Gazos?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday dawn

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

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

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

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

Haut and About

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

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

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

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

Picking up the new Haut

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

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

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

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

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

GeeBee facelift

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think it looks like some kind of science art.

Late Update

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

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

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

More Mat Time

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

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

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