Second session on the Tree Hugger

I still haven’t figured out why it’s called the “Tree Hugger,” but I don’t mind. The second session on it was at low tide 4 mile with a small mixed swell. The inside was kinda barreling (not really) in the way it does. I opted for the 2+1 fin setup again with the thought of pivoting and stalling into the barrel section. The volume of the board worked great for chasing down the waves and getting in a second early to setup a line. When it worked it felt really good and solid. I didn’t get barreled, but close. It was a tight fit to get in and my leg strength wasn’t up to the challenge of squatting in control. Standing up at the end of the section also felt awkward. Time to do deep squats all week!

This 2+1 setup has a 7 1/4" center fit with a 5 1/2" base, and the sides are 4" by 4".

One thing that didn’t work for me was not being able to pump the flats to gain speed when taking off behind the peak. The feeling was similar to a single fin, which makes sense given the fin configuration I was using. I fully expect that if I load it up as a quad, the board will go great.
Another thing was duck diving the more powerful waves. A few times I found myself trying to duck a 4-5’ wave that had a throwing lip, and because I didn’t get the board deep enough, I got pulled backwards by the wave/lip. Never went backwards over the falls, but a wave a few feet bigger  probably would do it. I can account for it by ducking earlier and strengthening my arms, but more likely I’ll just pick a board with less volume for waves in the 6-8’ range if I expect to duck dive more. There are plenty of point/reef breaks that this board would handle the size because I’d use the volume to just paddle around all the waves!
So after two sessions, I feel like this board is a good fit for me and my quiver.
By the way, is there a term, like board quiver, but for a collection of fins?

Social Distancing late edit: I arrived after first light and found the beach side parking was blocked off, so I parked at the old spot. I knew there were waves and no wind from the sound, but it was light so I climbed the hill at took a quick look for old times sake. Another car parked behind me and he quickly suited up as I gathered select gear from my car into my backpack and put a board under each arm. He beat me into the water by a good 30-mins as I lingered getting fins into my board and a wetsuit on, watching him get good waves by himself. I was the second in the water, but only got one wave before another person was paddling out. We were keeping our distance and getting our waves, but it got harder as more and more people came out. It got downright crowded, so I paddled up to the point despite the fact it wasn't working. I rode whatever mushy wave I could at the point until I was joined, one at a time, by three people. I decided I wasn't going to battle the crowd for waves and got one to the beach where I found a handful of people. Plenty of room on the beach so distance wasn't a problem, but considering it was only the 8 o'clock hour and the day was shaping up to be beautiful, I assume it got rather crowded.
I decided to drive up the coast and look for another opportunity to surf. There were options, but nothing that motivated me enough to paddle out again. Also of note was that anywhere there was room on the side of the road to pull off, there were barriers or cones and signs saying "closed." All the state beaches were blocked off, and I saw CHP, lifeguard trucks, sheriffs, and state park vehicles, so I assume those closures were being enforced. I'm glad I didn't get a ticket where I surfed. I might not be that lucky next time.

I've been social distancing...

I'm the kind of surfer who's been practicing social distancing since before it was cool.

This weekend I broke the rules and interacted with someone from Craigslist to pick up a 6'10" Vernor Tree Hugger. There was a small swell in the water, so I decided I needed to again break the rules and go into the ocean to give it a try. Where I ended up is, even in this information age, still not on the radar of most surfers, so I'm going to try to describe my experience without giving away details that could ID the spot. I'd learned about it 10 years ago, made my way to check it out only a handful of times, and never before surfed it. I didn't even know anyone who had, at least not that was willing to talk to me about it.

But this weekend was different. I pulled up to the spot to check the wave and it looked like there were waves that could be ridden out there. As I was trying to decide if I was going to go surf it for the first time I ever had, two guys paddled out. They didn't look like they were great surfers, but they got a wave or two. That was all I needed and I pulled my gear together.

The first challenge is getting to the beach. I didn't know the best way to get there, but I knew I was going to be hiking. I put my wetsuit and towel into my drybag back-pack and started figuring out what fins to put on the new board. I wanted to try the Tree Hugger because it's a mid-length/funboard shape, but also because it has boxes for quad fins AND a single fin center box. I had an 8" single fin, but opted for a 6" with 3.75" side bites. Kind of a weird widowmaker arrangement.  I had to come back and edit this after educating myself more on widowmaker fin arrangement. This setup was closer to a 2+1 or even thruster-ish in arrangement. More discussion 0’about fin clusters added to the end. Gear packed I started along the trails to find the best way down to the beach.

