Linda Mar

I've been sick. Really sick, for a long time. It started with a flu that laid me out flat, home sick for 5 days. This was followed by a three weeks and counting of a nagging, sometimes exhausting cold. In that time I've surfed three sessions at Linda Mar that have been surprisingly satisfying. The first two were about the same of 4-6' in front of the bathrooms to TacoBell. Nice walls that were make-able, with some crowd. I've been on the Haut2 and it was the right board for the days. I even got a narrel on an inside peak. I caught it late and behind, stood up forward on the board and stayed low as the lip tried to toss over me.

Today was the third session in a row at Linda Mar. LM has fun, smaller, weaker waves than most of what is around here so it's perfect for someone still fighting a cold. Today was a bit smaller, but I had the GeeBee out and was doing fine on it. We surfed the same spot, but with the small size we got bored and paddled/walked north. There was a good bowl one peak short of the far north end. It was holding a bowl/wall up to 6' with good shape. The crowd was a hassle, but I got a few good ones anyway. I even got another narrel on a left. I dropped in at an angle, grabbed the rail and the lip hit my outside shoulder before the wave dissolved in the channel.

I feel okay, but tired so I think I'll have to go home early today :)

Big John Street

Last Saturday I got out to John St. for some big NNW swell. The angle was about 298deg which is marginal for the west side, but the size was around 12' @ 16sec, or maybe bigger. There were surfable waves breaking with about 4' of high water over the reefs. I went out on the higher water to try out the Buttons in some speedy reef surf. I didn't think it would work because the Buttons has a narrow tail and wants to sit in the pocket. John St is a somewhat sectiony wave without a lot of hollow power to it. The way most people surf it is to make a mid-face turn on the drop and pump the wall until it closes. This is a perfect wave for the quad.
My first wave I rushed the bottom turn and fell over when the board turned slower than my body did. A few more wasted waves, mostly making the bottom turn only to find the wave already outran me. The waves were overhead on the sets and I was sitting up in the cove at John, hoping for a bowl I could make on the slower pintail. I finally found one I could make the shoulder on but when I can off the bottom I hit some kelp and the board stopped dead in the water. That was it and I ran up the cliff to switch boards.
I switched to the Haut2 which is a perfect board for John St. I caught a few from the bowl and was making waves but the tide was getting good and the crew was changing from the hesitant to the aggressive. Then the big set came.
I was just deep of the point and in good position for the first waves of the set. I turned on the second but got held up in the lip and muffed the drop. When I came up from under water I saw there was another one just like it, maybe a bit bigger. I tried to duckdive and lost the handle. I tried to just wait in the water and the next one washed me down. Each wave was a little bigger but I couldn't really tell how big because nobody was dropping in. They were at least 8' as I was getting worked across the section and around the corner of Mitchell's. I ended up out by the rip-rap past Mitchell's before the waves stopped. Even then there was so much current I had to paddle hard just to stay in place. Eventually the current abated and I was able to get to the beach at Mitchell's. (Mitchell's has less sand than I've ever see in there!)
I walked back up to the point and hit the water again, but with no reward. The crowd was aggressive and tightly packed. I had a few chances when someone deeper missed the wave, but it was always too close to call in time for me to catch the wave. I ended up paddling in without a wave.

First go out on the Buttons

The forecast last Thursday was for big getting bigger, and my window of opportunity limited me to Ocean Beach. I hit VFWs before dawn and waited for the light to show me what was there. I took my time and thoroughly applied base coat to the Buttons board, carefully installed the fin in the box with the tip ~1/2" back from one fin base from the tail of the board, and tied the new leash string tight and short.
The paddle out wasn't easy but I made it. Compared to the Haut, this board is narrower, with more float, which gives it an unstable feel when paddling out, kinda like at the top of a round buoy. It duck dives under waves, but the float distribution is different and requires a few shifts in technique. By the time I made it out I had about 100 yards to paddle to get back to the peak I wanted.
There were about 4 others out, and we were all chasing waves and catching few. This board feels different when paddling for a wave. I need to be more in the longboard/single-fin mind-set of sitting a bit further out and paddling for the waves earlier. The board doesn't want to spin and drop, that's for sure.
I got into one and the board felt stiff, as expected, but solid and stable. I softly leaned on the rails and there was little to no response with the board wanting to hold it's line. The waves had some junk on them and were 6-8'. I caught 3 smaller ones before getting stuck inside for a long set. I decided to beach and walk back to a channel.
Once on the beach I walked back to where I had paddled out before and waited, and waited, and watched 2 other guys get washed in, and waited. There was never enough of a break in the ever increasing sets for me to think I could make it back out. I gave up.
By the time I was dressed there was only one guy out and I could hardly see him between waves. Everyone else had ended up the same as me, the waves were solid 8', and the junk in the water was making things look rough.
I look forward to better conditions and a session with more waves to give the board another try.

