A Few Downwinding Tips

Here are a few tips from Jeremy Riggs via a couple online resources and from a couple things he told me that were really helpful.

Links are at the end and I'd also check out Jeremy's website Paddle with Riggs dot com.

From Elder SUP: 1) The key thing is keeping up your momentum.  Shorter rapid paddle strokes keep momentum going – keep speed up.

2) Don’t go right up the back of the wave in front of you – that will slow you down as you paddle UP(hill).

3) Look for the place to keep the momentum going, a place to guide the board into the trough where you can catch the next bump – and have tons more FUN!

From me: 1) The reason paddlers get tired is they paddle too much. Don't paddle when you can't go anywhere because you're fighting the ocean. The ocean will win. Don't knock yourself out. Focus on catching the next bump.

2) Don't take too many strokes on one side of the board. That can easily lead to the tail sliding around and you will fall off. Jeremy's "rule of thumb" is no more than three on one side before switching.

3) One more like #2...be ready to switch paddling sides quickly to not only change direction (and catch or stay with the bump) but to keep from sliding out.

4) Be ready to back peddle quickly when you catch a steep one so you can keep from pearling. You have to be fast to the tail and then quickly move forward again to stay in trim and stay in the glide. (Standing too far back on the tail is like putting the brakes on.)

5) Don't just watch the nose of the board, a good downwinder is constantly looking around, left and right, seeing what's coming in the smaller bumps to gain speed in order to catch the bigger, longer glides.

#5 was the hardest one of all and where Jeremy's coaching is essential. During our session he was constantly calling me into bumps that I didn't even see. But this skill isn't something you'll learn overnight. It takes time and practice. The cool thing is that it's really fun learning and no worries, you WILL catch bumps!

http://elder-sup.com/2013/04/26/sup-addiction-the-glide/

http://www.supthemag.com/find-the-glide/glide-guide-mailiko-run/

http://paddlewithriggs.com/

Bill's & My Paddle IMUA Re-cap

My friend Bill Boyum is a longtime Maui local and veteran waterman who has been involved with Maui wind and paddling sports from the beginning. Here's his re-cap of the race from an email he sent this morning.

"I went swimming with Shirley in the morning, but as we finished I saw a bit of a wind line outside so we drove up to watch the start from the cliff above Maliko.

In the final hour before the start the wind doubled from 7 to 14 and more importantly went from straight onshore to about 45 degree angle onshore. The surface set up with very small, very organized clean lines.

Almost immediately we heard the horn and an armada of OC-1s blazed out of the gulch, followed closely by Bart, then Jeremy and Scott.

Out of the gulch Jeremy Riggs, with his 17 foot 24" 26lb no pad, wax deck Bullet,leaped ahead of Bart on his 14' Starboard Race. Those little bumps were perfect terrain for JR's board. He was even passing some Oc-1s. Already 50 yds back in second, was Scott and then Bart. But working his way to a much farther out line was Livio, who from appearances from our angle, was losing ground to the inside guys, who were reaping full harvest of the onshore angle glides. But Livio is a vet and it was also evident that Dave Kalama was moving out to that outside line as well in an OC-2. A much different tactic than the pack.

So I paced Jeremy from the drive down and he was holding just under 8 minute miles for the first two.

Then we couldn't see and we drove to town to see Iron Man 3. It was sold out so Shirley says, lets go see who wins. In the harbor, finishing at 1:14 was Livio and JR a minute behind.

You shoulda seen how red their faces were when they came in, looked like they'd been nuked. During the last section, as you of course know, the almost good enough wind at the start, had died off. It was hot hot hot."

My Re-cap: I was one of the folks on the inside line, trying to stay up with the back of the pack. For the first four miles there was OK wind but by the fifth mile it dropped off to none, or very light and variable. From there it was head down and grind it out looking for any little bump that would give me a boost towards the finish line at the Harbor. I was glad to be paddling the SIC Bullet 14 cuz that board is a wave magnet. I actually passed about a half dozen paddlers on longer boards by the time I reached the Harbor entrance.

