A good sized swell was delivering overhead waves to the Lane. I thought I could ride the V-pin through outside indicators, but the waves weren’t making it through. I kept trying to snag the ones breaking deeper, but instead just got hit by set waves and washed in. I got a few rides, nothing memorable, and found myself back at the car. I wasn’t done surfing, but I wasn’t having fun. I decide to swap boards and put the Velzy V-fin on the GeeBee and try the Slot. The V-fin got some attention on my way to the water. I got a few good overhead fast waves, but had trouble. I felt like everything was loose and out of my control, like slippery not stiff. When I tried to make a turn, I turned but the board didn’t.
I should have swapped to a normal fin and tried again, but it was more crowded, and I was getting worn out. I talked with a friend who also pushes the limits on his hull and he was familiar with the experience. He also gets squirrelly in bigger, fast waves. I’ve had good, fast waves on the Gee Bee, but maybe those times the waves were just below the “speed limit.”
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Monday, October 14, 2019
Paddling without waves
The prior weekend I opted to mix it up and went north instead of south. The wind forecast was more appropriate for the Bo, but when I arrived the wind had a bad angle. At dawn the low tide was also making a mess of things and I lingered on the beach. I was glad I did because as the tide filled in the waves got better and the wind eased. I got to it and snagged a few by sitting deeper than the crowd. It didn't last long before the tide went too far and the wind came back up, ending the short session.
This weekend had all the weather elements in place, but no swell. I've been very slow on the repair of the Velzy because I don't feel up to it after work, or after surfing. So this weekend I worked on the repair instead of surfing. To get exercise I took out the SUP to the Oakland harbor. The preferred launch spot (Jack London Aquatic Center) is now more accessible as the Embarcadero Bridge has reopened following a rebuilding. (No more tiptoeing through the trash to get down to the water.) I took my time paddling past the construction along the Oakland waterfront, down around Coast Guard Island. Coming back I went close along the 9th Ave Terminal where fancy new condos are matched with ongoing improvements to the waterfront. Things don't look pretty yet, but I am optimistic. Heading back to Aquatic Park was into the wind and the sound of the wind driven ripples smacking the big flat nose of the SUP got me thinking of a prone paddleboard. I picked this SUP off craigslist because it's suitable for riding waves, and it has a flat bottom on the nose instead of a chop-cutting hull shape. I don't use it often enough to justify the purchase of an upwind type SUP, but I would like to add a prone paddleboard for those conditions and to mix up the type of exercise. There are not that many on craigslist in my area, but there are several down in LA. Too far to go just to pick up a prone paddleboard, so instead I'll bid my time watching out for something local.
Anyway, it was a 3 mile loop that I did in about an hour. Not much exercise, but anything is better than nothing. Fingers crossed that next weekend will have waves.
This weekend had all the weather elements in place, but no swell. I've been very slow on the repair of the Velzy because I don't feel up to it after work, or after surfing. So this weekend I worked on the repair instead of surfing. To get exercise I took out the SUP to the Oakland harbor. The preferred launch spot (Jack London Aquatic Center) is now more accessible as the Embarcadero Bridge has reopened following a rebuilding. (No more tiptoeing through the trash to get down to the water.) I took my time paddling past the construction along the Oakland waterfront, down around Coast Guard Island. Coming back I went close along the 9th Ave Terminal where fancy new condos are matched with ongoing improvements to the waterfront. Things don't look pretty yet, but I am optimistic. Heading back to Aquatic Park was into the wind and the sound of the wind driven ripples smacking the big flat nose of the SUP got me thinking of a prone paddleboard. I picked this SUP off craigslist because it's suitable for riding waves, and it has a flat bottom on the nose instead of a chop-cutting hull shape. I don't use it often enough to justify the purchase of an upwind type SUP, but I would like to add a prone paddleboard for those conditions and to mix up the type of exercise. There are not that many on craigslist in my area, but there are several down in LA. Too far to go just to pick up a prone paddleboard, so instead I'll bid my time watching out for something local.
Anyway, it was a 3 mile loop that I did in about an hour. Not much exercise, but anything is better than nothing. Fingers crossed that next weekend will have waves.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Strike two!
Prior weekend I went to OBSF at the urging of a friend. I was told it had been good for the last few days. Even though the forecast warned that the wind would be onshore, I opted for the social option. The forecast was accurate and the surf was terrible.