Buttons Pipeliner

My new (used) Buttons Hawaii Pipeliner. According to the website: http://www.buttonshawaii.com/surfboards.asp.html

these are shaped by Owl Chapman. Now, I'm a bit jaded at this because ghost shapers are a big part of surfboard manufacturing. If anyone wants to tell me it wasn't shaped by Owl, I'm okay with that, since sometimes the ghost is having a better day than the name.

I haven't ridden it, but the plan is for it to be my bigger wave board. By my rough calculations it has more float than the Haut(s) do, but less than the Junod Daisy does. I hope I can get in early but still duckdive efficiently.

There are no numbers on the board so here is what I measure:

Length 6'7", Nose 13 1/2", Widepoint 20", Tail 12". I can't measure thickness, and the wide point is not the mid-point, as can be seen in the photos.

I hassled Prana over at 23breaths http://23breaths.blogspot.com/ to give me some info on the fin a very similar Brewer that he's got. It sounds like the fin that came with this board is appropriate for the style. This fin is 5 1/2" at the base with 7 1/4" of height.

Haut2

So here is the new Haut, purchased to replace the old, nearly broken one. As is clear from the photos I've ridden it plenty and can safely say it does the job. For me this shape works really well because I tend toward the lower quality waves in an effort to get away from crowds. Dimensions as written on the board: Length 6'0", Thickness 2 3/8", Nose 15 1/2", Middle 20 1/2", Tail 16".

It came with plastic Vector II 438 quads. I'm happy with the plastic fins and may not ever bother putting in the glass ones off the original Haut.

I asked for a bit more glass and a stronger blank be used. I also got a slightly wider stringer, all to avoid this one from breaking. Doug was against it all because he said the performance would suffer. I insisted and I don't notice the performance as any different.

A trip to SC

I made a trip to SC on Sunday and got down there around mid-day. The point of the trip was to check out a used board I saw on Craigslist, but I also wanted to take the opportunity to surf. I parked at Rockview because the tide was high and the wind was all over the North Coast. There were waves coming in but the tide was around 4.5' or so and Rockview wasn't working. Sewers, surprisingly, was. There was some south in the water and it was clear by the occasional long wall that swung into Sewers.

I had decided before I even saw the board that I wasn't going to pay the $375 asking price. The board is a Buttons Hawaii 6'8" Pipeliner model shaped by Owl Chapman. In my mind this will be a good board for hollow waves when I want to go slower and sit in the pocket, possibly in the tube. The only place I'd seen these boards online was at Icons of Surf, and when I checked to see what they cost new I saw they had dropped the prices on them to $470. The is dirt cheap for Icons, so I got the feeling that there was something wrong with these boards. That in mind I wanted to offer about $280. Once I saw the board and met the guy I could see that wasn't going to happen. This guy apparently grew up in SC and knew several of the guys hanging around the beach that day. He collects boards and was just trying to shuffle his collection a bit. I waffled about the board while everyone talked. Around the time he was ready to leave I told him I wanted to pay $300 for the board. He said "No" and I let him go. Not 10 min later he called and said he would settle for $325, and I told him so would I.

After that I stashed the board in the car and suited up. I needed to pee, there were a few waves at Sewers, and there were only three guys out there. I jumped off the rocks at Rockview, which was sketchy cause I don't do it very often and paddled over to Sewers. I got myself a handful of good waves around 4'. Nice drops with some shoulder to play with, which is something OB doesn't give me very often. The Haut felt great to me and I'm really getting comfortable on it. Or maybe that board is just MADE for SC waves.

It was either because the tide was starting to drop, or we were making it look too fun, but in the next 20min the crowd increased to 15 people. The waves were not that good, but I guess they were worse everywhere else. I paddled in.

So now I've got a new board, which deserves it's own post and description. I still haven't gotten photos of the new Haut up, so that is also on my list of to dos.

