Ke Nalu
Connor Who?
Seems like Connor Baxter is winning or placing on the podium at every SUP event he enters. Pretty amazing for a skinny kid. Of course Connor was winning windsurfing events before he was a teen. I remember when he, his sister Ashley, Slater Trout and Zane Schweitzer signed up to do our first SUP board [...] [Link]
Big Maliko: iPad Video
Bill Boyum shot this video some time ago, and I’ve been fiddling with streaming media on the server I use ever since, trying to find a way to do good streamed video. After many days of fiddling and playing I’ve come to the conclusion that the Pro version of Vimeo makes a lot more sense [...] [Link]
Gunfight At Poilolo
A really great video of the battle between Dave Kalama and Connor Baxter at the Maui to Molokai race. Baxter prevailed and won the race. Here you can see the determination and style that enabled him to beat a powerhouse like Dave. [Link]
Catching Up
Ke Nalu has been on a bit of a hiatus. Just too many things going on, and fortunately some of them were fun. Some medical crap, a lot of work getting moved to Hood River (my shop is still 90 percent in Portland) but also a lot of downwinders in the gorge, lots of SUP [...] [Link]
Oregon Open Ocean Classic
Here comes a fun one friends–as long as you don’t mind a little nippiness in the water. The Oregon Open Ocean Classic is an 11 mile, North to South SUP / paddleboard race along the Oregon coast from Beverly Beach State Park to Newport harbor. You’ve heard of flat water races, down winders and through [...] [Link]
The Blowout is ON…
…If the wind cooperates. The Columbia Gorge Blowout has been going on for 28 years, and this year it includes a SUP race. I did the blowout a few times on windsurfers, and it was always such a blast. Not just the race, but all the after stuff too. Hood River is such a lively [...] [Link]
Wellfleet Supathalon
Attention all you east coasters!! I hope you’re getting your piece of the Cape Cod Bay Challenge activities. The Wellfleet Supathalon looked like a real blast. Brother Bob did an Animoto slide show of the festivities. These guys put on a hell of an event, and it’s all for charity. Next up is the Charles [...] [Link]
Racing In The Northwest
It’s been an interesting race season so far. Most of the downwind races have been what Dave Kalama calls “good training”. In other words, a lot of work. The last race of the Portland Ross Island Races put on by Gorge Performance had to be postponed due to high water, debris and nasty current in [...] [Link]
Gorge SUP Blowout
BIG NEWS Downwindrace.com is teaming up with the biggest races in the Gorge to bring Stand Up Paddle Downwind Racing to the Columbia. DownwindRace.Com will maintain point scoring for all the races in the series, and award trophies and swag at the last race. (Downwindrace.com is an ad hoc group consisting of Rod Parmenter, Mark [...] [Link]
GREAT Maliko Video
Bill Boyum has outdone himself this time–the first Mailko video that actually gives a sense of the ride and the buzz, though the terror of a mountain rearing up behind you is still lacking. We might have to wait for next winter to see that. But this video rock, I mean really, really rocks. If [...] [Link]
Connor Flying at Malkio
Bill Boyam did a Maliko run with Connor Baxter, Livio Menelau and Jack Dyson a few days ago to shoot some video. This clip shows the kind of form and speed that enabled Connor to win the Maui to Molokai race this year. Connor Baxter flying at Maliko from Babcock on Vimeo. Connor Baxter showing [...] [Link]
Ross Island SUP Series
All you folks in the Northwest, get out your paddles. Gorge Performance of Portland, Oregon is organizing a three race Stand Up Paddle series in the Willamette River, paddling around Ross Island. I fully intend to be there, paddling my guts out. You’d think they’d have a geezer class. Bob might look like a kid, [...] [Link]
Connor’s Maui to Molokai
Connor Baxter was the surprise overall Stand Up Paddleboard winner of the 2010 Sarento’s/Kai Wa’a Maui to Molokai race. Last year he set a record by being the youngest person at 14 years old to ever participate. This year at 15 he won it. Channel… [Link]
Catching Up
Ke Nalu has been on a bit of a hiatus. Just too many things going on, and fortunately some of them were fun. Some medical crap, a lot of work getting moved to Hood River (my shop is still 90 percent in Portland) but also a lot of downwinders in the gorge, lots of SUP [...] [Link]
Oregon Open Ocean Classic
