First the reduction in rentals.
Now a 10 man surfing rule where windsurfers can't sail.
Read and watch the vid here:
mauisurfreport.blogspot.com/2007/10/saddest-day-at-hookipa.html
Damn fun police.
For me at least Maui was a definite once in a life trip to live the hype, but now? For sure there are lots of great places to sail on the island, but there are lots of great places to sail everywhere that cost half as much to enjoy. I guess WA will be becoming alot more popular now.
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Originally posted by mkseven
I guess WA will be becoming alot more popular now.
A very very sad day indeed
Respect to Josh Stone for at least trying to get the police to return the gear they confiscated from the tourist who got caught up in this crap fight.
A few of us have been lucky enough to sail this magical spot and hope that sense will prevail meaning more people will be able to do the same.
its total crap. now british airways has is refusing to take windsurfing equipment as well.
sounds like a nice place full of ****ers. Too many of them ! Hostile locals suck.As do cocky tourists.
One thing that continually makes me feel good about our sport is the fact that WHENEVER you see or meet another windsurfer on the water, beach, carpark looking for wind, whatever, thay are ALWAYS friendly and welcoming. I have lost count of how many posts I have read on here where people have offered places to stay to complete strangers as they may be venturing interstate and want to sail somewhere they have never been or at the very worst an offer to show them around their local break or speed run or lake. What continues to DISGUST me is the pathetic tribal culture that goes from one surf break to another perpetuated by the surfers who surf within. Whilst I know quite probably the vast majority of surfers are great people and couldn't give two hoots as to who surfs there, there is always a rogue element that just taints it for everyone else associated within. A classic case is Josh Stone in that video making reference to the guys out surfing most likely on welfare and yet here he is, works hard for a living and pays a shed load of taxes (like I presume most of the windsurfers on the planet otherwise how else can we afford to buy our gear), and yet his rights to windsurf are being undermined by someone who doesn't even contribute to society. I know that is a massive generalisation and a comment not based on fact at all but you would all have to agree there is some truth to it in some way.
It saddens me to think that the authorities in Maui/Hookipa have let it progress to this. It is a sad endightment on society that this has happened. I just hope sanity prevails and that something gets sorted out soon. I have very fond memories of seeing the Aloha Classic at Hookipa back in 1991 and I'm glad I'm not hanging my hat on ever seeing it again. Judging by what's happening I wouldn't have anywhere to stay while I was there anyway and even I did the contest might get shut down by the fun police 
By the way, I surf too so I'm not anti surfers.
nicely put sic-em!
if this sort of policing/bizzare rule making can happen in the (so called)'LAND OF THE FREE' what hope have we got here?
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british airways has is refusing to take windsurfing equipment as well.
Maui seems to be having a PR nightmare..
How many decades has it taken to build up the tourist industry to what it was before the rental crack down? And now, even if you do find somewhere to stay, you can't sail anyway..
I can understand it from the local's perspective though - they've been over-run by overweight, loud, arrogant americans.. That'd get on my nerve as well. It doesn't take too many pushy americans and aggro euro sailors to give me a bad case of 'push off back to where you came from'.
Don't get me wrong, I've met some nice euro sailors, and some very pleasant americans, but as always, it's the minority that spoils things for the masses.
Meanwhile Jeri (Brazil) is in the middle of a massive advertising campaign involving free DVD ISOs, two-weekly video diaries etc. etc.
I know where I'd be planning to spend my overseas holiday budget(if I had one?!)
hey guys,
I was at hookipa that day and saw it all go down. First of all the 10 surfers in the water rule over there has been around for years, it just seems to have worked beter in the past. Usually it all works pretty smoothe, at 11am the trades start to fillin and the surfers either get out or start paddling up towards middles, as it gets stronger the move up to pavillions. On that particular day I counted around 40 surfers at the point and this was at 1pm and it was windy as hell. Another point about that day was it had been flat ( I mean flaaaaaaaat) for the previous couple of weeks and very little south swells over summer so they were all pretty deperate for a wave. I also noticed that alot of the surfers werent locals, which is what josh's beef was about.
