Maui Vmax Speed Meeting 6 October 19th.
By Tom
Photos by Bob Gilbert
This was the last speed meeting of the year and it proved the deciding factor in the Speed Series title. The tide was perfect staying around 1 foot all afternoon allowing for the potential of some good flat water (kind of - the Maui version). The wind even looked promising early in the day but proved inconsistent. First at the beach before I even got there was Alex Aguera, who by 10:55am had rigged two sails. Alex was determined to make no mistakes as he had to win the day to have any chance of taking the series. The last few Speed Meetings had seen the best winds right at noon when the course opened and Alex was determined not to miss it. When the course opened Alex had it to himself for about 15 minutes before I joined him on the water. This was only possible thanks to my friend Dane who manned the table so I got a chance to sail. The wind was teasing with good whitecaps on the outside but patchy gusty wind on the course. I had optimistically rigged both the 6.0 and 6.6 and brought the Missile and the Isonic 86. I wanted to use a 28cm Techtonics Goldwing in the Isonic 86 with the 6.6 GPS. Using this combo I had done some good runs the week before hitting a 35.3 knot 100m (http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/?mnu=user&val=38342&uid=2626). Unfortunately the fin was very old and I stripped the thread on the rear screw. I ended up sticking my 26cm Vector Speed fin it it which seemed like it would be too small. I had been told the 30cm fin was too small for that board, but in the end it was fine. Even though the wind was a bit iffy Alex and I were determined to get some good runs in just in case the wind backed off altogether.
Gusty inconsistent winds were the norm
Alex hits the water.
Finally the wind started to fill in at about 1pm increasing from 20 to 25 knots and it started to look like I would get some good 35 knot runs in. I had already notched up a few high 31s despite being underpowered. I got into one run and the wind completely faded half way through. I pulled out and tried to sail out throught the whitewater. Big mistake! There was not enough water over the reef and I dragged it over making all kinds of bad sounds. I had to go back to the beach and try to fix it. The tip of the fin was mangled and I grabed a piece of coral and sanded the worst of it off. I then went for the wet and dry to try to clean it up a bit. When I had all the jagged bits sanded off I went back out. A few more underpowered runs ensued. The gust were so localised it was almost impossible to ride one through a full speed run. I finally got on a good gust and took a nice line. The gust was not all it could have been but I glanced at the GPS at the end and saw a 34 something. Right after that there was a big BANG! and the boom sagged. I immediately gybed and headed back to shore. The boom arm then fell out of the head on the starboard side. I was very lucky it had not happened on a speed run, and even luckier to gybe before it fell apart. Still the sail was extra full and I could not sail upwind. I came in the other side of the point and had to de-rig my gear and scramble over the rocks to get back to Sprecks. I finally got back bout a half an hour later. I had no spare boom, and no one had a boom long or wide enough for my sail that I could borrow. Bother! Alex was out there ripping it up and here I was stuck on the beach! I was parked in and could not leave so I called up the cavalry! My fiancee Anne came down from home in Pukalani and went to Kanaha Kai to bring me another boom. Thank you so much Anne!
Tom moments before disaster struck!
By this time Peter John had shown up and Jacques had sailed up from Kanaha. It was agonising watching them sail as I stood there helpless, especially when a squall came through raising the windspeed. I was imagining every run they did a 37!
Carine Camboulives also showed up with a brand new 5.0 prototype racing sail with no rigging numbers. Dane was doing his best to help her rig it. She had only a wave board with her and was hoping to borrow a board from Eric Beale. However Eric was hiking in the crater. My Missile was sitting around doing nothing so I persueded her to give it a go. It proved to be a good combination for her. Despite having very limited experience with this kind of equipment, Carine gave it her best shot logging a 28.7 knot best run with a 28.2 knot average. This is by far the fastest speed in the Women's division this year.
Alex Aguera and Carine Camboulives.
Carine catches the squall.
Peter John was determined to defend his lead in the speed series and not let Alex run away with it. He timed it right, getting out just before the squall came in. I was sure he would come back with big numbers. Anne arrived and I was even more pleased to see her than usual! Now I had another boom and was back on the water giving the boys some healthy competition. Unfortunately Jacques had forgotten to charge his GPS and missed some runs when the unit ran out of power. He managed to log one nice 33.4 knot run and surely would have scored more in that range or higher. Disaster then struck Peter John who nose-dived and got launched into his rig tearing the top of the sail in half. That was game over for him and his series championship hopes. Luckily he got off with nothing more than a few bruises and some scrapes. While everyone else was stuggling with bad luck Alex was out there trying to wear a hole in the ocean!