Here comes a fun one friends–as long as you don’t mind a little nippiness in the water. The Oregon Open Ocean Classic is an 11 mile, North to South SUP / paddleboard race along the Oregon coast from Beverly Beach State Park to Newport harbor. You’ve heard of flat water races, down winders and through [...] [Link]
Streaming Movie Test
Test Movie [Link]
The Blowout is ON…
…If the wind cooperates. The Columbia Gorge Blowout has been going on for 28 years, and this year it includes a SUP race. I did the blowout a few times on windsurfers, and it was always such a blast. Not just the race, but all the after stuff too. Hood River is such a lively [...] [Link]
Wellfleet Supathalon
Attention all you east coasters!! I hope you’re getting your piece of the Cape Cod Bay Challenge activities. The Wellfleet Supathalon looked like a real blast. Brother Bob did an Animoto slide show of the festivities. These guys put on a hell of an event, and it’s all for charity. Next up is the Charles [...] [Link]
Racing In The Northwest
It’s been an interesting race season so far. Most of the downwind races have been what Dave Kalama calls “good training”. In other words, a lot of work. The last race of the Portland Ross Island Races put on by Gorge Performance had to be postponed due to high water, debris and nasty current in [...] [Link]
test movie
[Link]
Gorge SUP Blowout
BIG NEWS Downwindrace.com is teaming up with the biggest races in the Gorge to bring Stand Up Paddle Downwind Racing to the Columbia. DownwindRace.Com will maintain point scoring for all the races in the series, and award trophies and swag at the last race. (Downwindrace.com is an ad hoc group consisting of Rod Parmenter, Mark Ribkoff, [...] [Link]
GREAT Maliko Video
Bill Boyum has outdone himself this time–the first Mailko video that actually gives a sense of the ride and the buzz, though the terror of a mountain rearing up behind you is still lacking. We might have to wait for next winter to see that. But this video rock, I mean really, really rocks. If [...] [Link]
Connor Flying at Malkio
Bill Boyam did a Maliko run with Connor Baxter, Livio Menelau and Jack Dyson a few days ago to shoot some video. This clip shows the kind of form and speed that enabled Connor to win the Maui to Molokai race this year. Connor Baxter flying at Maliko from Babcock on Vimeo. Connor Baxter showing the kind [...] [Link]
Ross Island SUP Series
All you folks in the Northwest, get out your paddles. Gorge Performance of Portland, Oregon is organizing a three race Stand Up Paddle series in the Willamette River, paddling around Ross Island. I fully intend to be there, paddling my guts out. You’d think they’d have a geezer class. Bob might look like a kid, [...] [Link]
Connor’s Maui to Molokai
Connor Baxter was the surprise overall Stand Up Paddleboard winner of the 2010 Sarento’s/Kai Wa’a Maui to Molokai race. Last year he set a record by being the youngest person at 14 years old to ever participate. This year at 15 he won it. Channel crossing races are big open water challenges, and the Maui [...] [Link]
Waterman League–Sunset
Mark posted this in the forum section, but the video is so much fun I want to make sure people get to see it: >> I’d like to share some stoke about the Waterman League and its’ StandUp World Tour – Sunset Pro competition this past winter. I was fortunate to be on Oah’u [...] [Link]
Not So Bad
I’ve been feeling slow lately. On a typical Maliko run everyone kicks my butt. I’ve been paddling harder, doing what seems like better strokes, riding the swells better, and I’m still last to the beach. To make matters worse I don’t have a good idea of my times since I didn’t bring my Garmin 305 [...] [Link]
Laird Playing
A few simple tricks anyone can master–from Laird’s website [Link]
Power to Weight
Dave Kalama is a pretty subtle guy. I think he doesn’t like to give bad news, so maybe he cloaks it a little–sometimes so it sounds like a casual question. Unfortunately I’m a little slow on the uptake, so it takes awhile for me to get what he’s talking about. I think he was recently [...] [Link]
Ivan’s Boomerang
Ivan van Vuuren from Coreban has started a new series of instructional tips. The first one is particularly interesting to me since I was attempting it this winter with limited success. He calls it the boomerang. I didn’t have a name for it, but the idea is to be paddling out, see a good [...] [Link]
Stacy Peralta, SUP Surfer
