Not about riding today but...

[xwindsurf]

Apologies because this is a bit of a wrong classification: it is not about where to ride today but in about 2 months.
But this is urgent because these airfares aren't going to last, and obviously, this is the most read part of the forum.
Chicago-Maui. Non-stop flight, convenient hours. Sunday to Sunday, July 17-24. As of today, $695. Free baggage for anyone on my reservation, up to 8 people. (I'm frequent flyer with them). They might even upgrade us to first class, most of them time, they do. Or at least we'll get a roomy economy seat on a 777.
I'm open re. accommodations, etc. and generally, an easy-going guy who is not going to encroach upon your private space.
Some places on the north shore I found go for peanuts in the summer
Any takers? If so, please email at tomekp - at - flash - dot - net, or call seven-seven-3 - seven- 2- five - 25- three- five.

[ironben]

generally, an easy-going guy who is not going to encroach upon your private space.
Any takers? If so, please email at tomekp - at - flash - dot - net, or call seven-seven-3 - seven- 2- five - 25- three- five.

Yea People, he wont kill you and eat you, so go,
I know Tom from riding with him many times. I would love to go but I be on the other side of the planet.
Hope you find some buddies and have a blast in Maui

[xwindsurf]

Yes, I can confirm that I mellowed with age, and don't eat people anymore.
But I realize this might be not enough of an enticement.
Oh well... I bought a ticket, July 17-24. No lodging reservation yet so if someone decides later, the offers remains open.

[urjc22]

If i didn't just get back yesterday, I would have been in! I encourage anyone to go. The place was amazing. I was on a 8m the first day, 7m the 2nd day and 6 m my third day. The wind and waves were awesome.

[xwindsurf]

I ended up going by myself.
Kited everyday, starting on Sunday, the 17th, and ending on Sunday, the 24th.
Only on the last two days I needed something larger than a 7m (my 12m Naish Cult, which yesterday was way too much toward the end).
I found a really cool inexpensive accommodation in Paia, for any setup, from a single person, to a 12+ people group, super nice owners, and walking distances to best eats, and a great food store. 12 minutes from the kiting beach, 10 from the airport. If anyone wants contact, please let me know. These guys also rent old but well maintained minivans for about 1/3 of the going price of the major rental companies.
The only sad thing is the brutal erosion of the kite beach, the part where all the teaching vans are parked. Last year, it was sand. Now - volcanic rocks sticking out, and rocky entrance, I saw people being dragged through it, not pretty. But just 200 yards upwind it is still great and sandy.

[themooshes1]

Is the erosion a result of a strong storm recently? I was there in Feb '10, without sand that would be a tough place to launch.

[xwindsurf]

They had some big storms. I believe the sand gets artificially replenished there from time to time anyway - but I might be wrong. Now it looks a bit scary.
It has always been a tough place to launch, at least it takes some learning, you remember these gusts and lulls there, kites falling back down, so imagine going through rocks and pebbles at the water line, then a gusts hits you...
That's why I preferred to launch from the still sandy stretch closer to the windsurf spot, by the lifeguard's tower, or somewhere between these two. Most teaching takes place there too these days.

[West]

Glad you had a good time on Maui, Tom. Quite a spectacular place.........Mana Foods is the store in Paia that you were talking about, best whole foods store in the world in my opinion......with the hottest chics on the planet I might add!!!!!

As for the erosion at Action Sports Beach, where the teaching vans park......the erosion was due to the Tsunami that hit early March. Although a lot of damage was not incurred on Maui, there were several areas that were flooded up to 1/2 mile from the beach: Wailuku harbor, Waiehu, Kihei, and Kanaha Beach. All of the kiting area is within Kanaha Beach Park. There is Naish Beach by the lifeguard stand at Lower Kanaha, Kite Beach under the trees and by the rocky hook where the pros "throw down" on the inside, and Action Sports Beach, downwind before the Sanitation Plant, where the lessons are taught.

The tsunami pushed in about a 1/4 mile at Action Sports Beach and took all the riff-raff and trash across the street into the Hawaiian Stilt Lagoon area, and when it receded it took alot of the sand with it, exposing the rocks that you were referring to..........at Kite Beach it actually deposited up to 3 feet of sand all the way into the parking lot, and took down about a dozen of the kiawe trees upwind of the launch.

Greg and I were staying at a hostel in Lower Wailuku, just a block above the mandatory evacuation zone, when the sirens started wailing about 11 pm....they cranked up every 15 minutes until 3 am........what a night that was.....trippy to say the least!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can tell you enjoyed yourself. Got great wind and hung out in Paia....center of the universe, NO KA OI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!