Peter John describes the demise of his 6.2.
Tom gets a boom and a hug!
At 4pm the course was closed and the results tallied. To no ones surprise Alex Aguera had won the day. This put him on equal points with Peter John in the Open division, both having won 2 days and scored second on 2 days. The tie-breaker was the higest average speed scored out of those scoring days. This came down to the August 24th Speed Meeting: Alex 37.5 kn, Peter 37.0 kn. So Alex took the series in a tie-breaker with Peter settling for an extremely close second. Jacques had done enough to secure third place in the series by finishing third on the day. Somehow I had managed to place second even with missing the best wind! That put me in fourth for the series 2 points behind Jacques.
Tom Hammerton and Chris McNeil
The wave crown went to Carl Grundy as he again set the pace, winning the day for the third straight meeting. Consistency paid dividends to Tom James (absent) who clinched second place in the series. A rivalry was brewing between Sven Zedlick and Maui Ultra Fins Olaf Sutor. Olaf had the best peak speed - but we don't count that, and Sven edged him over the 100m for second place on the day with Olaf taking third. Chris McNeil's fourth place 1/10th behind put him third in the series.
Sven Zedlick
Olaf Sutor
So that was 2008. A year that will be remembered for the lack of wind, but also some very tight competition. Although the Speed Series is over, the Speed Ladder keeps going. So we might yet see some 40 knot speeds this year. There are favourable tides next month and strong winds are not unheard of in November. If really good conditions do occur I will send a notice out for an unofficial Speed Meeting to contest the speed ladder.
Special thanks to Dane Dingerson whose help was greatly appreciated, Bob Gilbert for the photos and of course Anne for saving the day!
Wave division winner Carl Grundy.
Super volunteer helper Dane Dingerson.
Maui Vmax 2008 Speed Meeting October 19th
Sailor Info
Name Class Best Speed Average Points
1 Alex Aguera Open 36.2 35.7 34.7 35.5 15
2 Tom Hammerton Open 34.4 33.2 31.8 33.1 11
3 Jacques Pauvert Open 33.4 32.1 31.8 32.4 9
4 Peter John Open 32.3 32.3 31.6 32.1 7
1 Carl Grundy Wave 29.7 28.8 28.6 29.0 15
2 Sven Zedlick Wave 29.1 28.9 28.7 28.9 11
3 Olaf Sutor Wave 28.7 28.6 28.4 28.6 9
4 Chris McNeil Wave 29.2 28.4 28.0 28.5 7
1 Carine Camboulives Wome28.7 27.9 27.8 28.1 15
Maui Vmax 2008 Speed Meeting Series Points
Name Class Meeting 1 Points Meeting 2 Points Meeting 3 Points Meeting 4 Points Meeting 5 Points Meeting 6 Points Overall Points (1 discard)
1 Alex Aguera Open 15 11 0 11 11 15 52
2 Peter John Open 11 15 11 7 15 7 52
3 Jacques Pauvert Open 0 0 7 15 7 9 38
4 Tom Hammerton Open 9 7 5 6 9 11 36
5 Chris Lockwood Open 0 0 15 0 0 0 15
6 Erik Beale Open 0 0 6 9 0 0 15
7 Matt Daniels Open 0 9 0 0 6 0 15
8 Chris Adamson Open 0 6 4 0 0 0 10
9 John Smalley Open 0 0 9 0 0 0 9
10 Mark Nelson Open 7 0 0 0 0 0 7
11 Craig Mann Open 0 5 0 0 0 0 5
1 Carl Grundy Wave 11 0 11 15 15 15 56
2 Tom James Wave 9 0 0 11 9 0 29
3 Chris McNeil Wave 15 0 0 0 0 7 22
4 Olaf Sutor Wave 0 0 0 0 11 9 20
5 Erik Lawrence Wave 0 0 15 0 0 0 15
6 Sven Zedlick Wave 0 0 0 0 0 11 11
7 Ugo Ginanni Wave 0 0 0 9 0 0 9
1 Erin Iberg Women 0 15 0 15 0 0 30
2 Carine CamboulivesWomen 0 0 0 0 0 15 15
3 Kristen Women 0 11 0 0 0 0 11
Photos by Bob Gilbert
This was the last speed meeting of the year and it proved the deciding factor in the Speed Series title. The tide was perfect staying around 1 foot all afternoon allowing for the potential of some good flat water (kind of - the Maui version). The wind even looked promising early in the day but proved inconsistent. First at the beach before I even got there was Alex Aguera, who by 10:55am had rigged two sails. Alex was determined to make no mistakes as he had to win the day to have any chance of taking the series. The last few Speed Meetings had seen the best winds right at noon when the course opened and Alex was determined not to miss it. When the course opened Alex had it to himself for about 15 minutes before I joined him on the water. This was only possible thanks to my friend Dane who manned the table so I got a chance to sail. The wind was teasing with good whitecaps on the outside but patchy gusty wind on the course. I had optimistically rigged both the 6.0 and 6.6 and brought the Missile and the Isonic 86. I wanted to use a 28cm Techtonics Goldwing in the Isonic 86 with the 6.6 GPS. Using this combo I had done some good runs the week before hitting a 35.3 knot 100m (http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/?mnu=user&val=38342&uid=2626). Unfortunately the fin was very old and I stripped the thread on the rear screw. I ended up sticking my 26cm Vector Speed fin it it which seemed like it would be too small. I had been told the 30cm fin was too small for that board, but in the end it was fine. Even though the wind was a bit iffy Alex and I were determined to get some good runs in just in case the wind backed off altogether.
