Surf mat

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on my surf mat. I still check the surfmatters.blogspot.com website almost daily, and I still look at waves through the surf mat lens. The left I’ve been riding so much would probably be good on a mat. I also want the full body workout of surfing with swim fins. So, I dug out the fins and got ready. This weekend is family camping so no surf. Luckily there was a mixup and I took Friday off work even though camping was Saturday. I used the opportunity to surf!

My plan was to go to the left, but I had low expectations because there was almost zero north waves and only a 2’@15 from 180. I thought it would be a good idea to check the big rock to get a reference data point. When I got there it looked pretty good. Both the inside right and outside left looked like fun. Soon another person came and checked the waves and as she was walking away I asked if she was going to surf, so I didn’t have to risk it all alone. She said no, but her friends were on the way and they would. We chatted a bit more and good waves kept coming about 10-min between sets. The friends showed up abs seemed friendly and full of good vibes. I get my gear and took the walk down the steep hill, figuring they would be out soon. I got a couple not great waves on the right as the others paddled out on their longboards. In just a few waves I could tell they knew what they were doing and I thought I would be happier trying my luck on the outside left. It took a minute for me to get it figured out but my first wave I made was a long speedy shoulder. I continued to get waves, sometimes two in a set, and the sets kept coming. I had fun, and was exhausted in about an hour. I was using muscles I forgot I had, and I’m glad I did because it makes me want to do it more and get stronger.

So, new spot, good vibes, surf mat, and waves exceeding expectations. A great day in small waves!

New Spot!

I motivated and got myself up at 2:30am for the drive north on Saturday. It was a long drive, but I was rewarded with a longboard wave with only one other person out. There was a light onshore wind blowing, but it was better than it looked from the beach. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to longboard without a crowd. Even so, I could tell where I surfed was no secret. It's also easy enough to get to that I imagine most people check it as routine.

After surfing I hiked to the next point south checking to see if it was surfable. Not at that time. Then I drove up and hiked to another point to see if it was surfable. Not at that time, and looked like it had less potential. After all that I went up to the well known spot and watched the fishermen and the left. The left looked really shifty and difficult. It looks like there are good rides to be had, but it would take some study to know where to sit and which ones to catch. The outside left looks challenging, and was too far away to really tell what was going on. The fact that nobody was surfing it was also a little worrisome. I didn't explore any further north.

On the drive back home I made a stop at one well-known beach. It looked like a sand-bottom beachbreak, so could be surfed. There appears to be some cover from the NW wind on the sandy beach, making it a good spot to bring the family. Then, much further south, I noticed some surfboards and wetsuits parked on a small pull-out near the "secret" spot I found last time I was in this area. In my opinion, this spot remains a secret because there is no easy way to check it. The only way I can figure is to take the 1-mile hike. Although this pull-out might make it a 1/2 mile hike. Still, I won't divulge any more about it because I like secrets.

Sunday morning I got up early again to go back to the same old spots with JB. When we arrived the conditions were perfect and we had high hopes. When we made the walk and got close enough to see the left, we were unimpressed. However, the old-man's spot looked better. So we went there. The right wasn't good and many of the lefts were also just a peak and no shoulder. However, once in awhile a bigger left would come in and roll into the sandy stretch. The sand was arranged for a nice long and fast ride. Although I never got one of them, JB got several and was smiling. It was the best he'd ever surfed at this spot. I surfed until hunger made me need to leave. JB stayed and got a few more before returning to his car. 

Nobody came to surf and I realized that some of the best surfing to be had on the coast (balancing quality, consistency, and crowds) might just be here. It really calmed my excitement about the spots to the north I had been researching. Although there's surf up there, it's not that much better than what I've been surfing lately.

Great Weekend

A south swell in the water and spring tides high in the morning so JB and I got to the beach closer to dawn than first light. Our first waves were at a spot I've purposely not discussed publicly. Although it's visible from the road, the somewhat transient nature of the Scott's Creek bar makes it sorta secret when it forms and starts working. By now, tons of people have driven past and word must be out for anyone interested. So that's where we paddled out around dawn. 

It looked great from the road. It was actually pretty shifty and soft, making it hard to get a satisfying ride. JB did better than I did, getting two "good" rides as well as several mushy ones. I only got two mushy ones and when I saw 6 more people paddling out, I took that second mushy waves to the beach. From the beach I found another peak that was hollow and nobody on it. I paddled out to it and grabbed a few close-out barrels, one in each direction. JB had joined me and didn't have as much luck. We decided to head to the reef instead.

The walk to the reef was sketchy because all the sand between the rocks is washed out right now. The tide was mid-low and we still were in water up to our chest and getting pushed around by wave surges. There were a handful of people at the first spot, mostly going left. We kept walking. The cove/channel was also devoid of sand making it more bouldery with reef peaks sticking out of the water when waves lowered the water level. Sketchy. It actually seemed safer to walk to the tip of the reef as far as possible and then paddle out sideways washing over the shallow spots and getting pushed to the outside part of the channel. I ended up at the top of the reef and got a good one. The larger ones would break a little further out and had great shape. The medium and smaller ones would bowl up and break where reef peaks would boil the face of the wave. Sketchy!

We each got a few and JB decided to move down the reef where the waves were hitting different. I stayed at the top picking carefully and not paying the price for the few mistakes in judgement. (Well, I did chip the tip of a fin on the reef duckdiving my way back out after a wipe out.) I noticed that some that swung to wide to go left looked like going right was an option. I tentatively took a right and found a pretty good wave to fill in between the more exciting lefts. I eventually got worn out and took a right to the beach. It was also sketchy, but the reef was more predictable in shape with fewer peaks and more readable ridges. When I got to the beach the tide was pretty low and I explored the tidepools to see what was there. I found lots of the same things. No purple urchins, no owl limpets, but many turban snails. I found two nearly complete, empty pink abalone shells. I decided to leave them there.

My exploring continued as JB kept getting good waves and paddling back out. I ended up back at the other reef just as the last few people were on the beach leaving. I decided to paddle out and caught a wave before JB was on the beach waiting for me this time. I caught one more with arms of jelly and just rode it to the beach. We got back to the cars and it had been nearly 5 hours of beach time!

I left that spot and met my family down at tres mile sand. It was a beautiful day, waves were good there too, and the tide was very low. I explored some of the deeper tide pools and found some of the more rare species. I was watching novelty left and it looked fun, but I was spent.

The next morning I wasn't planning on surfing but my body felt recharged enough to go get a few. I checked the reefs and the wind was just enough to kill it. I checked the landing and it looked pretty mushy. I went back to novelty lefts with a board and the 4th Gear Flyer. I didn't make the final decision until I was suited up when I decided the surf mat was the right choice. The reasoning was that the medium sized waves were getting reef peak boils on the face, and many of the waves were hit with backwash warbling the face pretty harshly. I rode nearly 10 waves of all sorts and had a pretty good novelty session. As I was getting rides I thought that this wave was pretty good on a surf mat but might be frustrating on most other surfcraft. The surf mat allowed me to enjoy these waves. I know the surf mat would have also been tons of fun up on the reef, or on any of a number of the reefs along here. 

Then Monday I took the day off work and my son and I went for a hike in the redwoods. A great weekend all around.

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. 

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!

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.