Sunday double

After the punishment of Saturday I slept in and didn't get to the beach until 9am on Sunday. I caught up with JZ and convinced him to stick to the north end of the beach where the waves were smaller. It was head high or less and pitchy on some of them. Good waves, weather still holding, all pieces in place. I caught a peak with a lump of section on the shoulder and pulled in. I had an exit but the lip caught the edge of my board and I got pulled off balance and whaboom, down to the sand I went. Still, almost. Many other waves but that's the one I remember.

I came in and watched the 9ers loose a really close one to the vikings. Favre, I hate that Joe Montana wannabe. After the game JZ started working on me for a second session. The weather was still good, my body had no specific injury and the candy I ate gave me some confidence/sugar rush. I agreed to go mid-beach with him.

I made it out with only two powerful waves hitting me. Of course the first one impacted about 2' in front of me and I bailed the board to avoid injury (both to me and the board.) The second was setting up just the same so I just stayed in water until it passed. After, I made it out to see the waves were a bit better than Saturday morning when I was in nearly the same spot.

There were some big barrels coming through but I stayed away from that peak for the most part. I got caught inside and washed down to where the waves were just pounding on the bar. I turned around and rode whitewater to the beach, screaming obscenities at the ocean. I walked back up to the beach feeling sorry for myself and realized that JZ had the car keys. I could either wait on the beach or try to make it back out and wait in the lineup. I found the rip and a break in the waves and made it back out. I'm glad I did because I caught a few that were the best waves of my weekend. One vertical drop where I released then landed and ended up on a good spot on the board to make the bottom and run the wall. I would have like to have stalled a bit and maybe get in the barrel but that just doesn't happen in those late drop situations. I also got into a left early and hung at the bottom to lose speed and try to get into the pocket. The barrel didn't really open up and I caught the lip on my hip, but I still felt good about putting myself into the right place on the wave.

So that was three real sessions in two days and I'm not dead, I don't have any injuries and my arms didn't fall off. I don't think I've done that in years.

A Taste of Fall (or, Punished for What?)

It all started Friday night. I was up late gaming because I thought the weekend surf was going to be ruined by all day high tides and wind. Around 11pm I checked the conditions and saw that the W swell was already showing itself, and the wind was mellow. I gave myself about 6 hours of sleep with a plan to get to the beach around dawn.

The next morning had the coast socked in with fog. I drove the beach, something I should do more often, and saw some waves around mid-beach. It looked small but fun with some shape and much cleaner than I could hope for. I parked there.

After suiting up I walked over the dunes and realized that what I had seen at the edge of the fog on the drive-by was just the inside. I paddled out blindly into the thick fog and must have timed it perfect. As soon as I was 10 yards off the beach a set came in and punished me. Why? What had I done? I fought with the ocean for at least 10 waves and wasn't getting anywhere. The waves were head high at least and were top to bottom at the peak, which was wherever I was. This lasted a bit longer and I was loosing steam. I finally gave up and decided to drive up the beach to where it should be a bit smaller. As I was looking for some whitewater to belly in I realized the set was letting up. The little bit of rest from sitting on the inside put strength back into my arms and I took the break in waves as a chance to paddle back out.

Like I said the waves were head high with some 8' sets. Top to bottom on some of them, and only 4 other guys out in the thick fog of an early Saturday morning. I ended up catching some poor quality waves and taking 3 more sets to the head. Each one lasted as long as the first and made me doubt that I would make it back out. The last and 5th set to nail me started out soft but got progressively bigger until I was bailing my board to dodge 2ft of lip landing right on me. I gave it up and rode some whitewater in.

What I needed more than anything was patience. Patience to wait for better waves because they were there and there weren't other people around to take them. I shoulda waited more for better waves to come to me.

Skipping it at Sunset

The wife and I camped at Sunset State Beach last weekend. The weather was foggy all day, all night. There wasn't any swell in, just 3'-ish windswell hanging around. The early morning was glassy and low tide but uninspiring with the waves mostly closing out. Watching as much of the beach as I could see from the sand I would see a makable wave every once in awhile. Sometimes over there, sometimes over here. Not my idea of good times.

The local crew, men in their 40's-50's were hanging around and a handful went out and made the most of it. Among that group was Scotty Mac, the kneeboarder who sold me my kneeboard. He also posts on the KSUSA website and tends to be rather aggro when online. Looking at the waves and how weak they were (relative to what I saw later at Moss) makes me think he'd chill out some if he had a few ocean supplied smacks to the head. I know it works for me when I get out of hand.

