DownTheLineJunkie

Maui 2011, last days of disco

2011-11-21T12:03:00.001-08:00

Last day on Maui! No, last day THIS YEAR on Maui. Plans for the day are: Kanaha first, then Hookipa, then packing the gear, eat and go to the airport at 7PM.

At 11AM we arrived at Kanaha and Karin rigged up 4.2. I rigged up 4.7 and went out as well. Fairly flat on the inside, knee-high crap-waves on Lowers and lots of wind. Even too much for 4.7 at times. I went out to practice starboard tack forwards and got pretty dialed in after a while. Good for Asa. Also got some nice snappy rides despite the poor wave quality. Back on the beach I talked to some of the Italian guys who said Hookipa was very flat. When more of the Hookipa people arrived I decided to skip that spot today and go on at K - wich was actually quite fun. We sailed until 4PM when we headed back to the house, had a shower and packed up for the inevitable trip home.

After a problem-free check-in we left Maui at 9:51PM. The plan was to try and sleep as much as possible to be able to spend the following day in SF. Things rarely turns out as planned. No sleep on the plane. Instead we all fell asleep on the airport after landing and woke up too late to be able to rent the car we had reserved. Actually Hertz talked us out of it and said the risk of being stuck in traffic was a factor we should consider. Well, what the heck. That bridge will probably still be there next time.

At 2PM the plane to Frankfurt took off and we had a good 10+ hour flight to look forward too. Hardly no sleep on this flight either so when we arrived in Frankfurt we all felt pretty stoned.

Frankfurt was a mess compared to SFO. We had to walk a long way to find our gate and finding some decent food was mission impossible. Karin ended up buying us two Gorby-like pizzas - uoch!

Once on the final plane home I and Lukas fell asleep instantly. Karin tried to sleep without success and Rasmus - who had been seated two rows behind - was busy telling his neighbours pretty much everything about everything. Talkativity is not his main porblem.

We landed in Gothenburg at 2PM, didn't get our baggage and got picked up by my father who drove us home to my parents house for some dinner. Smooth!

At 8PM we were all asleep in our own soft beds - dreaming about waves and the next trip to the islands.

Maui No Ka Oi

Maui 2011, day 26

2011-11-18T00:04:00.001-08:00

Both Rasmus and Lukas think it is unfair we get to sail every day and they don't get to surf every day. To even things out we went to Launiupoko in the morning and then we went to Hookipa in the afternoon. Launiupoko was very flat due to a small swell and a high tide. Rasmus started on the SUP-board and Lukas on the surfboard and then they switched. I got maybe twenty minutes on the SUP while the kids jumped the shorebraek with their boogies.

At noon we headed back to the North Shore and I went out with 5.3 on Hookipa. Some really nice head high sets and pretty glassy and very gusty. I was a bit out of shape though and didn't get much out of it. My second session was better with a couple of nice rides but most of the time was spent lulling around tring to find a good wave.

Let's hope for some more wind tomorrow because it's our last chance...

Maui 2011, day 25

2011-11-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

Today the alarm watch was set for the first time in four weeks. Who inveted alarm watches anyway? Well, we stood up at 06:45 and at nine we were all set and in the car heading for Haleakala Crater.

It is 36 miles from the highway exit to the summit at 10.000 feet. After an hour and a half driving through the different climate zones we finally reached Haleakala National Park. You pay $10 to the Park Ranger and then you can drive all the way up to the crater. We knew it would be cold so we put on our jeans and hoodies and stepped out into the scilence. Some clouds had started to build but the sun still shined through and the view was spectacular. From up here you can see most of Big island which is actually only 45 miles away. We could even see the snow on Mauna Loa.

Haleakala is just over 3000m but the volcano actually sits on the sea floor, which is over 6000m down. This makes the volcano more than 9000m high from foot to summit which is a few hundred meters more than Mount Everest!!! The volcano is active although not erupting for the moment. The last eruption was in 1790 and the next one could happen within our lifetime.

At around 1PM we headed back down the serpentine road on low gear. The clouds had started to build up below us and when we went into the first one the kids wanted us to open the windows "to let the cloud into the car".

At 2:30 we arrived at Kanaha and the wind had just picked up. Karin went out enjoying the flat water with 5.3. I stayed on the beach, Lukas went in with the boogie board and Rasmus, who had a small wound on his knee climed up a tree and made a cross-word. Later, Rasmus got in a better mood and he and Lukas built a huge sand castle, with flag and all.

On our way home we stopped by the Hi-Tech store to say bye to Alex. I also got myself a new pair of O'Neil split-toes since my current pair has been perforated by urchins lately. Yes, the foot still hurts like hell and I'm limping around like some veteran. Today I will try the white berries in the neighbour's garden that Julie recommended. Some sort of hawaiian voodoo-cure. I hope it won't kill me...

