Author: Tracey

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Finally used the rack!

Rack + Vi's Board

Surf Report:
None. Flat as can be.

Gear:
FCS Single Soft Rack

Set out today to grab a few morning waves, test out Veronica’s new board and test out my rack. Got all the rack testing in, but the waves were non-existent.

Bailed on the flat tiny waves for bloody mary’s at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.

The rack did well. It’s easy to put on, easy to secure the boards, and requires no permanent attachment. Holds 2-3 boards and has neoprene around the buckles to prevent the board or your car from getting scratched. Great value for the $$.

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Happy Memorial Day

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Surf Report:
3-4 ft. + waist to shoulder high and poor conditions.
This morning’s dawn patrol: Mainly sectiony, sloppy surf with some surface texture/light chop to it.

Gear: 9’0″ Stewart LSP

I celebrated a chilly Memorial day with some good waves. Surfline’s report had made the conditions sound less than rideable but once at the beach it was a pretty clean day. Offshore winds, good sets with a nice lull between for resting, clean waves and the occasional barrel.

I tried out a friend’s Stewart LSP. It was definitely different than the foam boards I’ve been riding. Light and easy to paddle. The only tough part was it had track pads so the waves I did manage to get I wound up kicking the board out from under me. Too much grip. The board itself tho, very nice. Light, fast, and easy to ride.

Here’s what Stewart had to say about the board:

Lightweight, Speed, Performance. This is what Jeff Kramer asked for in a longboard model. A full rocker speed shape, the LSP provides shortboard capabilities to a longer board. Designed by Bill Stewart and Jeff for more aggressive surfing in faster and steeper waves. We like to call it out 9’0″ shortboard.

I definitely agree.

After surfing we hit up Gorilla BBQ on Route 1.
GREAT pulled pork and a great vibe. Nothing says Memorial Day Surf sesh like eating BBQ in a parking lot by the beach.

Happy Memorial Day.

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Warm and Sunny Bay to Breakers weekend

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Conditions:
2-3 ft.+ with occasional 4 ft. and fair conditions. Soft, weak waves on tap this afternoon. Expect inconsistent waist-chest high surf with a few larger sets at the standout spots. Winds are still mostly light, but onshore flow builds later.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Glassy lines staying semi-walled and sectiony with a few workable inside shoulders.

Got a few people together for pre-bay to breakers surfing. The waves were small, but it was a little tough of a paddle to be teaching on today. I got my new surfer out into the lineup and we practiced paddling and turning the board around to face the shore. I only caught one wave for the day, but man, when it’s 85 degrees in San Fran, there’s no better place to be. 😀

Extra beer and pizza afterwards.

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Fun, warm, sunny day. Now with whales!

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REGIONAL OVERVIEW: The surf is looking fun this afternoon as NW swell and S Southern Hemi energy back out. Better breaks are still seeing knee-waist-chest high waves with some shoulder high+ sets making it through standouts. Conditions remain clean this afternoon, with some fun, peaky surf on tap with racy/lined-up corners, especially through the inside.

82 and Sunny.

Nice clean mellow surf at Pacifica today. Great compliment to the 80+ degree weather and sunshine.

I got in a few clean runs. I saw a whale. I chatted up some folks in the lineup. I worked on my awesome wet suit tan.
All around fun.

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Flying Blind in the Fog

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Conditions: Foggy. 4-6 ft with some 8ft standouts. Short swell period. Clearner in the morning, crumbly but harsh by noon.

Wow. I’ve never been out on a day so foggy. I couldn’t see the lineup from the shore. Swell period was so short and with low tide on the way we opted to walk the boards out instead of paddle and pick off whitewater and reform waves on the inside.

We got a bunch of fun quick rides that way. I practiced some right hand turns.

Pizza and beer was definitely a highlight after battling that mess. I’ve never had such an intense leg workout surfing! I’m looking forward to Monday’s S hemi swell and 85 degree temps. Who’s in? 😀

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Surfing with Veronica!

