Its been awhile

Almost three years since my last post. In that time i moved to Santa Cruz, bought a bunch of boards and sold a few. Revisited some of the spots in town that don’t work often enough for a crowd to ever catch it, and surfed the spots that are always crowded. 

I don’t think I’ve discovered or surfed any new spots, but I’ll have to review my old posts to make sure.

I got an app for my AppleWatch that tracks my waves. It’s called Dawn Patrol and it works surprisingly well. I get suspicious that it shares location data with someone I don’t want to have that data, so I don’t wear it when surfing the more secret spots. I also like that the watch itself tracks my exercise so I can tell when I need to get off my couch and go get the heart pumping. 

I bought a Traveler Gun from Hess and used it a few times. Some big waves, but it also works great as a longboard for waves in the head high range. Mostly I ride smaller boards, even some standard thrusters. I ordered a 6’9” Lost… Smooth Operator that I can’t decide if I want to keep. When it arrived I had already been riding smaller boards and so it wasn’t the board I picked first for a lot of situations. I’ll keep it for another winter and see if I like it when the waves are big.

I bought used boards;

•  7’ Bing Lotus that works good for steep waves. 
• 6’6” Anderson Poacher that works great on all but the hollowest waves

• 6’4” CI Free Scrubber that I never quite clicked with
• 6’10 Downing Hennessy late 60’s single fin that goes fast if I can make the drop. Not great if I want to turn. 
• 6’7” CI Late 60’s Single fin that is easier to surf, but not easy. 
• 6’2” KG fish that goes good in soft waves. 
• 6’2” Pyzel Ghost XL that I’ve caught a few good ones but am still getting the hang of it. I want to get it into some of the hollow reefs but so far haven’t managed the drops.

Discretion is the better part of Valor

The first big winter swell (for me) of the season. I woke up an hour before my alarm to check the buoy and quickly decided to add the 8'6" Channin to the car. The buoy was in the low teens in feet, and high teens in seconds. The angle was around 305 which was good (I hoped) because it would reduce the wave size as the swell made the turn into the reefs. I made it to tres at first light. In the darkness I could only tell it was big. As it got lighter I could see it was also disorganized. It was still ridable, and luck could result in a good wave, but most of them didn't look good. With the mid-tide on the rise, I wasn't optimistic that it would get better.

JB arrived soon after and was stoked at the chance to get back into big tres waves. I wasn't, but was game to join him. We went down to the jump rock. I was hanging back stretching out my body and JB jumped in. It looked like he timed it right but I guess the light was still too low to read the ocean because he got caught by some waves clearing the channel. He ended up safely on the sand down the beach. He was worked over, but ready for more. But he also encouraged me to jump in first so he could get a small rest. I picked a different part of the rock to jump off and watched and waited. It was difficult to figure out what the best time was to go for it. I watched for 15-min before JB got tired of waiting and moved down the rock to get ready to jump. As he waited, a few waves washed over the rocks and knocked him off his feet. He was able to get back to his feet and get to higher ground, but I could see he was limping. I went over to check in. 

No joint injury, just bruises. He advocated for me to go out anyway but I explained I wasn't really that into it anyway. I decided I wanted to go look around a bit, maybe up the coast. On the way back to the car we stopped to talk to a guy who was going out at tres. He said that things were more messy to the north so I decided it wasn't a good day to recon to the north. Instead we went into town, but just barely.

It was interesting to see how much smaller, and cleaner, the waves were in town. We checked the sidewalk and although it had a handful of people on it, the waves looked fun. JB was done, and since I was still in my wetsuit he was pushing me to go get some waves. The thought of surf matting was getting me stoked this past week, so that's what I decided to do. The way I worked it out was to sit off the edge of the sidewalk and wait for the waves that swung wide or were big and missed the better section. It worked out for about half a dozen waves before the tide seemed to kill my spot. The sidewalk was still going off and there was one guy who I repeatedly thought was going to get seriously hurt on the reef, but instead he kept getting barrels and artfully bailing out on the unmakable ones.

I had to paddle back to the beach because I just wasn't getting any waves for the last 20-min or so. It's now a few days later and I wish I could go do it again!

Better?

 There was more swell this weekend so I was able to catch waves. We went to S reef because I thought it would be good on the high tide at 9am. It was pretty good, but I still struggled. JB did better, but also had trouble with the crowd. There were people sitting on the inside getting good waves, but then were in the way when a set came. There were also a couple people who would paddle just a little deeper as the wave came and I had to back out. Those waves I did get I kooked out on. But, the weather was beautiful and it was cool to see other good surfers ride waves.