This past weekend I returned to the spot I've been enjoying this summer. The bouy showed a south, 1.0'@18sec. I wasn't sure if that meant the waves would be bigger, and I hesitated to walk down the trail with my longboard. As it was, the longboard was the best choice. The mid-tide at dawn was hardly getting lower. That, combined with small waves made it nearly unsurfable. I chased and missed many, many small waves. I got a few decent ones, and I was mostly surfing alone, so I appreciate what it was. I also wish it was a little bit better. Oh well, maybe next weekend.
This past weekend I returned to the spot I've been enjoying this summer. The bouy showed a south, 1.0'@18sec. I wasn't sure if that meant the waves would be bigger, and I hesitated to walk down the trail with my longboard. As it was, the longboard was the best choice. The mid-tide at dawn was hardly getting lower. That, combined with small waves made it nearly unsurfable. I chased and missed many, many small waves. I got a few decent ones, and I was mostly surfing alone, so I appreciate what it was. I also wish it was a little bit better. Oh well, maybe next weekend.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Wish granted, unfortunatly
Last week I was wishing for continuation of the small waves on the weekend. I got what I wished for, which then disappointed me because the waves were so gutless. I made the most of it on my V-pin and tried out the 10" Volan wide base fin. The waves weren't good enough to judge how the fin rides, but I can say the leading edge is pretty chewed up by the original owner, and the fin wobbles in the box. I'll touch it up with some resin and light sanding to fix both those issues.
There was a photog taking videos on the beach and got a few of me. It's rare for me to see any images of myself surfing so I was excited to see them. What I discovered is that I don't move as smoothly as I imagined, and I wait too long before cut back into the wave. But, screenshots hide all that so that's what I'll share!
There was a photog taking videos on the beach and got a few of me. It's rare for me to see any images of myself surfing so I was excited to see them. What I discovered is that I don't move as smoothly as I imagined, and I wait too long before cut back into the wave. But, screenshots hide all that so that's what I'll share!
The wave dies shortly after this moment.
I did make it out!
Volan fin in the sunlight.
The resolution is not great, but the bright yellow board makes it obvious it's me out there. Even though it wasn't great, it was still worth the effort.
I also made the time to work on repairing the Velzy. I bought some resin pigment to try to color match the repairs. When it was wet, the repair was more of a blue/grey white, while the board has a bit of yellow in the white pigment. The color might change when it dries, but if it still looks off, I can play with it. I was considering re-pigmenting the full rail because 90% of the repairs are on the rail. It might look okay with an opaque light grey, then add pinline in black. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Velzy V-Fin
Other than that, the fin performed well enough in the conditions. I had no problems on bottom turns and cutbacks, what little I could do in the small waves. It held a line running through sections, although it might be a bit slower than the Greenough 4a. It also may have been the way I was surfing, or the particular conditions. Overall I would say it's a good fin worth using again in better conditions. I defiantly still want to try it in the 6'2" GeeBee before returning it to my dad's fin box.
I also picked up two more fins. One a GL Flex Fin (Fibre Glass Fin Co) and the other a RFC that looks a lot like a 4a. They are both used, Volan, and 10". So I have some slightly larger fins, one with a wide base and one narrow base. So on balance, I now have more fin combinations to try than I did before this weekend!
Monday, August 26, 2019
Velzy Rehab
The board has an off-white pigment in the laminating layer and clear gloss over the top. I bought some "bone white" pigment because some of the repairs will go into the lamination layer. The pigment makes it look like it, but it's not an epoxy SurfTek. Those pin-lines are only on the deck and are beneath the gloss coat, which is a nice touch. I started working on the repairs but will have to wait for the pigment to arrive before I can continue much further.
The shape is a nice middle-ground log. Gentle continuous rocker throughout, gentle belly flattening towards the middle, but roll/belly out the tail. It seems like an excellent board for our family friend who surfs 38th and sometimes 2nd Peak.
And as an edit to the other post I made earlier today, the 10' Velzy fin off this board will be added to the list of fins I'll be testing out. It'll be the first one I play with because I want to get the board repaired and handed off to it's new owner. To help with the fin experimentation I ordered 6 wonderbolts! I've lost the other two I had, and I figured since I found a deal online, I'd buy a bunch. So now I can shift the fin forward and back while in the water, and swap out a fin on the beach without needing to pack in a screwdriver.