-interview by Ken Russell RIDER SPOTLIGHT: STACY PERALTA HOME BREAK: Central and Southern California WEAPON of CHOICE: Jimmy Lewis 10′4 Hanalei “Stand Up Paddling has changed my life.” These were some of the first words I heard on the phone with Stacy Peralta. It’s a bold statement coming from the lifelong surfer and skater. As one of the original Z-Boys of Dogtown, Stacy brought surfing [...] [Link]
Measure Twice, Cut Once
For better or worse, we humans adapt to the equipment we use. In Stand Up Paddle Surfing and Racing, our stroke adapts to the paddle we have. If your paddle shaft is too short your blade will be hitting the board when you pull on it during the catch (the first part of the stroke, [...] [Link]
Finding Your Own
This year in Maui I resolved to find new surf spots in outer reef areas that prone surfers wouldn’t bother with. I chickened out in the beginning of the year, I was having too much fun at Kanaha, and the waves were pretty big. But whenever the waves got smaller or the crowds at Kanaha [...] [Link]
A Fine Ride
I was kind of dreading the Maui Canoe and Kayak club race this Saturday. Last year the same race was from the Canoe Hale in Kihei to the Maui Price Hotel, just past Makena Landing. It was a nasty bit of torture–light winds, greasy swells that I couldn’t catch and every so often the wind [...] [Link]
New Production F16 V2 Demo
Sandwich Island Composites builds the F-series of downwind and flatwater racing boards, probably the winningest boards in Stand Up Paddle Surfboard racing. Until now these boards were individually built by hand at the SIC company on Maui. While several construction methods are used in the F-series, the mainstay of series is the hollow carbon fiber [...] [Link]
Maliko Video
Another cool post from Bill Boyum–some video he shot of his friends Jason and Campbell on a typical Maliko day. This is one of the best camera angles I’ve seen. Maybe Bill can get some good video on a big day. It would be nice to have some Maliko shots that actually look representative. Maliko Run–Bill [...] [Link]
Out Like a Lion
I received this email from Bill Boyum about a downwind run March 31st. I didn’t go that day, and I’m kind of glad I didn’t, though I heard it was epic. Sounds scary as hell, but epic. I’ve been in that position of looking ahead at Upper Kanaha and seeing breaking waves out to the [...] [Link]
Downwinding: Catch That Swell
The little swells you’ve been catching effortlessly in the strong wind have now grown to good size as the run progressed and the fetch increased. Now the fun begins. You feel the tail of your board rise and you stroke hard for the catch, the swell passes under you and you stall on the back [...] [Link]
Kalama Kamp: Stand Up Paddle Surf Training
Dave Kalama is taking his Kalama Kamp watersports teaching and training concept to Florida for a special 4-day, 3-night waterman immersion experience. I hope he does one on Maui soon. I’ve talked with him about doing one here, but I can see it’s tough for him to organize something like this with his wave-driven life. [...] [Link]
Cape Cod Bay Challenge
This thing just gets bigger every year. The first year I think it was seven of us lunatics and I didn’t think there would be a next year. Last year it was 25. I don’t know how many people they are accepting this year, but if you’re in the area, DO THIS PADDLE. It’s a [...] [Link]
Downwinding: Swellriding
The swell blocks the howling wind at the bottom of each trough. You stroke hard, the tail of your board lifts, and you’re looking into a pit nine feet deep, with a wall of water on the far side. Two short, sharp pulls of your paddle close to the nose and the board teeters in, [...] [Link]
Glossary–A guide for the puzzled
I’ve added some definitions gathered from the Zone. How about adding some of your own in the comments: Pocahontas: SUP’er who paddles on his knees rather than standing. KOOKAMUNGUS: Rider of questionable judgement, or lack of sufficient skills, in the lineup. stink buggin: someone you give a wave to and they back out or take [...] [Link]
Warm up on a Cold Morning
For all you folks still shivering, here’s a little Video by John Ashley (www.paddlesurf.net) that made me feel all warm and toasty on a frosty Maui morning. Hey, it’s pretty nippy here this morning. [Link]
Paddling Hard, Paddling Fast
Yesterday I did the Maui Canoe and Kayak Club race in the Stand Up Paddle Board division from Napiili Bay to Canoe Beach. Favorable wind and small bumps at first, followed by wind in our faces and swells from all directions for the last two miles. Ugh, what a grind. Finished third overall and second [...] [Link]
Funky Puffin?