I should have put on sunscreen. I ended up hiking almost 2 miles to get to where I paddled out. I was wearing a beanie, but the sun came out and I was sweating so it came off and I slowly started to burn. Once I got in the water, the wave itself still takes awhile to get to. The two guys who were out earlier had left in the time it took me to get to the beach, so I paddled out through the rocks, boils, seals, and kelp all alone. Once I got out to the wave I was cautious, but still got some waves. The wave was doing a few different things with some swinging wide and bowling up, some foam-balling, and sometimes the two swell directions combined into what was the best wave to ride. The new board took some getting used to. It catches waves great, and I only blew it on one drop all day, but it took a few waves to dial in the sweet spot for a bottom turn. I rode a few until I found the sweet spot, then moved the center fin forward a little to see what it would do. When I moved the fin forward it tightened up the board, opposite of what I expected, but it was probably due to the three fins being too much in-line and starting to act as one huge fin. I slipped the center fin all the way back and the board felt good again. After about 45-min solo surfing, a could guys paddled out. Plenty of waves, no problem. They were on small boards and were riding the foam ball and I could see how the medium sized ones would reform mid-way and give a wall that had room for a smack or wrap-around, etc. A few more guys came out, this time on longer boards, and competed with me where I was riding the wide swinging waves. Still plenty of waves to share. A few more guys came out and things started to feel a bit crowded. I overhead them chatting about how good the waves were, so I got the sense that I had picked a really good day to give it a try. I was still getting waves, but had been in the water for 90 minutes (plus an hour hike to get down) and decided I needed to head back before I exhausted myself.

On the hike back I tried for a shortcut I had seen from the water. It ended up being so steep and so difficult that my already tired body screamed for a break every 5-10 steps. I was hiking up a cliff that was like climbing a ladder, but with blackberry and poison oak along the way. I eventually made it to the top of the cliff and finished the hike back to the car along the relatively flat trail.

Follow up edit on fins: The fin cluster I chose for the first time on the board was admittedly weird and uninformed. Of course a big part of choosing the Tree Hugger was to experiment with fins and get first hand experience with different options. My plan is to take the fins out of the board after every session to avoid “inertial” fin selection. This also requires me to bring options with me. I’d like to track down some sub-three inch side fins to imitate a widowmaker arrangement, but for now I have plenty to try with the fins I already have on hand. 

Shelter in place

We're all stuck at home. The cams verify that the police are doing their job and keeping surfers out of the "town" spots up and down the coast. We all know of some hard to reach spot that we could get to and probably not end up with a $1,000 ticket. Some are on it, others like me don't want to drive in circles trying to work it out.
And back to those cams. Watching empty waves is like a dream I have. In this daydream I imagine having a time machine. The cockpit has to be big enough to fit a surfboard, because I'm hitting all the spots, and doing it back before Columbus' big adventure. Malibu with nobody around to jockey for the set waves. Rincon with nobody snowballing the wall. Shoot, even the spots that are considered third and fourth rate would be tons of fun without the crowds.
But then my son comes to visit me at my desk. He's stuck at home with parents who are supposed to be working remotely, and he's going crazy. I get an instant message from a boss asking about a report, and another from a coworker asking questions about another. I'm back to reality, but one that is surreal in it's own way.

In these times I greatly appreciate http://surfmatters.blogspot.com/ for continuing to provide stories and photos to help me make it through the week. I wish I had some photos and a story to tell, but the strongest memory from my last session is someone paddling under my longboard and taking the wave of the day. I don't want to rehash the details, I'd rather plan my next session. Maybe somewhere hidden from the eyes of the police. Maybe somewhere that the police have given up trying to control.

