Sam Bittner Windsurfing

Lord of the Wind Closing Night

2012-01-28T09:43:00.001-10:00

Look closely for the beluga whale :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCeFTr-atNU&feature=share

La Ventana Video

2012-01-28T09:32:00.003-10:00

This is a great video put together by Joey Sanchez of some of the adventuring had at Pro-Windsurf La Ventana this January. A trip to go down in the books!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mopEph0CPPo

Win!

2012-01-20T05:13:00.004-10:00

Yesterday I did the La Ventana Classic Island Crossing and won for the women! There were 100 competitors both windsurfers and kiters. We all packed in pangas with gear over to Cerralvo Island then raced back to La Ventana for an 11 mile downwind race. Very exciting! It was so much fun and my new favorite sport: long distance windsurfing racing. Love it! I was going so fast and passing lots of kiters. My gear was perfect with a 6.5M Naish Moto and 95L Naish Grand Prix. Stoked! Tyson Poor beat all the kiters and took the big win for windsurfing and Naish Team rider Wyatt Miller came in second for windsurfing. GO team!

Naish Team Rider

2012-01-12T06:13:00.001-10:00

http://www.naishsails.com/2012/sam-bittner.html

Happy to have made the cut on the Naish website!

First Waves

2011-09-23T07:22:00.001-10:00

I have sailed everyday for a week. The last two days have been over mast high waves and awesome. Its so cool to get back into the part I love most about windsurfing: getting into massive waves. Its a rush.

I was thinking about not doing the Hookipa event because of how overwhelming organizing this contest has been. Now I will consider it again. :)

Ye haw! Bring on the winter.

Boardseeker Babe

2011-09-16T07:01:00.002-10:00

Haha. This is funny :)

http://www.boardseekermag.com/windsurfing_lifestyle/Boardseeker_babes/samantha-jan-bittner.htm

2011 Windsurfer of the Year Nominee

2011-07-01T05:33:00.002-10:00

Click here to vote!

Fun in the Gorge

2011-06-30T08:23:00.002-10:00

Busy Week!

2011-05-22T11:03:00.006-10:00

In the past week I did the OluKai race and won first place in the open division,

Went to Battle of the Paddle on Oahu with the Naish team,

did the relay race with the Tahiti team,

Signed on with the Naish Team!

And, went skydiving!!

OK, time to breathe . . .

Santa Cruz Classic

2011-05-09T04:19:00.003-10:00

As any of you reading may know, I have been a bit distracted from my blog lately with organizing the American Windsurfing Tour. The first event, the Santa Cruz Classic, had its final day today and I wanted to do a little reflecting. This blog is meant to be about my personal windsurfing, so I want to take a moment to think about how I did as a competitor in the event.

First off, this was the first time I had ever competed. Ever. I was scared, I will be honest. Matt Pritchard gave me a pep talk before my heat saying there is nothing to be scared of and to just go out and rip. Kevin Pritchard gave me the best advise of all: "Just have fun!" That is what this tour is all about anyway, so I went out and was prepared to just have fun. It was a lot of pressure to have so many people on the beach watching and hearing Josh Sampiero announcing, bringing a lot of attention to me. Yikes! I was able to catch 3 wave and 1 jump score, so I advanced to the next round! In round 2 I knew the girls I was against were really good, so I just did my best with a huge smile, felt like I did a great job for me and was stoked, even though I didn't move on.

The next day was double elimination, so I got another chance to prove myself. I used strategy to be on the outside when the clock started and happened to be on an awesome wave right at the buzzer, but unfortunatly I had a massive wipeout and had to swim for my gear. The water was so cold and Josh's voice on the PA kept me going, swiming, swimming for my gear. When I got to it, there was still 7 minutes in the heat, plenty of time to get my points in. I did catch some good waves and got a baby jump in, but it was not enough to advance me. Thats OK because I had fun and got my first experience competing wave sailing.

Now I am really excited to compete in the rest of the contests on tour. Back to Maui tomorrow to train :)

Thank you to everyone who made the Santa Cruz Classic such a success!