The funky puffins at Funky Puffin sent me a beautifully assembled press package for what sounds like an seriously challenging race. I’m not going to ask what a funky Puffin really is. I’m picturing some kind of dance that includes splaying your fingers out over your butt. Here’s what they said: Funky Puffin, the lifestyle brand that’s [...] [Link]
John Zapotocky: Father of Stand Up Paddle Surfing
Last year at the Battle of the Paddle, just before the first race, an older gentleman came on the PA system and told the crowd about John Zapotocky, and how he was the true father of Stand Up Paddle Surfing. It was a good story, but at the end of it he said that John [...] [Link]
Kihei Downwinder: Stand Up Paddling The Easy Way
Just how spoiled are we downwind Stand Up Paddlers on Maui? Outrageously spoiled. Not only do we have the incredible Maliko Run, but Kihei can toss off a pretty good run when the winds are right. South side downwind runs don’t have the huge swells of Maliko, but they can get knee to waist high [...] [Link]
Stand Up Paddle Surfboard Bike Trailer
Inspired by Tim (Strand Leper on the Standupzone) I modified a mule to fit my F18. Dropped bicycle and trailer (in a little bag about the size of two books) off at Wailea Beach (Four Seasons Maui) and drove back to the Kehei Pier for a light wind downwinder. Paddled hard the whole way, partly [...] [Link]
Laird and Dave on Nightline
I’ve been helping Dave Kalama put together a website–a blog. It’s still a work in progress, but its pretty cool. Last night ABC Nightline ran a long segment on big wave surfing featuring Laird and Dave and it’s posted as a video. Nice segment on this season’s amazing swells, riding big waves in general, and [...] [Link]
Braaazeeel…ta da dum da dum dum da daa daaaa
I’m still humming and sometimes singing that song this morning (much to Sam’s dismay–he really hates my singing). Diane and I went to see Pink Martini last night. What a great band. I probably should have posted something sooner in case folks on Maui weren’t aware they were doing a show. Pink Martini is a [...] [Link]
I Like Whales, but…
…this is getting crazy. Every day it seems to get a little more extreme, like some kind of Stand Up Paddle whale slalom. Today started sort of uneventfully, the wind didn’t look that great–strong at the Canoe Hale up by the Kehei Pier, and positively nukin’ on the North Shore, but when we drove down [...] [Link]
Cuda vs. Enzo
What’s this got to do with Stand Up Paddle Surfing. Not a thing, except that you COULD stick a rack on that ‘Cuda and you really couldn’t on the Enzo. This is a pretty insane project, a bunch of whacko car guys built a piece of Detroit Iron with a engine that dynos over 1000 [...] [Link]
Mickey Mongoose–Sounds Like Fun
The Legendary Mickey Munoz is the luminary behind the new Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup Stand up paddle board fun paddle and relay race. It sounds like a truly great event. It’s always fun to be in on an inaugural event–here’s your chance. And it is clearly designed for everyone and anyone, not just the serious [...] [Link]
Close to Perfect
It’s been a great winter for surfing, but Monday was enough to astonish even my jaded eyes. The morning started just so-so. We got to Kenaha at 9:00 and the wind was up a little more than the five MPH that Wind Guru had predicted–but not bad. The swell looked messy, but it seemed there [...] [Link]
Doing Downwinders, Part 2
In the last installment of Doing Downwinders on a Stand Up Paddle Board we covered selecting a place, some of the safety aspects and what to look for in swells and wind. In this installment we’ll cover catching and riding swells. Many downwinders start with small swells, then progress to larger ones that are easy [...] [Link]
Paddling with Dave
So if you wanted to get some paddle coaching for SUP, who would be your absolute, top of the line pick as coach? No question in my mind that my choice would be Dave Kalama, and Dave DOES do one-on-one coaching when he has the time. I figured if I’m going to spend time and [...] [Link]
Stand Up Catamaran–stolen!! (Video)