Pushing limits

A good sized swell was delivering overhead waves to the Lane. I thought I could ride the V-pin through outside indicators, but the waves weren’t making it through. I kept trying to snag the ones breaking deeper, but instead just got hit by set waves and washed in. I got a few rides, nothing memorable, and found myself back at the car. I wasn’t done surfing, but I wasn’t having fun. I decide to swap boards and put the Velzy V-fin on the GeeBee and try the Slot. The V-fin got some attention on my way to the water. I got a few good overhead fast waves, but had trouble. I felt like everything was loose and out of my control, like slippery not stiff. When I tried to make a turn, I turned but the board didn’t.
I should have swapped to a normal fin and tried again, but it was more crowded, and I was getting worn out. I talked with a friend who also pushes the limits on his hull and he was familiar with the experience. He also gets squirrelly in bigger, fast waves. I’ve had good, fast waves on the Gee Bee, but maybe those times the waves were just below the “speed limit.”

Paddling without waves

The prior weekend I opted to mix it up and went north instead of south. The wind forecast was more appropriate for the Bo, but when I arrived the wind had a bad angle. At dawn the low tide was also making a mess of things and I lingered on the beach. I was glad I did because as the tide filled in the waves got better and the wind eased. I got to it and snagged a few by sitting deeper than the crowd. It didn't last long before the tide went too far and the wind came back up, ending the short session.

This weekend had all the weather elements in place, but no swell. I've been very slow on the repair of the Velzy because I don't feel up to it after work, or after surfing. So this weekend I worked on the repair instead of surfing. To get exercise I took out the SUP to the Oakland harbor. The preferred launch spot (Jack London Aquatic Center) is now more accessible as the Embarcadero Bridge has reopened following a rebuilding. (No more tiptoeing through the trash to get down to the water.)  I took my time paddling past the construction along the Oakland waterfront, down around Coast Guard Island. Coming back I went close along the 9th Ave Terminal where fancy new condos are matched with ongoing improvements to the waterfront. Things don't look pretty yet, but I am optimistic. Heading back to Aquatic Park was into the wind and the sound of the wind driven ripples smacking the big flat nose of the SUP got me thinking of a prone paddleboard. I picked this SUP off craigslist because it's suitable for riding waves, and it has a flat bottom on the nose instead of a chop-cutting hull shape. I don't use it often enough to justify the purchase of an upwind type SUP, but I would like to add a prone paddleboard for those conditions and to mix up the type of exercise. There are not that many on craigslist in my area, but there are several down in LA. Too far to go just to pick up a prone paddleboard, so instead I'll bid my time watching out for something local.

Anyway, it was a 3 mile loop that I did in about an hour. Not much exercise, but anything is better than nothing. Fingers crossed that next weekend will have waves.

Strike two!

Prior weekend I went to OBSF at the urging of a friend. I was told it had been good for the last few days. Even though the forecast warned that the wind would be onshore, I opted for the social option. The forecast was accurate and the surf was terrible.
This past weekend I returned to the spot I've been enjoying this summer. The bouy showed a south, 1.0'@18sec. I wasn't sure if that meant the waves would be bigger, and I hesitated to walk down the trail with my longboard. As it was, the longboard was the best choice. The mid-tide at dawn was hardly getting lower. That, combined with small waves made it nearly unsurfable. I chased and missed many, many small waves. I got a few decent ones, and I was mostly surfing alone, so I appreciate what it was. I also wish it was a little bit better. Oh well, maybe next weekend.

Wish granted, unfortunatly

Last week I was wishing for continuation of the small waves on the weekend. I got what I wished for, which then disappointed me because the waves were so gutless. I made the most of it on my V-pin and tried out the 10" Volan wide base fin. The waves weren't good enough to judge how the fin rides, but I can say the leading edge is pretty chewed up by the original owner, and the fin wobbles in the box. I'll touch it up with some resin and light sanding to fix both those issues.

There was a photog taking videos on the beach and got a few of me. It's rare for me to see any images of myself surfing so I was excited to see them. What I discovered is that I don't move as smoothly as I imagined, and I wait too long before cut back into the wave. But, screenshots hide all that so that's what I'll share!

The wave dies shortly after this moment.

 

I did make it out!

 

Volan fin in the sunlight.

 

The resolution is not great, but the bright yellow board makes it obvious it's me out there. Even though it wasn't great, it was still worth the effort.

 

I also made the time to work on repairing the Velzy. I bought some resin pigment to try to color match the repairs. When it was wet, the repair was more of a blue/grey white, while the board has a bit of yellow in the white pigment. The color might change when it dries, but if it still looks off, I can play with it. I was considering re-pigmenting the full rail because 90% of the repairs are on the rail. It might look okay with an opaque light grey, then add pinline in black. But I'm getting ahead of myself.