Got Wind???

I was talking to some sailing buddies at the beach recently, and came up with a list of 8 reasons as to why you should sail with me:

1. You will always rig faster than me, even if I start 10 minutes before you. Its just the way it is. So you can feel really good about your rigging skills if you rig with me.

2. I will make you feel really smart, because no matter who you are or what skill level you are at, I will always ask if you think I have enough downhall. You would think I have it figured out by now..but no... I always need a second opinion no matter what the conditions.

3. I will taunt you while we rig, telling you how you should watch out because I will be ripping on the waves, or tell you to watch out for my spray when I fly past you fully powered, or tell you to stay out of my way when I go for my double forward loop. I will get you all pumped up to go out and have the best session of your life. This leads into number 4.

4. I am a pretty poor windsurfer, so you'll feel really good about yourself when you sail with me. Especially after I taunt you on the beach. You'll think I am doing pretty good, and then you will see me do something totally ridiculous and eat it on the water. That should put a smile on your face, especially when you see the look on my face, which brings us to number 5.

5. The looks on my face must be amazing. I usually am grinning (like an idiot), but on some days I am sure I have that "mama!" I'm scared look on my face. No matter what though, I seem to always have a good time, smiling and laughing.

6. Some of my catapults are pretty unbeatable. Even ask Nick, the last one he saw me do he claimed was top 3 for sure. He was laughing pretty hard at me, and I laughed until I cried and my ribs hurt.

7. I make bad windsurfing look good. Or at least I think I do. Sometimes my bikini bottoms slip off my cheeks, and I am too overpowered to pull them back up. This is a little more pesonal though, so you'll have to decide if this is good, funny, or just plain wrong. Its up for debate for sure. Hopefully it makes you laugh at least.

8. My favorite reason for you to windsurf with me is my friend Laura! She is almost waterstarting now and she is amazing. She is beautiful and looks better on a board and sail than I do without a doubt. Her grin is even bigger than mine, and she laughs more than I do. She is going to be my sailing buddy and its almost impossible to not have a good time with her around. And, she is Colombian. You will love her.




The last two days were ridiculously windy. I'm talking about the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-bikini hoping-it-stays-tied kind of windy. The kind that makes you think getting drug tied up behind a pickup truck going 60 mph might be a little easier on your body. And, I had a blast sailing in it.
Monday I had 2 hours between my two jobs and I went to Lowers to get a quick session in. Where was my brain when I check the wind forecast?!?! Why didn't I bring my 3.2 sail down from the house?!?! Why do I believe in torturing myself?? Well 3.8 was my smallest sail and I rigged anyways. I admit that I thought twice about it when I saw full grown men going out on 3.8 sails, but stubborness and maybe a little bit of stupidity won out. I suddenly forgot where I was. Wait...am I back at Ram Tap Championships 3 years ago, leading Corona (my horse) to the warm-up arena? Because that is the one thing that stuck out in my mind as I struggled out over the Kanaha Reef. As I tried to waterstart my sail pulled hard on my hands. My board and sail fought me violently as held tight to the boom. Flashbacks of Corona dancing on the end of his line ran through my head. It amazes me that two completely different sports can feel so similar at such an intense moment. I remember Coronas athletic, lean, muscular body dancing alongside me. I remember him half-rearing and pulling at the leadrope in my hands to release his energy.
What makes me laugh is remembering seeing people walk by, staring with huge eyes at the massive animal parading along side me. Im sure they thought I was crazy, but there I was, grinning. Yes, like an idiot. I stayed calm and kept smiling, optimistic that he would soon put his energy to good use.
So here I was two days ago at Kanaha, still smiling to myself, optimistic that the wind would mellow out just enough for me to waterstart and cruise back in to the beach. It took time, and patience, but eventually I was back on my rig and flying across the water. I kept telling myself "just one more run"...and I eventually sailed the entire time, grinning like an idiot, making a fool of myself getting catapulted around. Some things never change.



