Reboot

Reboot.
Rebirth.
Rewind.
Rerun.

Lots of things happened in this month of July. I know, not an excuse to let you down, but , well, we do what we can ...
First, I will need this blog again. More details about that later. Still, I am struggling with time (isn't it the real resource you cannot buy ?), and I need a new format for it.
The new blog : Short, and to the point. Like today. ** sic **

Now, the real news. House has been bought, Boat has been sold. No more strings attached in California, the move on Maui is complete (Still need my Hawaiian driving license, but I have a new phone number in 808).

On the move again. Who said we would need a truck ?

And the obvious conclusion  : To keep this interesting, I will need a new plan.

You Can't have it all...

But maybe you can have a small part of the cake.
Just kidding.
A half-million dollars slice of cake.

Not a lot of news, swamp at work (already did this joke, did I ?), Spring is here, Wind is back and waves are gone.

Oh, yeah, we got an offer on the boat. And it started it all ... again.
here is our slice of the cake

And this time, we offered Market price.
Really. Not a french market price. The actual market price at the bottom of a climbing mountain.
Answer Saturday afternoon. Or before. But not after.

And no worries, I already found Mobylette-2, way cheaper but ready to go ;)

25K, 70's. And still sailing....

I know, I know. But we can dream, alright ?

On the way to Hookipa

All starts by checking OMaui.

"North and northwest facing shores should start out around chest- to head-high levels this morning but then should rise into the 6-10+ foot range through the day, potentially reaching double-overhead or higher at the best breaks by sunset."

Double Overhead ? Sounds familiar.

Well, it is usually time for me to take my paddleboard and go to Kanaha, but I am in a middle of an epoxy repair, and it is disabled. No Wind, no chance for kiteboarding this week-end. Paia-Town is the spot of choice for when it is too big, anyway, it was time for a statement. Double overhead surf, at sunset. Let s go to Hookipa then. See where we at.

Took my good 'old Vernor fat 6.4. 

Easy choice, I have only one surfboard.

Going down from the mountain, It is raining on the "city".

It has been raining a lot those days. It usually means no wind, or Kona winds (south),

and good surf.

Avoiding Paia, very touristic those winter months. Traffic is bad and there is only one road.

Except for locals. Back country bypass. Hard on our Beetle. 

Gosh, it is raining in Hookipa as well. 

Or is it Wookipa in Hell ?

Rain does not help our trusty little car and create big holes,

making this shortcut quite challenging.

You will pass in front of the Old High school of Maui.

Deserted.

And arrive in front of 'Lanes'. Strong left, 

and only spot allowed to kitesurfers East of Kanaha.

When windy.

"Middle' is crowded. Surprising, the surf is supposed to be big.

And it is raining. I guess it is Saturday and not the Super Bowl week-end.

Maybe one of the few last good swell of the season.

And no wind ;)

A paddleboarder got it easy. 

They are kind of rare at 'Middle' or 'Pavillon'. 

Usually, we haunt 'Lanes' or 'Kanaha'.

Around 8 foot, this one. 

I guess the bigger sets will be as expected, 10 to 12 feet.

At that point, I was not so comfortable.

Good surfers have a blast. 

While the others one are washed away by the sets.

It is surprising how few waves you will catch on a session, when you are not 'That' good.

If any.

At that point, my goal was to get one wave, to not get hurt and do not hurt anybody. I do not like crowds. I guess nobody like a crowded line-up, because it means less space and less waves, but for me, it is more about not obstructing anybody actually surfing a wave, and not throwing my board in the face of somebody struggling to avoid me (almost happened last week on way smaller day).

Last time I tried on those conditions, I did not get one wave, got washed thousand times and roughly spend 2 hours swimming. Once in the line-up, as expected , actually very few surfers were catching waves. If you go for the smaller waves on the inside, you get properly cleaned up when a big set comes, and you are always on the way of the guys actually surfing the 'real' ones. The paddle-out was easy, even considering the size of the waves (This is not Ocean Beach in San Francisco). There is a big Rip current, an elevator to the line-up, placed in front of the only safe entry to the water (Reef is very shallow).