I got a chance to paddle the SIC S-16 Catamaran Stand Up Paddle Board yesterday–I guess I should say I TOOK a chance to paddle it. Everyone was gone, transferring shuttle cars. So I grabbed it and gave it a try. Here’s the video: I liked what I felt, considering how short the test was. [...] [Link]
Stand Up Surfing Waimea
Corran Addison is a is a South African slalom canoer, white water kayaker, Stand Up Paddle surfer and designer/founder of ECO Imagine Surfboards, now based in Montreal, Canada. He’s in Oahu chasing waves and decided to take on the North Shore’s legendary Waimea Bay during a big WNW swell. Here’s his story from an email [...] [Link]
Doing Downwinders
It’s always the blind leading the blind here at Ke Nalu. I continue my long practice at teaching anything–struggle to be one step ahead of the students and grab expertise anywhere I can get it. I’ve been doing downwind runs about two years, on an accelerated program fed by my insatiable, over the top addiction [...] [Link]
More on the S16
Mark Raaphorst sent me this short movie on the new S16. Very fast. Sustained speed of 6.5 MPH, comparable to a OC1. Click the little four arrow symbol down near the vimeo logo to see it full screen–it’s HD. [Link]
Always Something New at SIC
I always love dropping by the Ding King/S.I.C. Not only is it one of the coolest buildings around, but there’s always something interesting going on. I’ve been watching Mark and the gang build a set of Stand Up Paddle catamarans for the last few months. Here’s the first one, ready for it’s trial run. These [...] [Link]
Lonely Kanaha
There’s two words I didn’t expect to use together. Went out at Kanaha this morning. The waves looked big, they were closing out decisively in the middle and off to surfer’s right, which is always a sign of the WNW swell angle that I don’t like. But what the heck, it’s surf. I got out [...] [Link]
Two Malkios
The wind has been blowing trade on Maui’s North Shore for the last two days, and the swell from the Northwest has gone down enough to make Maliko runs possible. so naturally we gotta do ‘em. Randy called me Wednesday while Diane and I were hanging out in the Department of Motor Vehicle waiting to [...] [Link]
Paddling with Dave
So if you wanted to get some paddle coaching for SUP, who would be your absolute, top of the line pick as coach? No question in my mind that my choice would be Dave Kalama, and Dave DOES do one-on-one coaching when he has the time. I figured if I’m going to spend time and [...] [Link]
Standup TV: Modalities of Stand Up Paddle Surfing Vol 1.2
Anyone in the sport more than a few days knows that Stand Up Paddling is not just about surfing. Stand Up Paddle boards are probably the most versatile human powered watercraft extant. People surf, tour, fish, sail, race, swellride, kite, run whitewater, camp from, and dream up new things to do every day with stand [...] [Link]
Standup TV: Women and Fitness in Stand Up Paddling Vol 1.3
Women are embracing Stand Up Paddling in great numbers. While there are plenty of great women surfers and all-around waterwomen embracing the sport, it has also emeged strongly as a fitness and exercise method that is also a great deal of fun. In this episode Candace Appleby, Gillian Gibree and Rebecca Jakeway talk about the [...] [Link]
Standup TV: The Industry of Stand Up Paddle Vol 1.4
In this segment Stand Up Paddle industry players like Jim Terrel, Steve Bohne and Charlie Burnwell discuss the growth and impact of SUP on their business and the water sports world. [Link]
Totally Amazing
The first thing Diane said was “this guy must not be married”. That from one of the most tolerant wives on the planet. I have no idea, but I deeply admire not only the craftsmanship, technical artistry, photographic excellence, and imagination involved, but also the degree of focus required to master all these elements at [...] [Link]
Standup TV: The Art Of Stand Up Paddling Vol 2.1
The art of stand up paddling. a fine session at Oceanside with Noah Shimabukuro, Chuck Patterson, and Colin McPillips. [Link]
Standup TV: Chuck Patterson on Surfing Vol 2.3