Gusty inconsistent winds were the norm
Alex hits the water.
Finally the wind started to fill in at about 1pm increasing from 20 to 25 knots and it started to look like I would get some good 35 knot runs in. I had already notched up a few high 31s despite being underpowered. I got into one run and the wind completely faded half way through. I pulled out and tried to sail out throught the whitewater. Big mistake! There was not enough water over the reef and I dragged it over making all kinds of bad sounds. I had to go back to the beach and try to fix it. The tip of the fin was mangled and I grabed a piece of coral and sanded the worst of it off. I then went for the wet and dry to try to clean it up a bit. When I had all the jagged bits sanded off I went back out. A few more underpowered runs ensued. The gust were so localised it was almost impossible to ride one through a full speed run. I finally got on a good gust and took a nice line. The gust was not all it could have been but I glanced at the GPS at the end and saw a 34 something. Right after that there was a big BANG! and the boom sagged. I immediately gybed and headed back to shore. The boom arm then fell out of the head on the starboard side. I was very lucky it had not happened on a speed run, and even luckier to gybe before it fell apart. Still the sail was extra full and I could not sail upwind. I came in the other side of the point and had to de-rig my gear and scramble over the rocks to get back to Sprecks. I finally got back bout a half an hour later. I had no spare boom, and no one had a boom long or wide enough for my sail that I could borrow. Bother! Alex was out there ripping it up and here I was stuck on the beach! I was parked in and could not leave so I called up the cavalry! My fiancee Anne came down from home in Pukalani and went to Kanaha Kai to bring me another boom. Thank you so much Anne!
Tom moments before disaster struck!
By this time Peter John had shown up and Jacques had sailed up from Kanaha. It was agonising watching them sail as I stood there helpless, especially when a squall came through raising the windspeed. I was imagining every run they did a 37!
Carine Camboulives also showed up with a brand new 5.0 prototype racing sail with no rigging numbers. Dane was doing his best to help her rig it. She had only a wave board with her and was hoping to borrow a board from Eric Beale. However Eric was hiking in the crater. My Missile was sitting around doing nothing so I persueded her to give it a go. It proved to be a good combination for her. Despite having very limited experience with this kind of equipment, Carine gave it her best shot logging a 28.7 knot best run with a 28.2 knot average. This is by far the fastest speed in the Women's division this year.
Alex Aguera and Carine Camboulives.
Carine catches the squall.
Peter John was determined to defend his lead in the speed series and not let Alex run away with it. He timed it right, getting out just before the squall came in. I was sure he would come back with big numbers. Anne arrived and I was even more pleased to see her than usual! Now I had another boom and was back on the water giving the boys some healthy competition. Unfortunately Jacques had forgotten to charge his GPS and missed some runs when the unit ran out of power. He managed to log one nice 33.4 knot run and surely would have scored more in that range or higher. Disaster then struck Peter John who nose-dived and got launched into his rig tearing the top of the sail in half. That was game over for him and his series championship hopes. Luckily he got off with nothing more than a few bruises and some scrapes. While everyone else was stuggling with bad luck Alex was out there trying to wear a hole in the ocean!
Peter John describes the demise of his 6.2.
Tom gets a boom and a hug!