Interview

2011-03-30T11:27:00.001-10:00

Here is a link to an interview I did last week. Thank you Olaf!

Lots of wind

2011-03-24T22:06:00.002-10:00

The past few days have been a ball! Yesterday sailing at Camp One all by myself was awesome. I rigged my 2011 Ezzy Panther II 3.7M for the first time. I paid close attention to rig it properly and it felt very clean and controlled. Love it!
Today I sailed Kanaha with friends. It was supper gusty on the inside and super strong on the outside. Fun anyway just to be on the water. I love maui so much and am thankful for every day on the water!

BIg Waves

2011-03-17T10:10:00.004-10:00

Jaws has been going off lately! Last week I was able to sail nearly everyday, but lately it has been too big and too windy :) Awesome, got to love it all! Here is a pic of Kauli "in the barrel" at Jaws :) He is fine, btw.

Lots of Surfing

2011-03-02T10:09:00.002-10:00

No wind since my last point, so lots of surfing here.

Kuau Point

2011-02-15T22:05:00.001-10:00

Yes, I did score my first Kuau point today! Yea! Quite the swim and lost my new Free Style watch in a wipe out :( Oh well, now I'm in the running for the cup again :)

New Elua Makani Surfboard

2011-02-12T13:45:00.004-10:00

Thank you Ralf and Sandy at Second Wind for supporting me with a brand new Elua Makani 8'0 surfboard! I have already had a few adventures with it, including a small fight. I'm sure we will work out our differences soon and be ripping the waves of Maui in no time :)

Small fin bite through my wetsuit :(

Windsport Magazine

2011-02-03T14:02:00.003-10:00

Lowers at Kanaha

2011-02-02T11:22:00.001-10:00

Yesterday I went over to Lowers in the late afternoon to sail. When I headed out to the beach I ran into David Ezzy and KP who were talking shop and I knew they would be watching me so I went for it! The first few waves I caught were great, but then I crashed and took forever to get back up and going. I got swept down to kiter-ville and felt silly. Oh well, I guess we all make fools of ourselves sometimes :)

West Side!

2011-02-01T15:31:00.001-10:00

Yesterday Russ and I headed over to the west side for the possibility of catching some wind and waves. What do you know, it was awesome! Glad I made the hour drive, because I had a blast. Sailed with Kai Katchadourian and Kevin Pritchard. Still smiling:)

Happy to be Home!

2011-01-24T08:42:00.003-10:00

Maui has been so good to me these past 3 days. I have been getting in the waves and there has been the perfect amount of wind for my favorite sail, 4.7M Ezzy Panther III. I can not stop smiling. This is what it is all about!

Lord Of The Wind

2011-01-18T07:49:00.006-10:00

Back to Maui from Lord of the Wind in Los Barrilles. What an adventure. I had an amazing time in such a special place. While my job there was to assist Chris Rogers, organizer of the event, I was still able to enjoy the week. Here is a list of a few of my favorite things about the trip:

I got to pet a burro, so cute!
Windsurfing (thank you Katie!)
Massage on the beach
Seeing all my friends from Maui, Hood River, and California
Dancing my socks off every night
Authentic Mexican Food
Sun rise
Pool Time
Fishing
Meeting up with my friends from San Carlos
Hot tub time
Boat Ride
Quad rides on the beach
A few to many shots of Tequila
SUP with Alfredo and Aaron
Traveling with the Pritchard family
Watching KP win the Showdown

Welcome KP to Ezzy!

2011-01-18T07:46:00.002-10:00

Yay! While traveling down to Los Barrielles for Lord of the Wind, Kevin Pritchard announced that he is the new team rider for Ezzy. Go KP!

Kona Winds

2011-01-10T07:45:00.001-10:00

Today I got to sail my new Ezzys for the first time. It was blowing Kona, which always adds a challenge, but I did manage to catch a few waves.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T08:19:00.001-10:00

I am in cold Colorado for a wedding, but this just posted on windsurfing mag.com. Thanks for the shot Josh!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:16:00.000-10:00

New Sails!