We left to go take a hike around Elkhorn Slough and stopped in at Moss to take a look. Much better, good enough to surf for sure. The problem was we were on our way somewhere and there were more than enough surfers already on it. There were other peaks of less quality down the way but I didn't stay to surf.

Next day at Sunset was the same deal. It was nice to sleep outside (in a tent) but the surf was just blah. Not the best camp/surf spot because the walk from the camp to the beach is too far for a quick look at conditions, and the beach parking lot fills up with nowhere to park. Close enough to hike out and surf though. It's also a close drive to other surfspots like Manresa, which was smaller but better shaped by the way.

Taste of Fall

OB was foggy with 6 @ 17 and a 4 foot tide. I surfed VFWs in the fog of the morning. The waves were rolling over the middle bar and hitting the inner bar pretty hard, although it didn't look like if from the beach. I got a few good ones, and blew a few take-offs when the wave hit the bar harder than expected and my world fell out from beneath me. Saw one guy getting into one too close to the bar and as he stood up he was muttering "Come on baby, come on." Which I thought was a perfect sentiment. (He didn't make the drop, by the way.)

I didn't stay out too long because a tropical system had brought lightning with it and I was getting a bit spooked about lightning hitting the ocean.

One cool thing, I was first out, except for a group of sea lions who were bodysurfing the bigger waves. They left as more people came out, but it was cool to see.

The replacement Haut was too fast to handle again. It made one kickout a flyaway when I wasn't planning it, but also made me outrun waves or simply loose control from the speed. I hope I learn to cope with it.

Gazos?

Last Sunday had a tide near 0.5' at dawn with a small <1'> NW windswell of about 13sec. I had work to do on Gazos Creek and figured I'd bring my gear in case I could find some waves. I also slept in, thinking I wouldn't find any waves.

I checked San Greg to lower Gazos and didn't see much more than floppy mushy waves. I decided to take one last look at Gazos in front of the lot and was shocked! There were 3' waves throwing over a lip. These weren't peeling perfection, mostly closeouts on the sandbar. But every once in a long while one would peak in front of the rock and break before hitting the sandbar. This to me looked like a do-able wave and I figured if I could get up to speed before the wave hit the bar I could at least make a run at clearing the edge of the bar.

When I paddled out to the partially submerged rock that I was going to use as my takeoff marker I discovered that there were other rocks that were slightly underwater, but shallow enough to catch fins on a bottom turn. Or worse, punish a blown takeoff. I spent about an hour dancing around the rocks and getting short rides into the sandbar closeout. Fun enough to keep me chasing waves for awhile. I moved off the rocks to where headhigh waves were breaking and looked like they were makable around the sandbar. Then came the one I was waiting for, a head high peak right into the rocks with no wall that would close out. After getting closed on by so many of the wide swinging waves I stayed out of the critical and figured I'd shoulder hope the wave. Mistake, cause that one didn't have much shoulder, which was the WHOLE POINT. I missed it and watched it grind along the sandbar, makeable, all the way to the beach.

It had been and hour and that was the only one I saw break that way since first pulling into the lot and getting stoked by the other wave that broke that way. I rode a few more but could feel the tide rising and the waves rolling further, more of them not breaking until hitting the sandbar for a closeout. I went in.

Once back at my car I talked to two beginning (4 days total) surfers who had surfed before I got there. One of them said I would have liked it earlier because the tide was lower and the waves were breaking further out. I'm not sure if I trust his opinion of what makes a good wave, but nevertheless, I'm bummed to think I missed good waves.

Anyway, that's a new spot for me. I understand it a bit more and I think I will check it more often.

One last thing. There's a spot that a friend and I surfed with a sit on top kayak many years ago. That spot looked good too, but the trail to the beach was overgrown completely with blackberries and poison oak, to the point that there was no trail. I'm gonna GEarth it to see if there's another way in.

Sunday dawn

I surfed 4 mile on Sunday around dawn. I walked down the path in foggy first light and was still the second one in the water. The tide was high and the waves were a bit warbly as expected, but the 6' wind swell was making waves on the inside. Some overhead sets with most in the 3-4' range. I caught many short peaks (to short to call it a wall) and rode too many dribbling shoulders all the way inside. I can't complain though, cause it's the only place I could think to surf given the all day high tide and the less than stellar swell, and my aching arms from pounding piezometers all day Thursday. It was better than many days from earlier this summer.

