Stop It

I thought I'd reached a comfortable place with the surfboards I had. I've lost interest in Bonzers, realized that my Haut2 is a great board for me in most conditions, but I still have a few options to mix it up when I feel like it. Someh
how I converted that feeling into wanting a Hess version of the Haut2, "so I would have it always." At least that's the logic in my head. The thing is, I already have one I ride, and a cracked one in the rafters to model future ones after. When I realized I was chasing boards again I just said, "Stop IT!"
Now I realize the name I chose for this blog is "Surf Quiver," and now I'm talking about not expanding or rotating my quiver, but geeze, don't I already have enough? The logical answer is yes, the emotional answer is no, I want to keep playing. So here's the compromise I'm at with myself now.
1) If I find a used, < $1,000 Hess that is close in size/shape to the Haut2 I'll take it. The justification is that a new one is $1,400 or more so if I can score the right used one before I bust the Haut2 I will jump, otherwise I'll be getting a custom one sometime down the road.
2) Kneeboard. I still enjoy the kneeboard experience when I know the waves will be super hollow. I haven't ridden it in awhile, so I can't justify getting a new one until I bust the old one. And I mean 2 pieces or something similar that requires major repair. Until then I'll do crap patches and ride it once in awhile.
3) I already have a bunch of boards and lately I've only ridden two. I should ride the Hess I do have, come summer I'll ride the GeeBee, and I have the flex-spoon if I get it tuned and get into shape. Then there's the body surf and mat surf option that I haven't done recently.

Speaking of getting into shape, the wife and I joined a rock gym last night. I got kinda excited because I found a bouldering route I thought I could do but couldn't quite. I get bored "working out" but if I have a game or something to make it interesting I can rather easily get into shape. If my grip wasn't so weak today from 45min bouldering yesterday I'd go again tonight (I still might anyway) and hopefully this will be my non-surf exercise that will keep me from going soft between Saturday surfs.

Lincoln Lefts

Three Sundays ago I headed out to the beach after hearing that the north end was < 8'. When I got there I saw it was more like +8' but there was a nice peak in front of VFWs and a rip 100 yards north that looked good. I had brought the Buttons and I jumped in the rip. I got out without much trouble, but then couldn't escape the rip in the direction of the peak I wanted. I paddled for 30min and made no progress, so I decided to paddle in while I still had strength. I paddled hard and got just inside the sandbar when a set came and cleaned up the rip. I took a few trips to the bottom on the first wave, and a few more trips on the next few waves. Nothing enough to hurt, but a bang on the sand is never fun. The following weekend looked much the same and I sat it out. But this last Saturday...
I got to the beach after breakfast, which was around 10am. JZ was amped to hit it because it was about head high and sunny with offshores. We went to Lincoln lefts where the outer bar was hitting, but the paddle around the north side of the peak was easy. I've been fighting a cold so it took me awhile to make it out since I didn't have much sprint. I did make it out, but was forced to take it easy and wait for waves, rather than chase around with JZ like I normaly do. I moved around only as much as I needed to to spread the minor crowd and stay in the general area of the shifty lefts. It turned out to work in my favor as several waves came to me. The best of the lefts were 6-8' walls that were holding up for longer rides. I even got a pigdog barrel that was witnessed (partially) by JZ. It felt good to get some waves without much punishment.
After an hour a rip replaced the peak I was at and JZ and I started paddling around trying to find what was working next. After I got a wave I saw his board floating on the inside. I spent what strength I had sprinting to it and got to it just as a bigger wave was about to send it another 20 yards in. I ditched my board to hang at the end of the leash while I held position on JZs board, ducking waves and trying to find the swimming head of my friend. By the time he got to me I realized I had cramped up my calf during the effort and I called it a day.

All in all a good day. I skipped it on Sunday even though it was probably much the same. Green mucus in the morning and plans for the evening lead me to believe sleeping most of the day would be a good idea.

Return

Someone ran across this blog and found a board he had regretted selling. It was the bumblebee which I had just recently dropped of in Santa Cruz to sit and wait for me to visit. The board filled a space in my quiver that didn't need filling, somewhere between the Haut2 and the Buttons. He wanted it back and I'm happy to see it get used.
I asked him what he liked about the board and from his response the main thing I could identify with was that he said it didn't outrun the pocket like a fishy board is likely to do. That is why I got the Buttons, which takes a different approach to slowing the board down. The Buttons is narrow tailed while the bumble bee has an ass like a quad, just a bit narrower than a full on fish. I'm not sure what helps the bee stay in the pocket. The side fins could cause drag when away from the pocket, or maybe it's something about the rails or rocker that I didnt see. I'm fairly certain that a narrow tail like on the Buttons provides less resistance against the face of the wave. It's this resistance that provides lift and when leveraged by the fins and rider weight, forward movement. Less tail width reduces the forces at the source.
At least that's what I think is happening.

I did it.