2010-12-20T22:12:00.001-10:00

Yea! It's my birthday and my new 2011 Ezzy Sails came in the mail today! Best birthday ever! Now only if I could have a side of wind with that?

Meeting Making Plans!

2010-12-18T11:53:00.002-10:00

Last night I met with Josh Stone and Richard Page at Josh's house to discuss plans for windsurfing events on Maui. Pretty exciting stuff coming up for 2011!

Longboarding

2010-12-17T15:35:00.001-10:00

Light to no wind lately, perfect surf!

Double Date

2010-12-03T13:43:00.001-10:00

Very gusty wind today. Russ and I, Casey and Ingrid had Kuau to ourselves. Fun sailing with friends!

Back to Maui

2010-12-02T09:45:00.003-10:00

Back from my winter wonderland vacation with the family. Yesterday I got an awesome solo sailing session in at Kuau. It felt great to be back in the warm waters of Maui!

Winter Wonderland

2010-11-27T09:46:00.000-10:00

In Seattle at my parent's sledding and building snowmen

Surfing and Family Time

2010-11-22T10:52:00.003-10:00

Spent the last day in Maui before vacation surfing. What a great day. Nice clean waves and lots of friends on the water. Thank you Barb for taking me out for a morning session at Hookipa and all the friends who shared waves with me at Mama's in the evening.
I am now in Denver for some family time. Back to Maui Saturday.

Rainy Days

2010-11-08T08:06:00.003-10:00

It sure has been raining a lot lately. To me, windsurfing while its raining is like sticking your head out the window of the car on the freeway in the rain. No fun. Maybe I'm being too sensitive and should just get out there more!

The truth is the past two days cleared up a bit and I got some good sessions in.

Here is a picture of the boys waiting for the rain to clear. (Russ, Tom, Canada Victor, Dale, Victor Roy, and Olaf)

The first picture is one of jaws in late September. We have been getting massive swell so early this winter.

R.I.P Andy Irons

2010-11-02T15:08:00.006-10:00

So sad to hear today of Andy Irons passing. He is a legend and will be missed!

Hit it Girl!

2010-10-29T08:03:00.001-10:00

Yesterday I did end up going out. It was nice because I again had the whole place to myself. Conditions were not the best, but I still had fun. Now all I need is to learn how to hit the lip like this girl!

Nayra Alonso 2010 from nayra a c on Vimeo.

work

2010-10-27T14:38:00.002-10:00

I've been working very hard getting the events off the ground for 2011. Its a lot more work than I thought, but the past three days have been rainy, so its been OK to stay in and focus. BBAAAA! Going crazy, better get sailing today :)

Baja Photos

2010-10-19T08:29:00.002-10:00

Baja was so amazing! I learned more about wavesailing in that week than I did in two winters here in Maui on my own. Matt is truly a guru of windsurfing and I am so lucky to be his friend! Here are some photos from my trip. Enjoy!

Baja!

2010-10-12T09:58:00.002-10:00

Just back from Baja. What an epic time! Thank you Kevin Trejo for having me at Solo Sports where I was treated like a queen in the desert for a full week! More about the trip to come, but for now, here is a video by Jon Sassone:

Punta San Carlos from jon sassone on Vimeo.

And another video. This one from Kevin McGillviray

Punta San Carlos October 2010 from Kevin McGillivray on Vimeo.

Winter is Here

2010-09-23T09:00:00.002-10:00

Yea! Wind and waves are back! Last weekend I went to Hood River for the AWSI trade show and got back just in time for the wind to hit on Monday in Maui. Straight from the airport to Kuau to sail till the sun went down. Same thing yesterday and probably today as well. I heart Maui!

Pro-Windsurfer Ingrid

2010-09-03T07:33:00.001-10:00

Thank you Gravity for covering an interview with Ingrid. Maybe she can help me to learn forwards!

Forwards

2010-08-31T07:27:00.003-10:00

I am getting really excited for Baja and my forwards! I have been studying the video on the Pritchard website, and am starting to get stoked.

Yesterday Russ and I sailed Kuau. No waves and light-ish wind. Hope the waves come back soon!