Chuck Patterson is one of the most dynamic surfers in Stand Up Paddle surfing, and a powerful racer (winner of the 2009 Battle of the Paddle). In this episode he shares some of his Stand Up Paddle surfing background [Link]
Standup TV: Colin McPhillips on Equipment Vol 2.4
Colin McPhillips is a three times world longboarding champion. He’s been hooked on Standup Paddle Surfing for some time. Here he talks about how he started, and the equipment he prefers. [Link]
Standup TV: Slater Trout on Racing Vol 3.1
Years ago Mark Raaphorst of S.I.C. said “keep an eye on Slater Trout, he’s the future of Stand Up Paddling”. How right he was, not only is Slater a talented SUP surfer and all around waterman, but he shocked everyone with his wildcard performance at the Battle of the Paddle Elite race, taking second and [...] [Link]
Standup TV: Whitewater SUP Vol 3.2
Our Hood River buddies Dan Gavere and Nikki Gregg talk about whitewater SUP with some nice footage from the White Salmon river and other whitewater venues [Link]
Standup TV: Flat Water Touring Vol 3.3
Jeff Warner of Legends Surf Shop talks about flat water paddle touring in Carlsbad Lagoon [Link]
Standup TV: Gillian Gebree Vol 3.4
Gillian is a lifeguard, surf instructor and fitness expert. In this episode she give great tips on exercises to help you Stand Up Paddle Surf better. [Link]
Standup TV: Gary Lopez Vol 1.1
Stand Up Paddle Television started airing last year as a special segment of My Local Lineup TV on every third week of the month on iTV San Diego, channel 16, covers everything stand up paddling, from surfing and flat water to down wind and white water. While airing to about three million people in San [...] [Link]
Sam Busts Into iPad Launch
Okay, not really, but it looks like him. If he’d stay on a board without bailing. We’d have to staple a sausage to the deck. The REAL sam: [Link]
The Low Buck Option
How about this board and paddle for $250? You could actually do it for less. New Standup Paddle Surf boards are undeniably expensive compared to standard surfboards. There are several reasons for this–first, they have a lot more material in them. Not just foam, but all the expensive chemicals that go into building a board. [...] [Link]
Revitalizing Board and Paddle Reviews
One of the most popular elements of Ke Nalu is the Stand Up Paddle Board reviews, followed closely by the Paddle reviews. They are woefully out of date and not very accessible. That’s mostly because they were initially done as part of a big Stand Up Paddle Board showcase event we held on Maui two [...] [Link]
Back At It
I’ve been slacking off terribly. No Ke Nalu articles, features, or even blog posts for ages. I’ve had good reason for that, the best in fact, the surf and downwind paddling on Maui has been just too good to do anything but play in the water. But after a month back on the island I’m [...] [Link]
Peahi Rocks Out
Bleary eyed, with just a quick cup of scalding Maui coffee and some cold cereal to sustain me, I fired up the trusty, crusty Honda XR 650, shouldered the camera bag with the big glass, and headed to Peahi (Jaws). Even at 00:dark:thirty there was a crowd at the junction on the Hana Highway. I [...] [Link]
..Now for something completely different
Video – Descente de cote en BuggyRollin [Link]
Even Whackier
The Columbia River was nuts on Thursday , and I had a really fun paddle yesterday with Rod Parmenter and Mark Ribicoff. Today I needed to do some work on our new house in Hood River. By 9:00 AM the west wind was howling and I new it was going to be a good day. [...] [Link]
Runaway Train
Holy Maliko what a great run I just had. Waist to shoulder high swells, 40 knot wind, warm air, cool water, and ten miles of constant swell surfing. But wait, this isn’t Hawaii, it’s Hood River!! Diane offered to drop me off at Viento Park for a downwind run. I had hoped to hook up with [...] [Link]
Whitewater SUP
Dan Gavere and Nikki Gregg invited me to join them on a whitewater SUP expedition on Sunday morning. The plan was to run the lower White Salmon river (I think that’s what they call the run–it goes from Rattlesnake Rapids to Northwestern Lake) and then do a downwinder on the Columbia. Sounded great to me. [...] [Link]