Maui 2011, day 24

2011-11-15T22:48:00.000-08:00

Another calm morning, the sea all glassy with small waves breaking on the reef off Camp One and birds singing in the trees. According to windguru.com the day should not be very windy so we're thinking maybe take a trip up to Haleakala Crater. Karin believes in wind though so we decided to go to Kanaha first and then perhaps Haleakala later in the afternoon. When we got to Kanaha there were not many cars there and the wind was light. The old ladies were there of course. Frannie and her friends, all 60+, are here most everyday and the sail good too. Is this where we will end up in twenty years? Could be worse...

After a while the wind picked up though and Karin went out with 5.3 while I went out to snorkle with the kids. Not much to see unfortunately. Since there is almost always some waves here the water gets a bit sand-mixed and not that clear close to the beach. We could have gone outside of the reef where the water is clearer but one of the SUP-boarders saw two sharks out there yesterday so we didn't.

The wind was a bit on and off but the water was fairly flat and Karin was on a full plane most of the time.

At about 2PM the wind seemed to drop and we decided to give Haleakala a try but when we got out on the road we could see that the volcano was all covered in clouds. We agreed to give it an new try early tomorrow morning and went to Hookipa instead.

At Hookipa there were both wind and waves. A bit surprising. I rigged up in a hurry and went out on 5.3. The waves were small - with occasional shoulder high sets - but pretty long and glassy and the place was not very crowded. I had several good rides and even got a couple of aireals. Karin was on the camcorder so hopefully some of the action is on tape :-)

At five I went in and we went to Paia for some bread and board-shorts. Paia is really a special town that seem to attract a special kind of people. This part of the island is so different to Lahaina and Kehei. Yesterday we drove through Lahaina and there was the usual tourist atmosphere; neon signs, people trying to get you into their resturant and so on. Paia is so much friendlier and real life and you sort of feel like you're home, like you're part of the community.

Soon we have to go back home - but we all want to come back, and it'd better be sooner than later...

Maui 2011, day 23

2011-11-15T00:46:00.001-08:00

Up at 7.30. Lovely morning. Completely calm and not a cloud in sight. Today we had decided to go early to the south shore to surf the whole day. We packed the car with SUP, surfboard and boogie boards and arrived at Lahinopoko Beach Park at 10AM. Two minutes later both kids were out on the water - Lukas on the surfboard and Rasmus on the SUP. Meanwhile Karin and I got established in the shade of some trees on the beach.

Rasmus was on the SUP for the first time yesterday, at Kanaha. Today he caught his first wave. Guess if he was stoked. Lukas managed to get a couple of waves on his own but he still prefers to have me help him with a little push at take off. Both of them had so many waves we lost track after fifteen minutes. Me and Karin got perhaps 5 minutes each out there during the whole day while the boys were out from 10AM to 4PM with only a few short breaks.

Those of you who have seen the movie "Surf's up" might remember a scene where Big Z turns around on his board on a big wave to bow and thank the lords. Well, Lukas remebered this too - and decided to try the same stunt. He tried - and pulled it off - three times!

Rasmus started paddling in knee-position but go up on his feet and after a while he was paddling out through the thigh-high surf standing up like it was the most naturaal thing.

I was out helping Lukas for the most part of the day, walking around on the reef with my neoprene shoes. First time we were here I managed to step on a sea-urchin. I know now that there are at least two of them out there because in the afternoon I managed to step on the second one and got a single spike, thick as a match, penetrating through my shoe and into my right foot. I managed to get rid of the part sticking out but there is still a piece left inside and it HURTS!! The urchins here must have a very strong poison.

When we got home - after a pizza at PizzaHut in Lahaina - our land-lady gave me some stuff to put in the wound but I have'nt felt much of a difference so far, and the little devil is still stuck in my foot. The only consolation is that my new ear-phones arrived today - the ones with active noise-cancelling - and they actually work great!! I tried them with our noisy air-conditioner on and the noise just disappears. I am almost looking forward to the flight home...or not:-)

Maui 2011, day 22

2011-11-13T23:18:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to the sight of the garden palm trees NOT moving. Haven't seen that for a while. After an extra-fruity breakfast (Water melon, apple and pineapple) we went to Kanaha for the third day in a row. Rasmus felt a little sick and wanted to relax in the car instead of going down to the beach. Next time I looked he was sitting reading his book - George's secret key to the universe - without anyone had asked him! First time that ever happened.

At eleven the wind had picked up and Karin went out with 5.3. The waves were a lot smaller than the past days and the conditions inside were less choppy. Karin-conditions! I sat with the cam-corder and got many nice gypes and also a bit of wave sailing if not wave riding. After a while I rigged up the 4.7 and shlogged out to the reef. There were some occasional shoulder high sets and I had a few nice ones down the line.
Yesterday we had promised the Kids we'd go to the other side of the island this afternoon but Karin wanted to sail more so we had to make a deal that we would go early tomorrow morning instead AND that the boys could buy something in the store later on AND that they could try the SUP. Deal.

