Unremarkable

This weekend's surf was mostly unremarkable, but I'll try my best to make it interesting. The wind forecast didn't look good for either day so JB and I picked the window that looked like it had the best chance to be clean; Saturday at dawn. I arrived at first light and it was cold, but not frosty cold. We've had a relatively warm winter up until this weekend, and the cold air gave us the first taste of what winter should be. The cold air had me moving slowly, and the buoys read about 10ft at 11sec from steeply north of 315. We didn't know what to expect so we walked the trail in the dark to go see what tresmile was doing. When we got there a set hit and it didn't look bad. Not as big as we'd been surfing it, but not small either. An in-between size that looked good enough here, and would probably be bigger than we wanted if we went north. The tide had just peaked and was going to be dropping that morning, so things would improve.

We walked back to the car to grab gear to bring down and suit up at our usual spot. The daylight was filling in. Moving about after the long drive was warming up my body. This day I had given up on the 7'5" and didn't see the need for the Channin, so I had the 6'8" with me. JB asked, "Is that your tresmile board." to which I relied, yeah, and it works great at some other spots too. Walking down the sand we saw our path was getting regularly washed over with waves, but not wanting to leave stuff where it's easily accessed, we put on our wetsuits from the sand, but walked our bags over to the hiding spot. Waves were washing over the jump spot in a menacing way, so we both took extra care waiting for a break in the waves. I still got hit by a wave in the channel, but not bad. Just enough to get a wet chill!

We were the only ones around and JB noted that it was hard to pick the takeoff spot because we both had been surfing it at the limit recently, sitting way off the edge of the reef. We each got a wave that looked good but died in the channel. We spent the morning chasing waves back and forth between the inside bowls, the inside reef, and the outside reef. Others joined us one-by-one, but the waves weren't very good. Good enough to stay out, but I figure those watching from the cliff were taking there time hoping conditions would improve.

Eventually JB and I had had enough. I got bored of chasing after waves only to be disappointed with what they were. We took waves in and called it a day. A thought lingered about whether using a surfmat and catching a big one off the top of the reef would work. That wave is hard to drop in on, then just rolls along for awhile before doing who-knows-what when it hits the inside reef. I think it could be fun, and might give it a try one of these days.

I wasn't tired from the session, and the day was shaping up to be pretty nice. I hung around town for a bit but couldn't think of anything to do. I decided to drive home over the coast route and look at some spots. The wind was coming up just a little and nothing looked very good. I realized we probably made the best choice of where/when we surfed.

I've had the 7'5" up on craig's website for a few weeks now. Besides a flurry of interest by 4 people all in two days, I've heard nothing. All those guys found other boards to buy. There have been a good series of boards available, and most of them for less $. I'm slowly lowering the price I'm asking, and being patient. But I've told myself I won't order the next board until I have this one sold, so it's hard to be patient.

Normally to big

 I arrived in the pre-dawn light as was happy to feel the calm air. It's also wasn't all that cold for a mid-January dawn session. The buoys read 10-ft, so I went to the spot that should be at its limit with long head+ walls. What I found instead was waves smaller than expected. I really wanted to ride a particular board, so I went up the coast where the waves should be bigger.

The next stop found the "small wave" situation was spreading. Also, the morning sea surface had more junk on it that expected since the wind hasn't been blowing all that hard lately. I continued north to a spot I have been avoiding because it's normally to big and crowded. What I found was some waves in the size range I wanted to ride. It didn't look great with the tide in the wrong range and the sea sickness here to, but there was nobody out and the breeze was offshore. I drank more coffee and convinced myself I really needed the exercise and to ride this board before selling it. I went out to see if I was wrong about the board.

The waves were pretty shifty, hitting several different parts of the reef. Some breaking and rolling along with such a short shoulder I couldn't hop it to get in. Others bowling and throwing the lip before I could get down the face. I honed in on waves that were swinging wide, bowling, but kind of rolling awhile before breaking. Even with this user friendly take off I was struggling to catch waves. Those I caught I was so late in I struggled to make the drop. I ended up with one ride and a lot of frustration before paddling in to the inside and letting the waves wash me to shore.

I wasn't done and I swapped boards to try the Channin. I had a good time on it last week and tried it out to see how well I could get it to work in different conditions. The waves had cleaned up and gotten better, and with it the crowd had increased. It wasn't crowded, but I no longer had my pick of the waves. I got one good wave that I rode conservatively. I didn't make turns or push myself, and I was excited to catch another and try to get a better ride. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It was partially because I was sitting far out to avoid getting hit by the occasional bigger set, and partially because the right spot to catch waves had a handful of people. I continued to try to find a wave that missed the group, but I never got another ride. Again I paddled to where the waves could wash me to the beach and called it a day after a solid 2 and a half hours.

It felt good to surf somewhere else, it felt good to try different boards, and if felt good to be in big waves without to many people around so I could push myself and make mistakes without feeling like I was at risk of hurting anyone else. I'm now convinced I want to sell the board and I've lowered the price and added more photos. I also have another session on the old Channin and know how it feels a little bit better. So even though I didn't feel like I surfed very well, I feel good about the day.

Redemption

My last two trips to the beach had been disappointing. Luckily, I redeemed myself on Saturday.

The first thing I need to talk about is forecasting. This year I've wanted to surf some bigger waves, but the run of swell we've been having meant I needed to look for windows when the swell got small enough to surf. Sure, I could have surfed in town Santa Cruz. But I've really been feeling great surfing the less crowded spots north of town, outside the protection of the Monterey Bay. Many of the spots I want to surf have been overwhelmed when the swells peak. Imagine 10-ft closeouts 100-yards wide. That's at the more protected spot that doesn't focus the energy!

So, with Sunday forecast to be "big" big, I opted for Saturday afternoon during the tail of an outgoing swell . I'm glad I did too! I scored Tres for a few hours with it being at it's limit, which means 8' makeable sets and 10' closeouts every once in awhile. I tried something new, also. I pulled an 8'6" 1970's era single fin gun out of the rafters of the garage. This board hasn't been waxed in decades. It was shaped before leashes, it's a hair narrow of 19" at the widest point forward of center, with a long taper to a 3" wide little tail block. It's got a blocky shaped fin, hard down rails of the era, and is at least 3" thick through a large portion of the board. I wasn't sure I could even surf it, but I'm open to new experiences.

Paddling out was a bit of a challenge because I could only duck-dive 1-2' of whitewater when the wave was half broken. I couldn't get it deep enough to dive under a real wave. With the biggest sets closing out the channel, I waited for the ocean to calm before jumping off the ledge. Even so, a few snuck through and hit me in the channel and I wondered if I was going to make it out to ride a wave. Luckily I did and took some rest in the channel and watched the line up(s). I took my first wave on an inside bowl off the edge of the channel. It was 6' and I was able to get in early. I kept telling myself to go easy on the flat tailed single fin and not try to make any sudden turns. That mantra helped and I eased into a gentle bottom turn and made the wave. It also helped me deal with the narrow board and not over-react to the rail-to-rail speed the board has. I found that at speed, the board is really stiff and just wants to go in one direction. A gentle turn can be made, but waiting to bleed off some speed made the board looser. I caught a few and then everyone left. I couldn't use my normal lineups, and being alone made it really hard to get into position. But waves kept coming to me and I kept getting rides anyway. I did well catching a handful and not falling. JB finally showed up, but the waves were coming less often. A dozen shortboarders filled in the waves breaking at the top of the reef while we stayed over waiting for some to swing wide. I did finally make some mistakes with one late enough that the lip hit my back before I could stand and I belly rode to the shoulder. Then another that I didn't read correctly and drive the nose strait to the bottom and kept going. All in all though, I did okay.

Overall it was a good session that helped me feel like I'm not a total kook. JB was kind in telling me how great he thought my waves were. I'd really like to see how I was riding because it felt like I was way on the shoulder for all the waves, and like I was moving in slow motion. Not slow across the wave, but my turns were slow. Anyway, I'll ride this  board again, and maybe try it at some of the mellower big wave spots I've been watching. The forecast has another window of "small" waves this weekend, so I may get a chance at it if the weather holds.

2020, out with a whimper. 2021, in with a whimper

We've had a great run of big waves and good weather for surfing.

On the last weekend of the year I drove the coast of two counties looking for something to surf. The waves were to big at all the places I wanted to surf. I could have surfed at a few novelty spots that hide from the big waves, but instead kept heading down the road to find some big waves that weren't to big. The final stop found the wind picking up and ruining the waves. I drove back up the coast but didn't stop and went home without surfing.

The forecast for the first weekend of the year was pretty much the same, but this time I wasn't going to get skunked on the first day of the year! I brought my big wave board (7'5" Hess Noriega) out at dawn to the Lane. It was high tide, First Reef was showing but Middle Peak was breaking. Plenty of people were on Middle Peak before I even got wet, but nobody was at the Slot. Yeah, it was bumpy and smaller, but it was still overhead, and I'll take bumpy-solo over clean-crowded. So I stuck with it despite not being able to catch a wave, or make a drop. I missed so many waves I thought for sure I was going to catch. I fell on several and I only made it to my feet twice. The first time my balance forced me to fade towards the cliff and loose the open face. As soon as I gathered my balance I just drove hard under the white water. The second wave I was able to catch I freefell and my legs buckled, but I kept my balance. I stood up from the squat, then the wave disappeared and that was it. I waited and waited for just the right wave and when I caught it, I fell again. I took the paddle of shame back to the beach without ever really riding a wave.

JB was out with me and wasn't having the same difficulties. I thought about the board I was on and tried to remember of a session when it really worked for me. I couldn't think of anything. I remember the board worked okay at OB, but I don't surf there anymore. Although its more than 6" longer then my next smaller board, I feel like it is harder to catch waves on it. I have caught and ridden waves on this board, but I couldn't think of any time I was super excited with it. So, it's probably time to sell it. I never thought I would, but I also can't keep adding boards to my collection without making any space. Doing the accounting, I think if I sell a few I can cover the cost of a new Hess!

I think I want a +9-ft "FunGun." It would be for those spots that have plenty of channel to paddle without duck-diving. But only those that are relatively soft as big waves go, which to me means a wider board. So, time to clean wax, do a photo shoot, and post on Craigslist.