Apparently the lifeguard tower has contributed to the tensions due to the fact that the lifeguard that "runs" the beach is a surfer so his opinion is a bit bias when it comes to conflict resolution.
Oh and if you think it was entertaining on you tube, you should have seen what happened in the carpark afterwards,, keep yours eyes out on you tube Im sure it will pop up.
Dan would you mind posting the you tube link if it does happen to show up and we may have missed it.
Thanks for the insight 
Spot on Sick_em_rex.
In my youth I was a full on surfer couldn't get enough of it! before work/school, after, and instead off. But the agro in the water ended up geting the better of me and I finally gave it away.
Luckily I discovered windsurfing and to my memory have never meet an agro sailor, infact quite the opposite - even the locals come up to you and strike up a conversation and welcome you to their haven.
In surfing this is not the case, hostile, teritorial, and alouf. Sad but true!
DavMen
As Giampaolo said on his blog, things have calmed down a bit since Sunday. The 10 surfer rule has always been in place, just always been a gentlemens(womens) agreement that come 11am, wind kicks in Surfers move out. When you have 2000 tourists rocking up everyday, not sure of exact figures, but would imagine it would be huge, many of them surfers, sailors, kiters etc and they all want a piece of the island, they are eventually going get in each others way!
I know that I wont be sailing at Hookipa next year, will opt for the roomy surrounds of Kanaha
Group hug everyone!
It is a sad state of affairs that the tension at Hookipa is the way it is. There has always been a lot of tension at the Pavillions end of the carpark, just driving through there used to be a hassle.
I can't imagine however that it was local surfers staying out in the water at that time. The Hawaiins way may be aggressive at times but they are a respectful bunch and once you have their respect they are generally really cool people, and in general they always had respect for good sailors who also had a bit of etiquette.
As for the point people have made about how bad this is for their economy, I don't think their authorities give a crap. I mean compare the amount of tourists that go to Maui for other reasons other than windsurfing at Hookipa. The whole west side of the island is full of resorts and condo's. The percentage of people who stay in private rentals on the north shore is just a pee in the ocean compared to the numbers of tourist that fill those places year round.
The percentage of windsurfing tourist that go to Maui to sail Hookipa is extremely low when compared to the greater mass of windsurfing tourists that go to bump and jump sail at the lower reefs, & the percentage of windsurfers to over all tourism is also small. So unfortunately it will boil down to the loacl authorities showing some thoughfulness and maybe legislating the 11am rule and or getting a new life guard.
Thats my 2 bobs worth.
Ps - The lifeguard that used to work at Kanaha years ago was excellent. When the swell was too big for Hookipa and lower Kanaha was around mast high he would spend the whole day on his jet ski towing broken down windurfers back into the beach.
Jefferson. I hear you. I had a ride back on a big day in the middle of winter with that lifeguard when I had bust my mast a few kms out and right down wind. He had seen me go down there to investigate the waves so he decided to follow, and with that, on the first set, mast went. he was on hand to tow me and my gear back in. was high 5s on the way as he loved it that he could whip in the middle of the sets, and we a grin ear to ear and me hanging off the rescue board with all my gear crunched up on the back could get out of the zone. Was funny as.
The funny thing I found this year was that up a pavillions it seemed to be waaaay different, you still had the HGA crew up there but there were also tourists having picinics and so forth. So dofferent from the old days. I remember having rocks and spear guns being shot ay your cars, now theres picinics going on.
But at least you knew that once you ran the gauntlet thru pavillions back then at least you could sail at the point.
I just got back from maui this afternoon, what a bad vibe.
I don't think I'll be going back.....
Waves smaller then the wind backed off for a day, then blasted again.
The whole experience left me appreciating what we have here, cant wait for some south coast lines soon....
Funny you should say that, I got off the plane grabbed a coffee put all the gear back together and went down to wanda, had just as good a sail as on maui. I guess the only thing maui has on us is quantity.
Gerroa on sunday looks good if your keen