Karin went out for a second session and the rest of us went out paddling on the SUP-board. After a while both Rasmus and Lukas got the hang of it and paddled up and down the beach. Fun

When Karin got back up I went back in and had another go. The wind had increased and some small sets kept coming. Had like 3-4 turns on some of the better ones.

After the surf we went to Walmart to close the Deal - more candy :-/.
Home made burgers and a beer closed the day.

Maui 2011, day 21

2011-11-12T22:26:00.000-08:00

Before we left this morning the coconut guy was cutting down coconuts in our garden and asked if we wanted some. He got his machete and opened one up for us. He explained there are many different kinds. These were probably Samoan, he said. Nice fresh taste, not too sweet. Lukas tried as well but Rasmus was sceptic.

Another epic day at Kanaha, logo high sets and fully powered up on a 4,7. So many awesome rides, 6-7 turns on some waves, and even a couple of aireals. Karin was overpowered on her 4.2 today as well but struggled and nailed a few gybes despite the insane chop on the inside. Next time we'll bring the 3.7.

We decided to leave Kanaha while still light today so the last session had to end at five. Hard not to ride that last wave but my hands started to say no anyway.

Packed up and went to Safeway to by food and Saturday candy - not sure what was the most important... At the parking we saw a really cool car and we just had to get some pics. Perhaps we could trade in the Passat for one of those..?

Maui 2011, day 20

2011-11-11T22:55:00.001-08:00

Today Kanaha was epic! Solid logo high sets with occational mast high peaks and clean glassy faces, especially in the afternoon. We went out at 11:30 and sailed pretty much the whole day until the sun set at 6, me on 4.7 and Karin on 4.2.

I finally found the key to my top turns today. It's all about moving your aft hand up the boom, really close to to the front hand. This opens up the sail in a natural fluent way allowing you to turn the board back on the top of the wave in any way you want. Also, the glassy faces resulted in some awesome bottom turns. I had so many turns on the wave today it was unreal! After a short lunch break I was out there again and the sets just kept on pumping. A lot of people of course. Probably more than a hundred sailors out at mid day. But lowers is a long wave and it's room for 3-4 people ridig the same wave. Also a lot of good sailors out which made it all the more fun. Actually shared a couple of waves with PWA sailor Nayra Alonso.

Rigged down in the dark and then went straigh to McDonald´s to fuel up. Going home to make dinner is just not an option after sailing these conditions for six hours.

Maui 2011, day 19

2011-11-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Breakfast on the balcony while the rain was pouring outside. Kind of relaxing actually. After a washing machine and some school work we went to Kanaha at 10:30 but the squalls kept rolling in so we made a quick decision, turned around and headed for Launiopoko on the south coast. On this side of the island, about 30 min drive from the north shore, the sun was shining but the clouds sat heavily on top of the mountain and we even had a few drops coming our way. Lukas went out on the longboard and Rasmus took his boogieboard. The waves were small but glassy. I helped Lukas with a little take off push while Rasmus managed to drop in without assistance.

After a nice session we went back in, had something to eat and headed back to the North Shore to windsurf. Half way we could see that there were still big dark clouds in the north so we went east down to Big Beach instead to do some snorkeling.

Big Beach turned out to be a long, wide, white sand beach with a huge lava rock in one end. Me and Rasmus went out snorkeling and Karin and Lukas went playing around in the shore break. The water here turned out to be very clear and it got like 4-5m deep almost directly - perfekt for the light and shallow enough to dive down and explore the bottom and all the colourful fish. Rasmus is starting to feel really comfortable snorkeling now and we were out for a good half hour and pretty far out too. I know there are sharks here sometimes so I tried to keep watch. If they are black tipped you don't have to worry, if they haven't - swim back in. Luckily we didn't see anything bigger than clown-fish.

Back on the North Shore the weather was still cloudy with occational rain. We probably could have sailed but perhaps we needed a day off and the kids had a really nice day so what the heck...

Maui 2011, day 18

2011-11-10T00:11:00.001-08:00

It's 8:45 PM and I'm soo tired I could fall asleep as I write this. This morning we had decided to go to Hookipa early to snorkle and surf. Rasmus woke us up at 6:30 in the morning and started to prepare for breakfast. After breakfast and the mandatory schoolwork hour we arrived at Hookipa around 9:30. Rasmus, Lukas and I went into the water with our masks and fins. There is a bit of a current at Pavillions sucking us out so we tried to keep close to the cliff to avoid it. Saw a lot of fish but no turtles this time either. The place is full of them but they tend to be further out where the waves break.

