The Jon & Eric Weekly
Our Life & Times on Maui	Issue I		Updated May 5, 2002
Aloha! It's hard to believe we are finally here on Maui. After years of dreaming about this, a few months of planning and a couple weeks of scrambling to prepare, Eric and I arrived safely on Maui this past Wednesday. It was a painfully long journey both in terms of time sitting in coach as well as having just said goodbye, albeit temporarily, to so many close friends and family members. I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep, watch a movie, read an entire book and still have several hours to stare at the seat in front of me thinking about my goals for the trip, something many people had asked me about before I left and for which I never had a great answer. It was a long journey but the reward was more than worth it as when the plane came into final approach I looked out my window and could see Kanaha beach (a world famous windsurfing spot) and could clearly make out hundreds of kite boarders and windsurfers ripping in the 25+ knot winds on clear blue water Ð Eric and I went from close to strangling each other to giddy school children as soon as we caught a glimpse of that. We walked off the plane to 80 degree weather and were even more ecstatic to see all 9 pieces of our luggage, 5 of which were oversized, being unloaded. Our sailboards, bikes, computer and other necessities for four months of island living had made it safely. After the comedy routine which was loading all this stuff into and on our rental car we drove to the TradewindÕs Beach House (www.tradewindbeachhouse.com) where we had secured and pre-paid for a two bedroom condo right on the water and done so sight unseen. We were both a little nervous about writing that check until the moment we walked in and saw our home for the summer. It is absolutely perfect, very modern and well kept with all the necessities for summer living on Maui including AC, a patio with a grill that overlooks a large grassy lawn and a path directly to Camp One, another world renowned sailing spot, where Windsurfing Magazine does their board and sail tests each fall for their gear review issue. The best part about Camp One, other than the 80 degree blue water, consistent 20-30 mph winds and predictable waves, is that it is private access so only those living in the few condos in our area are allowed to sail there Ð meaning that even though it was perfect windsurfing conditions and Kanaha, not far downwind, had hundreds of sailors out, Camp One had less than 20 boards on the water when we arrived. HereÕs the bad news. Prior to arriving, I had thought Eric was an unbelievable windsurfer and that I was getting close to expert status. It took about 5 minutes of watching the show at Camp One to realize that we are both terrible, at least in comparison to this crew, as we saw some huge front and back loops, willy-skippers, volcans, an occasional worm-burner and other moves that I canÕt describe let alone even think about trying. As we walked back up to unpack our gear we saw a guy de-rigging his sail and Eric nervously mumbled to me ÔI think thatÕs Josh Stone Ð I think thatÕs Josh Stone.Õ Before we got any closer he introduced himself as Josh and EricÕs like Òyeah I know Ð IÕve seen picturesÕ. Eric later described this guy as the Pedro Martinez of competitive windsurfing and IÕve never seen him so star struck. I donÕt follow the competition scene very closely but watching this guy sail for a minute and itÕs pretty clear that he is head and shoulders above the crowd that I previously described as head and shoulders above us. He is truly unbelievable to watch and very down to earth which is great as heÕs already generously given us advice about sailing on Maui and gear recommendations. Not a bad way to be introduced to our sailing spot for the summer. After sitting on the plane for about 13 hours our backs were in need of some stretching so we drove up to Paia, about 4 miles east on the Hana highway, in search of a Yoga studio. We took a class at the first place we found, Bikram Yoga, which teaches a style of Hatha Yoga in a heated studio where you hold 26 different poses, two sets each, and rest in between. This is quite different from the Power Yoga we were used to but served its purpose loosening us up after the long flight Ð even if you donÕt practice Yoga I highly recommend taking a class after a long flight like that Ð it is very rejuvenating. The highlight was after the class, as the instructor recommended we walk out back and jump in the ocean, an incredible feeling. WeÕve since found a class that teaches what they call Maui Yoga and is very similar to the Power Yoga weÕd been practicing back in Boston. Saturday