Nice sunny weekend at the beach. The waves were unorganized and must have been good somewhere else cause there were very few people where I decided to surf. I was on the surfmat and just wanted to get some time in the water. I had one good ride and several experiments that didn't seem to work. I've been reading suggestions on how to ride surfmats and lately I'm ridding the mat with my chin at the front edge and hands on each front corner. My biggest problem was loosing the tail end and sliding down the face, loosing all speed and bogging in the flats. Frustration.

After my session (and some sit on the beach time) I swung by Mollusk. I figured it was time for a new surf movie, one every 5 years seems about right. I had two in my hands, "The Present" and "Crystal Voyager." The Present is the hottest new movie, and CV is more along the lines of a novelty most people aren't interested in. I had been told by several different people that I should check out CV, so I went with that one.

The movie was basically a look into what George Greenough (GG) was doing in the early 70s. The movie impressed upon me several things. One, GG didn't ride the surf mat with his head over the front and his hands on the front corners. His head was a bit back, and his wave-side hand was holding mid-mat. I took heart in this because that's a more comfortable way for me to ride. Plus, I think having the weight back helps hold in the tail. If not that, then my legs are closer to the wave and can drag in the face to straiten myself out easier. Second, GG was a tinkerer. I knew this before, but watching him not only tinker, but stick with a big project (he retrofitted and resurfaced a big, live aboard sailboat) made me think I need to finish some of my tinkering. Admittedly I'm no GG, and my tinkering is following the directions of others, but still, I gotta start somewhere.

Took the plunge

Last weekend I ordered a replacement to the Haut Quad. The original one had developed a crack across the deck. I carefully repaired it, but it didn't hold, so I put it up in the rafters for safe keeping. I didn't want it in two pieces in case I ever wanted it cloned.

Well, last weekend I was driving by the Haut shop and saw what I thought was Doug's truck parked out front. I stopped in and was right, he was there. I asked him about the original board and he said he had all the info he needed in his computer, dimentions and such. So I went ahead and ordered one up.

All the dimentions will be the same, but I didn't pay extra for the fancy color job, or even the polish. Should come out to about $500-$600, and I hope it's as good as the first one.

List of things to do this summer in Central California

This is in response to the 23breaths blog for today. He listed 10+ things to do in Southern California this summer. Here's my version.

#1 Surf Waddell Reefs on a south swell.

#2 Walk into Ano before dawn and go surf alone.

#3 Surf OB on a rare, windless summer day.

#4 Show up to the beach wearing shorts and sandals on a day that the fog never clears.

#5 Pick a friend who lives closer to the beach than you. (If you're already closest, then pick someone who is closer to a different surf spot.) Surf an evening session with them, crash at thier house and surf again in the morning.

#6 Surf the Slot (Lane, cliffside) as the tide is dropping.

#7 Bodysurf, bodyboard or otherwise surf the side wave at Its.

#8 Surf the Bolinas Estuary.

#9 Surf somewhere north of that.

#10 Seriously consider surfing F****rs, but then chicken out (with excuses like "To far to drive.")

#11 Fly a kite at the beach on a blown out day.

Sold, now what?

I sold the Junod. Actually I sold/traded it for $200 and a down sleeping bag. A good deal for both of us. But the problem is, now what? I'm not really excited about replacing it with anything.

I have a 1/2 full surf closet with a kneeboard that's starting to fall apart, an old 7' single fin, a 6' stub (summer is starting.) I feel like I'll make it through the summer with what I've got and who knows what after that. Will I get back in shape? Will that bring the stoke back?

I did find a semi-secret spot. The wave wasn't great, not any better than the next beach over, except that there was only one person surfing there and there were about 100 at that next beach over. I balked at paddling out and paid for my hesitation. I watch for an hour and then started to get ready to do it when 4 more guys showed up. Anyway, the reason I mention this is because I got it into my head that this wave would have been good for an alaia, which I don't have one of, but would like to get one. I know where to get a Palowina blank (the wood that wegner uses) and my dad has all the wood working tools I would need to chuck wood. The problem is $200+shipping for something I would use occasionally, or rarely, like the surf mat and kneeboard spoon. Maybe I should focus on those items first, before I branch out further.

Update

I've been kneeboarding almost exclusivly since the new year. The reason for this is that I've gotten out of shape by working all week and surfing once on the weekend. The ability to flipper kick and give the arms a break really extends my sessions. The board is small and easier to push through waves and takes late drops or gets in early. It is kinda like a crutch if you let it be one.

The kneeboard has been a good choice for several days of OB offshore goodness, and I am glad I'm riding it. I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to wonder how it could be improved, i.e. what would I want my next one to do. My first priority on the kneeboard is to get barreled, which does happen. I can get in and, on rare occasion, come out. But I wonder if a different shape might not increase my getting out of the barrel chances.