After the snorkeling we relaxed on the beach for a while and had a sandwich. At eleven the first windsurfers went out but the wind was still a bit sketchy so I went out with Lukas for a surf session instead. I tried to convince Lukas that the waves were maybe a little to big for a 7 year old but he insisted on going out with me on his boogie board. So we paddled out together and when we got to the line up a pretty big set arrived. Before I knew it Lukas had caught a wave right on the peak. The wave was probably about 2m (twice the one in the pictures) and as he went flying down the face of that wave I looked up at him and saw a mix of fear and exitement in his eyes for a split second and then all I saw was his yellow fins as he surfed the wave all the way back in. I quickly caught the next one and surfed the whitewater in after him. When I got to him he was having a happy smile on his face and a thumb up. "That was soo cool, dad!" We went back out and got many more (but slightly smaller) waves and Lukas enjoyed every minute of it - until he got washed in one of the bigger sets and lost his board. He got scared of course, laying in the water alone without his boogie. I paddeled up to him and assured him that everything was ok. We paddled in and Karin managed to pick up the board as it tumbled into shore. Only happy faces but I think the little man got a bit of respect for the waves - which, in his case, is probably not such a bad thing.

After the surfing and some more food and drink I rigged up my 4.7 and went out on my Quad. The waves were about shoulder high with some logo high sets. I had problems catching any good ones though. Lots of people out and the inconsistency of the short period wind swell did't make it easier. Had a few good waves just outside rocky Point though and actually managed to catch the attention of the in-water camera man once. Not bad as Boujmaa Guillo was just upwind on that same wave :-)

At three we packed up and went into Paia to eat as we were all pretty hungry. Had a long one at Mambo with beers, burgers, cappuchinos and icecream. Nice!

After shopping some food in Kahului we went back to the house. There was a bright full moon so me and the kids went down to the beach to see if we could see any baby turtles while Karin put the food in the fridge. At the beach the wind had died and the low tide made the water really calm inside the dark moon-lit reef. No babies other than baby crabs, but they are cute to...

Maui 2011, day 17

2011-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

The first thing that happens each morning is that the kids go up and watch Cartoon Network. I can understand they like it but I still don't like it. So, this morning I killed the TV and we went down to the beach instead to say good morning to another beautiful day on this island.

.After breakfast, including splitting the remaining choco-milk very brotherly, there was a little family conflict where Rasmus wanted to go to the south side to snorkle and Karin wanted to sail. We agreed to go sailing first and do some snorkeling in the afternoon. Karin went out with 4.2 while I went out on the big SUP with Lukas in front. It was hard work to paddle upwind but good fun to go downwind with the windwaves, and no surprise Lukas enjoyed.

At 2:30 we packed up and headed to Hookipa where there was still some wind and waves. I was a bit optimistic and went out on my small board with 4.7 only to find myself hopelessly underpowered. I had to struggle to gain height and get myself back in.

We had promised the kids we would go snorkeling and so we did, well, Karin stayed on the beach with her book while the boyz went out in the sheltered bay at Pavillions.

Maui 2011, day 16

2011-11-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Kanaha really early. That means we were on site before 11AM. Before 11 in the morning "No person shall operate a sailboard at Kanaha Beach Park" - it's the law! So, at 10:57 Karin had rigged up her 4.2 and was ready to go. Lots of wind and choppy conditions but smaller waves on the reef than yesterday. Karin has a fling of shark paranoia and when she saw three giant sea-turtles outside the reef, just lying there under the surface, her brain registered three giant tiger sharks instead and she managed to make the quickest tack in history and head back in.

It's amazing how many seniors are out there sailing. It is good to know that we don't have to quit this sport just because we're getting older. But why is he wearing a wetsuite?

I went out for a short session but 4.2 was a bit small for me and the waves were small so I decided to save myself for Kuau later on.

The kids spent most of the time in the water and a little time in the shade doing their homework. A Maui beach is not such a bad classroom after all..

At three we went back to the house where I loaded up with a powerbar and went on to Kuau for an afternoon session. 4-5 guys out with 4.7 and headhigh waves breaking on the reef. Not very long lines though but enough punch in the lip to get some good top turns. The wind dropped gradually as the sun set behind the mountain when it was my turn to spot some tiger sharks. This time it was a group of dolphins racing upwind about 50 meters away. Wonderful!

Maui 2011, day 15

2011-11-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

Today I went to have look at Kuau and Hookipa right after breakfast. Kuau was pretty messy because of the high tide and Hookipa was big, rather disorganized and >10 surfers on line-up. When I came back to the house the kids were doing their homework while karin was reading a book. Lukas finished his swedish homework for the whole trip and Rasmus managed to finsih his math.

We had a look at the different windcams and decided to have a go at Kanaha. When we arrived at the parking lot the wind was already between 20-30 knots. I rigged up my 4.7 and went out on the quad. Decent sets broke in nice head to logo high lines despite the high tide. I got countless rides but felt violently overpowered at times so I switched to a 4.2, had some water and a power bar and went back out. Got pretty dialed in on the Quad and had a few really good waves even though the faces were quit choppy. Kanaha is like one giant playground if you're into wavesailing. You can ride all day and the wave doesn't punish you that hard if you wipe out. So, you can go big and wipe out big without having to worry about your gear or your health.

Unfortunately we didn't bring anything smaller than 4.2 so Karin had to wait for the wind to drop - but it never did.