Sugar Cove

2010-08-24T07:55:00.001-10:00

Yesterday the wind was light and there were no waves, but Russ and I went out anyway at Sugar Cove because we could. Russ was of coarse throwing forward after forward all around me, and I was working on body drags and tacks. It was a fun day!

Today I have been inspired by this article. I am looking forward to Baja and have made a goal to land a forward while there!

New Windsurfer

2010-08-12T07:57:00.003-10:00

Just read an article written by a new windsurfer and some words rang true to me:

"I’ve bought board shorts, rash guards, a waterproof camera and a season ticket. I watch windsurfing DVDs. I live in my bikini. I won’t plan anything in advance in case the wind is good.

In short, I’m hooked. I never thought it would be such fun, and so challenging! But as Jorg says: “That’s what it’s all about: the challenge. Windsurfing isn’t about competing with others; the contest is with yourself. And the challenge is endless." --Alix Norman

Windsurfing appears to have similarities no matter where in the world you live:)

Click here for full article

Looking Back

2010-07-26T10:47:00.002-10:00

Its been a month since the 2010 Pistol River Wave Bash. Now the stories are coming out, and I can't help but smile on what a good time everyone had and what a success the event was.

I have been on the water nearly everyday since my return to Maui and have been pushing myself to learn new things every day. I am excited to put on the event again.

Here is a story from Ben Jones: http://jaminjones.blogspot.com/2010/07/pistol-river-wave-bash-intro.html

Back Home

2010-07-09T08:44:00.002-10:00

Finally back in Maui! The one month get away was great! I got to go do a lot of fun things and the contest was for sure the highlight.

Last day in Hood River was the best sailing I got for the whole trip. It was not a day the typical Gorge sailor would call epic, but I got to sail with Russ and his Dad, Dave Faurot. We were racing back and forth across the river all day. What a treat to be perfectly powered on my 4.2M sail and to be wearing a wetsuit was suddenly not such a bad thing. Its almost like a sense of protection when you are blasting across the lake to know if you crash, there is that protection.

What a great trip! I cant wait to get back into the warm water of Maui!

Awesome Movie!

2010-06-30T10:40:00.003-10:00

The new Windsurfing Movie kicks butt!! I don't want to say too much about it before it is available to everyone else, but I will say I am even more happy to be living in Maui for windsurfing. It truly is the windsurfing capitol of the world.

Also pretty amazing to visit the Red Bull headquarters. There is even a huge skate ramp through the whole office space. All the employees were very cool. Here is a picture of me with Levi Siver and Kai Lenny, stars of the movie.

Thank you Josh Sampiero, Martin and the Lenny family for making this such a memorable trip!

L.A.!

2010-06-28T05:14:00.002-10:00

Today I am flying from Portland to L.A. for the movie premier of The Windsurfing Movie II.

Wooo Hoooo!!!

Boardseeker Article

2010-06-28T05:02:00.001-10:00

http://www.boardseekermag.com/features/windsurfing-events/pistol-river-wave-bash-132.html

Pistol a Success!

2010-06-28T04:57:00.002-10:00

The contest is over and it couldn't have gone better! What an adventure! We had great conditions and amazing riders. Thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors that made it possible!

Pistol River.. The Super Final from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Day 3 Pistol River Wave Bash from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Pistol River Day 2 from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Pistol River Wave Bash Day 1 from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Beautiful Sunset

2010-06-12T05:50:00.003-10:00

Portland

2010-06-10T16:51:00.004-10:00

At the beach house in Cannon Beach now. Had good luck with the trip from Maui. Conditions are looking epic for Pistol River next week! Woohoo!

Looking Forward. . .

2010-06-02T21:41:00.001-10:00

to Pistol River Wave Bash. . .

Reef Bite

2010-05-24T13:03:00.002-10:00

Yesterday I went for a sail out of Sprecks and down to Camp one. The tide was very low and the wind picked up a ton while I was out there. After whipping out on a wave, I got drug along the reef trapped under my sail. Ouch!

