how was the full moon in your part of the world? here it made halloween just a bit crazier. isn't it amazing that it's the same moon everywhere? with the vastness of the world, different cultures, languages, etc. the moon is the same where ever I go. yes, let's not forget the sun. for me the reality is that we are all essentially the same just in different places pursuing different paths. it's when our paths cross that the sameness makes me smile because let's face it everyone I meet on the beach has one questions - what size sail to rig?

the last couple of weeks I've worked more which hasn't cut into my sailing time as the wind has been very light or none at all. one day was no wind and not a wave to be found anywhere on the island which was strange. last monday I unrolled a new 0'10 4.2 mission which I opted for in the color blue for its beauty but it has been requested that I change it to orange since it's easier to see. who me go way out on the horizon? the other girls rigged 3.7/4.0 so I cranked the downhaul and pulled the outhaul as much as I could to depower it. my goal was to kill it so I'd have to go back to the beach to let the outhaul out to give it life again but it sailed like a champ. a touch twitchy in the big gusts but completely manageable. the 0'10s are more stable, feel lighter. they load up once they rotate which makes me adjust my sailing style since I prefer a sail to stay neutral until I tell it to do something. even though I was overpowered it was easy to oversheet and didn't 'pull' thru the transitions. uppers was its normal crazy self and the 4.2 was easy to handle on the waves even in the gusts. j11 picked up her quiver and she's happy with the changes though we all feel they are 'stiff' and need some break in time.

fitting in 35hrs of work, prepping for friends to arrive, fine tuning my halloween costume, mani/pedi, waxing, adding the eye candy's gear to the van, watching my favorite tv shows was a challenge but I managed to fit it all in without too much stress. one day found me @ sprecks an hour before waxing wondering if I had enough time to fit in a slog when ka7 pulled out his board that he hadn't used since 1996 and rigged a 9.2 - he probably would have rigged me a big sail if I had asked nicely but I opted out and went to get de-furred.

the forecast for friday was big with light winds but iwindsurf which was showing kona winds but as soon as I saw ho'okipa turn 15ne I got in the safari and hit the road. timing is everything and a bit of technology can make timing easier! I was rigged and ready asap with the boys rolling their eyes in doubt at the 4.7 but I knew if the wind picked up a 5.3 would have been a monster since the waves were logo/mast high. I took the eye candy's loop board which is an 85 da curve so as I hit uppers and caught the first big one I came down from the peak and was ready to crank on the rail with all my weight and strength but that board turned like the 69! woah!!! we went down, up, down, up and it went over the big walls of white water like a dream. I told us10 to put one on my list but we decided it might be easier for me to learn to hit the lip and wee aerials on a 79 da curve so that decided the 0'10 line up. 69 pocket, 79 da curve with an 85 da curve available to me on occasion. yippee...new boards - extra carbon please!

the swissies arrived saturday then hit the water, hit savers for costumes, and met me for dinner and dancing at jacques. I handed out candy at simmer in my costume though I had it snapped a bit higher so as not to offend the parents and it was tons of fun seeing the kids which reminded me of the many years my brother had to drag me around. he usually had a scary something on and I had gigantic fairy wings which always got glitter on his costume so he would get mad at me then steal his favorite candies from my bag. thanks mom for letting us eat junk food!

the pros started early at jacques with us3 wearing his annual pink wig, k89 in a carmen miranda dress, gbr52 wearing too much 80's aloha with a blonde wig, isv11 painted huge teeth on his face, us16 was hot hot in her leopard dress with ears, and h98 pretended to be innocent as little red ridding hood. I assured them the candy I was giving out was good for their health and all but isv11 took my offer. it was a late, late night and I lasted in my red patent leather stilettos just past midnite.

monday brought light gusty winds with onshore conditions and waves so I slogged around enjoying the eye candy that passed me on occasion. generally, I'm only a one session kinda girl but with friends in town going to the beach is an all day event so after a midday break the wind picked up and it was a gorgeous afternoon with the waves forgiving and friendly. this was good practice because yesterday was BIGGGG! the girls rigged 4.0/4.2 and I rigged the 3.7 manic knowing I could get power out of it as well as it handles high wind very well. I took a bit of flack for it not being a simmer but I don't have a 3.7 and honestly yesterday was not the day to try something new. after a couple of attempts the eye candy and I got thru the channel to the big big big waves at uppers. lowers was looking great but already getting crowded.

careful not to get too far up into the mix I reached far on the outside so I could better read the swell and stayed on the shoulder only occasionally getting deep into the waves. my timing wasn't great but the 3.7 was the right choice though the channel was light. I was happy to catch the huge swells which sometimes loaded up and sometimes flattened out so I could jibe off the shoulder (looking first to see if I was in danger) which kept me from having to go thru the channel but also kept me from riding the wave all the way in. it was the right decision for me and it was one of my most cautious days with my ego egging me deeper into the waves on occasion but if I took a big washing it was going to hurt so I let my ego's whispers go free into the wind. everyone was courteous to me even the two kiters who were heard yelling at a few windsurfers though they pinched me in between them one time which wasn't cool. my best wave of the day was taken by a guy who caught up to it upwind of me so I was forced to jibed off the shoulder. after a couple of hours and some very big with mostly bumpy faces it was time to check on the other swissy who hadn't been in waves that big. the eye candy opted for 2 more sessions and satisfied with my 1 session I opted for some beach liasoning. it was a good decision because the later it got the more carnage I saw; broken masts, broken sails, and smashed boards most with smiles attached though I did witness some temper tantrums. not too many pros at kanaha so that means ho'okipa was good and I heard jaws was breaking.

today? haven't checked the wind but we'll head over to be ready for whatever it is. f192 has made the prediction that next week is no wind and no waves so looks like I'll eek it out today since I'll be working extra the next few days to prep for the simmer annual sale saturday 9-7. stop on by if not I'll see you at the beach!

xterra world championship is sunday which makes me think of colorado as the roads in kihei fill with spandexed, shaved, hard bodies on mt bikes. it is also the time when I get to see sari, who was training hard to up her ranking but won't be here due to pregnancy. I don't miss colorado enough to venture back as maui has my heart until she's ready to give it back or the wind stops blowing because let's face it - that would be grounds for a break-up! then again I'm making steady progress at surfing which is where I was thinking of being right now but after the 14' tiger attack the other day surfing is creating more anxiety than fun for me. is that an excuse or a good reason?

the boys are still telling me 'no wind big waves' and yesterday they were spot on but it didn't stop me from rigging the 0'10 5.3 mission & match it up with the us10's custom pocket. admittedly, I was a fashion disaster but hey I haven't found orange nail polish yet. I received the there's not enough wind and unsolicited advice but the shiny new orange mission was eventually what they wanted to talk about. k42 asked if it was a new neilpryde. "huh?" I guess the name np = orange sails. k42 grabbed his sup board and headed to uppers while I eked the wind off the beach (my best beachstart ever) and headed to lowers. I felt a bit chix sh*t not slogging to uppers but big waves (ooooh they were big) with no wind makes for a long swim and I had 1hr to sail. the triangle was big, smooth, glassy and inviting but the only one who too it on was nick warmouth who of course made it look easy! I snuck in between the edge of the triangle and the upper shoulder of lowers. luckily lowers was breaking big in the middle so it was easy to get out. it was different for me to be out there with surfers and sup-ers but gave them plenty of room and smiled at the surfer who was riding the wave left as I bottom turned right. part of me kept wanting to go deeper into the big waves but the more responsible part reminded me of my commitments.

the 5.3 rigged easily though I had to pull exceptionally hard to outhaul. maybe it's the shape or the newness but if the eye candy had been nearby I would've requested assistance. it was very balanced, rotated smoothly, easy to tack and weeble wobble jibe. I planed a few times and kept thinking that if I hadn't picked up a haagen dazs addiction I would have planed more. but then that's no fun! I felt a touch of sail envy as ivs11 and f71 ripped by me as they made the most of the light winds to test 11m sails. satisfied with the waves I caught and with my hair almost dry I landed back where I started (one more tack and I'd have gotten there). kanaha wasn't the only place it was big as f400 reported there was major carnage at ho'okipa and simmer's chief designer, tomas persson, dropped off a sail that didn't survive camp 1. oops.

seems like yesterday was the most exciting but probably because it's fresh in my mind. the wind blurs it all together in my head aka windblown so days like today with 'nah, I don't want to drive over there' wind it gives me time to sort thru the last week's events. friday brought the 4.5 mission out which was great on the 69 pocket and not just because it's green. we had a rough start as I crashed on my jibes, couldn't find balance in the tacks but by saturday we had found our happy place together and ripped on the wild (easterly, northerly, westerly) waves with a few good jumps in between. I rigged with 6 other girls but where were they? I only saw two of them in the waves and one was j11. hey girls if you want to learn to wave sail ditch your boyfriend's advice and take a lesson! but first buy a bikini that stays on or a pair of 'big wave board shorts' because you'll want to get closer and closer to the white water!

gun sails had a photo shoot at kanaha, freestyle shoot at sprecks and there weren't really any waves but maybe they got some shots yesterday. the np designer and ned0 were testing at uppers to make sure the '11s are even better than the 0'10s. barry spanier was seen giving rigging tips to the board testers and keith teboul was hanging out checking on things. always a surprise to see keith teboul at kanaha! the world champ, f192, arrives the 30th for testing, a bit of relaxation and plans to have his hottie blonde on his arm. you know what that means for me - time to dust off the stilettos though I'm guessing things will be a bit more tame with f192 here to supervise ladies nite! the pros are starting to return for the waves so jacques is likely to be a bit more interesting and casanovas will probably be the place to be seen for halloween. I think my costume's ready...

happy halloween and eat as much candy as you want because who knows what tomorrow will bring!