...

Long story short, got one good wave, certainly one of the biggest I ever surfed, missed a couple of scary ones (at least 50 foot waves, if you ask me), got 2 falls during drops on other ones. Did not hurt anybody, and stayed on the outside, waiting for the bigger sets, safely and wisely. Pretty happy of myself.

End of the session. Not raining anymore.

Sun is setting down, Sharks are getting hungry.

I have been surfing for 5 or six years now. 

Am I comfortable in this kind of waves ? Not at all. 

Can I surf them  ? Well, barely. 

In any case, I am closer than ever of the purpose of this blog, and I take this a good step.

Chasing Mavericks

By the way, we just saw 'Chasing Maverick'. Very Hollywood, and plenty of good intentions, but the images of the waves themselves, and the surfing action is pretty cool. Man, coming back from my own "Big" waves, I just cannot imagine the insanity needed to ride those actual monster waves.
Way to go.

Time for a statement

I have started this blog six months ago with very specifics goals in mind. Going public about resolutions, forcing a change of lifestyle, overcome injury and push the limit of my actual physical capabilities.

In just six month, I did most of it. Was it that complicated ? not really. I am surprised myself how quickly human nature adapt and takes for granted a new lifestyle. I know for sure it goes both way, and it is very easy to let myself go.

- Surf. Last week, the wind shutoff after a small perturbation created the feared Kona winds on the island. We had medium surf 6- 10 feet, and overall good conditions. Ended up going at Paia, and Hookipa the day after,  following a couple of month of no surfing at all.  I surprised myself to be comfortable when overhead surf, when conditions are clean, the spot not too crowded. Yes, it was not that big. Was it fun ? Oh yeah.

Clean Hookipa

- SUP. Today was a big day at Kanaha. 10-15 foot. Kind of waves that are impossible for me in paddlesurf. Managed to get 3 or 4 drops in waves that looked double-overhead. Big, Fun, Scary. Checked.

Kanaha with Kona winds. Rare.

- Kiting. Has been a while I am comfortable in big surf strapless. Now, I can really enjoy Winter time, when good winds meet good waves. When the wave are under 15 foot, I feel good enough to even try surf the wave. Bottom turns, slick rides. Not sure what it looks like from a distance, but from my perspective, I believe it looks really like KiteSurfing. Oh, and did I tell you I bought a new 6m and used 5m for summer time ? Yeah, I know, I am covering the full Maui range.: 5-6-7. No comments.

Kanaha on a big windy day. Winter time.

- Diet. Lost more than 20 pounds. Stabilized my weight effortless with my new diet. Cut my alcohol consumption by 3000% - at least. Some truth. It is very hard to loose weight, if you do not log your calories. Just following my appetite, eating slowly and when hungry, exercising  almost every day. My weight stabilize itself, but does not go down. Overall, my physical stamina is incomparable of when I arrived on Maui. I can kite and surf longer, and I do believe this is no more the factor that would limit me. Technique, Skills, Talent,  Self-Confidence, yes, certainly ;) 

Stabilized weight a 147-148 pounds.

- Psoas injury. Well, this one is tricky. First, daily exercising is very hard. At least for me. I lack the motivation when not in pain. I can run and swim way longer than before, but will still feel a tension in the groin. As usual, those muscles are the first ones to complain. Real pain like before. Not. 100% healed ? Do no think so either. Morning yoga, Sun salutation, and better stretching after effort ? Checked.

Stretching like a warrior. Looking constipated is an art.

What's left ? We found a nice balance in our up country little home, close to the north shore and its year-round water activities, wind, no wind, waves, no waves, sun, no sun. Waling the dog, quick jump in the local swimming pool, couple of laps at the close activity park. Down to one car, no commute. Work is getting busier, but the pressure is easier to deal with being remote. Question is: I need to stay busy. To have plans. To dream about something..(Ah, Mobylette !). To make plans. Then , what's next ?