This morning was a lot more fun doing a downwinder SUP with a few friends :)

Water Day

2010-05-14T09:32:00.002-10:00

Yesterday the waves were pretty low but the wind was up so Russ and I launched out of Kuau and sailed up to Hookipa. It was a lot of work getting up there because of the wind direction but some fun once we got there.

Later in the day I did a SUP down winder from Moliko Gultch down to Kanaha with Chris King. Its nice to take time and enjoy the ocean. Great day!

Tandem

2010-05-03T11:58:00.000-10:00

Yesterday Russ and I went out for a Tandem SUP/Sail sesh. I was laughing the whole time. It was a blast!!

Suzie's Blog

2010-04-20T08:52:00.001-10:00

Thanks Suzie Cooney for posting me up on your blog!

Kuau Cup 2010

2010-04-19T09:18:00.005-10:00

I won the Kuau Cup 2010. I would like to thank the Kuau Yacht Club for being such a supportive family! I won with 7 points for the year. Dean came a close second with 6. Thank you Dean and Tracy for creating the Kuau Yacht Club official t-shirts!

Butterfly Effect Maui

2010-04-17T09:14:00.002-10:00

Today was the Butterfly Effect Maui! What an adventure! The waves were up and so was the wind. Hookipa was a bit big for everyone to launch at so most of the girls went out at Sprecks. The three Kuau Butterflys included myself, Bella, and Tracy. It was great to be with such amazing women athletes. They pushed me to do my best in the difficult conditions. I even attempted a forward under the helicopter! Thank you Tatiana for creating such a wonderful event!

SUP Sail Sesh

2010-04-11T09:23:00.000-10:00

Today I got a chance to try out one of the Starboard SUP boards with a sail. Everyone at Kanaha was pretty jealous that I was able to get on the water with such light wind.

Brave

2010-04-11T07:26:00.002-10:00

Yesterday I sailed Hookipa for the first time since last summer. I have never sailed there with waves and I was supper nervous to go out. My good friend, Ingrid, pushed me to go out and I am really glad she did. I was literally shaking when launching but it was a piece of cake! I spent a long time downwind from the action until I felt comfortable then I moved in on the waves. I was sailing with Kevin Pritchard, Kauli Seadi, Anrde Paskowski, and many more stars. It was not big by any means but very exciting for me to be at that location with those people. What a rush! I ended up staying out for nearly 3 hours because I was having so much fun and also because I was a bit nervous to come back in. When I finally did, it was so easy! The small, tiny shore break lifted me up and set me gently on the sand. Sweet!

Mag Coverage

2010-04-05T14:16:00.002-10:00

Pretty stoked to see a full page in Windsurfing Mag!

Mag Coverage

2010-04-04T14:26:00.001-10:00

Thank you Windsurfing Magazine for the advertisement in this issue!

Perfectly Tuned

2010-03-30T19:42:00.003-10:00

Today was super super windy. I unrolled my 2010 3.7 M Panther 2 sail for the first time, slapped on the Dakine stickers and went for it. I was so out of control, I only lasted 5 min before heading back to the car for shelter. Thankfully David Ezzy rolled up just in time. He took a look at my sail and rigged it up just right for the extremely windy conditions.

Perfect tuning of my sail made all the difference. It was so light in my hand, despite the incredibly strong wind. I was making every jibe in the beginning of my session and even got to ride a wave with David himself. Pretty cool session. Cant wait to sail at Pistol River!

Hookipa

2010-03-25T14:09:00.004-10:00

Yesterday I went to Hookipa for most of the day, then a sail down at Kuau. It was pretty big and I got a lot of filming in at Hookipa. All the pros are in town for photo shoots, so its quite a show!

Pistol Preview

2010-03-24T14:12:00.000-10:00

Check out this video about Pistol River Wave Bash by Kevin Pritchard

Pistol River Wave Bash is on!! from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Sail With a Whale

2010-03-23T14:08:00.000-10:00

The other day I got to sail with a huge humpback. I always thought I would be afraid when I got that close to one, but it was actually a calming experience.

Wipe Out!