Hoping for small waves
I've had a few days this summer surfing solo anywhere between an hour to a full session. I've been riding my yellow longboard at 4-mile on days when it was very small. It's been great! This last Saturday morning the cdip buoy reported the swell as slightly larger (1/2 foot bigger) than on the other days when the crowd was minimal. This time, the crowd was on it. I got far fewer waves and didn't have as much opportunity to snag the best ones. I did get a few good rides, so it wasn't a bad day, just... So I'm hoping it's small next weekend, and the crowd is small to.
The other thing, I took out my GeeBee on Saturday. I was surprised by the lack of response when I pushed on a bottom turn to get speed. I'm not sure if I was expecting the acceleration because the yellow longboard does, or because I was on a shortboard (the GB is 6'2"). Whatever the reason, it wasn't there and I had to adjust. One adjustment was to engage more rail on the turns, the other was to just not expect as much drive. I've already been thinking about fins, and so my mind went to the fin on the GB and how it may be contributing.
I've always used what the GB came with, what looks like a TA L-Flex at about 8 or 9". The Fineline website recommends running a L-Flex 9B in Volan, or a Greenough 4a 9", both of which have similar shape but wider base than the fin that I'm riding in there now. So, my first move should be to poach the 4a out of the yellow longboard and try it in the GB. (Side-note, PG recommends adding 14 layers of 6oz to the 4a to get the proper fin thickness. Maybe someday I'll find the bravery to give that a try.) But the yellow board isn't the only source of other fins available to me. I raided my dad's dusty box of fins and struck gold! Here's the list of what I borrowed: Velzy V-fin, 10" cutaway, 8-9" Johnny Rice "hatchet", Horan Star Fin, and Cooper plastic flex fin. I've tried the Cooper flex in the GB and it stalls on hard turns. I've tried the hatchet in a transition era single fin min-gun and don't have any memories of how well it worked, good or bad. So, if I also try these fins on the longboard, I have 10-fin combinations to play with! Surfing only once a week, that will take me a long time. And, I might run out of small waves before I finish. So, that's another reason to hope the waves stay small for a little longer.
9/3/19 Edit:
After a surf on the longboard in small waves, I've decided my problem on the GB described above was due to my mind not being in the right place. I was trying to pump the GB like a hard railed quad fish, which isn't the proper approach. The adjustment I made (engaging more rail in the bottom turn) was a step in in the right direction. Next weekend is forecast to be more of the same, so I might choose to try the GB with one of the other fins to see if I can find more "small wave drive" with a longer and/or wider based fin. The new 10" Greg Liddle flex fin in Volan will be my first try. It has a similarly narrow base but an extra few inches of length to the L-Flex I've been using for years.
The other thing, I took out my GeeBee on Saturday. I was surprised by the lack of response when I pushed on a bottom turn to get speed. I'm not sure if I was expecting the acceleration because the yellow longboard does, or because I was on a shortboard (the GB is 6'2"). Whatever the reason, it wasn't there and I had to adjust. One adjustment was to engage more rail on the turns, the other was to just not expect as much drive. I've already been thinking about fins, and so my mind went to the fin on the GB and how it may be contributing.
I've always used what the GB came with, what looks like a TA L-Flex at about 8 or 9". The Fineline website recommends running a L-Flex 9B in Volan, or a Greenough 4a 9", both of which have similar shape but wider base than the fin that I'm riding in there now. So, my first move should be to poach the 4a out of the yellow longboard and try it in the GB. (Side-note, PG recommends adding 14 layers of 6oz to the 4a to get the proper fin thickness. Maybe someday I'll find the bravery to give that a try.) But the yellow board isn't the only source of other fins available to me. I raided my dad's dusty box of fins and struck gold! Here's the list of what I borrowed: Velzy V-fin, 10" cutaway, 8-9" Johnny Rice "hatchet", Horan Star Fin, and Cooper plastic flex fin. I've tried the Cooper flex in the GB and it stalls on hard turns. I've tried the hatchet in a transition era single fin min-gun and don't have any memories of how well it worked, good or bad. So, if I also try these fins on the longboard, I have 10-fin combinations to play with! Surfing only once a week, that will take me a long time. And, I might run out of small waves before I finish. So, that's another reason to hope the waves stay small for a little longer.
