Vasa Swim Trainer for Alaia Paddliing Speed

Aloha Tribe,

I surf a lot of Alaia and Paipo shaped by Jon Wegener and they are truly awesome boards. I'm not sure how many of his boards I have, but it's probably about 6 or more Alaia and 6 or more Paipo, each one slightly different offering greatly different rides. I also have one of Jon's brother's Tom's Alaia from when Tom was first shaping them.

On my quest to learn to paddle both my Alaia and Paipo faster, I was led to getting a Vasa Swim Trainer. If you are an Alaia or Paipo lover like I am, the Vasa Swim Trainer is a great way to work on your paddling stroke when you're not in the water. The machine lets you focus on technique, speed, endurance, and power, as well as flexibility. Technique, by the way, according to Sheila Taormina's (Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer) books accounts for about 80% of swimming speed, thus, it seems logical that such focus on technique could dramatically increase surfboard paddling speed also.

If you want some new fun, get an Alaia or a Paipo and have a blast with them. And then, if you really want to learn to paddle fast on any board you have, be it Alaia, Paipo, short board, long board, or anything else, buy a Vasa Swim Trainer.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

One Footers Tickling Endless Sands

Aloha Tribe,

Yesterday was a beautiful day out at what could be called Endless Sands. There were only two of us scanning miles of unpopulated beach, with merely a single harbor seal showing us how surfing is really done.

Sunny. Warm. Beautiful cute little waves. DD ( Darrick Doerner) told me once that if you can surf One Footers and truly master them, you can surf anything anywhere. And in a time of crowded breaks, sometimes its nice to be alone or with a single Brah on Safari.

The sea was warm, for the location and season, about 56 F, the skies smiling blue, the breeze barely dancing soft green dune grass.

We both had some bodacious rides, holding onto the tiny waves nearly to shore.

You should have been here yesterday.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Alaias in 22 Footers Yesterday in the Wilds

Aloha Tribe,

Yesterday in the Wilds, the surfing was utterly primal, feral, wild, untamed, and about as chaotically intense as it typically gets.

I brought three of my Alaias and my Paipo, along with my Rescue Swimmer Riverboard and all of my Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Beach Rescue gear with me for some hardcore practice and training.

The wind was gusting to about 43 mph, the rain torrentially biting like machine gun bullets, the waves were Blown Out of course as they usually are with driving Voodoo Mist, and nobody was in the water, on the beach, nor even in the entire area, except for several groups of Sea Lions, which enjoyed a rollicking game of Tag and Hide and Seek with me. Some of them were pretty good size, well over 7 foot it appeared.

It was, a perfect day for surfing at the Wilds. Dangerous, sure. Foolish, of course. But what's a girl to do when that is the Home Break? After all, I've been in much more intense than this.

The Alaias, by the way, without a Rocker or Fin as you all know, lead to interesting experiementation and improvization especially in wildy chaotic waters so you don't Pearl or Dig a Rail.

Oh, and the Line Up, had there been one, was a mile out to sea fighting mountains of raging water every step of the way to get there for unlike on the North Shore of Oahus where there Swells and Periods are perfect and you have just one wave to more or less get over slide over after easy gliding paddles between Swells, here in the Wilds, you have  hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Peaks to attack during the Paddle Out. It'll work your paddling, that's for sure.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

The Wilds, Baja, then the North Shore

Aloha Tribe,

So, Fall is here, and, that means it's time for some serious surfing training.  Depending on the night tonight, I might spend the next month in the Wilds, getting ready for Baja. Then, I'll use the size of Baja for some fine tuning and honing to hit the North Shore.

I'd like to go to the North Shore at the usual time, Halloween, and stay beyond Christmas, but it all depends on how Baja happens first. Then after Christmas, it'll be more of the North Shore probably through the Spring with Darrick Doerner. Of course, I have to get China in too and that's going to be 3 or 4 months so I"m not sure where that will fit.

Then again, seriously its all up in the air at the moment for my heart races with excitment and my soul sings of far off shores. Here it is, 2 AM, and I'm totally thinking of simply tossing my single backpack into my VW Bug in a few minutes, strapping on my feral vagabond Alaia, and simply heading South from Canada to Baja, hitting all the breaks along the way.  It's a full moon out there so it would be an adventure driving tonight.

What better the life of a soul surfer dancing to the siren of the sea. Down Baja way, I plan to do some hand spearfishing with my homemade wooden handspear, living off fresh fish, fruit, beer, and tequila with maybe a few surf articles to some of the top rags tossed in.