2010-03-07T14:26:00.001-10:00

Yes, my foot did stay in the strap and I am now laid up. . . for a bit.

Photos by Dave Baker

2010-03-06T18:49:00.003-10:00

Russ at Hookipa

2010-03-06T16:54:00.002-10:00

Russ Goiter Attempt

2010-03-06T14:36:00.000-10:00

Kanaha Wind

2010-03-04T07:08:00.002-10:00

Two days ago it was extremely windy at Kanaha and my friend Kate was taking photos. I like this one she took. Here is a link to more. Thanks Kate!

Big and Messy

2010-03-02T09:04:00.003-10:00

Yesterday at Kanaha was too big and messy for me to get to the outside. Russ and I launched together and neither of us could get out for a half hour. After that I gave up and started working on duck jibes at uppers. Russ did make it to the outside and didnt catch too many exciting waves. At the end of our session we did some sincronized sailing with our matching sails which always brings a smile to my face:)

Tsunami

2010-02-28T10:06:00.002-10:00

Video of the Tsunami in Maui

Tabou Video

2010-02-26T12:00:00.004-10:00

My interview about the Tabou from test

SUP Sesh

2010-02-24T12:06:00.001-10:00

Today I got to try out the Drive from Starboard. Thanks Whit! Awesome board. Very stable, but able to turn quickly to catch any wave you want.

International Windsurfer

2010-02-16T14:43:00.001-10:00

Check out this link

Some Recent Photos

2010-02-15T18:07:00.006-10:00

I had some friends do a photo shoot for me just before I got the 2010 sails. This was a VERY light wind day at Kanaha

To Grandmother's House I Go!

2010-02-15T18:05:00.002-10:00

Here is a photo I took from the plane. Spent this weekend with my Grammy in the Bay Area. I love her!

Charging my First Forward!

2010-02-10T13:28:00.001-10:00

Yes, that's right, I went for my first forward attempts! It took all day yesterday and about 100 times listening to "Eye of the Tiger" to get the nerve, but I finally threw myself over the handle bars! Yes, my legs are quite bruised, but I am convinced I will land one in 2010!

Trades are Back with my New Sails

2010-02-06T23:30:00.003-10:00

Yesterday I got to go out at Kuau on the new 73L Da Curve Tabou board. I am stoked on the board and am able to jump so much, even thinking about throwing a forward soon. . .

Brand New 2010 Ezzy Sails!

2010-02-05T07:20:00.004-10:00

Yea! The new sails have arrived and so has the wind! Yesterday I got to take my new 4.7 on its maiden voyage. What a difference! I am stoked to go again today!

Thanks Dakine for always showing the love!

2010-02-05T07:18:00.000-10:00

Coverage in a European Mag! Check this link

2010-01-29T10:08:00.000-10:00

Sailing with Pros!

2010-01-28T18:38:00.002-10:00

Today was a surprise windy day! I got to go out with many sailors including Grahm Ezzy and Fred Haywood. I was soo stoked to be sailing with those guys and I pushed harder than usual. I was also on a friends 73L Taboo board that rocked! I was flying higher than ever! Woo Hoo!!

ps- check out pg 69 of the new Windsurfing Mag :)

Update to the Wave Bash Site

2010-01-27T11:00:00.002-10:00

http://www.wavebash.weebly.com/

Suprise Kona Fun!

2010-01-26T17:32:00.003-10:00

Stand Up Journal

2010-01-23T15:29:00.002-10:00

Yes, Another Kuau Point

2010-01-21T08:34:00.002-10:00

Yesterday I got so stoked to go sailing, event though there was not so much wind. I was hanging out before hand at Hookipa where the film crew was for the new Windsurfing Movie. A few of the stars were there and getting ready to go out, despite the lack in wind. I sat waiting so long, I had to have some fun for myself. So I drove down to Kuau, rigged up and went out. It took me a bit but I finally got out through the waves way down wind of the channel. I worked my way up and the first wave I caught took me out. It was the kind where the wind gets knocked out of you and then you are held under for a bit. Fun. . . Regardless, I got in a spot around the corner with no wind and had to swim in to make it to work on time. Thanks to Russ for helping me get to work!

