The Maui Race Series is a series of five windsurfing race events held every summer at Kanaha Park in Maui, Hawaii. Maui typically has strong, dependable trade winds in the summer months, and a year-round population of hard-core windsurfers, including many past,  present, and future pros, so the conditions are perfect for slalom sailing and the competition is always very intense.

Be sure to keep an eye on the Maui Race Series Facebook pages for some great photos from Jimmie Hepp and Harry Wiewel.

More details can be found at http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

2011 Maui Race Series:

June 4 – Starboard Slalom
June 18 – Da Kine Classic
July 2 – MFC Open
July 16 – Quiksilver Cup
July 30 – Neil Pryde State Championship

The Maui Race Series is a series of five windsurfing race events held every summer at Kanaha Park in Maui, Hawaii. Maui typically has strong, dependable trade winds in the summer months, and a year-round population of hard-core windsurfers, including many past,  present, and future pros, so the conditions are perfect for slalom sailing and the competition is always very intense.

The start of racing was delayed in the last round, the MFC Open, due to light wind, but eventually all the heats were held  in consistent trade winds of 15-20 knots. Age group divisions ran in the morning, and ability level classes after lunch.

Veteran racer and Windsurfing ambassador Phil McGain captured two divisions, Men’s Open and Men’s 40-49, while Yoshie Ishinoda pulled in the women’s open title. McGain won two heats to lead the 40-49 division, and also took two of four heats in the Open competition to win that division for the first time.

In some of the most thrilling racing of the event, Ishinoda, a windsurfing instructor from Zushi, Japan, edged out defending state champion Tamara Bockius of Haiku, Maui. The division went down to the wire with Yoshie pulling in the prize after a sterling sail in the final round, which ended up being the tie breaker. Great stuff!

Other winners included Deniz Bicakci (juniors), Dan Ellis (19-39), Mike Yasak (50-59), Michael Warmuth (60 and over), Matt Daniells (semipro) and Olaf Sutor (expert).

All in all another great day of racing action. If you are on island come on down to Kanaha and take in the sights sounds and personalities of this great slalom series.

Be sure to keep an eye on the Maui Race Series Facebook pages for some great photos from Jimmie Hepp and Harry Wiewel.

More details can be found at http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

2011 Maui Race Series:

June 4 – Starboard Slalom
June 18 – Da Kine Classic
July 2 – MFC Open
July 16 – Quiksilver Cup
July 30 – Neil Pryde State Championship

Photos: Jeff Bennett

The Maui Race Series is a series of five windsurfing race events held every summer at Kanaha Park in Maui, Hawaii. Maui typically has strong, dependable trade winds in the summer months, and a year-round population of hard-core windsurfers, including many past,  present, and future pros, so the conditions are perfect for slalom sailing and the competition is always very intense.

Last round’s mens victors included Phil McGain, Mike Yazak, Peter John and David Dowhan. While the women’s Pro division was headed by Tamara Bockius. For full placings see 2011 Dakine Classic Results.

If you are on Maui come on down to Kanaha Beach Park and check out the action, meet the sailors or better yet sign up for this fun event.

Be sure to keep an eye on the Maui Race Series Facebook page for more photos from Jimmie Hepp and Harry Wiewel.

More details can be found at http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

2011 Maui Race Series:

June 4 – Starboard Slalom
June 18 – Da Kine Classic
July 2 – MFC Open
July 16 – Quiksilver Cup
July 30 – Neil Pryde State Championship

Photos: Jeff Bennett

A full field of pro and amature slalom racers will take to the water at around mid day at Kanaha State Park. The conditions are just about perfect today so expect to see some really great action on the water.

The Maui Race Series is a series of five windsurfing race events held every summer at Kanaha Park in Maui, Hawaii. Maui typically has strong, dependable trade winds in the summer months, and a year-round population of hard-core windsurfers, including many past,  present, and future pros, so the conditions are good and the competition is intense.

Round 1 was held two weeks ago and the winners were Dan Ellis (Mens 19-39), Peter Slate (Mens 40-49), Mike Yazak (Men’s 50-59) and Greg Thomas (Men’s 60 and over).

The women’s open division winner was Argentina Jimenez Bonilla. The Jumiors division was won by Deniz Bicakci.

In the Pro divisions it was Peter Slate who came out on top while Neil Turpin won the Semi Pro group. Finally, Olaf Sutor was victorious in the Expert division.

You can check out some great video action from round 1 here.