9/3/19 Edit:
After a surf on the longboard in small waves, I've decided my problem on the GB described above was due to my mind not being in the right place. I was trying to pump the GB like a hard railed quad fish, which isn't the proper approach. The adjustment I made (engaging more rail in the bottom turn) was a step in in the right direction. Next weekend is forecast to be more of the same, so I might choose to try the GB with one of the other fins to see if I can find more "small wave drive" with a longer and/or wider based fin. The new 10" Greg Liddle flex fin in Volan will be my first try. It has a similarly narrow base but an extra few inches of length to the L-Flex I've been using for years.
Friday, July 5, 2019
Surf Mat Moves
While riding my surfmat yesterday, I started thinking about what "moves" I could do on the mat. I don't normally think about that, but I was chatting with a guy on the beach before getting in and he was commenting on videos he's seen of other surfmatters. (Probably Turbo Time, Mark Thomson, based on this guy's comments.) We were looking a the waves that were breaking somewhat like the Broken Head part of the video. I had to tell the guy that I couldn't do what Mark was doing in those videos, not to mention the waves we were looking at were breaking onto reef, not sand.
And later I began wondering what "moves" could I do on the surf mat. Well, I can break the fins loose (lift my swim fins out of the water for speed). I can catch air (inflate the surfmat with my lungs). I can air drop, which will happen whether I like it or not. I can side slip, but not in control like Hynd. Mostly I can go fast in one direction. There's another spot I've matted that has a section where I actually slide off the mat and drag my body in the wave to stall into a short but hollow section. I'm not sure what to call that move.
Compared to what I see more skilled surfmaters do, the list of what I can't do includes: cut-back, hard bottom turn, and make it out of barrels.
And later I began wondering what "moves" could I do on the surf mat. Well, I can break the fins loose (lift my swim fins out of the water for speed). I can catch air (inflate the surfmat with my lungs). I can air drop, which will happen whether I like it or not. I can side slip, but not in control like Hynd. Mostly I can go fast in one direction. There's another spot I've matted that has a section where I actually slide off the mat and drag my body in the wave to stall into a short but hollow section. I'm not sure what to call that move.
Compared to what I see more skilled surfmaters do, the list of what I can't do includes: cut-back, hard bottom turn, and make it out of barrels.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Getting to it
Having a selection of wave riding vehicles to choose from has more than one advantage. The benefit I take advantage of most is being able to choose the way I want to ride waves, which sometimes results in bringing only one board to the beach and finding a way to make it work. If I bring several options to the beach, I can also adjust that choice based on the conditions I find. And to add to the list of benefits, I can also change my wave vehicle mid-session, which is what I did yesterday.
I'm out of shape, so I started by selecting the options which make for an easier time catching waves. I brought my V-Pin, my 6'8" Quad, my 6' GeeBee, and my Fourth Gear Flyer surfmat. When I got to the beach I found conditions were bumpy, and I checked a few spots before settling on a spot that had nobody out. I figured it would be a good opportunity to test the limits on the longboard because the waves were 6' and fast. I surfed for about an hour doing alright before the crowd developed and I was getting backdoored by the shortboarders. I was the only longboarder at a typically shortboard spot. The wave is often surfable on a longboard, but I've only ever seen one other person do it. So, accepting the general consensus, I took a wave in.
As I walked back to my car I watched as waves went unridden along the inside part of the point. They were unridden because there wasn't much too them, a slow rolling wall, a short section into a closeout on the shore. I wasn't wave-satiated, and my legs in particular hadn't gotten any exercise, so I did something I don't normally do and put away a board and took another one out. Not a board exactly, but the surf mat. I figured I could catch the wave at the soft spot and take a run at the closeout section.
As it turned out, by the time I got back in the water a new group of surfers were filling in the spot I had planned to surf. But that was matched by a gap along another part of the point, which I filled in. I took a few smaller ones, cleaning up whatever leftovers I could. Then a bigger set came. I saw it coming and was moving toward the takeoff spot when the first one hit, catching the pack out of position. Two guys went for the first one leaving me in the best position for the second one. I took it and got a really fast and long ride out of it. I struggled when the lip caught me and I went sideways loosing forward speed, but the wave gave me time to recover and redirect down the line. I was going so fast by the time the crossing bumps hit me, I went flying through the air! I hadn't expected it and lost grip on the mat. I landed mid-face and bodysurfed down the face and was hit by the whitewater. I bailed out before the inside closeout, not wanting to be out of control and possibly get hurt by the thump. I had to swim in not knowing where the mat had ended up. By the time I got to the sand, another surfer had recovered my mat and placed it on a rock for me. Cheers!