Here it is now mid-April, spring, and I'm guessing we're going to run out of OB juice soon. To me that means it's time to return to the GeeBee. I stripped all the wax and fixed all the dings last fall and there it sits, in the closet, waiting to be put back into rotation. I've left it out because I want my wife to put some artwork on it. That was agreed to but hasn't happened. Time for a reminder.

Still want to sell the Junod but I havn't done anything about it. I should put it up on Craigslist again, or drop it in a shop with some foot traffic and a decent consignment deal.

2 down one more to go

Okay, so my last update said I was offing 2 of my boards. Update: The bonzer is gone to a stoked guy who looked like he weighed less than me and was in better shape. He's probably gonna really enjoy that board. I am also selling the Daisy Junod, and I've had some interest but nobody has seen it yet.

The third board is the small Schrodel twinzer. I took it out on a head high day when the waves had juice, but not too much. I got a wide open face about head high and the board wiggled and squirmed but didn't go forward very well. It was the third and final time I will ride the board. It has been returned to my dad, who it belongs to, and he's gonna return it to the guy who tries to get his kid to ride it. It's a terrible board to learn on but that's okay cause I don't think this kid wants to surf anyway.

I'm still trying to sell the Daisy. I took it out that same day for a second try at the waves that proved the Schrodel wasn't for me. Got a few waves but one bottomed out when it hit the sandbar. The board flipped under me and I landed on the fins. Luckily it was the top of my foot that took the hit and nothing is broken. The worst of it is that 4 days later and it's still a bit swollen and sore. I still got some surf since then so it's not a problem, but maybe another hint that I should let that board go.

And since then, the next day actually, while I was surfing I took another hit. I was trying to power myself and my board through the wave face under the lip of a closeout. I was kneeboarding and since I'm lower to the water, the board is closer to my face. As I powered the turn the board made it around and up the face and into my face. Wham! My thoughts as I'm thrashing around in the white water bumping on the reef are as follows, "Lower lip owwww. Feel for hole, no hole, Check Teeth! all there." Then I came up and did the spit test as I was paddling back out. Very little blood in the spit. Great, let's surf. As I continued to surf my lip started to throb a little and tingle. By the time I got back to my car and said hello to my wife my lip was double in size. She screeached, I shrugged. That night I saw myself in the mirror. The inside of my lip is a nasty shade of purple. One more day off before work, I hope clears up enough that I don't have to tell the story to anyone.

As for the plan of replacing the Haut Quad, my general kookyness lately has me wondering if that's the right direction to go. It's quite a bit of money for me to spend right now and there's no telling if I'll still be just as big a kook on the board. If I'm gonna be a kook I should get myself a soft top with a rubber fin. (Probably be cheaper and last longer.)

Here's my guilty admission for the day. A quality swell should be lighting up the reefs about 1 1/2 hours south of here. The weather is good, the waves are good, I'm at work. I don't really want to make the drive to go surf. I feel tired, hurt, and not up to hassling with the crowds.

Jeez, I AM a kook.

Quiver Minus 2

It all started when...

Last weekend had the waves and weather I dream about. Warm and sunny with offshore winds all weekend. Record breaking warmth in November. The wave were cooperating too being overhead Saturday and headhigh Sunday. I watched so many barrels ridden it was ridiculous. I surfed two sessions on Saturday and one on Sunday with a total time in the water of upwards of 8 hours. But I'm not smiling.

I took the bonzer out all weekend and couldn't beat the current on the small board. I'd be paddling to a spot and have to rest and drift away before a set came. I'd paddle for a wave only to find one of the many many people out surfing had already caught it and was coming my way fast. I ended up without a single wave that I rode that sticks in my memory, and so many I watched that do. That's it, I'm done with the bonzer.

And while I'm at it I'm trying to sell the Daisy too. Already got a few interested people. $450 for the bonzer, $300 for the Daisy and if I sell both I'm ordering another Haut Quad to replace the one I retired. I'll have it glassed a bit heavier, maybe stronger foam and wider stringer too. Why mess around with other boards when I had so much fun on that board.

Well, since I brought it up, I already know the answer. The answer is that I get board no matter what. If I have the perfect board in perfect waves after a few days I'll be wondering what else there is. Before I had ridden the Haut in Santa Cruz a few times a week for a year. When I moved up to Oakland I got great waves at OB with it too. Then it started to breakdown and I was looking for a replacement board. I ended up with the Three Bears situation where one was to big, one was too small. Then I stopped before I had one that was just right. Now I'm selling off Papa Bears surfboard and Mama Bears surfboard and gonna buy me a Baby Bear board. But I still have several oddball surfboards in my closet to ride when I've gotten my fill of good waves on a good board.