Yesterday was a sweet day too. I know this is a really really long post (wait, aren't all my posts really long?) but I have to share it with you. I was on a 4.8 and I needed it to make it out. There was NOOOO wind on the inside and I almost swam out. I could see the windline clearly...and after a good slog, I reached it. Holy smokes, I needed a 3.8. My sail was waaay to big, but I stayed out anyways. As the sun slowly moved down, the wind shifted to a perfectly powered 4.8. For about 15 minutes I was cruising along, totally relaxed. In and out I went through the waves. Perfectly small, shoulder or head high at the most I think? I caught a perfect one, and I think I even rode it properly!! I unhooked my harness and slogged... waiting for the wave to push me. At last it caught up with me and I almost missed it. A bit of pumping and I suddenly glided down the face. I slid my back hand towards the clue and imagined an inside jibe. I carved down and then back to the top , still waiting for it to break. My sail felt so light in my hands, and my board felt so smooth and sensitive. Down again I went, carving along, pushing my toeside rail in. Really? Is this how its supposed to feel? This nice? I got in 3 turns like this before the wave broke. I came back up to the white water and went over it, and back down to ride straight in.

I did it :-D

I got three waves in that felt like that. And then the wind turned to overpowering gusty crap again. I got washed for a while and spent what felt like 30 minutes trying to get upwind again to where I launched. But it was all worth it for those three little waves I took, and I have been smiling ever since.

Aloha, and everyone have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am thankful for so much and I hope you are too.





Here are a few pictures of Corona. Most people here on Maui don't realize how important horses were (and still are) to me. Imagine how much time you put into water sports, how much thought and energy. Insert horsebackriding and competing horses there, and you can understand how dedicated I was to it.
Corona is for sale in California now, so that I can pay for my college tuition. So lame.

.......

I can't think of a title for this blog, as there are too many things running through my head. I feel like I am riding a bike straight downhill. Not as in, my life is going downhill, but rather the feeling you get. Free falling. Flying. My eyes are watering and I can't see where I am going, but it feels so good. My hair is whipped back like a dogs ears in the window of a car. No need to peddle, its just an effortless and mindless free fall. All I can hear is the clicking of the wheels of my bike that spin so fast. All that matters is the wind rushing past my ears...and maybe that I should stop smiling so much because at this rate I could end up with a lot of bugs in my teeth. But I am moving so fast I don't eat breakfast, so maybe a little protein won't hurt.

Everyone is high on stoke of winter swells, glassy conditions and some windy days. I'm stoked because everyone else is stoked. This winter is different...I have a new appreciation for waves that I didn't have last winter. I haven't been in the water as much as everyone else, but I have been in enough to boost my heart to carry through the necessary tasks in life...school and work.

Friday night was pretty awesome. A spontaneous trip to the Haleakala Crater was planned. The last week didn't give me much sleep, so I tried not to look at my watch too much. I was exhausted to say the very least, but so excited to do something new on Maui!

We hiked down 4 miles in the moonlight with a couple coffee breaks. After pitching tents and snacking we crawled into sleeping bags....around 3am maybe? The cold air on the volcano only reminded me of one thing...TAHOE!

I kept thinking I could close my eyes and open them to find myself at Alpine Meadows or Homewood with my best friends, surrounded by crystal white snow. Nope..no snow on Haleakala. My amazing and crazy girls were not there to experience this adventure with me, and it pulls a little on my heart. (Fingers still crossed for winter break though..just in case!)

The morning brought an adventure through the lava tube. Pitch black and sometimes a little tight on space, I loved it. The darkness there felt so true to me, not a speck of light when we clicked off the flashlights.

The hike up was...well....a hike uphill.... The best part was stopping to catch my breath. Haha nooo not JUST to catch my breath, but to look around and check out the view. Steep cliffs going down to the base of the crater, and beatiful pieces of fog stringing themselves up the sides, always moving and changes and reshaping. The sun was warm and comforting, but the cold stringy clouds invigorated and refreshed me.

Reaching the top was as good as I thought it would be, but looking back, I realize the journey itself was much better than being up top. I like the thoughts that went through my mind as we did it, and I like the people I was with.

Now its back to "reality", with work to be done, 2 exams to study for, and.... more time on the water I hope. My reality isn't so bad :-)

Sorry guys...I forgot my batteries for my camera so I didn't get to take pictures :-(
But I stole a few from Amir...

Here is a little piece of the hike up the mountain, doesn't look so bad.


A little bit of the view...you can see the grassy base we went down to.



And here we are at the base, headed up!


Nitsan and I. Please note the mountain in the far back is what I hiked up :-)



Me and the little Brazillian beauty, Danielle.



Matan, Danielle and Amir going into the Lava Tube.



She is adorable... I think I am gonna miss her. (She is on her way to Brazil right now)


Nitsan and Matan at the entrance of the Lava tube.


