WindsurfingUK issue 5 October 2017 | Page 40

38TRAVELHAWAII When I moved to RRD (December, 2016) I started to take care of the ‘thing’. Maui is an exceptional and perfect place for photoshoots. The colour of the water, the sky and the surrounding vegetation make each unique image high quality. Also the conditions are ideal. Ho’okipa is perfect for waves and Kanaha/Kihei are ideal for freeride. Everything is close to hand and you can arrange helicopters for aerial sessions easily, with flexibility around conditions. We really have a great team and I'm glad to have had many of them in attendance. I hope in the future to bring those who could not come. For me it was also an opportunity to get to know everyone properly. Spending time in and around the water together is something special. Antoine Albeau, Arnon Dagan, Enrico Marotti, John Skye, Alex Mussolini, Tonky Frans, Jacopo Testa, Jem Hall, John Carter, Jace Panebianco and Dave White were among the riders, photographers and video makers. Riders have to make the most of these gatherings. You must always be ready to go on the water, in any kind of conditions, and with any type of sail and board. If you’re the one organising, however, everything has to be planned well in advance. The list of things to do is long. It is necessary to plan, develop a programme, communicate this to riders, photographers and videomakers, define the budget, book flights and sort out the accommodation. Then, once shooting starts, it's about coordinating. Every day, with conditions in mind, you have to know how to adapt, always keeping in mind the general goal and what needs to be taken home. We were lucky with the conditions, it was simply a case of handling timings. I have to thank John Skye for helping me at every stage. English vibe Maui in March/April is overbooked. It was a mission to find a place to stay and we started looking a bit too late – I really had a struggle. Fortunately we found accommodation in the centre of Pa’ia. The house was our meeting point. We spent many long hours in it. With Dave White, John Carter and John Skye staying, there was a distinctly English vibe. So many jokes, laughter and cups of tea – we had some fun. uk WIND SURFING