Sunday 29th October. Anne Delamate from New York spent the last two days sailing with us. I first met her when she bushwhacked through the trees near our board rack. It seems that her boyfriend was taking part in the Windsurfing magazine equipment test a few houses away from us and she was bored. She was a beginner sailor and they had no suitable boards for her to use. She sheepishly asked if she could borrow some of our big boards. Well, never one to let an opportunity to help a lady slip through my fingers, I set her up with the Starboard Start and Go boards. She had a blast and was clearly a more advanced sailor than her modesty let her reveal. The next day she took the RRD Avantride 80 and RRD AvantMove 70, both considerably smaller boards. Even with the waves and the choppy inside flat water she excelled. Instructor Rafael Bach remained available throughout to give her advice and guidance and he marveled at her progress. Anne stayed with us so long that she had to rush to catch her plane home. Before she left she completed Guest Tester forms and her appropriate skill levels gave us valuable beginner board evaluations that we wouldn’t have otherwise received—thank you Anne.

Monday 30th October. As a morning treat the Pizzaz Girls, staffers, and other guests headed to Lahaina for an introduction to surfing. I was loaned a beat-up longboard while other beginners used rental Foamies (nice comfy boards with rubber fins so nobody gets hurt). After two hours of being rolled in the surf and actually getting up on the board I’m pretty bruised. My knees and chest hurt from the beating they took on the surfboard’s deck, my inner thighs and underarms are abraded from both sitting on and paddling the board and my butt hurts from when I landed on a coral head close to the surface. But, despite the discomfort, I actually learned to surf and stood proud with hands waving and feet steering as I rode the wave into the beach—literally, as I was too stoked to get off once I was underway. What the heck, the fin was beat up anyway!

Tuesday 31st October. The last day of the month brought wonderfully steady 5.0 winds and we sailed as late as possible, then had to rush to get ready for the party. Halloween in Maui is a spectacular affair. Staff, guests and pros alike all got dressed up in the wildest of costumes and, wearing layers of white face paint, headed to the party zone in Lahaina (see the Lifestyles section for more about our Hawaiian Halloween). The main street was awash with dazzling displays of creativity. So good were some of the disguises that many of us had trouble recognizing people with whom we’d become visibly familiar over the weeks.

Wednesday 1st November. It was a light wind day and few people chose to sail since we’d had so much high-wind sailing. Pro sailor Pascal Bronniman made it look fun and easy as he hit the waves on a 6.5 sail, but those who followed realized it was only an illusion—Pascal’s abilities are hard to imitate. Despite the light winds the waves still packed a punch and we had another broken mast. We are reminded once again that the reef is unforgiving and due respect must be paid at all times.

Thursday 2nd November. The Russians invaded last night. It was after midnight when a commotion outside my bedroom window awoke me. Three men were wandering the grounds trying doors and talking loudly in a foreign tongue. I discovered later that they were simply looking for their rental unit but couldn’t locate it in the dark and rain (they had the wrong building). The rains were heavy and relentless today, we’re closing in on twenty-four hours now and the yard is flooding. It looks like there’ll be no sailing today, but wave kayaking seems like a good option. The testing is all but complete and we were hoping to put some finishing touches to the information we’ve gathered. However, that is on hold for now.

Friday 3rd November. The rains stopped and the sun almost came back out, but another squall hit us by late morning. The trade winds have temporarily quit blowing and we appear to have Kona winds, which blow from the opposite direction. They became sailable by the afternoon. It’s weird however, after weeks of sailing, to watch people standing on the other side of their sail. Big sails and very light wind, but at least it’s blowing.

Saturday 4th November. The American Windsurfer 2000+1 Equipment Test ends today. For our finale the skies cleared, the sun shone and the winds returned. The last of the guest testers flew out of the Kahului Airport and returned to their real lives. The Pro Testers have completed a unique and complex task and will leave the test site knowing that they have produced professional results. Congratulations to all who were involved in this venture, it has been an unforgettable event.

My bags must now be packed as I make plans to leave Maui. It has been my pleasure to bring you these daily updates and I encourage you to stay tuned to this site, as our webmaster Bill Bowles will be updating the test result information. Kristen and I will return home to The Gorge and our two cats and I look forward to spending November dreaming of the island in the sun as I put together the magazine version of this year’s test. Make sure you pick up the issue when it comes out early next year. Aloha, and thanks for allowing me to share Maui with you.