Check out these great photos courtesy Jimmy Hepp on his facebook page.

photo: Maui Sails

The ever popular Maui Race Series gets underway this weekend with the Starboard Slalom.

Local and regional professional and amateur sailors will face off over the next 2 months to decide the Champion in several age categories. The recent windy conditions should make for a great start to the series.

The Maui Race Series is a series of five windsurfing race events held every summer at Kanaha Park in Maui, Hawaii. Maui typically has strong, dependable trade winds in the summer months, and a year-round population of hard-core windsurfers, including many past,  present, and future pros, so the conditions are perfect for slalom sailing and the competition is always very intense.

If you are on Maui come on down to Kanaha Beach Park and check out the action, meet the sailors or better yet sign up for this fun event.

More details can be found at http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

We’ll keep you up to date on the results so check back.

2011 Maui Race Series:

June 4 – Starboard Slalom
June 18 – Da Kine Classic
July 2 – MFC Open
July 16 – Quiksilver Cup
July 30 – Neil Pryde State Championship

So it’s time to break out the cameras, rig up the latest sails and boards and head to the most famous windsurfing photography location on the planet.

Yep….our own backyard. Camp One.

Over the next few weeks you will see some of the best sailors in the world at work and at play as they test out the hot new gear that you will be buying later this year. While they test, the cameras will be rolling to capture those beautiful shots that adorn the sales catalogs and videos of the leading windsurf manufacturers.

You’ve probably already seen some great helicopter action on our Kanaha cam last week as the Moreno Twins played it up for the photographers. While up at Camp One we’ve been watching the team riders from Starboard pull off some great moves just inches below the whirling chopper blades. Heart in your mouth stuff to be sure!

Just yesterday top dog Antoine Albeau showed up and told us he will be here testing for the next 2-3 weeks. It’s super cool stuff just watching the hard work and dedication top sailors like Antoine put into refining their gear and technique.

Coming this week we can look forward to both Neil Pryde and JP teams putting on a show just for you lucky mauiwindcam users.

So tell all your sailing buddies and let’s hear from you if you see any of your favorite sailors strutting their stuff.  Just add your comments to the blog.

We will see if we can get you any news from the guys and girls as well as any industry insider stuff that we might overhear. Stay tuned as usual!

©2010 Ray Masters

We’ve had an epic winter. Not in terms of size but more in terms of usability and frequency.  There really haven’t been too many days of absolutely no waves.  On most days we’ve seen between head and double head high sets all along the North Shore.

A few times it has been big and today is one of those times. This is possibly one of the biggest of the season. So together with the swell we have a good wind blowing…all the right ingredients for a day at Jaws.

The Jaws surf break is the home of tow-in surfing and has reached its worldwide watersports fame largely due to the frequent filming and photography of tow-in surfing legends performing there on enormous ocean waves breaking at the deep reef off the shore.

In order for the surf at “Jaws” to reach its extreme heights, many specific ocean and weather conditions must prevail concurrently. Because ocean swells large enough to produce this kind of surf occur only during winter months, primarily between December and February, they typically coincide with very strong winds which have a large effect on the surf. Other swells, particularly the small but powerful trade wind swells, can make the surf choppy and difficult to ride. There are several other surf spots around the world that boast similar wave heights; however, “Jaws” is famous for its wave forming quality. The reef and rocks at “Jaws” are shaped in a way that magnify incoming swell energy and produce clean and well defined right and left-directional waves with gigantic barreling (hollow, air-filled wave interior) sections.

So, if you are on island, this could be a great day for some spectating at one of the most famous surf spots on the planet. What are you waiting for?

My bestest four legged buddy (OK two legged too) and uber waterdog Sevin has been imortalized on a windsurf sail to go along with his SUP board.

The sweet Hot Sails Super Freak is very useful 5.0m size so we should be getting lots of fun use out of it in our back yard. We have a nice F2 Slalom board to complete the set up and after getting some extra nose padding stuck down later today Sevin and I will take them out for the maiden voyage this week end…..if there is wind….which is looking sketchy right now.

I am just about to charge up the good old GoPro camera batteries so that we can document this auspicious occasion. Stay tuned for the resulting Emmy quality video

You can probably see the sail from a couple of miles away so if you see a funny grinning dog flying over the water come on over and give us a high paw!  See you out there!

Music: EEC-Suite: EEC Lied by Moondog from Sax Pax for A Sax / Moondog