Rasmus and Lukas never seem to get tired of the beach. They boogieboard, swim and climb the trees they're not allowed to. Today they also helped five crabs to get new homes in the sand, Lukas proudly told me.

On the way home we stopped at Safeway to get some more pasta and some donuts. Back home we had the rest of the pasta sallad and some chicken-mayo baguettes together with a well earned Heineken.

Maui 2011, day 14

2011-11-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Friday is gameday but since we were out most of the day yesterday we had promised the boys the could play Saturday morning if they stood up early. So, at 6:30 this morning Lukas came in to us requesting help to start up the computer.

After breakfast we wanted to go sailing and the kids wanted to go snorkeling. We went sailing at Sprecks, me on a 4.7 and Karin on a 4.2, both of us pretty overpowered. I got a chance to get tuned in on the 74L JP twinzer quad. The waves were a bit disorganized, windswell and high tide is not the best combination. Had a couple of decent rides though as the waves lined up better later in the day.

Rasmus and Lukas shredded the shorebreak into pieces on their boogieboards, stoked as ever.

In the late afternoon I went to town to get some more food while Karin started with the carbonara. After dinner she went on with tomorrows pasta sallad while the kids did their homework and I did what I do best - relaxed in the sofa.

Maui 2011, day 13

2011-11-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a minor bug-invation in our bedroom. We've had them before, like two or three sitting duck on the ceiling, easy kill. This time it started out with five or six but after killing those, twenty or so more followed and another fifty were on their way in through the 'closed' balcony mosquito net. I was forced to go out and empty a bottle of RAID all over the balcony doors. This stuff kills instantly but also smells quite a lot. So much actually that we had to abandon our bedroom and sleep in the kid's room.

In the morning we woke up to the sound of distant thunder and gale force winds blowing in the palm trees. Dark blue clouds on the horizon and so cold that we had to put on hoodies at breakkfast.

After a look at the Kehei webcam we could see that the south shore was sunny and we decided to go to La Perouse bay. La Perouse is a secluded piece of coastline on the south shore. You drive south past Kehei until the road ends. Then you walk. The trail is really beautiful with big trees hanging out over the turquoise water and small coral beaches mixed with the frozen lava rock. We walked all the way out to the surfspot to watch the majestic swell release its energy as it hit the rocks just in front of us.

On the way back we stopped at a small sheltered bay where some people were out snorkeling. We all went in with our masks and fins and explored another part of Maui´s wildlife; clownfish, yellow fish, allkindsof fish. The kids were really stoked.

At four we headed back to the North Shore and Hookipa for a late afternoon session. Logo high sets at Hookipa can actually be pretty scary. Partly because your gear will end up on the rocks if you loose it but mostly because Hookipa is Hookipa. We were only like 4-5 guys out so there were plenty waves for everyone - not usually the case in this spot.

Afterwards we went to Flatbread and had their famous pizza and a big beer. Great ending to a great day - except for Rasmus who is sick in the bathroom as I write. Let's hope it's not the Pizza...

Maui 2011, day 12

2011-11-04T00:04:00.001-07:00

After a long breakfast (as always) on our lovely shady sea view blacony we filled up our Dodge Caravan with winsurfing gear, two boogie boards and a 7'9" mini malibu and went to Hookipa beach park at 10:30. Pretty crappy wind swell waves but lots of surfers out. Then a huge dark cloud rolled in from the east and soon we sat in the van all four looking out through a rain-wet wind sheild. Then Tormod called and said he was going to the south side for some surfing. We decided to join.

After filling som gas half way we arrived at Launiupoko Beach Park; sunny, light offshore winds and nice little waves rolling in. Kids in the water in no time while I got the first shot on the mini malibu. After a few waves Lukas wanted to try the board and I helped him catch some small waves. He was really stoked as he managed to stand up and ride the wave all the way into the beach. Then his tiny little arms paddeled right out again to catch another one, and another one, and an...

During the day the sun kept shining, the wind dropped and the waves got better and better as the tide went out. We all got our waves and Rasmus worked his boogie hard in the shore break. We didn't see much of Tormod though since he was out surfing for five hours non-stop (he is going home tomorrow so i can't blame him...)

After a real surfers lunch (cold pasta and canned tuna) we went on surfing until the sun began to set and we went back for some shopping at Safeway. Food shopping is more fun when you're hungry and we came home with all kinds of healthy and not so healthy stuff. The brownies here are unreal!! Got home at 7, had some semi-healthy stuff and dropped dead.

Maui no ka oi!