Last weekend I took public transportation to surf. JZ was having a party and KT was going to show up later, so I bussed and bussed out there, met JB and borrowed a board. The surf was good, the party was fun, and I rode home with KT at the end of the day. Riding the buses I made beginner mistakes like not having change and not knowing what options I had for buses. I had a $20 and I thought I could make change when I arrived in downtown SF. Turns out on a Sunday morning all the Starbucks (and the few other places around) are closed! So I walked in circles until I got down to the ferry building where I found a place open and a pile of buses parked. I asked a driver if his bus was the best way to the beach and he suggested another would be better. I took his word (since it match what my friend had suggested) and rode the 38. Turns out there's also a 38L and 38X. The L has limited stops and the X has even fewer stops. My bus stopped at almost every block (it felt like) and took an hour to cross the city. Next time I have change and try to land a faster bus.

Crowd wise I think there's enough room on the bus for me to bring a surfboard if I wanted. Next time I do this I'm gonna mat-surf or bodysurf, or borrow from JZ if he's around. I'm not quite ready to carry a board round trip yet.

Surfwise it was fun. I was on a 6'10" board shaped like a high performance noserider longboard. It had good float to catch waves easy and chase down the rangy peaks, but a narrow enough tail to stall and hang in the limited pockets that there were out there.

Looks like I'll be selling the Bee to someone who will enjoy it more than I did and will give it some use. Awesome! I don't think I'll be filling that space anytime soon and will instead concentrate on the surfboards I already have.

What is the minimum for happiness?

I didn't do the bus thing last weekend because I "carpooled" to the beach with my wife. I still intend to give the bus a try, but later.
I got some waves this weekend but it was a drive then a drive south to Rockaway. Rockaway was waist to shoulder high with sw wind blowing offshore and the low tide helping the small waves hit the sandbar. The waves were about as good as it gets, but the crowd was at critical mass. I went out o. The buttons and had trouble getting waves. A combination of out of shape, off timing, and tight crowd made the session less than perfect, but still pleanty gun enough.

The crowds have me down. Not just in the water but traffic driving to work too. I need to remind myself what it is that I'm doing and why I'm doing it. My first though is, "How much of this can I purge and still be happy?" less stuff requires less work which means more free time. I need to ponder on this awhile

Public Transport

This isn't meant to be a rant on what is wrong with public transportation, although it may sound like it. It's really a mark of where I'm at right now in figuring out how to make a "bus to beach" situation work.
The background to this is that I'm getting deeper into the science of climate change. In doing so I'm getting a look at what is projected to happen to our lives in the next 50-100 years. The news that is pushing me to action after a year or more of driving every day is this; ~5 years ago the IPCC created projections of CO2 emissions which included: decreased CO2 emissions, same rate CO2 emsisions, and increased rate of CO2 emissions. Most people figured we would be somewhere between less and same. As of now our CO2 is higher that what was considered a high estimate ~5 years ago. That is not a projection, that's the way it is with no room for argument.
So, what can I do? I don't think technology is the best answer, although it will be important for limiting climate change due to human actions. I think the best answer, one that hits all angles at the same time (and instantly, as in right now) is to reduce consumption. I could go on and on about this but I wont, and I'll now return to the more directly surf related talk.
So, how can I take public transport (PT) to the beach? Well, I've already purchased a drybag backpack for cleanly transporting my wet wetsuit. Next I've decided that at least at first I'll forego the surfboard and shoot for either bodysurf or matsurf. Lastly I've mapped out my path, which to be honest is surprisingly direct with only two busses to ride and less than a mile total walk required for a few surf spots. The downsides are many and obvious, but the one I have the most trouble with is the cost. It will be $6 each way, $12! In the car I figure it would be 1.5 gallon of gas @ $3.25 + bridge fare @ $5 so $9.90. Now, I still have a car so I'm still paying for insurance, and a bus takes you one place only. If the surf isn't good there then I'm kinda screwed. I've given up my freedom and paid extra for it!
(The one thing I havn't looked at is the bus transfer system. For no extra charge I can get one transfer ticket. So, perhaps I could take the bus to spot A, then decide to check spot B, which wouldn't cost any extra.)
Okay, that's enough for now. I'm hoping to get my mojo up and do this move this weekend.

Bonzer BumbleBee

I have ridden the new Bonzer enough now to know it's not for me. It works with big shoulders and softer take-offs, but what board doesn't? I missed some runaway waves not because the board isn't fast enough but because I couldn't nail the late drop solid enough to start projecting across the face early enough to make it. The board may be fast once in the pocket, but if I can't get there then who cares? Float isn't the problem like the last Bonzer I had, and I wasn't struggling with burying the nose. It is really just a problem with hanging at the top and then not feeling solid once I got over the edge.
Ride wise I have nothing much good or bad to say about it. The good is that it doesn't automatically outrun the section. The bad is that it will release off the face if I get too steep and up on a rail. Mostly I found it to be rather blah. Combine that with the droping in problem and this one is being released.
I'm sure there are other waves and other surfers for which this would be a great board, but for me, where I surf, it doesn't fit the bill.