Cape Cod Bay Challenge
This is a bit of an experiment–an audio article. My voice is kind of nasal and my narrating skills are very rusty, but we’ll give it a shot. The good photos are courtesy of Amelia Hassler, the crappy ones are from my iPhone. Listen! Bob (Stoneaxe) Diane and Mike (ECSup) wearing whack hats. Mike showed up [...] [Link]
Viento Park to Hood River Downwinder
We were in Hood River today (Diane and I) to finalize purchasing our house there. To celebrate I took a nice downwinder from Viento park to Hood River and used my iPhone to record the trip as a GPS track. There’s the slideshow. clik on the play button to see the animation. Not hugely exciting, [...] [Link]
Hood River Big Winds Windup
Sunday was the final event in the Hood River Big Winds SUP racing series, and a fine windup it was. We also had a grueling Thursday evening race, and I’ll cover that first. Hard to find a prettier venue than the Columbia River Gorge Nick Stuart has been laying out the courses for the series as well [...] [Link]
Micro Maliko
I’ve been looking for a good downwinder on the Oregon Coast. It might not be a great place to look since the prevailing wind is almost straight onshore, but topology changes wind radically, as Maui demonstrates nearly every day. If it didn’t there would never be a south side downwinder Haleakala redirects the trades dramatically. [...] [Link]
How NOT to Launch
Just in case you were wondering, this is not how a boat should be launched Join the forum discussion on this post – (1) Posts [Link]
Second Hood River Race
I participated in the second race in the Hood River Big Winds series on Thursday, June 25th. I love the idea of a race series on Thursday night. Nothing much else going on, it stays light until ten in Oregon this time of year, and it’s a reasonable after-work drive from Portland. Diane packed a [...] [Link]
Paddle Oregon Invites SUP
Paddle Oregon, the premier canoe and Kayak adventure on the Willamette River is accepting reservations for their annual 90-mile, five-day trip. And for the first time they are accepting Stand Up Paddle surfers. This is a comprehensive excursion, including delicious northwest cuisine, daily baggage shuttle, safety paddlers, camping accommodations, showers where possible,entertainment, t-shirts, reusable lunch [...] [Link]
Paia Inn One Year Party and SUP Race
Paia Inn is where I would stay if I was going to Maui and didn’t have a house within fifteen miles of Paia. Great place, very lively, private beach access to a nice break. Perfect place for a SUP vacation. We reviewed it about a year ago when they first opened, and just love the [...] [Link]
SUP Sprint Racing
I beat Dave Kalama at the inaugural Big Winds SUP race in the Columbia River Gorge at Hood River. Finished about five minutes ahead of him–long enough to get off my board, walk up to the deck above the river and take pictures of Dave, Robby Naish, and Michi Schweiger crossing the finsih line. So [...] [Link]
Grumpy About Gerry Lopez
This is really irritating. A few weeks ago someone on the Standup Zone (http://www.standupzone.com the best forum for Stand Up Paddle Surfing around, including the little forum here on Ke Nalu) mentioned the book Fierce Heart: The Story Of Makaha and the Soul of Surfing. My friend Kaweeka pointed out some local Hawaiian controversy [...] [Link]
Dolphin Rings
One of the best things about being on a Stand Up Paddle board is the marine life you can see. It’s always a privilege, even just looking at a little school of fish, or a nice reef. But when you get sot see something big in the water–a shark, a whale, a turtle–it seems really [...] [Link]
Hydration = Balance
When you perform any exercise it makes sense to have your body operating at optimal levels, and hydration is clearly necessary to achieve optimal performance. But proper hydration is even more critical for Stand Up Paddle Surfing, because hydration has a profound effect on balance. Try this simple test. Next time you are thirsty, before [...] [Link]
iPhone for SUP