Maui 2011, day 11

2011-11-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

This morning Rasmus and Lukas called their friends on Skype. Lukas was especially keen to tell Johan about the enormous cars here on Maui. After breakfast we went to Kanaha and the wind was already blowing hard at 11AM. Only waist high sets though. Karin first went out on a 4.7 and then rigged down to 4.2. After an hour the wind suddenly dropped and we had a light rain shower. The day went on in this way; sun - shower - sun - shower. At 3PM we went to eat at Panda Express and then went straight to Hookipa so see if there was any wind and waves left. Unfortunately the wind had dropped totally after the last squall and the place was full of surfers. (At Hookipa a 10-man-rule applies, i.e. if there are ten or more surfers out, then no windsurfers are allowed. If you go out anyway the police may come and give you a hefty fine - no kidding!) The need for a surfboard is becoming more and more obvious. We drove back to Paia and had the most expensive icecream in this part of the Pacific.

Dear God please make Hookipa work tomorrow, ok?

Maui 2011, day 10

2011-11-01T23:24:00.001-07:00

Today we spent most of the day at Baby beach. The wind didn't kick in as it usually does around noon and the weather was a bit cloudy from time to time. I still felt a bit fuzzy so I tried to stay in the shade reading my book. At four we went back to the house for some pasta. While the spagetthi was boiling I walked down to the beach to have a look and the wind was actually blowing like 15-20 knots and a lot of kiters and boardsailors were out sailing. I asked Karin but she had some pain in here side and didn't want to sail. I ate at the speed of light and packed the car. Sun sets at around 6:30 here so if I hurried I could probably get an hour or so on the water before darkness and awakening of the beasts:-) Had a really nice session with 5.3 and perhaps 5-6 guys out. Some nice clean shoulder high sets and I even managed to pop a little aireal. At the end the wind dropped and I went in with a half moon shining through my sail and a turtle popping his head up saying good night. Tomorrow we hope for more wind. Aloha!

Maui 2011, day 9

2011-10-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

Today the wind was supposed be quite light so we decided to take a trip to the south of the island and do some surfing. First we went to the Hi-Tech store to rent a longboard from swedish guy Alex. We also brought one of Yasu´s SUP's and the boogieboards. Rasmus wanted to go to baby beach instead - he is always a bit conservative. Anyway we ended up at Launiupoko after a 30 minute drive and of course the kids loved this place too; nice little beach surrounded bu green areas and shading trees and small clean waves up to thigh high. The fact that there was almost no wind makes this place a lot hotter than the north shore.

Lukas went out on the 9'2" longboard and I swam out with him and helped him catch his first waves. He actually managed to stand up pretty much right away and after a while he was out paddling aTERl by himself. Unfortunately I managed to step on a samll sea urchin that went right through my wetshoe and into my foot. It must have had a lot of poison because it hurt a lot more than usual but it faded away after 10-15 minutes.

Karin and Rasmus also went out on the longboard. Karin turned out to be a natural, standing up almost directly and surfed the small waves all the wai into shore. Myself, still feeling a bit slow from my cold, went out on the 9'6" SUP. Very wonky but after a while I managed to actually SUP it. Saw a small turtle too (I was glad it was a turtle) and could paddle right up to it before ir gave med the turtle look and gently swam down underneath my board.

While most other familys had brought big trunks with food we sat there with four bananas and an apple so after a couple of hours we had to go for some food. We drove int the small village of lahaina and had a go on the local golden gull.

After some necessary shopping at Safeway we went home, changed, and went to Paia for some trick or treat. In every corner and every shop the shopowners gave away candy to the kids. This was the best Halloween ever said Rasmus 30 minutes and half a kilo of candy later.

Maui 2011, day 8

2011-10-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

After six days sailing in a row my body felt like taking a break so this day no sailing for me. Actually I decided to stay out of the water and in the shade as much as possible to prevent a beginning cold from getting any worse. To start off easy we went to Baby beach, a perfect beach for kids with its protecting reef creating a natural 100m swimming pool but full of aquarium fish instead of clorine.

One thing we didn't expect to find there was a 40 foot sailing yacht right on the reef. The boat had been abandoned at sea some 600 miles east of Hawaii and hit Maui on Thursday!! After a couple of hours at baby beach we drove into Paia and had a late lunch at Cafe Mambo for the second time this week.

After that we drove down to Sprecks where Karin went out with 4,7 in the afternoon breeze while the kids surfed the shorebreak with their boogieboard and I stayed on the dunes with the camera.

Maui 2011, day 7

2011-10-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we did some laundry and relaxed in the house. The weather was a bit up and down with showers followed by sunshine. We went to Hookipa at noon to watch the competition and perhaps go for a boogie board session with the kids again. Lukas went out in the waves with Karin this time (I didn't feel 100% - hope it's not a cold coming...) so me and Rasmus stayed on the beach to relax, take a swin in the natural pool and spot turtles. Actually a big turtle went up on the beach to take some sun before it went back into the turqoise water again. Lukas patiently explained to Karin the nature and secrets of being out in waves, how to catch theem and so on and actually Karin did get a few rides. Good work there, Lukas! In the afternoon the wind picked up and a few logo high sets rolled into the bay. We went to Kuau and I swimmed out the channel for the first time with 5.3. I didn't really get any nice rides though. It was a high tide and extremely choppy. Did get a couple of wipe-outs though so made me feel more familiar with the new spot. At sunset there was more rain as we went into Paia town to buy saturday candy on our way bacak to the house, dinner and a good night sleep.