Sorry..I thought I had this rotated and I am too lazy to figure it out right now. But you can still see... bread..cream cheese....yummy Israeli coffee...tomatoes and cucumbers...sardines....
Wait! Sardines? Umm I didn't eat the sardines.


Relaxing after breakfast.



Danielle, Amir and I.




At the picnic table...breakfast I guess?



I guess I did something I have never done and really loved it. I definitely want to do it again, but next time on a horse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a sweet monday everyone.
I love you.

Like a Rockstar

Lovely day.

Surf Hookipa.
Get one particularly successful wave.
Almost take out someones teeth with my board.
Don't let the shorebreak eat me for breakfast.

Go to Anthonys Coffee.
Wait 15 minutes for my grub.
Spill my entire coffee down my car at HSM.

Call for caffeine backups.
Proceed to try every line of Rockstar energy drinks available at cash'n'carry.
Finish work on an incredible caffeine buzz.

Go to Hookipa, decide not to surf.
Get dumped on by rain.

The rest was a surprising and wonderful evening.
I have realized, maybe I am shy.
Lunch tomorrow will be better than ever.



"in a world of lemons, you're a real peach"

Another few days on the rock

This post is going to begin with some incredible sunset pictures. (yes, I know I am obsessed but this one was amaaaazing!) I didn't touch the photos at all, just uploaded them straight from the camera. It was an icky, cloudy, cold, windless day. After a painful evening of work, I went to watch Laura surf...when suddenly.......



The skies turned to the most brilliant colors...



It looks more like lava to me..



The West Maui Mountain sunsets sure don't disappoint!



One of my favorite reasons for living in Haiku.



The last few weeks I have somehow found myself eating the most delicious food. A few times a week I am over at a different friends house for an amazing feast! In fact, almost every Sunday we have been going to Ala/Laura Ks/The Frenchies amazing Kuau house. We all pitch in and buy some food from Mana Foods, cook together and chill out on the porch. Its so nice to cook with other people. I really hate cooking alone at home which is why I just finished off a round of leftovers.



I have been working hard lately! This morning was busy at the restaurant, which should be great, but people just haven't been tipping well lately.Everyone must be feeling the empty pockets that I am beginning to feel. Despite my low funds, I have been considering going home for the holidays anyways. No doubt it will be expensive, but it will be worth it. I want to see the siblings so much! And Mom and Dad! And all my friends! I looked up plane ticket prices (they went down again!) and am thinking about how cool it would be to fly to Washington, then to California and after new years come back to Maui. I am keeping my fingers crossed, and you should cross yours for me too!



Here is small fry (rocko) at the Hot Sails/Kanaha Kai shop.



I am hard at work, and Rocko is hardly working.
Oh wait..what am I thinking?! Rocko Chops is turning into the offical door mat for the place. Does that count as work? He thinks so.



As many of you know, Maui has had some amazing water conditions lately. There were a few days that I was up at 6am to go surfing, at work or school by 9am, and then windsurfing afterwards. Its been sooo nice!!!!!!!!!! There is nothing better than getting in the water first thing!

Unfortunately the showers at the beaches have been shut off. Thursday I was running late for class and the showers weren't working. After the Hookipa shorebreak devoured me and my longboard for breakfast, I was covered in a thick layer of sand. I rinsed as best as I could with a waterbottle and sped to school. To class I arrived with wet hair, boardshorts and covered in sand. Everytime I moved sand would drop to the ground. My classmates and teacher don't seem to mind and get a good laugh from me. Going to school on Maui is so strange.

I had a particularly awesome session at Sprecks a few days ago. The wind was blowing a perfect (sometimes overpowered) 4.3 for me. Frenchy and I hit the water with huge grins and high expectations. We were not let down! The waves were perfect for me - - about shoulder high, some bigger and some smaller. It was breaking really nicely... almost peeley. I started out on the edge of the break, just trying to catch the smallest ends. As my confidence increased I worked my way inward and really tried to get some turns in on them. Sooooo fun! I still have a phobia of having to look through the sail to see down the line, but am getting more used to it.

My new board, I love, but am definitely noticing some things about it:

1. It doesn't plane to quick, and even seems a bit slow. I guess that should be expected though, a twin fin wave board.

2. Jibing is pretty much...well...impossible for me. The thing is soo super sensitive! I really am concentrating on keeping my feet steady and weight on the inside rail and it seems to help. I am getting a little bit closer though!

3. Who needs jibing when there are all these waves and bumps and chop to play in?!?! I have plenty of time to jibe next summer when its flat flat flat.

