Maui Monthly no.81. January 2012

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pick the one that fits

THE BEST FOR YOU

www.mauisails.com/2012


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CAMILLE

JUBAN joins MauiSails One of the hottest young wavesailors around, Camille Juban, is now riding and testing for MauiSails. Camille, a resident of Guadeloupe, recently won the AWT Ho’okipa Makani Classic wave contest, against a strong fleet of some of the world best sailors. Given the opportunity, he decided to use MauiSails to help push his sailing skills and competition level to the top. Camille will be spending the wave months on Maui helping develop the wave lines, promoting product, and enjoying the exciting conditions Maui has to offer. Camille said, “I’m really excited for 2012. I’ve worked hard for many years and I look forward to working with a leading brand in MauiSails. I believe this will help me take my sailing to another level”. Art Szpunar, MauiSails designer, commented, "We are very excited to have Camille on board, as his radical style is a perfect complement to the progressive direction of MauiSails. It’ll be great to go for a Hookipa session with him and the rest of the team and get his feedback on our latest creations. His input will surely be valuable to further improve MauiSails great wave sail line." For more information go to www.mauisails.com

Photo : Photo by Ludivine/ PloofVidéo

no.81. January ’12


Our Experience, Your Reward

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no.81. January ’12

Great and exciting start of 2012 What a great and exciting start to 2012 January was on Maui!!! New Years day rolled around and I could finally make my switch to Maui Sails official. I launched my new website with updated photos, did a fancy press release with the Maui Sails team and I didn’t waste any time getting as many of the new TR8’s as I could so I could start sailing them and tuning up for the coming racing season. First stop was the loft in Haiku where Barry, Art, Phil and Caroline set me up

with the final prototype TR8’s, masts to go with them as well as booms, harnesses, T-shirts, stickers and any other Maui Sails paraphernalia I could get my hands on. Then I went to work with Phil, we spent a lot of time on the water with slalom and formula gear, trying different masts, different settings on sails and boards. It didn’t take long before I was getting good, consistent and high speeds on


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Photos : Caroline Branch and Darrell Wong

my gps and feeling more and more comfortable and confident. January was a very windy month and we were fortunate to get a lot of different wind conditions as well so I was able to try out all of the range from the 11.0 to the 6.3, the 12.0 is the only one I didn’t get to sail. With this new change to Maui Sails I have also been able to spend more time on off the water training and fitness, with some motivation from Phil I have lost 15

pounds since the end of 2011(mostly from the holiday eating;))) and am feeling light and lean. Still plenty heavy for racing but working on creating a much better base to build from so I can be leaner and stronger this season. My training time has been split pretty evenly between weight training and cardio, with three days a week in the gym, three days on the bike and two days running. I am trying to give a good balance to all my training and maximizing my time while doing it.


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Photos : Andrea Pagan

A big part of this has also come from my diet, it has been hard especially after the holidays with all the good foods and sweets but I have managed to get on a better eating program that is healthier for me. I have also been doing some wave sailing, trying out some of the different Maui Sails wave models and even getting to play with some of the new protos for the next generation wave sails. It has been a while since I was on my wave gear so it took me a few times to get tuned up with my boards and get them matched with the new sails but I had some really good waves at Kanaha and am looking forward to the rest of the winter and spring. I hope to get more time on my wave gear now also, I really

feel that wave sailing is great training for racing and just windsurfing in general. I even managed to squeeze in my first official photo shoot for Maui Sails with Phil and photographer Andrea Pagan. A new sail called the Blaze was just finished and Phil and I were the lucky ones to get to sail them for the photos. It was a great morning at Baby Beach with perfect wind, lots of sun and even some little waves. The Blaze is a new narrow sleeve two cam freerace sail, we did it on slalom boards and it was a blast. This sail was so much fun to sail, great range, very light in the hands, super balanced and stable, buttery smooth in the gibes and best of all had great speed!!! This sail is going to be great for anyone that wants to go fast with less cams.