I caught a few more good glides in those last miles but couldn't pick up many in the choppy, mixed up seas that were mated with the anemic winds. I'm sure that there were more little bumps to be ridden than I could chase down, and if I was Jeremy Riggs...but then I'm not Jeremy am I?

I'm not all that enamored of flat water paddling either (especially if you can go downwind instead) but as I rounded the breakwater standing on the rocking horse backwash beset sea surface this course had become, I was never so glad to see the flat water paddle that stretched out before me in my life.

From that big green navigation buoy at the Harbor entrance to the beach park finish line was an easy mile run. I was tired and hot but there's nothing like the end in sight to energize a body. (The thought of the Beer Garden didn't hold me back none either.)

At the end of the finish line chute, I was given a lovely purple and white orchid lei and an ice cold glass of water. I took two big gulps of water from the soon to be holding beer glass, and dumped the rest over my head. Home at last and in about an hour, when my temples stopped pounding and my face felt like it was no longer pressed up against a hot plate, I was feeling a whole lot better.

There were easily a couple hundred people at the after party and award ceremony and I think everyone felt good to be done. I had a sense of accomplishment that we had finished an event that was not only worthwhile and for a good cause, but a race course that was difficult, challenging and character building to complete on this day. We had all faced some degree of adversity and had overcome.

From there it was all good. Awards, raffle prizes, traditional Hawaiian dance and music, a fun afternoon for everyone.

Many thanks go out to IMUA Community Services, not only for what they do, but for putting on a first class race for the paddling ohana.

Mahalo!

Downwinding The Maliko

Met up with Jeremy Riggs at Kanaha for the shuttle up to Maliko. We strapped the boards down on Justin's truck and were enroute in no time.

Jeremy is perhaps the most gifted downwind teacher/coach in Hawaii with bookings from folks that circle the planet. Sandwich Islands Composites (better known as SIC) has recently (and wisely) contracted with Jeremy to represent their company and use their boards. A good move. Great teacher, great boards.

It is not an exaggeration to say that I learned more from Jeremy in an hour and a half about downwind runs than in the last year and a half on my own. Jeremy is gifted with the patience, insight and skills to teach. The world needs more good teachers, the world gained one in Jeremy.

I paddled the 7 mile Maliko to Kanaha run on the SIC 14 ft. Bullet which Jeremy brought with him. I'll be writing more (including a video interview with Jeremy) on this board (and the unique Maui developed fin that was installed) but for now let me just say that this board is a competitor. Fast, maneuverable, durable and light, it will get you where you want to go in a hurry. That said, it is not a beginner's board. But more on all that later.

We made the 7 mile run in under 90 minutes, which for a dedicated downwind paddler is slow, but we stopped three or four times for some "classroom instruction" and pep talks. If only all our educational experiences could include a classroom environment sitting in emerald seas over a multicolored reef with big turtles poking their curious heads at you at random times, we'd probably all be a lot smarter.

The take out at Kanaha was classic Hawaiian culture. We're carry our boards in, and a hoard of youngsters and their teachers are hauling their outrigger canoes out, to the sea from which we have just departed. The never ending cycle of spiritual and physical sustenance the ocean has provided since the beginning of time, is on display, now, in real time, for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Jeremy needed to get going, time to pick up his beautiful girls from school. Mariposa arrived right on time to pick me up for the ride back to the Sugar Ranch. It was all over too soon. But then, it's only day two. Stay tuned.

Sugar Ranch Maui - Day One

Arrived on time via Hawaiian Air and made no delay in beating feet to the Sugar Ranch. Fantastic location in a fantastic place. Settled in to our first class accommodations, jumped in the truck and gased it to Bills to get the board and paddle I'm gonna use. 14-6 and Kenalu paddle, both a little long for what I'm used to, but we'll make it work. Justin was down for a short Maliko to Sugar Cove run. Perfect for my first downwinder on Maui. 87 degree air, 75 degree water.Life isn't good, it's great!