Maui 2011, day 6

2011-10-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

Friday is game day! This morning the boys woke us up asking if they could do their homework!!??? "...so that we can play more later..." When it became clear to Lukas that the LEGO StarWars game AND the game pads AND daddy's laptop were left at home he cried for half an hour while Rasmus was playing minecraft. Luckily enough fridays only happens once a week :-)

After brakfast I had to go into town to pick up the new car, a Dodge caravan Minivan with a bit more space than our Subary Forester. A also found the AT&T store and bought a sim card for local calls.

This was probably the coolest day so far, "only" 80F and a bit cloudy. In the afternoon wewent down to Kanaha with the windsurfing gear, the boogoie boards and one of Yasu's SUPs just in case. When we arrived after the ten minute drive, the wind had picked up and some swell had started to build. Karin went out with 5.3 but had to change to 4.7 and even this was too big so I went out instead. Then the wind dropped and i rigged the 5.3 again. Had a couple of nice rides and the last half hour before sunset was magic with glassy waves and only a few of us out.

Back at the house at around 6:30 for some school work and late supper. Tomorrow looks promising with more wind and a north swell coming in. Aloha!

Maui 2011, day 5

2011-10-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Went to Kahului in the morning to have a look in the surfshops and to by new fins for Rasmus. In the afternoon we went to Pavillions to catch some waves. Rasmus got a bit washed and decided to stay out of the breaking waves and look for turtles instead. Lukas, on the other hand, got several rides and didn't mind the washing at all. In the evening the plan was to go to the contest release party at the Quatro shop but the kids was too tired and I felt a little warm so we decided to stay home, relax and watch a film instead.

Maui 2011, day 4

2011-10-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

This morning we stod up early and went to Hookipa beach park to snorkle with the turtles. Rasmus, Lukas and I paddled out on our boogieboards in the shelterd bay at Pavillions - and there they were, sticking their heads up just a few meters away. After a while the waves took over the interest and both Rasmus and Lukas were drawn to the small waves breaking on the inside. With a little helping push they both got nice rides all the way in. After lunch we went down the small dirt road to Sprecks and found the wind had picked up. Karin rigged 4,7 and went out sailing for the first time on Maui. Since she is till on penicillin she only sailed for 30 minutes and with loads of sunscreen on. I got to sail fully powered up with 4,7 as well. Unfortunately zero swell and a high tide made Sprecks totally flat so no riding today.

Maui 2011, day 3

2011-10-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

Mornings on Maui is the best time of the day. Calm, fresh and no hot sun burning your skin. After breakfast and the mandatory morning school session, I went to town to get a new Laptop cable and Karin and the kids went down to the beach by the house. Found a universal cable at Walmart for $62 = 420 SEK - for a cable!!

Lunch in Paia (they do know how to make burgers in this country) and then off to Hookipa. Kids in the pool. A nice litte NE swell and slightly off shore 5.0 winds made the place look pretty nice. Unfortunately it was really over crowded and very choppy and difficult to find the right waves. In the end though, it was nice to have that first Hookipa session, but I must say Kanaha yesterday was more fun and a lot cleaner with glassier faces.

Maui 2011, day 2

2011-10-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Woke up at stupid oclock this morning. The kids started doing thieir school work at 4 am!!! We can not find the battery charge cable for the laptop so now I am blogging on my Nokia. Have to keep it short until we have found a new cable...Went to Hookipa beach park in the morning and the kids went swimming in the natural pool. Went back to the house for lunch. In the afternoon the wind picked up and I got a nice three hour 5,3 session at Kanaha in beautiful boom to headhigh looong lines. The kids had a nice three hour boogie board session in the shorebreak and Karin had a three hour session in the shade of the high pine trees. Also met Tormod and Sigurd. When we were about to leave Kanaha the car refused to start. Batter totally dead after five minutes playing the radio with the engine turned off. Luckily we got help to jump start the car. Have to check in at Kimo's tomorrow morning...

Maui 2011, day 1

2011-10-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Woke up surprisingly late and actually had to wake up the kids at 8:30. Breakfast on the balcony with a reaally nice view over the calm see with some small waves breaking on the outside reef. Ramus and Lukas were of course very keen on going for a swim so right after breakfast we all went down the small path to the white sandy beach and turqoise water. Really hot now, probably over 30C. Me and Lukas went in first while Rasmus - as always - was a bit more cautious respecting the shore break. After the swim we went back to the house for a little jet-lag mid-day nap. No wind for sailing today so after the nap we went into town and did some shopping; hallowen costumes at K-mart and then food shopping at Safeway. After that back to the house for a nice pasta bolognese in the shade of the lanai. In the late afternoon we took the car to Kanaha to see if we could find Tormod and to go for another swim while the sun set behind the cloudy mountains. Some windsurfers swimming back in told tales that there had been some sailng after all, no matter the light wind. There was still a decent swell creating head high to logo waves at uppers. Tomorrow...