New Web Site

2010-01-17T23:23:00.002-10:00

The web site for the 2010 Pistol River Wave Bash is up! Lots of days with no wind can make a person do some amazing things :) Check out www.wavebash.weebly.com

New Video

2010-01-17T10:41:00.002-10:00

Check out this link for the Windsurfing Magazine 2010 High Wind Board Test

Awesome Day!

2010-01-16T10:26:00.003-10:00

Yesterday was one of my top windsurfing days ever! The trade winds are back. It was pretty big, although the picture doesn't look it. I had a very hard time getting out through the waves and once I was on the outside, I just stayed there working on jumps and jibes. Soo much fun! Then, on my way back in, I rode one mast high wave that was the thrill of the day! Yeah! Back on the water again!

Jaws

2010-01-12T10:39:00.001-10:00

Made the trek down to Jaws again. Pretty cool!

Maiden Voyage for the 3.7

2010-01-06T10:34:00.003-10:00

The last two days have been soo much fun! Still blowing Kona. Monday I sailed at Kuau on my new 3.7M sail. It was the fist time to use my new sail and I had a blast! It took me a while to get out past the waves, but on the outside there were loads of ramps to practice jumping with my left foot forward. Then yesterday I went out at lowers and had all day to play. What fun! I stayed on the outside for quite a while before I braved the waves but when I got my first wave, it was addicting and spent the second half of my session just attempting to ride wave after wave. Im sure it didnt look like much, but i was having a blast! Its fun to ride in Kona winds because everyone is at a disadvantage and everyone is screwing up and laughing at each other. I had some pretty good hits to the reef and some new proud scars on my legs and feet:) Today pretty light but i am headed down now to check it out.

More Kona Fun!

2010-01-04T10:43:00.002-10:00

Yesterday I had so much fun sailing Kona's at Kanaha! I was went racing out and jumping small waves backwards. Then I even got a few small waves:) The wind is blowing again now and I am on my way out the door. See you on the water!

Still waiting for Wind

2010-01-03T08:20:00.002-10:00

Sitting, waiting, watching. waiting . . .

Kona Winds

2009-12-31T15:03:00.003-10:00

Today was my first time sailing Kona winds. I went down to Kanaha and rigged up after only three people were out. I did have to swim a ways to get to the wind, but once I did, I was up and going. It was pretty tricky at first but right when I started to feel comfortable, I got stuck in the waves and with it being so off shore, there was nothing in between waves and getting out was tricky. Fun day. :) Here is a picture of Levi at lanes as I was driving home.

December a Bust

2009-12-28T11:23:00.004-10:00

December has really been a bust for wind. I only have gotten sailing once the whole month. The down time has inspired me to organize a contest scheduled for June 24th-27th in Pistol River, OR. I have been working really hard and talking to lots of people to make this event possible. Lets hope January brings more wind!

Three Wonderful Days with My New Sails!

2009-11-28T11:42:00.004-10:00

I only got to enjoy my new sails for three days before an injured wrist kept me off the water. Now on Thanksgiving break in Kansas, I hope to be fully recovered before returning to Maui Thursday.

I could defiantly tell the difference with my new sails, mostly pushing to be more "radical" as my German friend would say. I was charging harder on the waves and ended up scoring my 5th Kuau point for the year. This resent point has put me again in the lead, this time tying with Dean of Canada.

Kansas is cold, 32 degrees for our Thanksgiving Day 5K run. brrrr!

New Ezzy Sails!!

2009-11-16T23:20:00.002-10:00

Today was miserable raining all day. Then the post man delivered my new sails! Yeah! What a great day! Three new sails; 4.7m, 4.2m, and 3.7m. Also three new masts as well! I have never had my own brand new sails. How exciting! I cant stop smiling!

Harbor to Harbor

2009-11-16T23:18:00.002-10:00

Saturday I ran the Harbor to Harbor, a 10 mile run from Kihei Boat Launch to Maalea. Fun cross training!