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It was also time for me to start working on new slalom boards for 2013. Werner Gnigler from JP sent me one proto 84 and I got a couple good days with Phil testing this board against the current production boards. Not the exact direction I would like to go but a good start, now Werner can make a few new sizes and bring them over with him in March to do another round of testing. In the end January was mostly a transitional month for me, getting new gear and getting all the booms set up with the right harness lines, getting all my sails and putting numbers and logos on them, doing some photo shoots to have some pictures on my new gear. On top of all this my van was out of service for most of the month getting some body work done so I was borrowing most of the time. But by the end I had almost all my gear, my van back and a number of good days on my new gear under my belt. So the next few months will be serious training time to get ready for the real thing!!! See you on the water!!! Aloha Micah Buzianis USA-34


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TR-8 Sail video presentation Watch at https://vimeo.com/35758967

Romain Pinocheau Brazil 2011/2012 - Teaser Watch at https://vimeo.com/36885334


o e d Micah Buzianis with Formula Windsurfing gear Watch at https://vimeo.com/36781607/

TR-8 Rigging video Watch at https://vimeo.com/36468398


Maui Monthly

Lots of freestyling and my training in January Lots of freestyling and my training seems to be going as I want. I’m putting six hours a week in the gym and the rest of the time on the water and it’s such a good feeling. Freestyling with my Locos is working great and i just had a good time sailing and practiced my air moves. The season seems to start late but time flies. It’s important to spend the most on the water perfecting all the moves because with the season starting in April it will be on. The 24th I flew to Saint Barths for the fun cup, where I met with Antoine Albeau, Kevin Pricthard, Julien Questel and many other racers that were going to take part in this fun cup event. Basically i got invited to do a freestyle show by the organizers, but ended up asking KP, to brine me the new TR8 6.6 and 7.6 so that I can compete also in the LONG DISTANCE SLALOM in the fun cup.

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Photo : Chrystele Escure


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We did six races in rough open sea and it was windy. I was pretty powered up on my 7.6 and a 117 wide 2012 Isonic that I borrowed from a very friendly windsurfer here on St Barths. I had really good speed as even when I had bad start i got ahead of all the other guys reaching at the marks. The new TR-8 7.6 surprised me. It feels better to handle even when you get the hard gusts, compare to the TR7, i would say that the 7.6 did improve. Antoine was really fast, but he is beatable. I just need to have better tuning, but a second place finish is not bad, after I didn’t do Slalom for seven months. Saint Barths is just an amazing place, super clean, beautiful view, nice people, and i just had a great time. I would for sure return. It’s a great place to practice and improve your light wind slalom sailing. No wonder Antoine Questel is so good in light conditions. I had four second place and two third place.I guess it was an easy second place. I was pretty consistent and I am happy with my results even though I know it’s just a fun cup, but the competition on the water was serious.

re

Photos : Chrystele Escu


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Photo : Magaly Boulogne

I hope you all had a great time this month. Next is back to Bonaire and to my freestyling:) Ciao Taty Frans NB-9

Photo : Bogo


Maui Monthly

Winter on Tenerife. Escape from the cold. Winter time in Europe, especially it’s northern parts is very difficult for a person addicted to water and windsurfing. Imagine spending six months without windsurfing. Impossible. This is why our Web & Marketing guy Bogo, who lives in Poland, always tries to escape from the cold and spend most freezing months in surfer friendly parts of the world. Here is a few words from him and plenty of photos. Normally I can windsurf by November. Sometimes you can hit a cold session in beginning of December, but that is it. For the next 4-5 months you need to put the gear in the garage and forget it. When I look back in time I always welcomed the new year with flip flops on my feet. Together with friends, we always travelled to some warmer part of the world to explore new venues and score some good conditions. The past two winters I spent on Cabo Verde, Boa Vista island, having down the line wave sailing almost every day. https://vimeo.com/9294971

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Photo : Pilka


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This winter, me and my wife needed to adjust our travel plans to include the baby girl that showed up in our life few months ago. So we decided to go this time to Tenerife, Canaries Islands. We arrived there in the first week of January. The apartment we rented was the sickest place ever. Having view on the El Medano bay was a perfect spot to spend another five weeks. When wind and waves showed up we could easily see it from terrace so I just put my wetsuit on, walk downstairs, grab the gear and enjoyed Tenerife trade winds. Four out five weeks we were there were windy. From 5.0 conditions up to 4.5 and 3.7. We were not that lucky with the swell but wind waves did the job and supplied sweet conditions almost every day. Enjoy the photos. Aloha, Bogo.

