FOMO
It has been about four years since I last visited Hawaii, which feels really strange after spending so much time there prior to COVID. With the PWA & IWT Tours joining forces this season, it meant that as a photographer, I was only employed for the PWA-run events, so I wasn't on the crew to go to Maui, even so, I still wanted to go to see how the title race panned out, as well as just to catch up with old friends. I made the decision to wait until the last minute and if it looked half decent, I would try and make it to Maui on an ultra-low budget. When I say low budget, I was looking to spend the absolute minimum possible to cover flights, travel to the airport, car hire, accommodation, food, and of course a few icy colds. I set myself a target of £700, which some of you may think is impossible, but making the trip as cheap as possible was the only way I could justify going. Maybe I could also pick up a bit of work along the way, who knows, but I just had it set in my mind that I would regret it if I missed out. Don't they call that Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
The event was set to run over a ten-day holding period, with a maximum of five days of action, due to permits. When the event kicked off, the forecast looked pretty dire, and despite one day of Kona winds, it looked like all the action would be in the latter half of the event. Although it didn't look epic, most riders and crew were pretty sure there would be enough wind and waves to run the contest. I was personally in contact with Kai Katchadourian, who is a bit of a guru when it comes to monitoring forecasts, finally, I received the message I had been waiting for, which made me pull the trigger: "Wheels up, looks like improvement in the long-term. Maui will deliver!" So, with the green light from Kai on October 27th, I started checking flights and hire cars to see how much this was going to cost me.
WHEELS UP
This story is from the Issue 430 - January February 2024 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 430 - January February 2024 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