In addition to China, this year should be my year for Vietnam and also Gabon. A bit of a go perhaps but it has to be done.

Tonight, tomorrow, whatevers Brahs.

Bodacioiusly Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Double Overheads Party

Aloha Tribe,

This weekend arrive some utterly feral Double Overheads with 15 second Periods in the Wilds with a bit of Voodoo Mist as the  Kiwis says, so it seemed like a great time to have a weekend party Friday through Monday or Tuesday or whenevers.

Fresh grilled Fish Tacos of course. Beer. Tropical Fruit. Surfing of course. Bring an ukulele and a tent or hammock if you like or whatevers for some Stealth Camping and Night Riding.  Throwing knives rock (no blade spin 43 feet). Slacklining. If you have an Alaia, bring it, if not, come try Sliding Ass on one of mine. 56 degree water, no wetsuit needed. There'll be a Full Moon, so Night Sufing is a must, more so a moral imperative.

No pressures, no worries, just ride the glide and Slide Ass Slide.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Pope Bisect Stealth Board for Romania Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

In another month, I might if I'm lucky have the chance to go to the land of Transylvania, in the country of Romania, a land according to myth and legend, story and tale filled with werewolves, vampires, and creatures of shadow and darkness. Now, while searching for werewolf and vampire lore will occupy my long dark nights, along with lots of International Chess in pitch black castles played by candlelight until dawn, during the day if I get to go, I'll do as much surfing as I can in the Black Sea on my 8' Pope Bisect black Stealth board.  It has black fins, but I"m thinking of getting three blood red fins for it, just because, well, legends and myths, history and lore, and, you never know. And that never knowing part is what makes life an adventure, it's why, in our hearts, we are all surfers for that is what the seas sing to us each time we ride a wave or even watch dreamy eyed as the swell rolls in, life and times change, so adapt.

I so hope that the trip works out. And even if all I can do is sit on my board and paddle around a flat sea, so be it for such is surfing. Surfing, real Soul Surfing that is to say, is simply about being a surfer.  So, hanging with my board in open water, having a fish taco or two in an exotic ancient land filled with magical wonder, and of course strumming my ukulele to the sounds of the children of the night (as Bram Stoker called wolves in his novel Dracula), what could be better!!!

One small ultra light camouflage backpack (holding my Russian chess set, an ukulele,  a gray siltarp, bare minimal travel gear). One take-apart two piece surfboard in a black shoulder strap carry case. And, adventure into the primal wilds awaits.

Alohas,

Bodaciously Stoked

Lily of the Valley

Triple Overheads: Preparation - 100/200/500

Aloha Tribe,

We have some great Triple Overheads coming, in the 20 to 21 foot range at the end of this weekend and early next week. In preparation, yesterday and today as well as for the rest of the week, I've been doing a fun exercise for kicking endurance for medium waves.

1. You do 25 Pull Ups, then, 25 Jumping Jacks, then run a quarter mile (or paddle your surfboard this distance), then do 25 Jumping Jacks.

You do this 4 times for a total of 100 Pull Ups, 200 Jumping Jacks, and 1 mile run or 1 mile paddle.

Immediately next...

2. You do 25 Wide Armed Push Ups, instantly followed by 25 Jumping Jacks, run a quarter mile or paddle your surfboard, then 25 Jumping Jacks.

You do this 8 times for a total for this phase of 200 Push Ups, 400 Jumping Jacks,  and 2 miles run.

Then...

3. You do 25 Sit Ups or stomach exercises of any type, followed by 25 Jumping Jacks, run a quarter mile, then 25 more Jumping Jacks.

You do this for a total of 500 Sit Ups or stomach exercises, 600 Jumping Jacks, and run 3 miles.

The grand total for all of the above...

100 Pull Ups

200 Wide Armed Push Ups

500 Sit Ups

1200 Jumping Jacks

6 miles of Running or 6 miles of lay down paddling on your surfboard if you want to stay sports specific.

Try to truly push yourself and do all of the above somewhere  between 1 and 2 hours if you can. If you really want to make it fun, add an additional 5 hours of swimming (mostly in sprint intervals) in the roughest seas possible with fins (personally, I prefer Aqua Lung Rocket Fins - they're often favored by Rescue Swimmers - be sure to get some Fin Savers if you're swimming in gnarly seas so you don't lose them, they don't float).

I've found that exercises like these help me to get the grit to push through challenging surf. If you happen to be at the beach, instead of running, simply get on your board and paddle the required miles as quickly as you can for each section.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley