Saturday, October 29, 2016

10 29 16 morning call

Just a quick but sweet windsurf session for me yesterday.

When I came out of the water, Kauli was getting ready to go and asked me the usual:"how was it?"
"There's some clean sections" was my reply.
I took this photo from my car just before leaving to go to work and it looks like he found one of them.


As you can see from this photo from this gallery by Jimmie Hepp, the conditions weren't exactly epic, but as long as the wind was light enough (that usually happens after the squalls), the waves were relatively clean.


Here's a little comment-based conversation I had with a friend of mine on facebook, that I'm gonna use to clarify to my readers my apparently controversial position towards the wind and the wind related sports.
She's an avid kiter and she posted:
Dear Wind: I am thankful for the stoke you have given me. 💫💨
Your existence is a condition for my happiness😊. I pray for you being in my life..

I commented (the fact that she's pretty hot helped, of course):"That's what I felt 15 years ago when I moved here. Now I can barely tolerate it. Funny how things change.
Fortunately I still have plenty things to be thankful for."
She replied:"GP! how come?.."

And I replied:"Surfing made me appreciate clean waves. And, unless it's light offshore, the wind doesn't help that. But it's all good. I know where to find clean waves even the trades blowing relentlessly. Most times, at least... :)"

5am significant buoy readings
South shore
Lanai
0.9ft @ 14s from 203° (SSW)
Very minimal energy at the Lanai buoy. As usual, check the webcam to see if it is worth it for you.

North shore
NW
7.4ft @ 8s from 84° (E)
3.4ft @ 14s from 300° (WNW)
3.2ft @ 11s from 32° (NE)
 
Waimea
3.1ft @ 11s from 16° (NNE)                      
1.8ft @ 16s from 315° (NW)
 
Pauwela
6.4ft @ 8s from 57° (ENE)
3.6ft @ 11s from 22° (NNE)                      
1.3ft @ 16s from 337° (NNW)

The last couple of days have been ruled by the windswell and the mid period energy coming off that fetch in the gulf of Alaska. They are both still there, but today a new source will add on top.
You guys remember that fetch that started appearing off Kamchatka about four days ago?
I must have used the word Kamchatka in each single of the past four days, you guys MUST remember that fetch! Sorry, that's my weird way of trying to train you guys to remember the wind maps and the associated fetches. That's how, IMO, you have an idea of what's coming, from where and with what characteristics.

Well, as confirmed also in the current wind map down below, once again that fetch didn't move much and stayed confined in the original region of appearance.
That means the following things:
- the swell is going to be pretty west (300 degrees at the NW buoy) and as such blocked by the upstream islands.
- the swell is not going to become more north (at least for the next few days).
The 337 direction at the Pauwela buoy is a total glitch. Buoys do that sometimes, but I usually don't get fooled, because... I remember the fetches!
Btw, the last recent WNW swell did just that, but it was much bigger, because the wind in the fetch was much stronger.

Anyway, similar conditions to yesterday at Hookipa, with the addition of some westerly lines here and there. On the morning call of 10 26, I wrote: "Current wind map shows scattered fetches all over. Remember, the fetches configuration will be reflected in the water a few days later."
That's what we'll have today. A bit of energy from all over the place (I don't even feel like mentioning that hurricane Seymour, because I don't think we'll see much from it).
Below is the graph of the NW buoy that shows that this swell seems to have peaked already at just below 4f. So it's not gonna be more than 3f in Maui.


Current wind map shows the K fetch still there, the windswell fetch, a tiny fetch associated with that storm still brewing in the gulf of Alaska and a couple of minor fetches down south.


Am I still calling the models wrong? It's possible. Maybe one day I'll learn that this is the NAM3km one at noon: windy.


Last, but most definitely not least, it was a great pleasure to hug my shark attack victim friend at Hookipa yesterday. He's out of the hospital, the surgeon did reattach one tendon that had been lacerated and the chances of complete healing are pretty high.
That was the strongest hug I gave to a male human being since a long time. I should remember to give my dad a similar one next one I go back to Italy.

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