It's been quite a year

We all have plenty of reasons to consider 2020 a year to remember. Recently I realized I have a really good reason: multiple new spots surfed!

I don't know what happened but something clicked for me at the end of last year, or maybe early this year. I had always checked other spots, but was also more focused on getting the best out of the more well known spots. Clearly those well known spots are well known because the wave quality is high and the effort to get there is low. But this year I tried more new spots than ever before. The reward has been lower quality waves with far, far fewer people competing for them. As a way to savor the memories, I'm going to attempt to list them from North to South. In an attempt to hide this from google searches, I'll use "gamer text."

Lagoon Beach, Po!nt @rena, Fl@t R0ck, @lligat0rs, the far inside of Greyh0und Ruck, R0ckie Po!nt, Funboards, G@ng!es left and right.

Not included in the list are the places that I didn't exactly surf for the first time ever, but surfed more times in this year that all the other times combined. Most of these spots have some degree of hiking adventure that goes along with surfing them, but a couple are just a short stroll from a parking spot. Some are a far drive from home, others closer to home than where I typically surf. Some have views of barnacle encrusted rocks that have to be avoided, others have boils indicating holes in the reef. Only one is all sand-bottomed, but another is mellow enough that there's no risk of bouncing off the reef.

Also, the year isn't over yet and there are many places I have been checking but haven't found in good enough conditions to surf. There's one more weekend before the end of the year and more swell in the forecast. Work will take me to the beach tomorrow and maybe I should lock in one more spot while I have the chance. But then again, none of these spots were surfed just for the novelty of saying I did it. Each one was the best opportunity that presented itself that day, so I kinda don't want to break that run. I guess I'll have to go check some spots and see what looks good tomorrow.

*Next day edit: I only kinda forced it, but I'm really glad I did. I always thought Ro$$' C0ve was a mushy boring wave, but today at least it pitched me with the lip a few times. It was hard to surf because it was really shifty. It was breaking kinda soft on the outside, rolling through the middle, then hitting hard inside. I tried to sit more inside and pick off just the right one, and take sets to the head. But when caught by a set it wasn't to hard to duck dive. I was on my small board and wished I had a bit more paddle power to slide in earlier. I actually think a full gun would be a reasonable choice out there.

Alligators

I surfed a new spot. It was surprisingly good and I don’t know what to do except try to make notes and see if I can get it good again. 

High tide of at least 4-ft. Swell around 8-ft at 14sec from 305. Sensitive to the wind. 

Tomorrow dawn I’m going to meet JB at tres mile. 

I'm thankfull for my quiver

I'm thankful that I have the freedom to surf those other waves. Santa Cruz has more than its share of really fun longboard spots. I hardly ever surf them because it is just so crowded. Instead, I venture north to out of the way places where people don’t congregate. Most of those other places have waves that are are less friendly to longboards and instead I ride a short board. Or sometimes a surf mat, or paipo, or on the rare occasion even do some bodysurfing. 

Having the equipment and ability is a gift I appreciate. 

I've said it before...

Every once in awhile I need a reminder that the best way to be disappointed is to build up my expectations. Luckily, this time the reminder was vicarious. JA shared a video of great waves with JZ and JB. (I got the message third hand.) Both JB and JZ made weekday surf travel plans to go get some of those waves. The end of day report back from both of them was that it wasn't as good as the video day (less than 24-hour earlier). They both seemed more bummed having surfed "not as good as expected" waves than I was having not surfed the "not as good as expected" waves. One difference, I didn't have any expectation of scoring. 

I was only bummed that when asked, neither of them had much story to tell. That was my expectation that was not met.

Holiday Waves

It is a tradition that the ocean has been keeping for there to be a good swell and perfect weather for Thanksgiving. Unlike our family, the ocean was able to keep this tradition despite the pandemic gripping our country and most of the world. Because 2/3 of our family has the entire week off, I also planned for a week long vacation at my parents cottage in Santa Cruz. The swell and weather was forecast to arrive, and in my stoke I brought 6 different surfboards with me.

Sunday the conditions weren't great, but I rushed up the coast and forced 4 waves in poor conditions. The weather was warm and I haven't been out in awhile, so I was happy for what I got. Monday was a family day that ended with me checking in on my work projects to find others hadn't done what was needed by the time it was needed. My stress level went way up and I frantically typed away on the borrowed laptop trying to deal with the situation. Tuesday was spent working at a makeshift "desk" that was a kitchen counter and sitting on a footstool ladder.  Wednesday morning I went to go look only to find even my garbage surf spot was crowded. I headed up the coast but it was mid-morning, a bit junky with mix swell, and surprisingly crowded. By mid-day Wednesday I was burnt out and the swell was filling in. I went to my garbage spot and snagged two small waves among the crowd.

Thursday, Thanksgiving, the peak of the swell and great weather. What I thought was crowded the days before now looked great in hindsight. People everywhere. I felt fine not trying to surf and instead took my son for a beach day adventure (which was also me scoping out a somewhat hidden beach during the swell). The weather was great and when we first arrived the beach was mostly empty. We walked the sand, checked a few tide-pools, watched the waves hit the rocks at the south end, and played in the little creek at the other end. I was watching the waves and thinking how I could take advantage. It didn't look great, but with the right approach waves could be ridden. As the day went along and the tide dropped, I swore I saw something cranking along the inside. One wave looked kinda good. Then later another one in the same spot. Then another. Then a grizzly guy with a shortboard showed up and it looked like he was watching that wave. I'm pretty sure he was, but my son and I had been in the sun for a few hours and I was getting hungry, so we headed back to the car. Just as we were driving away two more shortboards were heading down the path. Hmmmm....

On the way home I drove along west cliff. It wasn't very big because the angle had too much north, but the tide was low and the weather was great. It was crowded, but I didn't stop because I wasn't there to surf, just to see what's what. Middle Peak had overhead waves and a ton of people. The angle wasn't sending very much down the cliff, with almost nothing left at the statue.

Friday JB and I agreed to go to tres mi at the top of the tide. The tide was too high and the swell was dropping, so we figured that would keep the crowd to a minimum. We were right, and we were the only ones out. High tide is really bumpy at this spot, with reflecting waves from two directions. Still, there was enough wave energy to ride and I got a few long and fast rides but was only able to hold on through all the bumps and not able to make a turn without falling. It cleaned up and got better, but then more people started showing up. JB wasn't linking up with any good waves and was getting grumpy, so we left before we had to interact with anyone else.

That was it. The best waves I got were bumpy lumpy but uncrowded. I felt fine "missing it" because I didn't want to deal with all the people. I felt good about knowing what my other options are, and taking advantage of that knowledge. I also feel good about still finding new opportunities for waves, especially ones that are in-between waves I already surf. I think there are still places to have fun and avoid the crowds, it's just a matter of working harder to get there.

Even more canoe

 Lately the canoe has gotten my attention more than the waves. I went out for a quick mid-week paddle at sunset with my son. This weekend the waves were probably good, but instead I did housework, watched a movie, napped, and took the canoe out. Saturday was doing all the chores, and Sunday was the lake day. I started by double checking the access at one reservoir (closed) then another (closed) then another in a different county (reservations required at least a day ahead). Frustrated but not defeated, I expanded the distance I needed to drive and found that Lake Hennessy in Napa County was open. It's kind of Lake Berryessa's little sister, but still plenty big enough that I wouldn't want to try to paddle to the far end with my son. (Partially because he likes to play with his oar, dragging it in the water and occasionally paddling backwards.)

The weather was perfect being sunny with a very light variable breeze. Before I even got the canoe loaded with gear my son was already exploring the muddy beach. He continues to be more interested in wandering the shore than being in the canoe or fishing. We paddled across to a spot next to some bullrush and I set-up the poles for fishing while he wandered the shore. I got one hook in the water and looked for him again. He had climbed up past where I thought he could make it, and it made me nervous. I reeled in and went to go get him.

He had found some exposed roots and that's how he climbed the 2-ft "cliff" between the rocky shore and the forest above. When I got there I found that mixed with the roots were leafless poison oak stems. I explained to him what probably happened (he brushed them) and that it wasn't an emergency, but we would need to take a good bath when we got home. He let me carry him back to the fishing poles and we got two hooks in the water for the first time in awhile.

He isn't interested in sitting and watching a bobber, so he's always fiddling with the line, reel, rod holder. He sat down to eat and had a few bites of everything I brought. While he was eating I was fishing, casting bait and bobber upwind next to the bullrush and letting it drift downwind away from the vegetation. He got excited watching me cast and wanted to give it a try. I gave up on catching anything and instead we worked on his casting. I remember how hard it is to learn and was able to remain patient with him. He remained calm too, and tried for about 10 times before loosing interest and suggesting we go for a hike. We negotiated that he would walk along the shore and I would follow along in the canoe. This worked pretty well and he asked for a ride across to the other shore. A little exploring up into the trees, but not far and always on the lookout for more leafless poison oak.

The day continued with more of the same activities, punctuated by people landing fish near enough to us that we could see what they caught. I would point it out to him, but he wasn't interested and didn't watch them land the fish. I really don't know about this kid. I think he's different than me and doesn't like the water so much. The fishing is probably just that he's young, and also that he's never caught any fish. I think that if I want a full fishing experience, or just a full day of canoeing, I need to go solo, or find another partner.

Next week will be a staycation at my parents beach house. I won't bring the canoe and instead bring a bunch of different surfboards. Hopefully the weather is good because I can find waves as long as it's not stormy.

North of here

Work required me to spend a few days in far northern/coastal California. I drove, which gave me the opportunity to surf along the way. Because this was far from home, I'll be extra careful to not give enough details for someone to follow in my footsteps. On the way up I went to a good spot that is well known but still uncrowded. The swell was small and the tide was mid-high, but still the waves were good. I arrived at dawn and having never been there before, I didn't know enough about the set-up to know where to surf. I waited for someone else to paddle out first and catch a few waves. It looked fun, with occasional head+ sets. I followed his lead and got a few waves. I was on my Hess mini-gun, a board I haven't ridden in awhile. It took awhile for me to figure out the wave catching sweet spot both for the board and for the wave. The worst part is I was chasing the small ones (and missing them) two times when a set came it. I fought through the set and got to the outside, only to wait again for another set. Time was running out but I really wanted a set wave so I sat on the outside and let the little ones go by. When the outside set finally did arrive it was bigger than all the rest and I couldn't get to the takeoff spot in time. So, a third set caught me inside. I ended up back outside, but had to paddle to the inside to get a wave to go back to the beach on. While I didn't catch any great waves, I saw plenty. Like most spots north of Santa Cruz, this one isn't worth a dedicated trip, but if you're in the area, bring your stuff.

I continued my drive north seeing surfable waves if I had time and dedication to surf them. The work I had to do allowed me to peak at the waves and I continued to see waves that I could have fun with. However, the swell died while I was busy working and by the time I was done and could go surf, there wasn't enough energy to power my mini-gun. I saw waves that would be fun on a longboard, others on a fish/quad, or a mid-length. In summary, I brought the one worst board for surfing on the drive home. I did have the surf mat with me, but wasn't feeling like riding it.

What was keeping my imagination stoked was the idea of accessing rivermouths by canoe. There are many large rivers in northern California with sand faced lagoons at the mouth. Some have roads, others don't. Some can't even be seen from a road so they could be perfection with nobody knowing it. That is unlikely the case this late in the season when most rivermouths are closed, or the sand has been flattened by summer. The most promising time is after some big flows when the river pushes a point of sediment into the Pacific Ocean. I've picked a spot not to far where I can do a day trip and learn what I need to know to handle a canoe with surfboards. Now I need to wait for the rain to come!

More Fishing, and a lot more canoe paddling

 Back to the same spot for more fishing off the canoe. This time mom was hiking with friends so it was just my son and I. I had to haul everything up and down the boat ramp, and do all the paddling too. It was a beautiful day and we got an early start on the water by 8am. The weather was overcast and light breeze. We just paddled across the lake from the dock and hunkered down. I dropped the one anchor and we spun around it as the wind changed directions. This ends up with the line getting wrapped around the canoe and the anchor line, so I'm going to make myself another anchor of maybe a coffee can filled with cement. Or maybe score something off craigslist.

No bites and my son wanted to explore the shore. I made a mistake and landed along a muddy spot and we got muddy but walked around anyway. We saw a family of otters argue over a fish one caught and I scoped out a backwater cove that was high and dry that day. We went back to the canoe, got our shoes stuck in the mud, and paddled back to the dock. We sat on the dock and ate more snacks with a hook in the water and my son wrapped in my arms against the chilly breeze. I watched a heron catch a fish in the shallows and a cormorant strike like lightning to startle the heron and steal the fish it dropped. He was rewarded with all his cormorant friends responding to the commotion and chasing him off trying to steal the stolen fish. It eventually warmed up and we agreed to go for one more paddle around. I let a line hang in the water as I paddled us slowly downwind to the part of the lake where no power boats are allowed.

No bites, but I saw a seagull chasing a bald eagle around. And then the family of otters came close to see what we were doing. They got close enough that I got nervous and told my son to get his hands out of the water for a minute. By then we'd been at the lake for hours and we were out of food. I paddled us upwind slowly dragging the line behind us. Then it was back to hauling gear, but this time I parked the car down the boat ramp to save myself some steps.

It was a good long day on the water and we saw some wildlife and had a good time. My son might be done with "fishing" for awhile now, but I'll keep offering. I'm not done with it and might go out solo, or try some beach fishing or clam digging. I also want to harvest a meal worth of mussels once the season opens up for the winter.

Family fishing isn't fishing

With the canoe finished and the surf verging on terrible last weekend, I opted to take the canoe down to the reservoir and try some lake fishing with my 4-year old son. The slow start to the day was keeping things low stress, and actually blended well with my wife's plans. She joined us for the maiden re-voyage. With the three of us and unorganized fishing gear in the canoe things were a bit disheveled, but it was working out. It was late morning by the time we were on the water and we paddled directly for the only shady spot which was near a small peninsula. I experimented with the canoe anchor about 20-ft from shore and set-up my son's rod with some salmon eggs. I handed it down to him and he said, "I don't want that, I want to go to that beach." But we saw some fish jumping, and my wife tried to redirect him by offering him some of the lunch we packed. They ate while I held the rod and tried to deal with the swirling of the canoe in the light breeze. Half a sandwich later and my son was once again talking about shore. I could tell my wife wasn't enjoying sitting in the canoe, so we paddled over to shore and they got out. I paddled back out a little ways and sat with the rod. They played for 15min or so, and then the shade ran out and they were both ready to go. So that was it. Less than an hour of hook in water, just like the "First time fishing with your kids." websites described it would be.

When we got home I took a rest, but an hour later I was considering going back to the reservoir. With the unusually warm weather, the amount of effort it takes to launch the canoe, and the fact that all boats are supposed to be off the water by 5pm, I decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Next weekend is within sight and I'm wondering if I should try again with my son, or if I should go surf even with the poor forecast, or maybe I should go fishing by myself. It's kind of nice to have options, but it also can lead to decision paralysis. I have a few days to decide at least.

... but that's okay

I'm still a kook, but that's okay. I got out to surf in marginal conditions. It actually wasn't that bad, just not that good either. The weather was great and there were waves to ride and I felt good. The downside is that I kept stumbling on my take-off. Even once on my feet, there wasn't anything memorable about the waves because they would loose power and never got it back. It was good enough to keep paddling back out and keep chasing waves, so I got good exercise which is something I can always use more of.

On a related note, I used to like watching the pro women surfers because their surfing ability was closer to my own. I've never been as good as the best women surfers in Santa Cruz, let alone the pros around the world, but I was good enough to understand what I saw them doing. As the years have progressed, women surfers are getting better and better. The big wave surfers are way out of my league, and now this: Surf comes along and it's over for me. This is the first time Lakey has surfed this wave. I can no longer identify with what I see women surfers doing. It's just beyond me. But that's okay.

Instead of suyr

Instead of surfing this weekend I worked on "fishing." I completed the canoe restoration by installing the seats and second thwart. I had to order a few more parts and they arrived mid-week, so the weekend was spent trimming everything to dry fit, and then sealing up all the cut wood. I also sanded and added another coat of Watco to the gunwales. I had to wait for everything to dry enough to assemble, and by that time it was past noon on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, my 4-year old son was snooping in the unlocked shed and discovered the fishing poles I had brought home from my parents beach house. My parents have several poles decorating the walls of the beach house and every time we go down, my son is reminded that he wants to go fishing. So I grabbed two of the poles and whatever tackle I could scrounge up during one of my solo visits, not wanting my son to know what was in the works. But now the jig was up and he was so excited that I agreed to buy the other stuff that we needed to go fishing. We headed down to the sporting goods store with a list. One of the poles was beyond recovery, but single poles were nearly as expensive as a little starter kit of pole, reel, and a little tackle. I opted for the kit, so now my son has a brand new set-up just for him. On the drive back home I laid the groundwork for fishing next weekend. I explained how there wasn't time to test out the canoe for it's first try after we bought it and to go fishing. My son is to smart for me and laid out a logical argument for not testing the canoe and instead going fishing. He even knew where we could go! Well, he had a point, so we gathered up the tackle instead. 

The nearby water is the inner Oakland harbor. Not beautiful, but nice enough. It's saltwater, so the trout rod and tackle we had was ridiculous to be using, but I didn't tell my son that. Instead I rigged it up as well as I could with two salmon eggs, a split shot sinker and small bobber. I cast out a very short distance and had him mind the rod, watching the bobber. Meanwhile I tended to the old rod/reel that was still in working condition. I stripped the 20-year old line and put on some fresh. I got to practice the "fisherman's knot" because I had to rig my son's hook, then I used it to tie line onto my reel. I made every mistake I could, so I had to tie that knot about 7 times. I never even tied a hook to my line because it was getting close to dinner time. We left after only an hour or so at the water.

Now I feel like I'm ready for a mid-week surf. Next weekend I want to head to one of the nearby reservoirs and try fishing from the canoe. But the thing is, nobody in our house wants a fish to eat. I'd do it if I wasn't the only one, but I don't care enough to do it myself. My wife doesn't trust food that doesn't come from her favorite grocery store and my son doesn't like anything except chicken fingers and quesadillas. So sounds like we will catch and release all the fish. 

Did you know?

Did you know there is a species of dolphin in the Monterey Bay that grows up to 12 feet long? 

Risso's Dolphin

And that orca have different "ecotypes" which are the same species, but with different habits and variations in body size/shape? Although they typically live further north than the Monterey Bay, they do occasionally make visits.

Orca near Monterey Bay

How do I know this? Last week we ended our session short after one of the surfers saw a "fin too large to be a dolphin." This weekend we were at the same spot and didn't see anything. But when we got back to our car, another guy who had already changed back into his clothes said he was out at the reef and saw a very large fin. Unlike last week, this guy saw enough to know for sure it wasn't a shark. He said it came to the surface more like a dolphin but was very big. He even suggested it was an orca, and I described how dolphin fins are swept back, orca fins are tall and narrow at the base, and shark fins are closer to an equilateral triangle in shape. He couldn't fit what he saw with what I was describing, so went back to his car to do some google searches. He came back with a diagram of various types of orca. The fins I was describing were "typical" of what we see in the area, but with sea temperature rising, and exceptions always existing, I guess I should say "typical" next time I'm describing fins to someone who says they saw a shark. So the guy was convinced he saw an orca, but I think it's a little more likely he saw a Risso's Dolphin. In any case, it is a rare thing, especially to have a sighting twice! And neither is known as a man-eater. In fact, sharks typically avoid orca and dolphin, so seeing one should be reassuring.

And as for the surfing...Saturday dawn I walked down the beach in the first light and dense fog. I could tell there were waves and it was smaller than last weekend. I walked down to the left to see how it handles the swell/tide combo we had. I couldn't see the take-off from the shore so I paddled out to take an up-close look. What I found wasn't great. Some set waves were closing out. Not all at once, but enough to ruin the ride. Others were grinding in an intimidating but exciting way with less shoulder but  a hollow bowl. I struggled to work things out after deciding I didn't want to shoulder hop the biggest waves because the were fading as they rolled into the channel. Instead I wanted one of those grinders. What I needed to do (and failed at) was take off deeper where there is a narrow gap between the suck-out and the shoulder where a wave can be caught. If I could have done that, I would have headed into the next section with speed enough to navigate it. I couldn't take-off in the section because it was rolling soft then sucking out. I failed several tries, struggling to judge the waves coming out of the fog, and only able to use the kelp heads to line up on. I ended up just going in to see what the other reef was doing. 

From the beach I couldn't see the take off spot here either. I hesitated for awhile before deciding to go out anyway. I'm glad I did because there was one other guy out, and the waves were pretty good. Head+ on the take-off and bowling up nicely. Not classic for this spot, but showing signs of it. I struggled to get waves which I figured was due to being a little scared from the beating I got at the left. I caught a few, but not enough and as the tide filled in the waves got fewer and fewer. I went in feeling better than last weekend, but not ideal.

Then Sunday dawn I met up with JB for the same spot. The buoy report from 4am made it look like a good repeat of the day before. Once we started walking along the sand I knew the waves were bigger. We stopped to look at the reef and it didn't look that good, so we opted for the left. It was bigger, and something new was happening that made it really challenging. All the water was flowing off the other reef and out the channel at the left. By the time we paddled out the fog filled in and we were again out of sight of the cliff. The waves were bigger meaning the take off spot I was working on Saturday was the impact zone for the set waves. The set waves weren't great either, and it was frustrating because the current would push us out and deep, and with the fog we couldn't tell it was happening until a set came and we couldn't catch it. We over corrected and got hit by the next set. When one of us caught a wave it was awhile before we could see each other again. We decided to take the next wave in, and I rolled the dice sitting on the inside. It paid off and I finally slid into the wave and made a run at the suck-out section. It wasn't a great ride, but it was fast and I made it through several sections by dropping down and around. I washed into shore and waited for JB. He took awhile to get a wave and I couldn't see anything, and started wondering if he somehow made it to the beach before me and was walking back. I started in that direction when I finally saw him riding a wave through the fog.

We looked at the reef but couldn't see anything. We talked about how good it might be and he decided to wait and see while I paddled out. What I found was a little bigger and a little messier than Saturday, but still good enough. I was tired, but more confident. However, the dense fog made it hard to stay in the bowl and I only caught a few before calling it a day. I came in and told JB how it was and offered to paddle out for a few more if he wanted. He didn't, so we walked back to the cars.

After JB left I went to the other overlook to see. There were ridable waves, probably similar size to the reef I just left, and the tide had this reef covered in about a foot of water. The paddle out was from the other rock and looked like a bit of fight to make it to deep water. Nobody was out, it wasn't great, but it was surfable. The rocky spot looked maybe surfable too. Scott looked good in the way that it looks mushy, but it's actually pretty fun and a longer wave than any of the other spots along this area. The thing is it's perfectly visible from the road and therefore always the most crowded. It also doesn't make much of a section so it looks boring. If I had more energy I should have paddled out for one or two waves there also!

Next time I'll be able to surf multiple days in a week is Thanksgiving. So I hope the weather is good and there is a medium-small swell so I can surf without getting exhausted after one day.

Don't know what got into me,

The first big north swell since the doldrums of summer arrived Thursday afternoon. I opted to wait until Sunday when the swell was smaller, but more importantly the wind was lighter. My plan was to recon around and surf maybe twice. Coordination with JB was for dawn at the creek.

I arrived before dawn and went to the overlook. The tide was the highest since I found this overlook, but the reef was still out of the water. There were more waves than I've seen there, but nothing too organized. I headed back to the creek to meet JB. There were cars arriving and people suiting up and heading to Scotts. I wanted to watch, but JB wanted to find somewhere to surf. We watched a little bit and weren't excited at what was coming into Scotts. We decided to go to another overlook to see what was happening down at the left.

It looked good and empty, so we suited up and did the walk. I brought the Fred Rubble and the TH with the intention of getting a feel for both. JB did something unusual, he asked what the plan is if one of us gets bit by a shark. A fair question because these spots are out of the way, out of sight, and a good effort to get to. The plan is to stop the bleeding and then run to go get help. Seems like the best plan.

I started with the FR and struggled a bit. I couldn't get my feet set right on the takoff, and the wave was pretty short so there wasn't time to make adjustments. I rode some waves but never felt right, so I headed to the beach and traded for the TH. On the way back out I got rejected because I didn't have the strength to properly duckdive the TH under the set that caught me. I went back to the sand and walked around to the other side of the reef. When I got there, the group of three were all coming in saying one had seen a fin come to the surface too close for comfort. I asked him if it was a dolphin fin and what the shape was. He said it was just too big for a dolphin. I was skeptical, but because JB had brought it up, something he'd never done before, the situation got to me. My approach to sharks has always been to listen to my gut and follow my instincts. I've gone surfing after being told there is a shark in the water, and I've stopped surfing just because things felt off. This time I was 50/50, but decided to not go back out. All four of us tried to signal JB and we waited for him to come in. He finally came in (he said it was weird he was suddenly alone out there and came in to ask why) and by that time more guys were heading out. We told one guy the situation and he said, "Yeah, it happens." and paddled out anyway.

This would have been a good time to go look around and recon other spots, but for some reason I wasn't in the mood. It's a shame because this is what I've been waiting for, an opportunity to see these spots with a little bit of swell. Instead I headed to my parents place to reset the router for my dad and to steal some of his fishing gear. I should have checked the rocks and the point, but instead I just drove home. I don't know what got into me, but I just didn't take full advantage of this trip to the beach.

The good news is the family will be heading to my parents beach house next weekend, and there is a bit of swell forecast too. I'll get a bunch of chances to go surf.

Skunked

I wasn't going to post about last weekend's session because I was irritated at getting skunked. Worse is that the buoy made it look like it was going to be slightly better than the good time I had the prior weekend. I awoke and checked the buoy at 3am to find 1.6' at 17sec from 195deg. I was too excited to fall back asleep so I got up and went down early. Arriving at the beach in the dark I could hear the sound of waves through the closed car windows. I must have been a weather phenomenon because even in the first light when everything was still monochrom blues, I could see it was very small. I walked slowly taking a good look at every little spot. I didn't see much and even walked around the slippery rock to get a straight on view of the left. I ended up sitting on the beach for an hour, not seeing anything to get excited about, before finally paddling out because maybe it was better than it looked. I rode one wave and missed a bunch. I stayed out for 45-min only seeing one or two waves that were maybe just okay. I paddled in and walked back. I tried the left at the old man's spot and although it looked better, it was still not enough to ride. I gave it 30-min and paddled in. I walked up to the main reef, walking slowly because the tide was still a bit too low. I got there to find one person making the most of it, which wasn't much. I sat on the beach for 30-min and then again paddled out hoping it was better than it looked. I might have been able to make something of it but it was meager at best. I was done and not in the mood to fight it. As I was paddling in more people were heading out to give it a try. I got the impression that I wasn't missing it anywhere else.
I don't understand why the prior weekend was so good and this weekend was so bad. The buoy looked so similar!

Looking forward, the first big north swell since spring is on it's way. The forecast calls for wind, and the tide is high in the morning. It will be quite different and even if I don't surf I'll have plenty of looking around to do to see how different spots are working.

But first, I have several holes in my wetsuit I should repair before the weekend...

Double dip

Small swell similar to last weekend was forecast, but a little more west in both the N and S swells. The low tide was also very pre-dawn. I decided my best chance was to hit the new left at first light. This meant getting up at 3:30am, and walking the sand in the dark. The effort paid off and I got some waves. About an hour after I paddled our, JB joined me. He got a few as well, but the tide was killing it. The next part of my plan was to walk back and surf the other, mid-tide left. I hung on the beach waiting for JB and watching the rim. There were certainly waves to be ridden, but nothing that got me to paddle out. JB came in and we headed to the other left. It was good with the 3.5’ tide and small swell. I felt it was even better because it had all the size, a better wall, and was more consistent. JB thought it wasn’t as good because it’s a steeper drop and more shifty. Anyway, we got waves at both spots and had a good double dip session. 

Science is a LIAR sometimes

The title references a funny bit from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" that is appropriate for this past weekend. The WWiii forecast looked promising, but the best part, the SW swell forecasted, didn't happen. There was a small NW swell, but the bigger NW wind swell didn't show up. There was a long period south swell, but it was supposed to be a bit more from the SW, which would have hit with more size. The true SW never showed up, but maybe it's just the 12-hour too early situation that WWiii has been doing lately. (I just checked and the SCA buoy has a bit of it now.) The weather was great, and far as I can tell the tides were correct.

Saturday morning had the least potential and after a cursory review of Scott's, I parked at the Landing and walked the cliff to the north. I wanted to see how far I needed to walk before I could see around the corner. It was further than I expected, but well worth the effort because it gave me a different perspective of some spots I've been watching from afar. One of the spots looked good enough for longboarding. I continued to check spots as the tide changed and it's pretty clear that small waves and low tide is unsurfable at Scotts, and it looked almost worth it after the tide came up a little. I saw some ridable lefts off the top of the reef. I didn't surf that day.

Sunday morning I looked at the buoys at 4:30am and saw nothing had changed so went back to sleep. Around 7:15 I left the family and went back to the spot I'd looked at Saturday, this time along the sand and with the V-pin underarm. I rode several waist high or smaller waves on the right. It was fun enough, but only for a short portion of the wave. Even the set-waves were only good for a short ride. I never caught one as good as the few good ones I had seen from the cliff. I've been watching the left as well and paddled over to it to see what it was like. It was better than the right but shifty and a challenge on the longboard. It reminded me of rock view, but going the other direction. I got some rides and got a feel for the way it worked. Scott's looked small, but better with a bit more water over the reef, and the left looked tempting again. That evening I coordinated with JB. I convinced him to go to this "left" spot with me, with our funboards.

Monday morning I was nervous that I had made a bad call because the North swell got smaller, and the SW never showed. The S was a tiny bit bigger (2.0 instead of 1.5 feet). We took the long walk and there were waves along the way, but nothing exciting at all. Even the left we were heading to didn't look like much, until we paddled into the channel and a set came. It wasn't amazing or anything, but it was more than a lot of other places, and it was enough. We traded waves trying to work out the shifty nature of the place. We both got some shoulder high drops and a few that lined up allowing for two full cutbacks. But also several smaller ones and several that just had a drop and then died. It seemed softer than Sunday, but maybe that's because I was on the funboard instead of the longboard and could handle it better. Things seemed best at the bottom of the 2 foot tide, and deteriorated when the tide turned and filled. Scotts started looking good at that point, but I didn't look closely.

So, I think I found another spot along there that likes a low tide and a south swell. The others being the Landing and foremile, both of which get too crowded on the weekends. I can say that I haven't found anything that stands ahead of the best of the "in-town" spots. If nobody was around I'd probably go to the Lane, or First Peak instead. I imagine foremile would have been better (but crowded) too. So with that in mind, I think I need to hide these spots. Even just two more people would make these spots not worth the effort. (At least on these marginal days.) 

The Final Countdown

Coming to the end of the quarantine, just in time for a long weekend at my parents beach house. The weather forecast isn't perfect for surfing, but I will be able to work something out. The swell forecast is promising with a little something from S, NW, and even a SW expected. The only hang up is that, at the moment, the road to Scott's is still closed. Although the firefighters are getting things under control, the burn map shows the fire crossed Hwy 1 hear Ano Nuevo. If there are burned trees or damaged cross-culverts, then driving the road could be a hazard. If there are unprotected houses, or just a need for emergency crews to have a clear road to do their work, then that would also explain the continued closure. In any case, I hope they get the road open in time for the weekend. If not, I'll still get some surf, just maybe not at my first choice. With the wind, my first choice might not turn out to be the right choice anyway.

Since it's been a few weeks, and longer since I got any good surf, I'm extra stoked for the prospect of what's to come. I'm going to savor the moment by summarizing the forecast:

Friday Evening: Mixed South and NW swell, 1.70 low tide at 6:30pm, light S/SW wind forecast in town.

Saturday Morning: Same mixed South and NW swell, small SW swell, 1.15 low tide at 6:45am, calm wind forecast in town, 20kt NW wind up the coast.

Saturday Evening: Fading South, NW, and small SW swell, 1.63 low tide at 7:15pm, calm/variable wind forecast in town, easing wind but still around 10kt up the coast.

Sunday Morning: Fading South, NW, and small SW swell, 1.61 low tide at 7:15am, calm wind in town, 6-10kt NNW wind but probably not starting until mid-morning.

Sunday Evening: Fading South, NW, and new SW swell, 1.59 low tide at 8pm, calm wind in town, 6-10kt NNW wind but probably not starting until mid-morning.

Monday Morning: Tide 2.06 at 7:45am. 

So the problems for surfing up the coast appears to be the short period NW all weekend, and the Saturday winds. Saturday morning is also the lowest tide of the weekend, so considering the forecast, I think I know what I'll end up doing. I'll go for a longboard surf early morning at the patch of reef I "missed it" at a few weekends ago. Then I'll do some recon in the wind to help determine where the next session should be. I sure hope they get the road open!

the rundown

 Well shoot, a whole lot has happened.

1) A rare lightning storm.

2) I got a new TH by selling my TH one day and buying a smaller one a few days later. 

3) Fires.

4) Quarantine.

At 3 am on Sunday morning the flashes of light woke me up even though I didn't hear thunder. I checked the weather page to see what was going on and the coast was lit up with thunderstorms. I drove down the inland route before cutting to the coast around the back side of the storms. I got to see lightning in the dark but it was mostly offshore and I didn't experience much wind or any rain. Unfortunately the low tide and small waves left nothing surfable, at least not to me. I hung around an exposed reef watching the tiny waves occasionally roll in, but mostly exploring tide pools and watching the sunrise light show of dramatic clouds and sunrise rainbows. As the breeze changed directions I occasionally smelled smoke. Later, two guys paddled out around 8 am and I was shocked to see the "tiny" waves weren't as small as I thought. In fact, for the 2 hours nobody was out, I would have had fun out there if I had my longboard with me.

Picking up the new TH happened mid-morning after hanging around the beach. I drove down to Aptos and got the board before returning to the same spot along the coast. The tide was higher and the wind hadn't picked up too much. I drove around a little looking at spots I've been trying to figure out before returning to Scott's. It didn't look good, but it looked good enough. I paddled out on the new TH to see what I could make of it. The board felt much smaller under me. Maybe not too small, but close to the limit. Less of a mid-length and more of a shortboard for a 44 year old who lives inland and surfs once a week. That's okay, it'll do. The waves weren't good enough for me to really get a feel for the board, but besides the volume I got the sense that the nose was less forgiving. The first TH had belly and rocker in the nose. The new TH seems to have less of both. 

So I made the most of what I had and went home. JB and I agreed we'd surf whatever we could the next weekend. But by Tuesday, the news was all about the fires started by the dry lightning storm. Several smaller fires were burning in a complex along the mountains of southern San Mateo and northern Santa Cruz. The smoke was heavy and Highway 1 was closed off because of it and to clear the way for fire crews. JB and I came up with alternate plans to try Pacifica and Montera, but by Thursday HMB and Pacifica were announcing their beaches were closed due to smoke, covid, fire crews passing through, and evacuees needing space. So I started looking around and realized OBSF was one of the few places open. It didn't look very good on the cams, but maybe it would be okay one of the weekend mornings.

Then Friday my son's pre-school called to tell us one of the teachers tested positive. My son had direct contact with that teacher recently, so he's on 14-day quarantine, and so are we. I updated JB that I was out of commission for the next two weekends.

So that's where I am now. The good news is everyone in my family is healthy so far, we both still have a job, and I haven't missed any good surf. With any luck things will be back to normal in early September and I'll be able to update about the good waves I surfed.

Rocks and reefs

Last weekend I rode the V-pin at 4-mile. The forecast was for very small waves and a bit of wind, so 4-mile was the obvious choice. It ended up being difficult to get rides, but fun enough. I got one good one from the top of the point, but "good" is relative.

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend two nights at my family's beach house. The forecast was similar to last weekend and I didn't expect the windswell to make any ridable waves, but I was wrong. Saturday mid-morning I rode my surf mat at Rockview. It was great making the most of the small waves and skimming over the kelp that kept the longboarders away from where I was riding. Sunday morning I went on a reconnaissance mission up the coast. Its not as hidden as other places I've surfed, but it's enough out of the way that it's not frequented. Sunday clearly wasn't the best conditions for this spot, but it was good enough to be worth getting wet. I think I'll go back sometime when there's a bit more swell in the water.

We did less cleaning of the beach house this time. Instead we did more relaxing and breathing of the cool beach air. There's something about that place that eases my mind. The wifi signal is also weak so playing on my phone is no fun. Instead I'll be content just sitting, or leafing through a field guide to birds. 

No Surf

I know if I had made more of an effort I could have ridden waves.

I took a mini-vacation to my parent's beach cottage. The place has been uninhabited for almost a year, and with COVID, my parents struggled to find someone they trusted to maintain it. Also blamed on COVID was our inability to go on a vacation this summer, so we combined the two situations into a mini-vacation/maintenance visit. We spent part of each day cleaning, weeding, and informing my parents of problems we found. I replaced the kitchen sink faucet that was on the verge of breaking off and spraying water everywhere. Meanwhile, the waves were small in town and the weather was holding down the wind. The result was tiny waves at the point that were surfable all day long. The first day was a travel day and knocking the dust off the house. The next day was fixing the sink and other chores. The third day I woke before dawn and headed out to the point in the darkness. There were already at least 6 other surfers out. They seemed pretty stoked to be chasing down every ripple, hooting to each other and speaking at regular volume between waves. In the pre-dawn light and stillness of no wind and small waves, the loud voices made me uncomfortable. I paddled away to a spot with nobody out because the waves weren't hitting it very well. I only got a few rides, and nothing memorable, before the thought of what else I could do to clean the cottage started filling my thoughts between waves. I went in unsatisfied with the experience. I knew I could go up the coast for waves, especially with the calm winds, but instead I opted to spend a day sleeping. My body was feeling the effects the extra effort I've been putting in at work and at home. On Saturday it felt like it all caught up to me and after three cups of coffee, I went back to sleep anyway. It worked because I spent Sunday morning pulling weeds, trimming vines, and doing general cleanup around the yard.

The highlight of the vacation was each afternoon going down to the beach to play in the waves with my son. I played along with the imagination games, running up and down with the waves, and built a few sand castles. I was proud as his confidence with the ocean slowly increased. On the last day a wave pulled him off his feet and I wasn't there to scoop him up right away. I was nearby, and ready if he didn't get to his feet before the next wave came, but I wanted to let him save himself this time. It worked out as he managed to run up the beach before the next wave came, but his confidence was clearly shaken. We took a break to warm up and get some snacks at the towels.

I explained to him that the house belongs to his grand parents, but when they die it will belong to me. He argued to skip that step and just have the house be his, like now, and us to move there. I know that feeling of a great vacation and wishing that was your life, even though I didn't feel it this trip. I'm glad we have this place by the beach to go and visit so easily. I look forward to many more days of chasing my son along the sand, and one day pushing him into a wave.

You should have been here yesterday

"Not glassy like yesterday." said the guy who pulled up next to us. We were looking at junk trying to motivate ourselves to go get some exercise, dealing with the knowledge that Town was firing yesterday. We didn't want to go surf with the Town crowds, but didn't know where to go to get away from the junky conditions. A hard pill to swallow knowing this was the peak of what was probably one of the top 3 south swells of the summer.

The swell was forecast to peak Saturday night, so Sunday morning looked like a good bet. Unfortunately, there was junk on the ocean from winds somewhere north of us. The north coast looked terrible with the north cross chop breaking up the lines of the south swell. Add to it that I was trying to explore new options for a big south and I was lost trying to figure out where to surf. JB and I forced it at Scott's reef and it was worse than it looked from the road. Even inside a bit there was still cross-chop breaking up the waves. It also seemed like the south wasn't really hitting it. We bailed after 45min of trying to make it work and went in opposite directions. I went to the right inside of dog rock. From what I understand it is really a novelty wave, not great even at its best. But the strong north wind had come up and this is one spot that faces into the north wind so it was blowing offshore. I took out the TH with the quad setup and was able to catch a few. It was really frustrating because the best waves were the mid-sized ones while the sets were breaking across the top of the reef and just rolling along the edge. I caught some mid-sized ones and got a decent ride, but when I cutback the offshore wind pushed against the board hard and was difficult to control. Normally the solution would be to use the wave face to balance against the winds and make turns at steeper faces, but the wave didn't have much room for that. I ended up just sorta milking whatever I could out of whatever waves I got. I think it would be more fun either on a longboard to be able to paddle around more, or on the surfmat to be able to takeoff in the whitewater.

Word from JB was that the landing was fun. So, next time we'll do that instead of forcing Scott's.

Three reef day

I had the day off and family was out of town. The swell was small but the weather was good so I made the most of it by returning to the same old that I've been frequenting this spring. Also motivating me was a new (to me) CI Fred Rubble I picked up. I really wanted to know if I could still ride a 6'5" thruster shape. I started at Molino and caught a few blah waves. I didn't even see any good waves so I decided to go down past the rock to the other reef. I caught more waves there, but they didn't have much shoulder to them and I couldn't get a feel for the new board. I was able to catch waves just fine, and that felt good. In the few brief moments that I got the board up to speed, if felt like I remember a thruster feeling. Its that feeling of not having to wind up for a turn and lay into it, instead the board reacts as fast as I can. Of course when the wave is slow and flat the board doesn't do anything, and days like today are spent chasing that feeling.

After 45 mins I gave up and headed back. I walked slowly along the beach searching for more waves but didn't see any worthwhile. I kept walking all the way up to Scott's where two guys were out making the most of it. I saw a few waves away from where they were, and looked good enough, so I paddled out. I caught a few of them, but wished I had the extra volume of the Tree Hugger to chase down the waves better. The waves were shifting around and it was hard to get into one at the right spot. My knee wasn't feeling right so I decided to give up before something bad happened. Plus, I think Sunday will be pretty good and I wanted to save myself for that.

Afterwards I took some time to look around at other waves. Someone was out at horse shoe, but they weren't getting any rides. A couple guys were even further north and it made me wonder how they got over there. Did they take a really long walk, or is there another trail down closer to where they were. I didn't see them get any good waves so I didn't investigate further and headed up to Dog Rock. There was a left out front, and the wrapping right could have been surfed with a longboard, or a determined shortboarder. There were two guys a little north of the rock too. I could only see them drop and make one turn before they disappeared behind the headland, but I saw one of them go square off the bottom and top, which was the best turn I saw all day. I want to try these spots, but today wasn't the day. I continued north and Waddell was as crowded as I have seen. The main lot was closed, so cars and trucks lined Hwy 1. I didn't stop to look, figuring the crowds could have it, whatever it was. Onwards north with an eye on the ocean all the time. I didn't see much more along the way, but stopped at the overlook to watch some waves crash chaotically around that flat (not really) rock. A determined person could make it work out there, but it would be more novelty than surfing. I couldn't see anything down at Ross', but that only means it wasn't pushing 8ft.

So, in summary, it was summery. I got to try a small board and it worked for me. I'll continue to try to get it into the right kind of waves, and now I know 36L isn't too small for me, but it's close. I know I can duckdive 49L (the Tree Hugger is non-standard dims) and ideal would be something in the low 40s.

I'd love to get a board that has the 5-fin with the center box so I could continue the fin experiments but also have the option of a snapping turn now and then. Of course, maybe I'll work it out on the TH and manage a few anyway. I still need to try it as single and as quad, and I'm pretty sure it would work better as a thruster if I toyed with the fin position a bit more. Still, instead of the two boards, I'd like to have something in-between them both.

Another pre-surf post

I'm looking forward to this week. The 4th of July holiday is Saturday, and my work is giving us Friday off. The weather forecast is for calm winds through the weekend, and there is a south swell mixed with some north. The tides are negative pre-dawn, so everything appears lined up for a dawn surf Friday, and then again Sunday, back at the same stretch of coast I've been enjoying lately. Not epic, but hopefully as good as its been.

I have a habit of looking at Craigslist for surfboards several times a day. I'm looking for anything interesting, affordable, and within reach. I talked to a guy about a mid-length bonzer at a good price, but couldn't coordinate a meetup that worked for both of us. I'm not sure a bonzer is really what I want/need right now, but at that price I was willing to try!  What has really been on my mind was the few waves I got on JB's Smooth Operator. The board felt really good on the few turns I had on it. It felt small compared to the TH I was riding, but I caught waves no problem. It felt secure under my feet, but reacted without resistance when I turned it hard. It reminded me of many years ago when I rode a 6'1" potato chip thruster. Back when I was able to get that board into a wave with juice, the board went wherever I wanted. All I had to do was think about what I wanted, move my body, and the board did it. (The flip side was the 95% of the waves I missed or couldn't generate enough speed on.) So I've been watching Craigslist looking for something similar to JBs board, and found something.

A guy was nearly throwing away a CI Fred Rubble. It's 6'5" thruster with Futures, and he threw in the leash and a fin set, all for $40! I figured even if the board was about to buckle and fall apart, I could get a few waves on it and help answer some questions for myself. When I met the guy and had the board in my hands I was shocked by what good shape it was in. It had clearly been ridden for many years, but all the dings had been repaired. It didn't have any delams or stress fractures, both of which are challenging to repair to the point that I don't bother. Its kinda wide for it's length, although it's stock dimensions, but that's good for me comping off the wide quads. I knew it was a popular shape before buying it, but when I got home a dove a bit deeper into some research, it turns out to be very much in-line with what I'm looking for. Its described as a middle of the road board for middle of the road conditions. I'll be taking it out to kinda juicy waves, but certainly not barrels. Its on the small side, so if I can ride it I'll know that anything bigger I'll be able to handle. I really hope this experiment is enlightening.

Last minute update. I just got word that the surf was marginal at best this morning. Time to moderate my expectations so I don't psych myself up and get disappointed.

Back at the reef

This is from last weekend. A shot of the 50% of the reason I arrived to the beach late. Also can be seen is the Velzy V-fin on the Vernor Tree Hugger. It fits this week because I went to the same spot, same board, same fin. This weekend the swell was a bit bigger and the tide was lower, I arrived at first light, and I twisted JB's arm into coming down to the reef with me. It was touch and go for a bit there because as we were taking the walk down the beach there were several good waves hitting two distinct peaks along the sand. Both peaks had good waves both left and right, but I persisted. I really wanted to see this spot at the very low tide we had at dawn.

I'm glad we persisted because my suspicions were confirmed about the quality of the break at the low tide. There wasn't much swell, but a bit more than last weekend. I got more good waves than last weekend and was stoked to see JB get good ones too. We surfed just the two of us for a few hours when we spotted another surfer walking our way.

He ended up being friendly enough, sitting off the main peak, smiling and chatting with us. However, my body was starting to complain and the magic of the morning had faded. JB and I agreed to take one in and also take a second look at the sand on the way back.

The sand didn't look as good as on the first walk past, but there were guys surfing and getting decent rides. We stopped to watch and saw good waves go unridden, some good rides, and then nothing as the set ended and a long wait before another set. I clocked out but JB waited longer wanting to extend his session.

I think if I'm faced with the same conditions again, I will opt for the waves at the sand and wait for more swell to work with before choosing the reef. The reef is exciting, but at that size it was mostly racing the wave without much room for cutbacks or top turns.

About the V-fin: I think it works. It felt better than the mixed tri-fin setups I had been using. I started with it all the way at the front of the box and it felt good. Then the waves got juicier and it felt too squirrely. I moved it back an inch and regained control, but it was overly stiff. Forward a half inch and it felt good in the "powerful" waves. My next step will be to try the board with the plain jane 8" single fin. I think that will provide a neutral point from which to judge the board and other fin options.

Down at the reef

Back to the same stretch I've been enjoying recently. I was out of coordination with JB because I had convinced my family to come for a beach day. Going at the "family pace" meant leaving the house around the time I'd normally be already in the lineup. When I arrived I saw someone down at the reef and thought it was JB, so headed there myself. Before I paddled out that person had paddled in and was heading up the cliff, so I surfed it solo. It was fun enough. Not really doing its thing but it was doing something. The larger waves hit the reef correctly while the smaller ones were surprisingly ridable even though hitting the inside pounder reef. I only caught a few with much shoulder to do more than the one cutback, and those few made it all the more worthwhile.

I was out on the TH with the side fins removed and the Velzy V-fin pushed forward in the box. It felt really good. It bottom turned and cut back in a way similar to a multi-fin board, like maybe a tri-fin. It felt better than the time I had it on very small waves on the longboard, but that's probably because I had some wave face to work with. 

The sand

We tried to recreate last weekend's success at Funboards, but it didn't work. The swell was different with a smaller north in the mix. The tide was very low at dawn instead of mid-tide and dropping. Worst of all, there was some wind on it even at dawn. Funboards didn't look right. Admittedly we didn't fully check it out. We didn't walk down to get a better look because instead we opted for the sandbar plainly visible from the road. Last weekend it was more hollow and I felt I couldn't handle it on my funboard and talked JB out of it. This weekend though, it was just enough softer to be worth a try. As it turned out the wave would stand up and give a chance to paddle in early and start gaining speed before it tried to close out. Picking the right wave resulted in a speed run to the beach, and I got several of those. It was just JB and I, and I felt free to catch all the waves I could, try turns and other stuff without the worry of hitting another surfer. The waves weren't all that great, but we made the most of it.

JB loaned me a 4.5" center fin and I loaded 4.5" side fins into the TH. I wasn't sure where to put the center fin in relation to the sides, but I got it in the general vicinity. It wasn't a good session to test fins because all I could do with the wave was pump a little down the line in a speed run. I tried going right a few times but for all but one wave it quickly and violently shut down. So, as for my learning about fins, it was an inconclusive day. As for getting exercise, having fun with a friend, fresh air and nature, it was a great day!

Funboards

This weekend I surfed a spot I've never surfed before, and never seen anyone surf. The wave isn't all that great, and it's only a little more effort than normal to get to, but for whatever reason it seems to get neglected. Perhaps I surfed it "as good as it gets" this weekend and have a skewed view of it's quality. Anyway...

It breaks in front of a rock shelf that sticks out from the cliff and blocks beach walkers from going any further. I had convinced a friend to join me for small waves and lefts at a reef near dawn on Sunday morning. Saturday night I got word that the waves were bigger than expected and confirmed with a double check of the buoys. Yup. Not a big swell, just also not small like I expected.

We looked around a little bit in the area of the coast I've been taking a closer look at recently. Scott's reef looked surprisingly bad. Surfable, but nothing even as good as the not so good I've been getting. We looked around a little bit and decided to try the other reef I surfed last week. It didn't look good, but I thought maybe it would get better as the tide dropped. We were walking our way over to it and JB kept stopping to look at waves along the walk. I told him I couldn't join him in sand barrels because I can't duck dive the Tree Hugger well enough. He opted to stick with me wherever I went and we walked on until we came to the rock. There were waves at this rock that could be surfed, especially with the mid-length boards we had. We decided to surf here and then continue on as the tide dropped and the other spot got better. As it turned out, we were having so much fun we spent three hours there. The wave was steep at the take off but mellowed a bit after making the drop. Some lined up but most had short shoulders. Most went left by we managed a handful of rights to mix things up. As long as I didn't try to ride too far to the beach, the paddle back out was pretty easy and getting caught by a wave usually wasn't a problem, just stay out of the pit. We didn't have a name for the spot, and I thought "Funboards" was a good name. We were on funboards (see more below) and the wave wasn't great for shortboards because it was rather soft. Also, I think fewer people will be curious about how to find a spot named "funboards" than if we named it something like "Supertubes" or "The Ranch" or "Secret Spot."

Okay, I'm going to riff on funboards. In the last few years the surf industry has been marketing the "mid-length" board. First, in the Transition Era of surfing in the very late 1960's and 1970's surfers were riding shorter and shorter boards. As a group these boards that were shorter than everything that came before were named "Transition boards." Aspects of longboard shapes were being removed/replaced by new designs. The change over saw significant design overlap making for some funky shapes when conflicting design aspects were combined. But it also led to the shapes we all ride today.

I learned to surf at the beginning of the Longboard Revolution of the 1990s and to me the mid-length was always the range between what I could duck-dive and what had good paddling speed, the 7'6" to 8'6" range. I hate than range because, without a wide open channel, I would just get washed around by waves all day. At that time there was also a style of surfboards which were oversized shortboards and were called "funboards" or "hybrids." Pedantic people (like me) would tell you the funboards had design elements that made them easy to ride for beginners while hybrids were high volume shortboards made for aging surfers with skill. There's also the style called the semi-gun which is for steep large waves in the 10-15 foot range where more paddle speed is needed, but narrow outline is also needed.

These last few years (the 20-teens) what the industry marketers are calling mid-length is somewhere in the range the Transition era boards with wide outlines and flat rockers mixed with harder rails and shorter lengths. One obvious difference with the modern mid-length is the use of multiple fin boxes. Now the boards can be ridden single-fin style or multi-fin style, with up to 5 boxes like the TreeHugger.

But this weekend I rode JBs Lost Smooth Operator. Its multi-boxes and 6'10" like the TH, but much thinner and closer to a shortboard in design. It had less paddle speed, but I caught waves just fine on it. Steep drops felt better because the board fell away from me like a shortboard instead of hanging up like a longboard. I even did a  hard cutback on it into a mild version of a roundhouse (without hitting any whitewater). I surprised myself because I didn't think I had it in me. In contrast the TH lags on such a turn and I've gotten caught-up on the lip and pitched, or the turn was slower and couldn't be wrapped around so more speed was lost. JBs board was setup as a thruster with a 4.5" center fin while mine had a 6.5" center fin. This alone could be the difference in the way the boards feel. So the TH rides more like an egg or a funboard while the Smooth rides more like a hybrid, or just a big-boy shortboard. Their website says the board has flatter rocker, so I'll call it a hybrid.

That's not to say I have any interest in giving up the TH. I bought it for what it is: a great fit between longboard and shortboard with the benefit of the center fin box. I have only dabbled into the myriad fins I have on hand to try on the TH. Maybe I should even bring a bag of fins down to the sand and swap them mid-session. So much playing around to be done!

Mini-adventure

I was stoked to score some good south swell at my favorite negative low tide pre-dawn spot. However, the swell arrive more than 12 hours late. I saw it was late at 3am when my alarm went off and I checked the buoys to see exactly how epic it would be. Seeing nothing, I loaded up and drove to the beach anyway, hopeful, but also knowing anything would be better than nothing.

I headed to Scotts and in the early twilight I could see that not much was happening. I hadn't expected much because my last try out there with the negative low tide and small waves wasn't too great, but this was even smaller. I checked the buoys again (nothing) and decided a roadside nap would be just right to let the swell fill in. The nap was what I needed, but no swell filled in. I headed down the road to an overlook at WFs and although there were waves, it looked like my chances of bouncing off the reef were high. The smaller waves were breaking in very shallow water and there was a flat rock in the middle of the ride. It didn't look worth the risk. So I headed up the road at another overlook. Not much better, but definitely better. It wasn't doing its thing by any stretch of the imagination, but it was surfable. I even saw one nicely shaped one and figured I should at least try to get one like it. Anyhow anyway, it seemed like a good day to recon alternate routes to the spot.

I circled back to repark, pulled out the Pacheco, leisurely suited up, and started the long walk. Turns out the low tide made the walk pretty straightforward. I'm not sure the way would be passable if there was any swell and even a medium-low tide. Paddling out was a hassle because the reef, like many reefs along this stretch, is shaped like those zen rock gardens where there are parallel lines with ridges and troughs. The lines all point to the bowl, and I'd rather paddle around the waves, so to get out to the waves I had to climb up, down, up, down repeatedly. It got  more interesting as I got further out and the waves got bigger but I was still on sections of reef that were out of water between waves. I managed, and was glad I was alone so nobody had to watch me fumble along. Once I got out the next struggle was figuring out how to surf the mixed up wind-swell. The small ones looked good, but before I could get to my feet the bottom would drop out and the shoulder would close out. Luckily I kept missing the small ones and caught a few medium sized cross-ups that made a catchable peak right at the bowl. But those disappeared before I could make my first cutback, and I decided they weren't worth the effort. The sets were better, but even those weren't all ridable. Some swung north, others south. This is very different than the clean-consistent a-frame bowl that this spot produces when it's on. Still, there were hints of that every once in awhile. I managed only one of those a-frame waves, and several other less memorable rides, by myself. At about the 2 hour mark I noticed people checking it out from the cliff, and one guy didn't hesitate to join me. Interestingly, he paddled up and approached with a mix of, "sorry to bother your solitude," mixed with, "I've been surfing here for 40+ years." I greeted him and appreciated having someone else in the water with me because the shark vibe was starting to grab hold of my imagination between waves. The next few waves were good but I completely blew all of them. I figured my day was done and headed in. Getting to shore is just as tricky as getting out, or maybe a bit easier because the waves wash me in the correct direction. But they also washed me in quicker than I could survey the spots where the reef was out of the water and I count myself lucky to have avoided hitting my fins, or worse.

I made the long walk back to the car noticing the unusual Memorial Day / heat wave crowd filling all the parking spots so early. I leisurely got back into my clothes, enjoying the warm weather and keeping an eye on the reef at Scotts to verify I hadn't missed anything. There were a few people surfing along the sand, but nobody up at the reef, so I think I made the right decision this morning.

It took a little bit of adjustment coming off riding the TreeHugger onto the Pacheco, mostly in the wave catching. Once I got to my feet is felt fine. The extra maneuverability didn't cause me to loose control, so I think that's a good thing. The TH continues to be a purchase I'm satisfied with.

Back in town I stopped to get an Epoxy repair kit because last weekend I broke through the rail on the TH with my shin while not managing a late drop going left at Scotts. I thought I would fill it with superglue because it was a shallow shatter with just one flake of glass broken through. But I'm glad I double-checked my memory because it turns out the EPS foam often used with Epoxy construction doesn't play well with cyanoacrylate (superglue). The glue melts the foam! So I'll have to do a proper repair whenever this heatwave lets up, but hopefully before next weekend.

Pre-Surf

I normally post about my experiences surfing, trying to keep a log of what works and what doesn't work. This time I'm doing it different by posting something before I go surf. Tomorrow has good potential for several spots and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. Of course this is a good problem to have, and one that I hope to have again. In addition to not knowing where is my best bet for surfing, I also can't decide which board would be the best bet. Part of the problem is I've opened my eyes to the other surf spots that I had written off for various reasons, but I've recently found to be worthwhile. But the waves at those spots are quite different from what I'm familiar with, and I'm not sure what to expect and what to bring to handle the conditions. Alas, this is a problem with the whole concept of "surf quiver" and proves that there are not simple black and white decisions in life. I love having options and being able to mix it up, but without fail I have anxiety when I'm packing my car. Just for sake of an example, I'll go over just some of the options I'm considering.

1) Rock

    a) Tree Hugger with which one of 5 fin combinations I have on my mind.

2) Cove

    a) Again, Tree Hugger + fin decision, See 1) a)

3) Waddell

    a) See 1) a)

    b) Hess semi-gun, funboard, quad-fish, mini-quad fish (depending on where along the reef I choose.

4) Scott

    a) Tree Hugger and try Stage 6 again

    b) Tree Hugger and one of the other 4 fin combinations.

    c) Hess semi-gun, funboard, quad-fish, mini-quad fish.

5) Rim

    a) See "Scott" options above.

6) That other spot next to it.

    a) ??? Doesn't matter because I've never surfed it so no matter what I chose I'll learn something.

7) 4-Mile

    a) See 1) a) above

    b) Hess quad-fish (Pacheco)

    c) Hess mini quad-fish

8) Natural

    a) See 5) above.

9) Mitchel

    a) See 1) a) above

    b) Hess quad-fish

    c) Hess mini-gun if it's working around the corner.

The numerous combinations are often narrowed down by conditions and/or my mood. But as I said, conditions look good for all these spots and more. (At least I know I won't be longboarding.) I usually allow myself two boards because I'll sometimes carry two down to the beach, and if I don't, I only risk loosing one if my car gets broken into. But with the options I've identified, I have five to choose from.

...

Okay, I'll most likely bring the Tree Hugger because it's been fun to ride lately and I'm still experimenting with it. It overlaps the most with the Hess funboard, so that means I need to decide between the remaining three as my alternate. Although the TH also overlaps with the Pacheco, they are enough different that I wouldn't consider them interchangeable for a lot of conditions. The Pacheco is also the shape that fits the best with the kind of surfer I am. But the mini-quad fish has been on my mind and would work for several of the "dream waves" I imagine I'll see. Being mini, it needs a good wave for me to even catch, but isn't that what I expect tomorrow? 

Oh god, this is what it sounds like inside my head sometimes!

POST SURF EDIT on Wednesday

Oh the irony. The forecast was a bust and the swell arrived late, after I got home. The swell was small, and I ended up a Scott riding the Tree Hugger with the Stage 6 fin and side fins. It was similar to the prior session, but smaller. Funky shifty but otherwise clean. I had fun catching waves but didn't feel like I caught enough. I was out for 2 hours and got tired and came in. I checked down the coast and saw rim was unsurfable, the next reef was sorta surfable, while Davenprt was really good. Not only good, but crowded. Like "in-town" type crowds. I was surprised, but this isn't an area I'm familiar with so maybe it wasn't unusual.
The day as a whole got me thinking of the SUP to waves idea, now with the option of bringing a surfboard. I've spent a few hours researching on the web since Saturday and it looks like it wouldn't be too hard and would be fun. Saturday would have been a great day for it with small swell and no wind. I'll keep an eye out for another similar day to give it a try.

On my way home I stopped by JB's place to check out his updated quiver. In one month he ordered a Lost Smooth Operator, a CI-Mid, and a Modern "Classic" longboard. The two mid-lengths have less volume than my Tree Hugger and look like they would be fun. JB has gotten them into waves and says they're both great. He's never ridden a longboard much, so his one session on that was not great. But he already likes how easy it is to catch waves. He gave me a 6-in center fin to try in my Tree Hugger. It's very close to the 6.5 bonzer fin I've already tried, but I'll still try it the next time I want to feel the thruster type feeling under my feet. In fact, I think the next time I try Scott I should swap to a thruster setup.

Keeping with the forward looking blogging, next weekend looks like a difficult combination of small swell, larger wind-swell, and onshore winds. The wind forecasts have been predicting winds higher than what I've been seeing, so hopefully there will be a window of opportunity first thing in the morning. Even without wind, the big wind-swell will make north coast spots messy. I'll have to take a look at the buoy and make a decision at the last minute.

Thats a lot of fin

Sorry for the unattractive photo. I really wanted to capture the fin cluster.

I got out to a different spot that I haven't surfed in awhile. Scott Creek is a right reef break known for holding size. The swell was short period NW with a bit of south mixed in making things jumbly. The tide was very low pushing the break off the edge of the reef. In summary, it wasn't very good. But, it had some size and power and I wanted to give it a try on the Tree Hugger. Last weekend I picked up an 8" stage 6 fin, and I swapped out the basic 7" center fin I was using.

The board and fin felt pretty solid, and maybe a bit on the stiff side for the conditions. I felt I had enough speed for most of the waves, and in control. I tried some basic bottom turns, some strait lines, and some weak cutbacks and everything felt okay. Surprisingly, nothing noteworthy. It might have been because I was unfamiliar with the wave and wasn't pushing my limits. It might have been because that wave has more power than I'm used to feeling. Anyway, it was a good surf and I'm going to keep trying out this fin a few more times before moving on to the next.

Wounded Knee

Back to 4-mile with the same board/same fins. Mid-tide and small-ish NW swell. The crowd was less agro, but still plenty numerous. I stuck to the point to spread out the crowd and was getting my share. The waves weren't notable, but I was getting a better feel for the tree-hugger on soft waves, and walking around after most waves. Until I took off too deep, got bucked when trying to stand and banged the outside of my knee hard. After escaping the whitewater I stood up and realized my knee was hurt enough that trying to push a hard bottom turn was too painful. I rode the wave in and ended the session after only an hour.
Having to end my surf while conditions were still good, I took the opportunity to check a few other spots. I saw other spots that were good and crowded, and at least one spot that was better than 4-mile and much less crowded. I wished I had surfed there instead. Looking to the next session, I'm stuck with this decision to make; dawn patrol at the tried and true 4-mile to get the most waves before the crowd, OR, do I explore to try to score one of those other spots?
Which brings me to the concept of FOMO (fear of missing out). I'm not as susceptible to FOMO because I've had it work against me when searching for waves. The idea that it might be better at the other spot can lead to a repeated pattern of driving around to look and one place, then another, and another, back to the first place, wash rinse repeat. So I've gotten into the habit of the night before surfing, planning out where to surf and then sticking to the plan. Yesterday was a stark reminder that that approach prevents me from experiencing other waves that I wouldn't expect to be good.
…

Second session on the Tree Hugger

I still haven’t figured out why it’s called the “Tree Hugger,” but I don’t mind. The second session on it was at low tide 4 mile with a small mixed swell. The inside was kinda barreling (not really) in the way it does. I opted for the 2+1 fin setup again with the thought of pivoting and stalling into the barrel section. The volume of the board worked great for chasing down the waves and getting in a second early to setup a line. When it worked it felt really good and solid. I didn’t get barreled, but close. It was a tight fit to get in and my leg strength wasn’t up to the challenge of squatting in control. Standing up at the end of the section also felt awkward. Time to do deep squats all week!

This 2+1 setup has a 7 1/4" center fit with a 5 1/2" base, and the sides are 4" by 4".

One thing that didn’t work for me was not being able to pump the flats to gain speed when taking off behind the peak. The feeling was similar to a single fin, which makes sense given the fin configuration I was using. I fully expect that if I load it up as a quad, the board will go great.
Another thing was duck diving the more powerful waves. A few times I found myself trying to duck a 4-5’ wave that had a throwing lip, and because I didn’t get the board deep enough, I got pulled backwards by the wave/lip. Never went backwards over the falls, but a wave a few feet bigger  probably would do it. I can account for it by ducking earlier and strengthening my arms, but more likely I’ll just pick a board with less volume for waves in the 6-8’ range if I expect to duck dive more. There are plenty of point/reef breaks that this board would handle the size because I’d use the volume to just paddle around all the waves!
So after two sessions, I feel like this board is a good fit for me and my quiver.
By the way, is there a term, like board quiver, but for a collection of fins?

Social Distancing late edit: I arrived after first light and found the beach side parking was blocked off, so I parked at the old spot. I knew there were waves and no wind from the sound, but it was light so I climbed the hill at took a quick look for old times sake. Another car parked behind me and he quickly suited up as I gathered select gear from my car into my backpack and put a board under each arm. He beat me into the water by a good 30-mins as I lingered getting fins into my board and a wetsuit on, watching him get good waves by himself. I was the second in the water, but only got one wave before another person was paddling out. We were keeping our distance and getting our waves, but it got harder as more and more people came out. It got downright crowded, so I paddled up to the point despite the fact it wasn't working. I rode whatever mushy wave I could at the point until I was joined, one at a time, by three people. I decided I wasn't going to battle the crowd for waves and got one to the beach where I found a handful of people. Plenty of room on the beach so distance wasn't a problem, but considering it was only the 8 o'clock hour and the day was shaping up to be beautiful, I assume it got rather crowded.
I decided to drive up the coast and look for another opportunity to surf. There were options, but nothing that motivated me enough to paddle out again. Also of note was that anywhere there was room on the side of the road to pull off, there were barriers or cones and signs saying "closed." All the state beaches were blocked off, and I saw CHP, lifeguard trucks, sheriffs, and state park vehicles, so I assume those closures were being enforced. I'm glad I didn't get a ticket where I surfed. I might not be that lucky next time.

I've been social distancing...

I'm the kind of surfer who's been practicing social distancing since before it was cool.

This weekend I broke the rules and interacted with someone from Craigslist to pick up a 6'10" Vernor Tree Hugger. There was a small swell in the water, so I decided I needed to again break the rules and go into the ocean to give it a try. Where I ended up is, even in this information age, still not on the radar of most surfers, so I'm going to try to describe my experience without giving away details that could ID the spot. I'd learned about it 10 years ago, made my way to check it out only a handful of times, and never before surfed it. I didn't even know anyone who had, at least not that was willing to talk to me about it.

But this weekend was different. I pulled up to the spot to check the wave and it looked like there were waves that could be ridden out there. As I was trying to decide if I was going to go surf it for the first time I ever had, two guys paddled out. They didn't look like they were great surfers, but they got a wave or two. That was all I needed and I pulled my gear together.

The first challenge is getting to the beach. I didn't know the best way to get there, but I knew I was going to be hiking. I put my wetsuit and towel into my drybag back-pack and started figuring out what fins to put on the new board. I wanted to try the Tree Hugger because it's a mid-length/funboard shape, but also because it has boxes for quad fins AND a single fin center box. I had an 8" single fin, but opted for a 6" with 3.75" side bites. Kind of a weird widowmaker arrangement.  I had to come back and edit this after educating myself more on widowmaker fin arrangement. This setup was closer to a 2+1 or even thruster-ish in arrangement. More discussion 0’about fin clusters added to the end. Gear packed I started along the trails to find the best way down to the beach.

I should have put on sunscreen. I ended up hiking almost 2 miles to get to where I paddled out. I was wearing a beanie, but the sun came out and I was sweating so it came off and I slowly started to burn. Once I got in the water, the wave itself still takes awhile to get to. The two guys who were out earlier had left in the time it took me to get to the beach, so I paddled out through the rocks, boils, seals, and kelp all alone. Once I got out to the wave I was cautious, but still got some waves. The wave was doing a few different things with some swinging wide and bowling up, some foam-balling, and sometimes the two swell directions combined into what was the best wave to ride. The new board took some getting used to. It catches waves great, and I only blew it on one drop all day, but it took a few waves to dial in the sweet spot for a bottom turn. I rode a few until I found the sweet spot, then moved the center fin forward a little to see what it would do. When I moved the fin forward it tightened up the board, opposite of what I expected, but it was probably due to the three fins being too much in-line and starting to act as one huge fin. I slipped the center fin all the way back and the board felt good again. After about 45-min solo surfing, a could guys paddled out. Plenty of waves, no problem. They were on small boards and were riding the foam ball and I could see how the medium sized ones would reform mid-way and give a wall that had room for a smack or wrap-around, etc. A few more guys came out, this time on longer boards, and competed with me where I was riding the wide swinging waves. Still plenty of waves to share. A few more guys came out and things started to feel a bit crowded. I overhead them chatting about how good the waves were, so I got the sense that I had picked a really good day to give it a try. I was still getting waves, but had been in the water for 90 minutes (plus an hour hike to get down) and decided I needed to head back before I exhausted myself.

On the hike back I tried for a shortcut I had seen from the water. It ended up being so steep and so difficult that my already tired body screamed for a break every 5-10 steps. I was hiking up a cliff that was like climbing a ladder, but with blackberry and poison oak along the way. I eventually made it to the top of the cliff and finished the hike back to the car along the relatively flat trail.

Follow up edit on fins: The fin cluster I chose for the first time on the board was admittedly weird and uninformed. Of course a big part of choosing the Tree Hugger was to experiment with fins and get first hand experience with different options. My plan is to take the fins out of the board after every session to avoid “inertial” fin selection. This also requires me to bring options with me. I’d like to track down some sub-three inch side fins to imitate a widowmaker arrangement, but for now I have plenty to try with the fins I already have on hand.