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Photos : Pilka and www.surfmedano.com


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Photos : Pilka and www.surfmedano.com


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I can definitely say this is going to be an awesome year

Photo : Bogo

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If January was a preview of what’s to come for 2012, then I can definitely say this is going to be an awesome year (minus the apocalyptic predictions of course)!! Between traveling, competing, livestreaming, freesailing, testing, and new team members, this month was nothing short of epic! First I headed down to Los Barriles, Baja, for the 2nd annual Lord of the Wind Showdown (http://www. lordofthewindbaja.com), a windsurfing, kiteboarding, and SUP competition. The organizers Dan Holbrook and Chris Rogers put on a terrific production with events and entertainment all day, every day, all weekend long. We at EpicSesh came down to web-cast the event as well as run technical support for the Kiting big air and the Showdown- the main event which was a long distance race between windsurfers and kiters. For these two disciplines the athletes were hooked up with iPhone 4’s connected to our new product at EpicSesh, the Smartcase. When connected to an iPhone 4, 4s, or iPod Touch, the EpicSesh Smartcase enables an iPhone or iPod to accurately track the full 3D pathway of riders in action sports- jump height, air time, spin rotation, g-force, speed, angular vectors, and more, within a 3mm degree of accuracy. Using h20 audio cases to attach the devices to the competitors’ arm, we tracked the jump heights of each competitor during the kiting big air and the live progress of racers during the Showdown. I was able to compete in slalom for a few races, but unfortunately ran into a timing conflict with setting up for the kiting big-air, and did not end up getting to compete in all the heats. A lack of conditions also meant having to cancel the freestyle competition. But, with a better forecast


Our Experience, Your Reward

in the works for the following week, I decided to extend my ticket and stay in Baja for the La Ventana Classic and hopes of stronger winds. It’s been two years since I spent the winter in La Ventana and I was excited to finally head back. Both Los Barriles and La Ventana are great winter destinations for anyone looking to get some winter sailing in, and the lifestyle is second to none! My good friend Wyatt Miller of Pro Windsurf La Ventana (http:// www.wyattmillerwindsurfing.com/ wyattmillerwindsurfing/Vacation_Rentals. html) was kind enough to let me stay at his spot, and just like they predicted the wind came back! Every Wednesday the locals put on slalom races for windsurfers and kiters, and as my first day there happened to be a Wednesday, I raced!

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Contrary to the weekend before it blasted, and I spent the day fully powered on my TR-7 6.3. We got off three races and I finished third behind good friends Tyson Poor and Bryan Metcalf Perez. That night, we headed to the registration meeting for the La Ventana Classic (http://laventanaclassic.com/), where they announced the 11-mile race from Isla Cerravalo back to La Ventana would be scheduled for the following day. 7am the next morning I threw my board bag and sails into a ponga and headed out across the bay ready to race. After spending the better part of the day on the island waiting for the wind, the organizers made the call to start the race around 2pm. Though it was pretty windy on the island, we knew it was only going to get lighter as we crossed the channel and headed back towards La Ventana.


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I rigged my biggest sail, my TR-7 7.0, and hoped for the best. At the start, the 7 of us windsurfers took off in a mad dash downwind, as the 95 or so kiters took more of a reaching line across the channel. This was the first longdistance race for me, and I loved it! It was awesome to lock in and blast, letting the gear do it’s magic. As I came into the first buoy off the beach on the La Ventana side I found myself in 5th place overall (100 competitors, 2 windsurfers and 2 kiters in front of me) and was stoked! Even as the winds lightened up across the channel the 7.0 still had enough juice to keep me up in front, I couldn’t believe it as the other sailors were on 7.8-8.8. Unfortunately, the actual finish to the crossing was another ½ mile straight downwind, and in the super-light conditions a couple kiters snuck inside me, and I ended up finishing in 9th place. I had a great time competing in the Classic, and can’t wait to do it again next year! The classic marked the end of my Baja adventure, and two days later I was finally back on Maui after over a month away from my winter home. And luckily enough I was welcomed back with incredible conditions, wavesaiilng almost everyday for the rest of the month. Checking in at the loft, everyone was buzzing about Micah and Camille as well as a new ‘project’ that Art has been working on. I was so stoked to hear about Micah and Camille, Micah’s blistering speed and Camille’s innovative style in the waves are a perfect match for MauiSails, and I look forward to spending more time with them on Maui and wish them both the best of luck this year on tour! And Art’s ‘project’, well, I got the chance to test it, and all I can say is get ready!! There is something special about this one! More details to come soon!!! I could go on and on about that project alone, but perhaps this is a good place to end for January ;) Cya on the water, Casey Hauser US-634

Photos : Jimmie Hepp


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Photo Bogo Rider Peter Volwater