After surfing we went to the overlooks and checked out some of the reefs just north of S. There were waves and far fewer people. So maybe next time conditions are like this we'll take our chances at one of those options.

Sunday was perfect weather for working on the canoe. I finished up all the scarf work, including adding 1.5-ft extensions to the pieces. They didn't come out perfect with some mis-aligned and others showing a gap. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong, but maybe the mistakes will blend away when I round the corners and sand it down smooth. The next step is to run the strips through the router to round over the edges. Once that's done I'll sand then down smoother before applying the first round of oil. Between coats of oil I'll take apart the old canoe decks and see if they are worth keeping. I wouldn't mind making new decks, but it will be my first time and I'm not sure what I'll do, exactly.

While waiting for the glue to dry on my scarf joints I started watching videos about surf matting and paipo riding. I kind of wish I had tried again on Saturday morning, going back out with another surf vehicle. Even bodysurfing the sizable shore-pound would have been more exercise. 

Next weekend is supposed to be camping on the coast. We'll see if that really happens because there is also rain in the forecast. I hope it doesn't make the tent area too muddy, and also hope the rain doesn't return while we're there. It's possible that I'll take just my son camping for just one day, and deal with the hassle of wet muddy gear alone. He would like that, and my wife would like the rare time alone. But it would also take away the one surfing window I have. Who knows, that one window might be terrible waves anyway so family time would be the best thing for me to do!

Not much to say

This weekend surf was not great. The weather was great. The water was clear and there were at least two different species of (non-stinging) jellyfish in the water. We tried to surf funboards, but it was a little too small for me. JB was getting the best of the waves and I was just missing waves. We walked up to S reef and surfed the left. I was awkward, but at least catching waves. JB was doing much better. We didn't end up surfing for very long, especially because of the long walks on the sand we did.

I did make some progress on Sunday on the canoe. I scarf cut and glued up some sticks, but I think I need to scarf a few more feet on those two sticks to get the length I want. I also cut down my other board of oak into sticks, but didn't get them scarfed and glued because I needed to think through my plan. I think I should try making the deck plates, because that will play into how long the gunwales need to be. Time to search images of deck plates for what looks the best of what I think I can successfully build.

Blinded by the fog

The forecast conditions didn't look that inspiring. It was especially hard to motivate for this weekend following the better than average surf we got last weekend. After mulling over the lackluster forecast for a few days it occurred to me that it might be the right combination for Alligators. I made the call and JB was game. There's also a lower quality but very consistent wave a short walk away that was the backup option. When we arrived before dawn we couldn't see anything through the fog. As the daylight filled in we still couldn't see more than the shore break and a little further. I decided that based on the tide, wind, and buoy readings I would paddle out blind to Alligators. The wave breaks pretty far from shore and waves breaking within sight through the fog only confused me as to where I could/should paddle out. JB was uncomfortable with the idea because he's never taken a closer look at it, let alone paddled out. There's rocks that stick out and rocks that show up when a wave pulls water off them. With the fog it was impossible to see shore. I had no problem with JB sitting on the beach because it really did seem like a sketchy situation for a first timer. I also wasn't confident there were even waves.

I paddled out and when I got past the waves I still wasn't sure where I was. I determined which side of the wave I was most likely on, so paddled in the direction that made sense. Luckily I recognized a rock and lined up off it. I've only ever surfed this spot once, so I was still trying to figure out the lineup when I saw someone paddling out through the fog. It wasn't JB, but it felt good anyway knowing I wasn't all alone. This person knew where to line-up and sat in the right spot picking off the one-wave per set that broke correctly. I was still trying to find my line between the shallow submerged rocks when two more people paddled out. At this point I felt good that at least three other people thought the conditions were right for this spot. But I was also getting frustrated that I couldn't get a wave. The same person caught all the waves, and JB was still on the beach. Even the waves that person got were not all that great looking. I decided I'd take a wave in and head to the other spot with JB. I didn't even catch a wave in and instead paddled with occasionally getting some whitewater in.

We walked to the other spot and faced the same situation: grey-out conditions. At least this spot I'm more familiar with. But I also knew based on the buoy that the waves would be pretty big. We paddled out and tried to get lined up, but got caught by a bigger set. Paddle back out, a little further, and miss a few before getting caught again. With the fog and the shifty nature of this spot, we both were not to happy with the situation. I rode two or three waves before realizing JB was not around. I wasn't worried because this wave just pushes you to the channel, but I also wasn't excited about surfing alone. I rode one in to find him on the beach. He encouraged me to keep surfing, but I had done a good amount of paddling out/around and wasn't excited for the waves I found.
We left and grabbed breakfast, which was really good. The short distance inland where the cafe is was beyond the fog and instead warm and sunny. It almost made up for the bad day of surfing.