Doing Mandala with my daughter. Time to reflect on myself. Or Not. 

Time to draw, just that.

2013 - Part 4

Back to sailing. In this last post about "2013 resolutions" here is the new - or is it old news already- one. Sailing never really went away. Always present in some corner of my twisted mind. I guess the fact that I am doing a monthly check to the Napa Valley Marina is a good reminder as well.
Heard a story about a guy that forgot he had a boat. He was doing automated payment or something, and totally forgot about it. After a couple of years, the marina had really hard time to track the owner of this rotting boat, even if the bill was payed on time every month.

Landing pad for bird poo.

Anyway, If you followed this blog, you know that our "Mobylette" is laying up on the ground, still in the San Francisco Bay. In case, you did read this blog, you may have noticed we do not live there anymore. More like 3000 miles and 5 hours plane from there. Funny, no ?


A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, what felt an eternity, we had some good times together.

Couple of years ago.

We sailed at sunset.

We sailed at night.

We sailed during the day.

We did sail. Not too much. As often as we could. Always in the bay. One time we went under the bridge. In the open ocean ;) - That was something. Back to our blog. Wipe away this nostalgic tear. I have been thinking a lot about this situation, Us here, Her over there. As you noticed, I think a lot ;).


Maybe this book , helped to take a decision.

Breaking Seas: An overweight, 

middle-aged computer nerd buys his first boat, 

quits his job, and sails off to adventure

by Glenn Damato

The end is quite surprising, but you will have to read it, to make your own opinion.

First he did the Ha Ha too. He pointed the legal disclaimer.
“The Ha-Ha is a high risk activity open only to those gladly willing to risk injury and death in the pursuit of adventure.”
He became a little philosophe.
"I believe we are not humans who occasionally have a brief spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a brief human experience"

Frankly, If he did it, why not me ? And guess what... I already have the boat, and already know how to sail ... In the bay, at least.

...

This decision, like a bet. I am lowering her price down to what we bought here, 3 years ago, and getting ready to let her go for a little less, let s say, maximum 10% off the listing price. Seems like a deal. If she goes, she goes. But there is a dead line, not sure yet, certainly early May. If in May, she did not sell, she goes to Mexico. We go to Mexico. I will outfit her during this summer and we will go down the coast to join the Baja Ha Ha in San Diego, and go off for two weeks of sailing along the Baja coast, certainly aiming to another lay-up in Mazatlan.

What does that mean ? I will certainly post more details about the actions and consequences of this choice - bet. But that would be a challenge. At least for me. But I begin to fell I want - I need to be challenged again. Push the boundaries of what I can do. I begin to dream - and fear it at the same time - that she does not sell.
In the mean time,

Back to the books

Wait and see. What fate is saving for me for this year.

2013 - Part 2

The fitness part.

What do I target for 2013 ? Easy more of the same and a little more of different.

Nothing surprising, I liked to lose weight. Feels way better. Looks better. Very satisfying. If you followed this blog, you will now that I was counting calories. Well, in 2013, I am not. I think I got a good understanding of what a 2000 cal /day is, at this point. But I will continue to track my weight. It is very satisfying too. Really.

Maybe I will go down to a weekly weighting, instead of daily ;) 

It sounds less crazy. 

Then, I will continue to eat the same and will try to exercise more. Theoretically, I should be able to continue to lose weight, for a target of 140 pounds, i.e.less than 64 Kg. Coming down from almost 80kg, not too bad, as a goal , right ?
Anyway, no hurry, my only real constraint is too stay below 150 pounds, 68 Kg.

Post-workout snack. (fruits, Vegetable, Coconut Water)

Slowly replacing those proteins energy bar when I can.

Exercising. No surprise either, I will try to continue to stretch daily at work (eh eh, I know, I know). And get up my chair. I will do at least one sport activity a day, surf session, kite session, or swimming, running. I will do a t least 3 endurance session a week (swimming, Running more than 45 min). I consider surfing and kitesurfing as taxing activities, not building ones.

