Windsurfing trip -- Maui 7/7 - 7/19 (2 of 3)

[swmckay]

I flew to Maui on Friday, July 5 and stayed at the Sprecks Beach
Estates, just behind Sprecks Beach, for the first part of the
trip and then at the ohana at Matt Pritchard's place. The Sprecks
Estate is awesome: five 1st floor studios and three large 2nd
floor 2-bedroom apartments. You get to the beach by walking 50
feet through a (locked) gate, after you've rigged in the shade on
the estate lawn. Anyone who's sailed Sprecks will know what an
improvement this is over the usual Sprecks routine. From Matt's
place, the local break -- Ho'okipa -- is 7 minutes drive, Sprecks
another 7 minutes, Kanaha about 5 minutes. They are both nice
places, but for a crowd, I recommend Sprecks; it is just one of
the best imaginable spots to stay if what you want to do is go
windsurfing. Book early, they fill up fast; and no, you won't
ever get them to give you a discount, the place is always full.

My gear came from Matt Pritchard as well:
- 2013 Tabou 3S (carbon/kevlar), 86 liters
- 2012 Tabou Pocket (carbon/kevlar), 80 liters
- 2013 Gaastra Manic HDs, 4.2/4.7/5.3
- Nolimitz 100% carbon masts, Chinook Pro-1 carbon boom

I sailed 3 to 5 hours each day, mainly on 4.2 or 4.7. There was
one very overpowered 4.2 day, and one barely powered 5.3 day.

The Tabou 3S was a pretty good bump and jump board, but I think
the 2013 has a wavier shape than the past few years: turns well,
but not as fast as I would like for a freewave board. (For bump
and jump, the newer Fanatic Freewaves rule the roost.) The new
Pockets are awesome, definitely shaped for waves, but with a fast
rocker and a bottom shape that makes for a very smooth ride. The
3S was not great in overpowered, choppy conditions, but the
Pocket was terrific. Oh, and the new Tabou graphics are pretty
sick, too. A bit more, uh, masculine.

The sails were pretty awesome, and great looking. I'm a North Ice
guy: they're powerful without being "grunty", great on/off and,
above all, super balanced and light in the hands. But if someone
gave me a quiver of Manics, I'd probably be just as happy. It's a
great sail with the same kind of feel as the Ice. It had an
endless stream of admirers asking about it.

Maui never disappoints me. If you can sail well at any of the
good north shore spots on a windy summer day, you're ready for
any conditions, except for down-the-line wave riding. This year,
many of the days were crazy choppy, but it was a perfect few
weeks for getting really dialed in to sailing fast, jumping high,
and making jibes and tacks in very bumpy conditions. Maui in
the summer is a great place to really work the skills hard.