I hadn't gotten my fill, and while the filling tide was making the waves worse for the shortboarders, the waves were still a good shape for matting. I caught a few more before deciding that the tide was to high even for me.
I was one of the first five people to paddle out in the pre-dawn light, and three hours later one of the last five people to give up on the spot as the tide killed it. It's unusual for me to take full advantage of every opportunity, but I'm glad I did. It's something I need to get better about considering my opportunities are fewer and fewer now that I'm a dad. I was considering this as I watched a few more waves try to overcome the high tide break along the point. There was one guy who was rewarded in staying out longer than everyone else, and he caught at least one more good waves in the time it took me to change into dry clothes. Sometimes I see this happen and regret not staying in the water to take advantage of these remnant waves. This time though I had no regrets. I had noticed this guy earlier and he had been struggling to get his share of waves in the crowd. He worked for that wave and he deserved it. I got my share and didn't need to feel like I had missed any opportunity.
I'm out of shape, so I started by selecting the options which make for an easier time catching waves. I brought my V-Pin, my 6'8" Quad, my 6' GeeBee, and my Fourth Gear Flyer surfmat. When I got to the beach I found conditions were bumpy, and I checked a few spots before settling on a spot that had nobody out. I figured it would be a good opportunity to test the limits on the longboard because the waves were 6' and fast. I surfed for about an hour doing alright before the crowd developed and I was getting backdoored by the shortboarders. I was the only longboarder at a typically shortboard spot. The wave is often surfable on a longboard, but I've only ever seen one other person do it. So, accepting the general consensus, I took a wave in.
As I walked back to my car I watched as waves went unridden along the inside part of the point. They were unridden because there wasn't much too them, a slow rolling wall, a short section into a closeout on the shore. I wasn't wave-satiated, and my legs in particular hadn't gotten any exercise, so I did something I don't normally do and put away a board and took another one out. Not a board exactly, but the surf mat. I figured I could catch the wave at the soft spot and take a run at the closeout section.
As it turned out, by the time I got back in the water a new group of surfers were filling in the spot I had planned to surf. But that was matched by a gap along another part of the point, which I filled in. I took a few smaller ones, cleaning up whatever leftovers I could. Then a bigger set came. I saw it coming and was moving toward the takeoff spot when the first one hit, catching the pack out of position. Two guys went for the first one leaving me in the best position for the second one. I took it and got a really fast and long ride out of it. I struggled when the lip caught me and I went sideways loosing forward speed, but the wave gave me time to recover and redirect down the line. I was going so fast by the time the crossing bumps hit me, I went flying through the air! I hadn't expected it and lost grip on the mat. I landed mid-face and bodysurfed down the face and was hit by the whitewater. I bailed out before the inside closeout, not wanting to be out of control and possibly get hurt by the thump. I had to swim in not knowing where the mat had ended up. By the time I got to the sand, another surfer had recovered my mat and placed it on a rock for me. Cheers!
I hadn't gotten my fill, and while the filling tide was making the waves worse for the shortboarders, the waves were still a good shape for matting. I caught a few more before deciding that the tide was to high even for me.
I was one of the first five people to paddle out in the pre-dawn light, and three hours later one of the last five people to give up on the spot as the tide killed it. It's unusual for me to take full advantage of every opportunity, but I'm glad I did. It's something I need to get better about considering my opportunities are fewer and fewer now that I'm a dad. I was considering this as I watched a few more waves try to overcome the high tide break along the point. There was one guy who was rewarded in staying out longer than everyone else, and he caught at least one more good waves in the time it took me to change into dry clothes. Sometimes I see this happen and regret not staying in the water to take advantage of these remnant waves. This time though I had no regrets. I had noticed this guy earlier and he had been struggling to get his share of waves in the crowd. He worked for that wave and he deserved it. I got my share and didn't need to feel like I had missed any opportunity.
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