Maui 2011, day 0

2011-10-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Maui last night after a long and a bit stressful journey. Everything turned out fine but there is always some stress between flights and also the stress over your equipment - will everything turn up or will something be missing? Well, at last we touched down at Kahului internationa airport on Maui´s north shore, found the car after takling to Kimo over the phone, and there it was in the pitch dark parking with the keys in the secret place. No gas in the tank so we had to find a place to fill up our golden Subaru Forester. We had been promised a mini-van but unfortunately there weren´t any available at the moment. "-come in monday and we´ll see what we can do-". After a quick stop at a supermarket tah turned out to ave almost anything, except a lot of food, we arrived at the house at Camp One. The darkness is so much more intense than what we are used to at home. Here you can see a million stars, but on the other hand that´s about the only thing you can see. Our japanese landlord Yasu (a former professional windsurfer) met at the gate and showed us the apartment that was bigger than we had first imagined and really cosy too. After a couple of bowls of Cherrios and milk and half an hour of sugar high kids playing in their new bedroom, we all finally fell asleep.

2009-10-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Asa, Sweden

2009-10-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

5 October 2009
Had a really nice session at "Rocky point" off Asa, Sweden, this Sunday.
Everyone was really stoked. The sets kept pumping in all day as the wind turned around the corner to a perfect 280 degrees - side to slightly side off and a 4.2 fully powered up. In the afternoon the wind picked up even more and a 3.7 seemed to be just too much. Average windspeed peaked at 21m/s. A day to remember :-)

Sweet memories...

2009-03-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Video shot just meters from the nice peeling wave at "Leme´s Left". No crowd, no stress, just pure joy!!!

Video and editing by Tania Nikolic

Cabo Verde January 2009

2009-01-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

Cabo Verde´s first three weeks of January this year (2009) will probably go to history as the windiest ever three weeks on the island of Sal. 20 out of 22 days with 5.3 or smaller.

Last ten days straight with 4.0-4.7.

Any waves?? Ohh yeaa!

A constant NV ground swell made the north spots work more or less throughout the whole period. Little

Hookipa delivered 1.5m up to mast high waves pretty constantly. Curral Joul and Alibaba felt out of our league but was probably rocking hard on the bigger days. Never saw anyone sail there though.

We also scored some soft sailing at Canoa. Caleta Funda unfortunately did not work that good on the days we went to check it out but that place is probably one of the better spots for mortal people. Epic wave that breaks round a point and once you clear that point it has a safe exit. Cross offshore wind (like on all spots on the island) and a nice sandy beach to lanch from. Next time...

The second and third week of january proved that you do sometimes need small sails in Cabo Verde too. The Windguru forcast was all three stars and reality brought even more wind than was forcasted. Most common sail was probably 4.2 but 3.7 and 3.5 sails was used by some lighter sailors.

The action was all around the island. As all spots was going off at the same time it was sometimes difficult to decide where to go. One day we started at Little Hookipa in the morning, then Canoa and finally Punta leme in the evening!!

During this period the NV ground swell had good competition from a huge (4-4.5m) wind swell from the NE. A big NE swell turns the east point "Punta Leme" and "Leme´s Left" into a perfect point break with down-the-line waveriding super close to the crowds standing on the point watching the game only meters from the rocks. I think I sailed Leme´s Left for eirht days in a row with 4.7 and waves ranging from 1.5 to 4m. If you are lucky you can catch a wave at Ponta Leme and ride it past Leme´s Left and in to the bay until your arms are burning. My friend was counting 11 turns until I finally was washed up on the rocks in the bay at "Wave Power".

When it comes to wave riding I must say that Cape Verde is definately the best place I have ever sailed thanks to the always present offshore wind and the insane length of the waves that just goes on and on and on...

Maui october 2008

2009-01-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

Some quick words on the October trip to Maui:

First time visiting the island- definately not the last. Stayed with norwegian friend Tormod at Lalo Goyas house in Haiku. Really nice place 15 minutes drive from Hookipa with cool guys Lalo and Pio as next door neighbours. All the people we met were really nice and friendly.

First week turned out fairly flat. Had a few small days at Hookipa with 4.7-5.3 and <2m>

More swell kept hitting the north shores throughout the second week and the wind was pretty much 4.7 all the time except for one or two days with no wind at all (but BIG waves).

We also had one day with south swell so we went down to La Perouse Bay with norwegian guy Paal Rype who new the wereabouts and that place really went off. Lots of surfers in the water so we decided to stay out of it. Only windsurfer out was world cup sailor Camille and he scored some insane riding.

I am already looking forward to next years trip to Maui. I feel I have improved my staboard tack sailing a lot, especially the riding but the most important was probably losing some of that fear and respect for those big pounders. After all, it´s only water :-)

Aloha!!