Apple’s iPhone is a great tool for anyone, but it has some features and available applications that make it particularly great for Stand Up Paddle Surfing. The phone I’m going to cover is the 3G version, which is handiest since it has built-in GPS capabilities. In fact the iPhone GPS is especially useful since it [...] [Link]
Camelback Life Saver
A bit of business–Camelback(tm) is a trade name of the leader in hydration packs. We’re using the name genertically because most people refer to hydration packs as Camelbaks. We’ll get to the Camelback part in a little bit, but first a little recap of current PFD requirements for SUP. If the U.S. Coast Guard has things [...] [Link]
New Design, New sites
As many regular readers know I’ve been working on GPS features for Ke Nalu. In my typical poster-boy-for-attention-deficit manner I have fertilized this already challenging project with a thick layer of new ideas and redesigns, turning Ke Nalu into a publishing empire (sort of). First and foremost is an efficiency redesign. I spent some time analyzing [...] [Link]
Stand Up Paddle Racing, Downwinders and Distance Chapter 11
Rudder or no Rudder It’s immediately obvious when paddling behind a long board like the Penetrator that rudders are a necessary evil. Tap the rudder and the board slews a little sideways. That can’t be good. So the plan generally is to minimize use, at least in flatwater. In swells, the rudder is necessary on a [...] [Link]
Living Well Is The Best Revenge
George Herbert said that sometime in the 1600’s, still true today. Stand Up Paddle Surfing has plenty of detractors, none of whom have the slightest idea of what SUP really is. For example, yesterday started off inauspiciously. The North Shore of Maui was due for a decent swell, so I rousted myself early. Ho’okipa was closed [...] [Link]
Downwind Video Remix
Bob (Stoneaxe) remixed my SIC Animoto video. I like the results a lot. More active and upbeat. Shows that in Animoto, as in other things, less is more. [Link]
New Features On The Way
You may wonder why there have been fewer articles in Ke Nalu recently, and why it’s taking so long to get the SUP surfing and SUP distance e-books done. it’s not just that I’ve been spending all my time getting the crap scared out of me in Maliko Gulch. I’ve been working on a set [...] [Link]
Holy Buckets!…Maliko 6
So maybe you’re getting tired of hearing about Maliko runs, I think this is the last one I’ll write up for awhile. But this one was kind of special, and perhaps a little stupid. I called the usual suspects and no one seemed to want to go. Just about as i was about to give [...] [Link]
Off Topic, But Fun
I hope readers don’t mind these totally off topic videos. I don’t go scouting youtube for this stuff, but I get a lot of email correspondence from fellow nutcases, and it seems lately that whacked videos, especially as related to race cars or doing extreme extreme (uberextreme?) stuff makes up a large portion. So, this [...] [Link]
OMG
I NEVER say that. Never. But OMG. Watch this video and tremble. It’s not SUP, but so what. It’s certainly surfing of a kind. Perhaps terrain surfing? Join the forum discussion on this post – (1) Posts [Link]
Whot’s it Like?
I’ve had a few people ask me what’s so special about a Maliko run. Hard to sum up. When it’s big and nasty it’s like nothing you’ve ever done before. Ten miles of hanging on for dear life. I was playing around with Animoto tonight and put this little slide show together. It gives [...] [Link]
Awesome Pipeline SUP Video
One of our fine members posted this in the Forum section as a video link, and then helpfully moved it to Youtube so we could conviently move it to the magazine. So here you go–Ikaika Kalama & Kainoa McGee ripping up Pipeline on Stand Up Paddle Boards: Join the forum discussion on this post – [...] [Link]
Maliko V, and Some Explanations
Wow, I thought conditions were wild yesterday. Today the mouth of the channel that leads out from Maliko Gulch looked like death and destruction. Waves smashing on the rocks on both sides of the channel, spray everywhere, huge chop in the channel and whitecaps with spindrift blowing off them outside. Perfect. There was even a whale on [...] [Link]
