With day five of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic in the books we still have tons of exciting action left in the men’s double elimination, as well as the amateur and master’s bracket. The day started with the trade winds sitting just offshore. As the wind filled in by noon the first heats of the day got the youth bracket underway. It was good to see the kids getting a chance to rip it up at Ho’okipa Beach Park.
We had 10 kids signed up and the first heat had Tom Juban, brother of Camille, Max Schettewi, second in the Youth division and third in the Amateur for the entire 2015 AWT season, Willie Daniel, our youngest competitor, and Itoh Daiki traveling from Japan. Juban and Max Schettewi were sailing well, both with nice aerials. Daiki was consistently getting waves to advance in first place along with Juban.
The second heat had Jake Schettewi, Max’s younger brother who is first in the youth and amateur divisions in the AWT, Morisio, from Italy, Sugi, from Japan, Jules Forli traveling from Guadalupe with the Juban clan and Takara Ishi, also from Japan. Jake Schettewi sailed well as per usual, throwing big off the lip aerials inducing applause from the crowd. Advancing in second place was Forli.
Heat 3 gave the losers from the first round a chance to advance. With strong sailing from all the competitors in tough light, offshore wind, Morisio and Ishi advanced to the next round. Round’s 4 and 5 had three sailors each with the top two advancing to the final. Again, light winds made it imperative to make wise wave choices. The Japanese sailors sailed impressively with Daiki and Ishi taking out Forli to advance. Heat 5 saw more strong sailing from Jake Schettewi as well as Tom Juban to advance over Morisio.
The final was put out on the water after a quick break with an extra 5 minutes added to the heat length in order to give the riders a better shot in the continually dropping wind. After about a third of the heat head judge, Duncan Coombs, made the call to postpone the final in order to give the groms the conditions they deserve. It is well worth tuning into the live cast to catch these rippers and see who the stars of tomorrow are.
On the women’s side, Coombs reran the final after the first round of the youth. With unfortunately light conditions, the checkered flag was raised to signal the postponement for the second time in as many days. After a brief holding period, the women were sent out again to get the final finished. The women made the most of light offshore winds trying to pick waves wisely and not get caught inside where there was virtually no wind. Hauser’s wave count appeared to be higher and she quickly had a couple decent scores to sit in second place. Moreno picked off a couple good waves and made the most of them with vertical cut backs, and airing out while landing back in the wave, which was not easy in the offshore wind, to put her in a commanding lead. Larouche, who is battling a foot injury and was seen limping out of the water earlier, had a great 5 point wave to stay within striking distance. Abbott worked hard to find the bigger waves she prefers riding, as she demonstrated in her monster performance over the past couple of days.
As the heat wore on, Larouche was able to get another solid score to leapfrog into second place, while Abbott and Hauser struggled to find a set big enough for their liking. An unfortunately light wind final left the crowd yearning for more, which hopefully we will see in a double elimination bracket later this week. The horn blew and our single elimination was complete with Moreno in first, Larouche in second, Hauser in 3rd, and Abbott in 4th.
With no swell or wind in the forecast for tomorrow the organizers called a lay day, so all riders are released. The next possible start is for the AWT amateurs and masters on Tuesday, 11/3. Another swell is expected to come in later in the week with the usual trade winds so we expect to get back to the action soon. Tomorrow is a great day to explore some more of what Maui has to offer. A drive out the Hana highway is a great way to spend a no wind day! Or head up to the top of Maui’s famed volcano, Haleakalā for a sunrise or sunset to remember. Please contact our friends at the Maui Visitor’s Bureau for all of your site seeing needs at visitmaui.com.
RIDER NOTICE: All riders released tomorrow, 11/2. First possible start is at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, 11/3 for AWT Amateurs and Masters.
**Full photo album and video recap posted on our Facebook page.**
**Tune into the live stream at AlohaClassicMaui.com/live.**
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A huge thanks to the Maui Visitors Bureau, Nalu Kai Lodge, and all of the other sponsors listed bellow. Please check them out and thank them for their support if you have the chance.