4. My board is really really fun to jump with. Super light and controllable, easy to point downwind on landing.

4. I don't care what you say about the colors/graphics on my board, I think its beautiful.


5. My board needs a name. I will come up with a good one soon.



I love Maui, but I love you more. I can't wait until I get to see each and every one of you, whether it be tomorrow, next week, this Christmas, or next summer.

the pirates life for me

First off--

Yesterday I worked until late afternoon and missed some excellent time on the water. Today I worked at Hot Sails from 9ish to 1ish and at the restaurant at 3. Soo...what did I do between my long work hours?!?!

Yep. Scooted down to Kanaha for a quick session. Didn't even go down to scope the water first. Just a quick glance from my car and a split decision that I would later regret...among other regrets. I decided to go with my 4.8, because my last few sessions have ended up with me getting my slogging on. With only about an hour of actual time on the water, I figured I should make sure to have plenty of power. Yup.

Plenty of power....check.

My first few runs were great, the wind felt great. And then it went up a notch. Or ten notches. Okay, honestly? I was careening out of control like a wound-up toy let loose across the ground. Still grinning (like an idiot, of course), I decided to cruise back in and adjust my sail a bit. I looked towards the cove and saw a dark haired person with a red rash gaurd and orange sail. Laura! Yay!

I headed straight for her (still grinning like an idiot and now paying no attention to what else is going on). Suddenly, the wind disappeared. Ohhhh the beauty of straight east side-shore wind. I fell in the water. And wrestled my gear. For 15 minutes. No wind. Not even a breath of breeze. And...as I stopped struggling and looked towards the cove...no Laura. Only a dark haired boy in a red rashgaurd.

Now what?? Swim towards a windline...which almost seems like a figment of imagination, just as seeing Laura was?? Or swim towards the beach, which seems sooo far away. I checked my watch and gave myself 10 minutes before I should be walking my gear back to my car to make it to work on time. And then I swam towards what I hoped to be wind.

After struggling to waterstart, a good gust gave me just the push I needed. And then I was careening out of control again. Sweet. Turn around and head in. I entered into the no-wind zone and slogged towards the beach. I then swam the last 15 feet. Lovely.

I think I set a new record for how fast I can de-rig, shower and make it to work at the restaurant. 15 minutes and I was walking into work with hair dripping wet, wrapped up in a towel and work clothes in my hands. Hahaha. I thought it was great...

Despite a really lame shift at work, I was incredibly cheerful and feeling really good. I credit it to my eventful hour on the water. I wanted some pictures to with..but obviously due to my limited time today, it didnt happen.

But, I have Halloweeeen pictures!

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Everyone that told me that Halloween was the devils birthday when I was a kid is soooooo lame. This is one of my favorite holidays. An excuse to dress up? Count me in!

The night wasn't what I originally envisioned, but it turned out to be fantastic anyways. I was a pirate and am happy to say that I made almost my entire costime with random pieces of clothing I bought for really cheap at Savers. My hair was real, no wig and it looked sweet. I love dressing up. I didn't when I was little though..maybe I am making up for it now.


Here are us girls!
Me, pirate.
Laura, Bunny (nooooot a playboy bunny. just a cute little bunny rabbit okay?)
Emilie, Superwoman.



And here is Emilie and Nicolas (aka Frenchy). They are my two favorite French people.



Oh look! Yours truly, dressed and ready.



Here is me with my fellow pirate, Matan! We were the best looking pirates I saw all night.


Derek. Can you guess what he was??....

A shark attack!!!


I wish I had more action shots, but my camera doesn't work so well for packing around. I need to buy a little sized digital camera.

Overall, the night was fabulous. Plenty of dancing at Jacques with all my closest friends. A random hippy party at the cannery. I danced on a table in the middle of dance floor...I guess I can check that off of things to do before I die! I didn't think I was too drunk, but after a random search for a bathroom that ended up being locked...I realized that it was probably time cut myself off and head home.

Nothing felt better than crawling into my bed at the end of the night!

Thanks to Juanito for being our sober driver :-D

Let it beeee

The most important thing to know about me right now..

I am me and that is whoever I want to be. For the second, for the minute, the day or weeks...I dont care. I am who I want to be, when I want to be, with whoever I want. I can't stick to my guns because everyday I learn something new about myself. Its pretty amazing. So let it be and let me be.

Its the beauty of being free.



ps.
Halloween pictures soon to come.
pps.
More on-the-water talk soon to come.