The fog took it's time to clear but there were 20 something guys in the water by the time I left after only 1 hour in the water.

The Haut worked well as I found myself catching waves early, late, or whatever. Only one biff when I kept with a wave I knew was breaking out from under me on the takeoff. No problem, 4-mile is mostly soft so no worries to let myself go over the falls.

Did see the older kneeboarder that I've surfed some north coast spots with. He got at least two complete cover-ups, small as they may be. I know where to get that at 4-mile, and mostly which waves to catch, I just don't know how to make it work for me.

Haut and About

Because nobody is commenting on my blog, I'm assuming nobody is reading my blog. Therefore I will stop making the attempt to hide the identity of the locations surfed.

Surfed the reefs at Waddell on Saturday. The usual spot off the North edge. There was a small (2') south (190deg) at 17 seconds. There were some head high+ waves but most were smaller, chest-ish. The lefts weren't a problem on the new board, even the ocassional bowler. I did rely on the rail grab pig-dog more often than would be considered necissary by most people. At the low end of the 0.0 tide there were a few short rights around the chest to head size. Mostly I was sitting a bit deeper and getting bowls that didn't make it around the edge of the reef. Some sets were swinging to the edge -lower peak- and missing the upper part of the reef where I was.

Today I surfed the Waddell Lot. The surf was forecast to get bigger than Saturday but I don't think it was. The Monterrey buoy wasn't reporting the south through the morning, but at 2am it had 5.6' @ 16sec S. This should have been bigger than Saturday, and since I didn't surf the exact same spot, maybe it was, but I didn't feel it. Again there were a few head+ waves with most in the chest high range. The tide was dropping to 1.5' at 7:30am, so not much change there. The similarities of the lot to the edge of the reef are striking, with the reef having more umph. Otherwise both spots are predominately lefts, shifty, with more peaks deeper and some waves that swing wide and wrap around the edge.

I got one right that had so much speed that I couldn't control it. I ended up way on the shoulder before I felt I could cut back. I tried to do a roundhouse but had no idea what I was doing so I did not control it. Still, the new Haut gives me the confidence and opportunity to play around like that.

Picking up the new Haut

The new Haut was ready and I picked it up last Sunday. I had to stop at a field sight afterwards and I didn't have much room in my car, and I didn't want to ride the board until it had "curred" a bit more, and I wanted to surf at dawn to dodge the crowds. All that added up to one more session on the surf mat. I went into town before sun-up and was surprised at how well the swell was making it in. I didn't check my favorite little cove cause it hasn't been good the last several times I checked it. What I saw in town wasn't exciting and I made an unusual call to pack up and hike into 3-mile. The fog was still thick and I knew I wouldn't be able to check it from the cliff. I hiked in with all my gear (a touch lighter than normal with my new Neofins) and went all the way down to the beach 1/2 way to the point. I still couldn't see the take-off zone through the fog, but I decided even the small insiders looked good enough for me, so I suited up and inflated the mat.

As the fog cleared and I got several waves I realized that it was a perfect day for the mat. The surfers in the water were not too aggressive and not too skilled, the paddle out was easy around the shoulder, and the waves were kinda wobbly blah. They would roll along, then jack up and flop over, then either die in the channel or occasionally roll along all the way to the inside. Weird. The whole time I was out there I only saw one guy get 2-3 waves that I would have liked to have ridden standing up (or kneeboard even.)

I moved off by myself deeper into the bowl and caught the medium (2-3ft) waves that would bowl and sometimes connect. I caught as many waves as were worth ridding and never had a problem with the minor crowd that developed. (Not even a crowd really, more like a group.)

After a fun session I headed into town to grab a bite to eat and pick up my board. Lester was working at the shop (haven't seen him in awhile) and we chatted a bit. He said the swell was making it into that cove that I didn't check. (DAM! I would have liked to surf there this morning because I've never tried it on the surf mat on a south.) The board looked good and I got a set of plastic Futures Vector II fins, a bit o' wax, and a new leash with the board. Now it's sitting in a bag and doing cycles in the passenger seat of my car to try to cure the glass. (Not too hot!)

I took some photos but they all are blurry. I'll have to set-up the hallway chair again and do a real board update like the others.