we took a two hour class which was incredible and also only a couple miles up the road from us so that will certainly become part of our regular routine. The instructor was quite good and she was not shy about pointing out how tight ÔThe Boston BoysÕ are and blurted out Ôoy yoy yoyÕ when she saw my attempt at double pigeon. They say Yoga is a 70 year process Ð IÕm afraid my double pigeon is more like an 80 year process but at least IÕm on the path. Friday was EricÕs 32^nd birthday so we celebrated by getting up at 6:30 (not hard when youÕre still on Boston time) to get ÔON THE BIKESÕ before the sun got too hot, the wind picked up and before the traffic kicked in. Turns out, it was nearly 80 when we got 10 miles in, we were riding into a strong headwind and it seemed like every car on the island was cruising on our route Ð oh well. We did get in a good 25 mile ride on some nice roads from our home in Sprecklesville through Kahului and down to Kihei and back. We also found a beautiful ride along the Hana highway which provides a view of the ocean most of the way including passing by HooÕkipa state park, the most famous windsurfing spot in the world. This ride is incredibly scenic but also includes some nasty hills so we are going to get a couple more rides in before we try to tackle that. So in our first week, weÕve found a great Yoga studio to keep us healthy for the trip, some nice rides to keep our cardio up and have learned about some incredible hikes but havenÕt hit any of those yet. Not bad considering we came here to windsurf. Fortunately we will get plenty of that. It is actually illegal to do any high speed windsurfing here before 11:00 AM and the wind usually kicks in around 1:00 so we can fill our mornings with biking, hiking, Yoga and other activities and still have plenty of time for the best windsurfing in the world to keep us occupied all afternoon. Camp One sets up in a very cool way. It is protected by a reef so there is no shore break at all and very flat water for the first few hundred yards. Once you get out to the reef there are a series of small breaking waves, which you can jump off, surf on or if youÕre like many of the locals use to do all kinds of tricks. Once you get through the reef it is just beautiful open ocean with big rolling swells, a playground for windsurfers. Our first day out we were on 4.7 meter sails which means it was blowing about 25-30 mph. We spent the first part of our session tuning our rigs and getting warmed up after the long winter off but it didnÕt take long until we made a run for the waves. Because of the flat water inside you can actually hit the waves with good speed so you can either plow right through the waves easily or you can hit them straight on and fly through the air. IÕm just learning how to jump but with the set-up here was able to get out of the water pretty easily and even had one jump where the wind held me up for a second -- a very cool floating sensation that I hope to perfect over the summer. Eric was right back into form hitting duck jibes and launching some big air and we were all smiles coming in after our first of what will be many epic sessions on the water. As you can tell, if youÕve made it this far into issue1 of ÔThe Jon and Eric WeeklyÕ (aka the J.E.W.), we are pretty excited to be here. Eric and I met in summer camp when we were 10 years old and spent 6 summers at camp together doing nothing but playing sports and getting into trouble. This is just like being back at camp just no counselors to yell at us when we do something wrong. As far as goals for the trip Ð that is a little tougher. Of course we both plan to get in great shape with biking and Yoga and take our windsurfing to the next level and IÕm sure weÕll each have other life goals as part of this adventure. For now though I think my goal is to get my mind off the east coast pace and onto island time and just enjoy the journey.		Here's a look at the sailing site in our back yard. It is called Camp One. It is relatively flat water for a few hundred yards and as you can see in the distance, there is a reef and breaking waves. Tasty stuff! Jonny brought the perfect board quiver, a JP Wave 251 (on left) and an AHD Maxride 58. Eric is still trying to figure out his summer combination and is demoing this new JP Wave 78. Sweet rides in the waves. The biking has been better than expected. We have already done a few different rides both flat and with hills. Amazing scenery. Jonny and I have been keeping up with our Yoga practice making sure we stay in excellent sailing shape. No rigging required. We miss all our friends back home. Even S-Money  See you next week.

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