At 4pm the course was closed and the results tallied. To no ones surprise Alex Aguera had won the day. This put him on equal points with Peter John in the Open division, both having won 2 days and scored second on 2 days. The tie-breaker was the higest average speed scored out of those scoring days. This came down to the August 24th Speed Meeting: Alex 37.5 kn, Peter 37.0 kn. So Alex took the series in a tie-breaker with Peter settling for an extremely close second. Jacques had done enough to secure third place in the series by finishing third on the day. Somehow I had managed to place second even with missing the best wind! That put me in fourth for the series 2 points behind Jacques.
Tom Hammerton and Chris McNeil
The wave crown went to Carl Grundy as he again set the pace, winning the day for the third straight meeting. Consistency paid dividends to Tom James (absent) who clinched second place in the series. A rivalry was brewing between Sven Zedlick and Maui Ultra Fins Olaf Sutor. Olaf had the best peak speed - but we don't count that, and Sven edged him over the 100m for second place on the day with Olaf taking third. Chris McNeil's fourth place 1/10th behind put him third in the series.
Sven Zedlick
Olaf Sutor
So that was 2008. A year that will be remembered for the lack of wind, but also some very tight competition. Although the Speed Series is over, the Speed Ladder keeps going. So we might yet see some 40 knot speeds this year. There are favourable tides next month and strong winds are not unheard of in November. If really good conditions do occur I will send a notice out for an unofficial Speed Meeting to contest the speed ladder.
Special thanks to Dane Dingerson whose help was greatly appreciated, Bob Gilbert for the photos and of course Anne for saving the day!
Wave division winner Carl Grundy.
Super volunteer helper Dane Dingerson.
Maui Vmax 2008 Speed Meeting October 19th
Sailor Info
Name Class Best Speed Average Points
1 Alex Aguera Open 36.2 35.7 34.7 35.5 15
2 Tom Hammerton Open 34.4 33.2 31.8 33.1 11
3 Jacques Pauvert Open 33.4 32.1 31.8 32.4 9
4 Peter John Open 32.3 32.3 31.6 32.1 7
1 Carl Grundy Wave 29.7 28.8 28.6 29.0 15
2 Sven Zedlick Wave 29.1 28.9 28.7 28.9 11
3 Olaf Sutor Wave 28.7 28.6 28.4 28.6 9
4 Chris McNeil Wave 29.2 28.4 28.0 28.5 7
1 Carine Camboulives Wome28.7 27.9 27.8 28.1 15
Maui Vmax 2008 Speed Meeting Series Points
Name Class Meeting 1 Points Meeting 2 Points Meeting 3 Points Meeting 4 Points Meeting 5 Points Meeting 6 Points Overall Points (1 discard)
1 Alex Aguera Open 15 11 0 11 11 15 52
2 Peter John Open 11 15 11 7 15 7 52
3 Jacques Pauvert Open 0 0 7 15 7 9 38
4 Tom Hammerton Open 9 7 5 6 9 11 36
5 Chris Lockwood Open 0 0 15 0 0 0 15
6 Erik Beale Open 0 0 6 9 0 0 15
7 Matt Daniels Open 0 9 0 0 6 0 15
8 Chris Adamson Open 0 6 4 0 0 0 10
9 John Smalley Open 0 0 9 0 0 0 9
10 Mark Nelson Open 7 0 0 0 0 0 7
11 Craig Mann Open 0 5 0 0 0 0 5
1 Carl Grundy Wave 11 0 11 15 15 15 56
2 Tom James Wave 9 0 0 11 9 0 29
3 Chris McNeil Wave 15 0 0 0 0 7 22
4 Olaf Sutor Wave 0 0 0 0 11 9 20
5 Erik Lawrence Wave 0 0 15 0 0 0 15
6 Sven Zedlick Wave 0 0 0 0 0 11 11
7 Ugo Ginanni Wave 0 0 0 9 0 0 9
1 Erin Iberg Women 0 15 0 15 0 0 30
2 Carine CamboulivesWomen 0 0 0 0 0 15 15
3 Kristen Women 0 11 0 0 0 0 11
posted by Jeffrey, Glenn and Tom at
10/21/2008 05:41:00 PM
2 Comments:
Hey Tom,
good results. Congatulations! ... so far a nice article.
best regards from cold but now very windy Germany
Christian aka toppa
Hey Toppa.... When you start missing our warm beaches, check out Hot Sails Forum under "ask Jeff Henderson" there is a thread with photos.
http://www.hotsailsmaui.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=1
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