I drew the "steady progress" card yesterday. does it refer to learning to surf? a smooooth bottom turn? maybe hitting the lip? my health? my love life? life in general? isn't that what it's all about steady progress as I wander thru life? the baja boys joked that I put in more time on the water than anyone and had the slowest progress which is partly due to the perfectionist within (a genetic gift). letting go of the "perfects" can be a challenge but when I do it brings a smooth jibe, quick tack or an 'aha' moment that keeps me going back for more. do you find pleasure in your progress or are you consumed by perfect-ness which might not allow enjoyment of the moment? yes, steady progress is a life long adventure to which I'll do my best to remember when my ego is pressuring me to paddle harder, faster then stand while trying to catch a 6" wave.

why the surf talk? you got it, no wind. they may need to extend the 10 surfer policy to lowers as the sloggers take to the waves with the surfers and sup-ers. would the 10 include sup or only paddle surfers? I can foresee drama. the lowers wave looks friendly to the 9' elua but it's a long paddle. have I surfed? no and I feel a twinge of guilt as I gave the eye candy my word that I would practice 1x per week during his absence. one bonus of going solo is that no one can see me getting taken out by the tiny waves at grandma's = "even your grandma can learn to surf spot."

yesterday, I watched the kanaha cam and saw sloggers so I grabbed the eye candy's 86 liter da curve "loop board" (previously cracked in 1/2 now repaired) and headed over. any windsurfer knows not to leave wind to find wind but is kihei wind actually wind? sh*t, I've become a wind/wave snob haven't I? it was forecasted to pick up later so after stopping in paia I headed to see if I could do some slogging. nope! so I turned my attention to a halloween costume that involves red stilettos. my alter ego was satisfied so I headed south passing us34, us1112, ned0, the windsurfing mag board testers, and others on their way back from kihei.

let's talk about magazine 'gear test reviews'. granted, I've never been asked to test for the mags and getting a 1st hand look on monday made me realize that the potential to do more harm than good to the manufacturers is fairly high. I stood discussing the wind with t1 as the reviewers prepared to test the 85 (ish) liter quads, twins, singles scattered about. I didn't touch but circled a few for closer inspection. being familiar with one of the testers I asked if she ever moves the footstraps around to suit her size, sailing style and conditions. she said yes but didn't as she chose the 85 da curve which I know has the straps set for the last person who sailed it, us10, who put them as far apart as possible. a) he's a pro b) he's big c) he likes a wider stance for the waves. she wasn't the only smaller rider who took the da curve out without adjusting the straps. for me if the straps are too far apart it's harder to plane especially on a wave board so I can see some reviewers writing "love the graphics but couldn't plane". I admired her shiny/new her goya sail since I know she's an ezzy rider to which she responded that she was trying it out for the 1st time. what?! how can she test a board when she doesn't know the sail? I discovered she wasn't the only one with a 'new to you' sail as the big guy asked me if his 0'10 mauisails 6.2 global was rigged right - I gave him feedback then he headed out on a starboard quad.

how can they test boards with unfamiliar sails? how can they test boards without moving the footstraps? how can they test wave boards in the flat waters of kihei? I know how influential these reviews are to the american consumer (maybe the rest of the world) and I'm disappointed that they don't control the variables as much as they can. the other thing is that only brands who advertise can get boards into the test. maybe this is okay since mags need advertising money but do the readers know this?

instead of offering unsolicited advice I turned to the 5.3 wind for me while us34, ned0, sa7, and the north sail designer tested 8.0's. knowing the custom pocket would not be enough t1 offered up his 92 bamboo wave board. it's always good to check out the competition, right? as I slogged off the beach in my bikini I knew it was going to be a wonderful day of windsurfing. t1 ripped by me on a prototype he's working on that can be used by the entire family no matter the level. the 92 is smooth as butter, planing quickly, maintains speed thru the turns and is esthetically gorgeous. I managed to spin out since I have a habit of choking the rig, sheeting in and pushing on the fin when overpowered but as soon as I corrected my stance the fin caught and kept going as if nothing happened. it doesn't have a lot of heel padding and the straps caused a bit of ouch but we all know my love of squishy straps. I did a couple of garland turns but without any significant swell I wasn't able to see all the board can do but I'm sure it rips a nice bottom turn.

the wind turned off shore which didn't worry me as I ripped parallel to the beach but it was time to give back the 92. the condos block the wind so it was a challenging slog directly into the wind so as not to end up too far down the beach. I dropped in and swam as I approached the huge coral heads so I didn't scratch the 92 (yes, I cut my feet) but I wasn't alone as a group of us did the walk of shame!

the kanaha cam is showing sloggers but maybe it's best to commit to steady progress on my surfboard and without the eye candy to help make a decision I'll have to man up and figure it out for myself. at any rate, I need to be back in time for the season premier of nip/tuck. trashy tv is the best kind!