, but I improved my time over the last run (the Maui Canoe and Kayak club race) by 15 minutes. If I keep improving at this rate by the time I have Maliko 10 under my belt I’ll be whipping Continue Reading
I turned the corner onto South Kihei Rd and saw whitecaps. Big, fluffy spraying-off-the-top whitecaps, and chunky swells even with the short fetch from Maalaea Bay. Perfect for a fast downwinder to the Four Seasons beach. Diane was dubious as usual, she considers anything beyond a gentle zephyr to be life-threatening, but I couldn’t wait Continue Reading
I have a lot of waterproof cases–I love having music along when I do a distance paddle. So I have a H2O Audio case for my Video iPod. Then I wanted something smaller, so I got the H2O Audio iPod Nano integrated headphone/case designed for swimmers. Works great. But then I decided I wanted to Continue Reading
National news coverage is a strong indication of a new sports growth, and Stand Up Paddle Surfing is getting it’s fair share. CBS Evening News had three engaging segments on Stand Up featuring Laird Hamilton and CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes. Here are the video feeds and a transcript of the primary broadcast CBS) Surf-legend Continue Reading
I did three hours this morning, before watching the F1 race (a GREAT race btw, Hamilton was amazing, overcoming a truely boneheaded pit strategy by McLaren that left everyone scratching their heads, and Nelson Piquet JR got on the podium with a very lucky second, though I certainly don’t discount the fact that he managed to hold Massa off, who probably damaged his undertray going all rallycross when Hamilton block-passed him.) I didn’t figure my mileage for three hours but it wasn’t much since I was fighting a headwind for the first half, but I doubt I did ten miles.
For those of you that have been following along, the migration to Dreamhost is complete, and I’m working on the new look and feel. I think people will like the new navigation–there will be several feature stories, selectable by tabs according to the topic. Below that will be picture-oriented articles, with lead pictures that you Continue Reading
Regular readers will probably notice the paddle test is back, replacing the Laird Hamilton article. The load times for Ke Nalu have gotten horrific, and I’m working on a new interface to fix that. I think everyone will like this one better anyway, it give quick access to lots of content, and it’s got a Continue Reading
I asked Bill Foote to build me a board and asked Diane to design the graphics. I’m delighted with the outcome, except that I haven’t had a chance to do much more than paddle it around–the surf kind of sucks lately. Here’s some pics (as always, the pictures are letterboxed–click on any picture to see Continue Reading
Laird Hamilton at Peahi What could you possibly learn from Laird Hamilton? The guy is way beyond the understanding of we mere mortals. That’s not just goofy hero worship. Not only is he an ultimate waterman, but he’s a visionary. He’s helped to birth multiple water sports including tow-in surfing and the renaissance of stand Continue Reading
Ke Nalu is a big experiment, and one test was making people jump a small threshold to leave comments (register and respond to a Captcha spambot test). The result is not many comments. I consider comments to be the lifeblood of online publishing, so I’ve turned all that off for the time being. I’m still Continue Reading
The new issue of Standup Journal is on it’s way to newstands (most Border’s Bookstores now carry it). Here’s a teaser courtesy of publisher Clay Feeter–the cover and first three spreads. These are lightboxed–click on any picture to zoom it to full size.
A custom wood paddle is a special thing. It’s Paul Newman showing up in the bar with a Balabushka. It sets a certain expectation, creates a certain frisson. Of course on the downside, you’d better be able to play a little fricken pool. Whether it’s a Gillespie, an Ernie Johnson Big Stick, a Kinimaka, or Continue Reading
Kind of an old video, but a lot of people have been talking about paddling techniques lately.
Bonga ripping Michi Schweiger From Naish International attended the Noosa Surf Festival which ran from March 2 to March 9, 2008. He sent us this photojournal story:
A lot of Paddlesurfers are returning to the sport of surfing after perhaps a long hiatus, or perhaps never surfed at all. Many of you will eventually get into bigger waves and experience the joy of bouncing around in whitewater or retreating from a crashing lip by hugging the bottom. One critical skill you must Continue Reading