What's new, then ? Yoga. I have started already "Sun Salutations" in the morning, and I really like it. But overall, I want to improve my flexibility. I came to the point than I think I do have the stamina to surf or kitesurf the waves I want to (not yet as long as I want to, come back to point 2), however, I do think I am stiff like a Rock.

The strapless song:

To begin to take some serious air Strapless,

I need to grab this board,

And to Grab this board, 

I need to bend my body.

And to bend my body,

I need some flexibility ....

.

3 keys for 2013:
Stronger, Flexible-er, Lighter.

Sounds like a plan, alright ?

2013 - Part 1

Never too late.
I have been thinking a lot (yeah, I know) lately about the next steps for me, and usually the new year is a good time to announce those. Well, frankly, I dont really think that the artificial change of calendar year means anything , specially regarding to life changes. The move to Hawaii, which happens to be in August, was certainly a bigger influence on my life that any other New Year intentions.

Anyway, some stuff that I liked from last year (Starting from my new life, on Maui) :
- The fitness program
- The progress on my psoas tendinitis
- The strapless progress in Kitesurf
- The overall surfing progress and paddlesurf astonishing big waves I was able to catch
- The better connection with my family
- My new life rhythm, working early, getting to bed early, and exercising a lot

Some stuff I did not like too:
- (relative) Lack of consistency in my workouts
- Late night schedule, with still too much TV (relatively), not enough reading
- The abandon of the plan for Mobylette - the boat
- The lack of jokes in some of my blog posts

Getting ready for a good open water swim. 

Molly in the back. 

First thing first, the Blog.
It is taking a lot of time. And even with millions of readers (This is the joke of this post), it does not make a living, because it is free. Right. Free. No advertisement. Free to be read. (End of the joke).

I need to reorganize my time around 3 main concepts, and the blog is no more a central piece of those. I guess I do not need so much public accountability no more. I proved myself I can (roughly) stick to my goals, my diet and my schedule.

Then, the blog will become weekly. Except exceptions. But in exchange, I will try to avoid the empty posts and try to keep it a little more focused - still around the same themes. I will try to stick to actual pictures I took, and not ones from Google. Really. And to keep things interesting, I will announce the thematic of the next couple of posts.

As I tried to use this new blog format for this post - no really ? - Now I will announce the couple of next posts subjects : 2013 Letter of intentions, and how I will try to address the things that I did not like too much in 2012, and try to reinforce the things I did like in 2012. Still following ? Great, see you next week then.

Blog 2012- Retrospective (5)

December 2012 - 3nd month and last one one the year -

-Where we learn that exercising does not make you lose weight.
But it makes you lean and mean. And helps. Mixing sports and activities is key, to trick the body and the mind into enjoying it.

- Where I felt like an Iron man.
After my 80 minutes run in San francisco. First time I realized my hip was getting better, and all this work was paying off. In fact, sooner than expected. (PT gives you a 6 month window to heal).

- Where I eat less on the route than at home.
Proof that my eating habits are getting better, I tends now to eat less when I am not counting calories than when I am counting. Even when I have to find food in restaurants or on the move. And I don't mind exercising in murky hotel fitness facilities.

- We learn that Santa can surf.
But dolphins too. And I got a double overhead waves in paddlesurf.

Lanes.

- When we realize that Maui is windy.
Very windy. Even in winter, where the wind supposedly disappears, you still enjoy 10 days streaks at 20 knots + and all kind of waves.

Blog 2012- Retrospective (4)

November 2012 - Diet and fears -

-Where I learn that you feel lighter at 155 pounds than 175.
All training preparation starts by balancing your muscle mass with your lean body weight. In my case, that was pretty easy : too much fat !

-Diet is relatively easy.
But going over my fears and pre-made ideas , misconceptions of what is my ideal weight and my ideal behavior in society was not.

-Diet is not the goal.
The goal is too understand what you are eating, when and how much. After you can decide as an educated person. And, yes, it starts by counting calories and jumping often on the scale.

- A routine is easy to install
And it becomes pretty addictive. Pacing meals and snack, exercising ... Way easier than it sounds, but not that easy to find the time, or organize my time around it - to transform the ephemere in routine in life style.

