Hi all,

Well I have a big bucket list item coming up in June/July. A trip to Hawaii and an opportunity to sail there. At 46 I'm not sure if I'll get a chance again if I don't get organised for this trip (unlikely to be back for a good while).

I was last there in the early 90s and though Kailua looked magnificent and I visited the Naish shop nearby, I didn't sail

So can you tell me where is the best place for some flat water/small wave fun across the islands??Visiting them all over 3 weeks but not taking any gear. I'm 6'2" and 95kg and whilst I sailed a lot when I was younger, I only ever get out a couple of times each summer now if I'm lucky. My board is a good ol' Omega AHD (circa 1990) which were quick in their day but pretty unforgiving with their sharp rails. So also looking forward to experiencing the new equipment.

Also, when it comes to hiring (and where is a good place to do that??) what sort of board should I be looking at?

Would appreciate any advice whatsoever

Cheers,
p

Kanaha on the North Shore of Maui is the place you want to go. There are small wind-waves that time of year and it is rare to have a day that is not windy.

The wind is fresh-strong 25-35 knots on average every day. You'll wear through your hands pretty quickly!

There are a tonne of hire places nearby - you won't miss them.

I'd recommend staying on the North Shore around Paia - it's way less touristy and very chilled out. There is still plenty to do for non-windsurfers and it's a reasonably short drive to the main resort areas on the West Coast (Lahaina / Ka'anapali) or the South (Kihei/ Wailea).

I reckon Lahaina to Kanaha is more like 45 - 60 minutes to drive. Kihei is way closer if you don't want to stay on the North Shore.

Have fun!

Stayed at Kihei in Dec whilst on Maui & it was great. Drive upto Kanaha about 25 min +/-. We stayed at Kamole Nalu - right on the beach (self contained unit with every thing - www.aliiresorts.com/blog/kamaole-nalu/), snorkeled with turtles right out the front. Wind wasn't too good in Dec - managed one day at Kanaha Beach - flat & waves right out the back - plenty of locals out there. Hire places everywhere - plenty of gear + soft roof racks included if you don't have racks or room in the car/van. I would go back tomorrow. Fantastic place.

Have a great time.

We are on Maui all July, look us up ;)

Great info everyone ...much appreciated!!

What I didn't mention is that I'm only in Maui for 2 days as part of a stop on our Norwegian Lines cruise. So we'll be based in Kahului Harbour which is just West of Kanaha Beach, Spreckelsville etc. So whilst it's only a small window, I'll be close by to where I need to be.

After the cruise we spend about 4 days in each of the other Islands but don't return to Maui. Does anyone have any recommendations for other locations? Kailua, Oahu looked fantastic when I saw it years ago although I read the wind isn't as consistent. Anything on the big island or Kauai??

Thanks again

First post, long time lurker on here...

If you're on Oahu in June/July don't count on any decent wind in Kailua... come up here to Mokuleia and have a blast. Most summer tradewind days will get thermal wind about 2pm. I ended up kiting a lot the last couple years, but my normal summer ws gear is a 5.3 / 85L waveboard. The sailors are some of the nicest around and most have been in the sport since the beginning. I'm "the young guy" at 34. If there's not much wind there's plenty to do on the North Shore, so don't worry about getting skunked. If gear is going to be a hassle I'm sure between the local guys we could scrounge some decent stuff for you to use. I usually check the forecast on surfnewsnetwork.com, if they are calling for 10-20+ ENE trades (and it's clear) we usually will get a good thermal, and a good sailing day. Any questions just fire away!

OK bear with me, I'm not the best at explaining it!

So we do get seabreezes occasionally when there is no tradewind flow in the islands, it's usually pretty weak and not days that are sail-able. What happens at Moks in the summer is the trades are amplified because of Mt. Kaala heating up during the afternoon. This heating will bump the normal trades up a notch and make for lots of smiles around here... I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right, Reo Stevens' dad is actually the best at explaining how it all works. If you end up at the beachpark on any potentially windy day, just talk to the guy in the white van with Naish stickers on it, he is the master.

So, on a summer day you may be able to sail in Kailua on a huge board and a 8.0m, but when the "thermals" kick in at Mokuleia you would be on a 5.3/85L board. Kind of like how on Maui they are on 4.7s when we are on bigger gear on the same day, the terrain really plays a part in our conditions. Hope this somewhat makes sense!

Summer time Moks is always somewhat breaking... usually about chest high but kinda weak, one of the main reasons I have been kiting so much. Occasionally we will catch an out of season N swell. The good thing about summer time Mokuleia is the wind is usually nice and filled in, not like D-head or Toes! So if it's a decent day up here, you will plane pretty much the whole time. I might come down and sail south shore this summer so I can work on that dreaded port tack, and ride some real waves. Not to mention get in shape hiking my junk up and down that stupid cliff... Sorry man, I love to hate Diamond Head!

where is toes??