GeeBee facelift

You can decide if the change was an improvement or not, but at least it's now unique.

I primed the surface with some light sanding with wet/dry paper that was about 300grit. After letting the water dry I started painting with acrylic paint and a small brush like someone would use the paint a picture. The deck was done freehand and the edges are a bit wobbly. (Stupid Blogger won't upload the image of the deck even after several attempts.) No planning was done to how I wanted it to look and the result is a combination of what my wife and I were doing simultaneously.

After that was done I flipped the board and continued. This time we gave it a bit more thought, but kept with the theme of what was on the deck. We also taped of the strait lines, which I think helped the final product.

After we were done putting down the "art" I sprayed the painted surface with Rustoleum gloss clear coat. The first coat didn't go on very well and looked powdery in places. The second coat helped, but I ran out of paint before I felt like I was done.

A few things to note. I'm not sure if I didn't prime the surface well enough of what, but the paint didn't want to stick once dry. At first I left the tape in place until the paint was dry, but when I removed the tape the paint was lifting with it, almost as one complete piece. After that I would pull the tape as soon as we were done putting on the paint, still wet. This worked, except where I was taping off at the same place there was already dry paint. Minor touch-ups were required.

It's been in the water already and the paint held up to waxing and the wet, so that's a success.

I think it looks like some kind of science art.

Late Update

I got the kneeboard out to a south swell loving reef last Friday (a week ago!) The swell wasn't showing much and the tide was too low and the result was some 4' bowls over shallow reef. Good waves for the kneeboard and I even caught a few, but nothing mindblowing.

Two days later (after the peak of the swell) I followed a hunch up north thinking the south would make something happen. Well, there were waves, and I had fun, but again, nothing special. Except, perhaps, that I was standing up for the first time in many sessions. I pulled the GeeBee out a few weekends ago and started painting on it. It turned out looking kinda sciencey to me, I'll have to do a post dedicated to the process, with photos. Anyway, it was finished and I took it for a spin. Had some fun, I just wish the waves were a bit better.

The outlook for this weekend is poor, but I need to surf for fear of loosing the little bit of muscle I have left.

More Mat Time

Another matting session with no "Hard boarding" in between. Instead of getting more out of it, I seem to be enjoying it less. Now I should point out that the surf has been poor. It's been week semi-windy windswell beachbreak sessions for me, so I don't expect much. Today I did find some pitchy waves but was unable to put myself in a position to take advantage of a barrel. I do catch many waves, but I can't seem to do what I want to do, where I want to on the wave. I'm trying to catch a wave and duck under the lip close to the take off. I think the problem is that the mat doesn't accelerate off the bottom as quickly as something with a hard edge would. I try to angle my take-off which helps, but doesn't get the job done. I think that the mat just isn't the right tool for the job. If I want to remain prone, I think I should look into an HPD, or similar paipo. In fact, just the other day I was poking around the e-bodyboarding website. The conclusion I came to was that bodyboards aren't as fast across the water as kneeboards. But I find my kneeboard needs better waves than what's been available lately. Maybe it's time for a small wave, low volume, paipo-esque kneeboard?

I've also been dreaming of a mini-simmons. One with a fat, solid tail and two fins. That shape doesn't seem to be a barrel hunter though.

Okay, what about the idea of buying some marine ply and making a paipo? The marine ply I've worked with before was very ridgid. Time to find a boat yard and a salty old dude to get some advice from. (Or not.)

Nice sunny weekend at the beach. The waves were unorganized and must have been good somewhere else cause there were very few people where I decided to surf. I was on the surfmat and just wanted to get some time in the water. I had one good ride and several experiments that didn't seem to work. I've been reading suggestions on how to ride surfmats and lately I'm ridding the mat with my chin at the front edge and hands on each front corner. My biggest problem was loosing the tail end and sliding down the face, loosing all speed and bogging in the flats. Frustration.

After my session (and some sit on the beach time) I swung by Mollusk. I figured it was time for a new surf movie, one every 5 years seems about right. I had two in my hands, "The Present" and "Crystal Voyager." The Present is the hottest new movie, and CV is more along the lines of a novelty most people aren't interested in. I had been told by several different people that I should check out CV, so I went with that one.