Hookipa

-Still not ready for KSP.
Even when the event occurs at my home spot.

Blog 2012- Retrospective (3)

November 2012 - Start to act -

- Start to think.
Meditating or just reflecting on myself could help. Active meditation while running or swimming, relaxation during stretching are great tools to try to focus myself.

- Awareness.
Listen to my body. It is sending signals. Hunger, pain, tiredness. They all make sense, just have to pay attention.

- Reeducate my body.
Exercising is good. Exercising well is better. Do not forget some muscles. Do the postures using the right muscles. Be precise.

- Reeducate my spirit.
We are being told lies. Marketing lies, political lies. Anything that prevent this world to fall apart. Make your own documented guesses. And educate myself. Start reading books again, and not only Google crap.

- We are part of something bigger.
Think about the big picture and the world we are living into. We are setting up an example, and every little step matters. In concrete ? Eat less meat and burn less oil.

It is not all about fun. Do you think I like it ?

In case you think so, you are wrong ;)

Blog 2012- Retrospective (2)

October 2012 - Checkpoint -

- Before surfing, you need to walk.
Kitesurfing or surfing in 12 feet waves could be cool by itself, but, before this, I amy need to ba able to make the paddle out.

Kitesurfing Kanaha, a day with some waves.

The breakers on the outside can reach 2 or 3 stories.

- Sitting is killing us.
The body cannot stand long hours in front of a computer without adapting. And in this case, adaptation sucks.

- My core is weak.
Even if you practice twice or three time a week some kind of sport activity, It does not mean ou are in shape, or balanced. It just means you are having fun, and your body is not.

- To reach my goals, I would have to take drastic measures.
Which certainly means : exercising and eating better. Could be worse, right ?

- Optimize my time, and our assets. Reconcile my long term goals.

Our boat is sitting, unused, at 3000 miles from where we live. Life on Maui is fun, but sailing in Hawaii is not that fun and not that easy. Specially, without a boat. How can I bring it here ?

Blog 2012- Retrospective (1)

October 2012  - Fundamentals -

- Fears drives Me. Having a goal that I choose myself to pick my own path.
- Accountability forces you to stick to your plan. Publicly announce my goals.
- Dreams are accessible. Just have to make the choices according to.

Life as a surfer started really in SoCal. 

Here, San Onofre, Trails.

I will write a blog, to be
  - a journal
  - a driving force
  - a public statement
  - an introspection tool

The end of an Era

We are close to the end of 2012. I am quite happy with my perseverance. Goals are nowhere close to be achieved, however, I do believe I am now ready to start work on those.


"Persistence is one of the most praised traits of people pursuing success — at anything. We’ve all heard inspirational stories of someone who continually failed at a pursuit, yet persisted undeterred until the goal was achieved". Brendan Brazier.


I am fittest than ever I have been. Even if I still feel time to time this pain in the groin, I know believe I have the tools to eventually get rid of it entirely, and overall, I reached a level of training I was not capable 3 month ago. I can swim for at least 50 minutes, run for more than one hour and kite or surf for a decent one hour and half. I think I have now the tools that will allow me to pursue my dreams.
To be comfortable in double overhead conditions.

Kanaha on a Big day

"We were fine with not having dreams. We’d come to the conclusion long ago that dreaming about something was never going to make it happen. However we were not okay with not having goals. Goals that excited us, goals that we genuinely wanted to achieve. Which is why, five years later, we are circumnavigators."
Bumfuzzle - Just Out Looking For Pirates by Patrick Schulte


For the time being, it is likely I will do a quick retrospective of those past month and summarize the key points that made me evolve.

Hookipa sunset

Next year would be a different story.

1000

A few post ago, we went over 1000 pages read. I guess some people finds this diary interesting enough to at least click on it, if not reading it ;)

In doubt, I will continue...
After all, I am not writing this for you all, but for me ;)


To celebrate this, I have added tags to all my 42 posts !

Salute !