Spot Hookipa, Maui


www.mauisails.com/2012


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Hit the ground running January has been amazing on Maui, I’m not sure if it’s been the best January or it’s just winter time all over the world and we have awesome weather for windsurfing, but we have had some windy days with waves and sunshine. I’ve started to spend some good quality time with Micah on the water, enjoying his professionalism and energy working on tuning and strategizing the year ahead. It’s always interesting when you start working with a new sailor, someone like Micah who I’ve had a lot of respect for over the years and enjoyed his success from afar, that we think very much a like and have very similar thought process about windsurfing equipment and how to make it go fast. It always comes down to the basics of being comfortable on the water in all conditions, at the same time having equipment that “works” and allows you to go fast through the wind range. We always get asked, how do you go so fast yet you make it look easy. The more comfortable you are the faster you go, the less energy you have to use, but getting the gear tuned is the challenge. For Pro’s they spend many hours on the water sailing by feel and testing while continuing to try many different setups slowly finding the perfect setup. So the moral to the story, be on the water and tune tune tune. Aloha, Phil McGain

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Photo : Andrea Pagan


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One down, eleven to go in 2012 Simply amazing how fast it goes, the weeks and the months. I know we are working all the time and getting lots done, but what it is and how to pass it on can be challenging. So here goes. The main theme of the first months of the year is always waves, waves, and freestyle. This year we have taken on the job of perfecting Art’s dream of a most unique and different extremely short luff wave machine aimed at the latest boards and moves, a sail that can get you deeper inside bigger waves and help with jumping and looping like never before. The use of shorter masts, the radical outline, and all the rest demands a new approach to tension and twist that we haven’t had to deal with before. It’s been exciting and interesting to see the progress over the month and begin to get feedback from other sailors. Mutation is the game for 2012. In the racing world, we are now seeing lots of feedback from people who are using the sails and finding little improvements as suggested from last year. The reports talk about more locked in power, still a soft feel, and definite speed increases. Seeing Taty slam it on St. Barths, managing a solid second to a powerful champion, and beating a number of other pros, even ’locals’, while using his previously untried board, fin, and sail can only speak well for the racing to come. Phil and Micah have been testing and tuning everything from FW to the high winds slalom sails during this month of great wind and waves. They even did some days testing the new wave sails with some obvious good results. Be ready for everything good to happen. We got a new T-shirt design together and sent a few around to various places. You might see one here and there. They are in our store now and can be ordered. This is one of my favorite Charley Lyon designs from about fifteen years ago and it makes an interesting statement about many things in the world today. :) Now that 2012 is finally here and rolling along nicely, it’s my fervent wish that everyone who wants to should be able to get out on the water and be part of the acquatic tribes making their way into a spring and summer of outstanding experiences suited to such a momentus year. Be wet, have fun. Aloha Barry Spanier


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no.81. January ’12

Winter time means waves January has been treating us well here on Maui. We have had plenty of wave activity and the wind has been kind enough to give us some good sailing sessions as well. This is the time of year when the bigger swells arrive and provide for some exciting times. The large swells this month came from a rather westerly direction, which meant that channels were closing out and getting out often involved many chicken jibes. One positive about the challenging conditions is that they tend to be very uncrowded and as long as your timing is ok and you are careful about wave selection you can score some nice rideable bombs and still make it home in one piece. These conditions have also provided an excellent proving ground for our latest creations as well as for further developing our existing wave ranges. The rough and burly days are the ones that really test your sails performance because if your rig is not working efficiently and feeling comfortable you are sure to take a beating. You need easily accessible, balanced power to make it out of the inside “standing zone�, where the wind is often so light that you can barely pull off a waterstart. When the channels are shutting down and you finally see your narrow window of opportunity to get out, your sail must give you instant acceleration and help you carry speed through the turbulent inside mess of strong currents, foam and breakers. As you approach the outside break zone, the wind will start to fill in and by the time you climb up the face of the first set wave the wind suddenly, radically increases as you reach the top. At this point, your sail must be able to go quickly neutral and allow you to release the power as you scratch over the crest. Immediately after, you need full power and acceleration again as the second wave of the set is usually bigger and you need to get further outside to make it over. All this is just to get outside. Photos : Amanda Szpunar


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Large waves move very fast. To drop in, especially in side-offshore conditions you need to be committed and have a lot of speed. As you bounce over cross chop and deal with gusts that are trying to blow you off the wave, your sail needs to stay balanced and composed with a reactive leech twist that smoothes out the ride and helps you stay in control. As you enter the bottom turn, the sails power should convert to speed and drive, while allowing you to get forward, over the rail of your board. During the top turn the sail once again needs the ability to become neutral, allowing you to hack with full commitment. Wave sails experience an incredible range of wind conditions and angles and they are expected to transition through them all smoothly. Our daily testing sessions on Maui, whether the conditions are big and nasty or clean and perfect ensure that MauiSails wave lines excel through out the range. In the development of the Legend and Ghost designs as well as our latest progressive new line, you can be sure that no detail has been overlooked. Aloha, Artur Szpunar


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