The movie was basically a look into what George Greenough (GG) was doing in the early 70s. The movie impressed upon me several things. One, GG didn't ride the surf mat with his head over the front and his hands on the front corners. His head was a bit back, and his wave-side hand was holding mid-mat. I took heart in this because that's a more comfortable way for me to ride. Plus, I think having the weight back helps hold in the tail. If not that, then my legs are closer to the wave and can drag in the face to straiten myself out easier. Second, GG was a tinkerer. I knew this before, but watching him not only tinker, but stick with a big project (he retrofitted and resurfaced a big, live aboard sailboat) made me think I need to finish some of my tinkering. Admittedly I'm no GG, and my tinkering is following the directions of others, but still, I gotta start somewhere.

Took the plunge

Last weekend I ordered a replacement to the Haut Quad. The original one had developed a crack across the deck. I carefully repaired it, but it didn't hold, so I put it up in the rafters for safe keeping. I didn't want it in two pieces in case I ever wanted it cloned.

Well, last weekend I was driving by the Haut shop and saw what I thought was Doug's truck parked out front. I stopped in and was right, he was there. I asked him about the original board and he said he had all the info he needed in his computer, dimentions and such. So I went ahead and ordered one up.

All the dimentions will be the same, but I didn't pay extra for the fancy color job, or even the polish. Should come out to about $500-$600, and I hope it's as good as the first one.

List of things to do this summer in Central California

This is in response to the 23breaths blog for today. He listed 10+ things to do in Southern California this summer. Here's my version.

#1 Surf Waddell Reefs on a south swell.

#2 Walk into Ano before dawn and go surf alone.

#3 Surf OB on a rare, windless summer day.

#4 Show up to the beach wearing shorts and sandals on a day that the fog never clears.

#5 Pick a friend who lives closer to the beach than you. (If you're already closest, then pick someone who is closer to a different surf spot.) Surf an evening session with them, crash at thier house and surf again in the morning.

#6 Surf the Slot (Lane, cliffside) as the tide is dropping.

#7 Bodysurf, bodyboard or otherwise surf the side wave at Its.

#8 Surf the Bolinas Estuary.

#9 Surf somewhere north of that.

#10 Seriously consider surfing F****rs, but then chicken out (with excuses like "To far to drive.")

#11 Fly a kite at the beach on a blown out day.

Sold, now what?

I sold the Junod. Actually I sold/traded it for $200 and a down sleeping bag. A good deal for both of us. But the problem is, now what? I'm not really excited about replacing it with anything.

I have a 1/2 full surf closet with a kneeboard that's starting to fall apart, an old 7' single fin, a 6' stub (summer is starting.) I feel like I'll make it through the summer with what I've got and who knows what after that. Will I get back in shape? Will that bring the stoke back?

I did find a semi-secret spot. The wave wasn't great, not any better than the next beach over, except that there was only one person surfing there and there were about 100 at that next beach over. I balked at paddling out and paid for my hesitation. I watch for an hour and then started to get ready to do it when 4 more guys showed up. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because I got it into my head that this wave would have been good for an alaia, which I don't have one of, but would like to get one. I know where to get a Palowina blank (the wood that wegner uses) and my dad has all the wood working tools I would need to chuck wood. The problem is $200+shipping for something I would use occasionally, or rarely, like the surf mat and kneeboard spoon. Maybe I should focus on those items first, before I branch out further.

Update

I've been kneeboarding almost exclusivly since the new year. The reason for this is that I've gotten out of shape by working all week and surfing once on the weekend. The ability to flipper kick and give the arms a break really extends my sessions. The board is small and easier to push through waves and takes late drops or gets in early. It is kinda like a crutch if you let it be one.

The kneeboard has been a good choice for several days of OB offshore goodness, and I am glad I'm riding it. I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to wonder how it could be improved, i.e. what would I want my next one to do. My first priority on the kneeboard is to get barreled, which does happen. I can get in and, on rare occasion, come out. But I wonder if a different shape might not increase my getting out of the barrel chances.

Here it is now mid-April, spring, and I'm guessing we're going to run out of OB juice soon. To me that means it's time to return to the GeeBee. I stripped all the wax and fixed all the dings last fall and there it sits, in the closet, waiting to be put back into rotation. I've left it out because I want my wife to put some artwork on it. That was agreed to but hasn't happened. Time for a reminder.

Still want to sell the Junod but I havn't done anything about it. I should put it up on Craigslist again, or drop it in a shop with some foot traffic and a decent consignment deal.