Fall on the CA coast

Surfers and most outdoor enthusiasts in California know how special this season is on the California coast. Winter is wild and stormy, punctuated with windows of beautiful weather. Spring is cold and windy with the remnants of winter hanging on. Summer is sometimes colder than spring with the regular onshore wind that blows most of the day. 

Fall is the best season. The cooling weather mellows out the onshore wind. The sun is still high enough to warm the days, but often a chill in the air keeps it from getting to hot. The small south swells still provide waves, but the first taste of winter northwest swells start filling in, reminding me that I need to get stronger to handle the full winter swells. The Fall swells seem to come from further away and none of the storminess comes with it. There can be warm, calm wind days with overhead waves that are surfable all day long.

This weekend was one of those times. We got out Sunday morning to find overhead sets and glassy conditions. We surfed the main reef that can be seen from the road. Even before sunrise cars were parking along the shoulder of Highway 1. We decided to grab a few waves before the crowd filled in, with a backup plan to go to the more hidden reef later. As it turned out, there never was much of a crowd with good vibes and plenty of waves to go around. JB and I got a taste of winter with some 8' sets catching us. Well mostly catching me because JB was sitting on the wide peak and was able to catch waves off the occasional bigger sets. I opted for more waves, smaller waves, and not as good waves. It was a bad choice, but I got waves and some with the feeling of turns so hard my legs felt weak. Some late drops that compressed my legs and made my bad knee feel a twinge of pain. As usual, the first good NW swell after a summer of south swells and I feel like I really need to get back in shape!

The best part of the day was that I was more prepared than normal. My wetsuit is falling apart and my mail-order replacement didn't fit. I sent it back to get a better size, but also purchased some wetsuit shorts to keep me warm while I wait for the new suit. So I've got a 5mm worn out suit, but also a 1mm shirt and 1mm shorts underneath. This combination kept me plenty warm. I also drank a V8 right before paddling out. I normally drink one after getting back to the car but I've found this year that drinking one before surfing extends my endurance and avoids me feeling hungry before feeling tired. I surfed for 2-hours but felt like I could have surfed longer.

This week I need to exercise my knee, legs, arms, heart and lungs. I have images in my head of Sunday and the bigger waves, longer paddle, and multi-wave sets. So I have the goal in mind!

Skipped

I've been falling behind on my house-work/yard-work/canoe-repair. Last weekend I thought would be a good one to skip surfing and do some of the  things on my list. I thought the forecast didn't look great; but then as I was picking up rotten fruit, or trimming away dried up vegetable leaves, or sanding canoe gunwales, I would check the buoys and regret not surfing. I still got some things done, and that feels good, but I think I missed fun waves.

Now on Friday I'm looking forward to surfing this next weekend. The forecast includes a good west swell, which is exciting. A few weekends ago a west swell was also forecast but it didn't show up on-time and I was bummed. Hopefully this one is on time.

Frustrating times we live in at the moment. My 5-year old son had the sniffles starting Tuesday. That's on the symptoms list for COVID, so we had to keep him home. But then once we kept him home, he can't return to school without the passing PCR/Lab COVID test. We didn't figure that out until day two, and the lab takes up to 72 hours to give results, so now it's day four of being at home with him. He's fine and the cold ran its course in two days, so he got a bonus two days at home and I have to spend two extra sick days. I was hoping I could charge this to the "COVID" category on my timesheet and not use up my sick-days, but the new company that bought us doesn't do that, so I have to use my sick days. With that in mind I decided to try to get some work-from-home time in. The only way that I can concentrate is to sit him down with a movie so I can work in peace. Not great parenting, but all the other days I did a better job.

Yesterday in fact we went to the park. The park has a few skate ramps and I took my surf-skate out. I had a minute of luck not falling down after trying a few ramps. And then... I mis-read the transition on one that is steep and down I went. Falling at 45 years old means risking a permanent injury, because at this age nothing seams to heal 100% anymore. I think I got out of this lucky with only a scrape on my elbow and a jammed finger. I'm pretty sure I jammed my fingers like this a few years back when I was skating more. If I remember correctly, it took a year to feel normal again. This one might heal faster because although I feel that it is swollen, I can make a good fist and grip pretty well still. I still want to skate more because its good fun exercise. I just need to be carefull.