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Conditions: 2-4 ft. – knee to shoulder high and fair+ conditions. Clean/glassy lines with some fun pick and choose corners.

Amazing day today. Clean waves, good sets, mellow paddle out. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the waves were just as nice. Veronica and I scored some great rides and the experienced longboarders out there were noseriding and cross stepping to their heart’s content.

After a few solid hours or good rides and great fun, we snagged some cheesy breadsticks and beer in the sunshine.
Great day!

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Cocoa Beach

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Conditions: 2-3 ft – knee to waist high and fair conditions. Clean E swell with waist-waist+ sets. Largest sets at favorable Tides.

Yay! My first time suring on the east coast and without a wet suit!

I was down in Florida for a wedding so we hit Cocoa Beach. I picked up a rashguard at Ron Jon’s and hit the waves. Like the reports said, there were solid sets, and some solid waiting. I caught a few clean rides in the whitewater, but was unable to secure a solid ride int he lineup. Part of it is my timing is still off, part of it is Cocoa beach is packed with teens hanging out and not paying attention in the path of surfers. I had to pull out of waves quite often.

Air was warm, water was great. You could even see the space shuttle out on the launch pad! How cool is that! Great day to spend in the line up, rides or no rides.

I spent a little bit of time on a fiberglass board. It is definitely different. It has a lot more give than an epoxy and feels more gentle in the wave. I liked it. It feels a lot better to hold than the epoxy. I can’t say it’s easier or harder to ride as an epoxy as I didn’t get a single wave on it. Ahh well.

Around 3pm a baptism started on the beach and a lot of the people around me were evidently there for the event. That cleared out some wavespace. It’s funny, I’ve now been in the water for a Hawaiian funeral and an Florida Baptism.

Oh the wonders of the sea.

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Breaking my streak

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Conditions: 3-5 ft. Mostly walled-up lines with open, workable corners. Fair shape overall.

Gear: 9’0″ Sunset Soft Top.

It’s been windy and rainy here in Nor Cal. The bad weather, some sewage spills, some oil spills, and an overall lack of funds have been keeping me out of the water. Finally I caught a break, money coming in, mellow waves, and a few friends ready to hit the beach.

I managed to get one clean ride in. I was so happy. I don’t think I’ve respectably caught a wave since november so it was nice to get one for a change.

Waves were mellow, long stretches of downtime between sets, but all and all a good day for practice and hanging out in the lineup.

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Rollercoaster stuffage.

Athena and I at Pacifica

Conditions: 4-6+ ft. – waist to head high and fair conditions. Rough paddling out there today. Short swell period. Good waves, just a few too many too fast for me.

Gear: 9’0″ Sunset Soft Top. Finally tested out my surf hoodie. It’s toasty warm but fills up with water. I’ll keep using it. Abandoned my gloves again. They just get too heavy!

My friend and surf crew member, Athena, is off to India to great adventures. In honor of her going away, we hit the beach.
And then the beach hit us. Ow.

Pretty strong winds and a short swell period made for sets that took way more paddling to get outside than we’d hoped for. I didn’t make it even halfway to the lineup before a wave knocked me off my board and I rolled end over end over end over end underwater. The weirdest thing about getting tossed around and held under waves is that I spend that time thinking of ways to improve my lung capacity, or how cool it would be if I could open my eyes in salt water and see what this crazy wave looks like. After I’m all safe and sound, that’s when I get around to thinking “uh, that was kinda scary…”

I wound up paddling back to shore, emptying the gallons or water from my hood, emptying gallons or water from my lungs and stomach and then setting off again for the line up.

I made it, I fought some waves, didn’t get any clean runs in. Joyce and Athena also fought the angry wave roller coaster to make it to the lineup. Joyce made it about halfway to Hawaii before Athena and I could even get out. She wins the fierce paddling award.

After a few hours of getting tossed around, wiping out, and being beat up, we opted for pizza and brownies. Overall fun day, lots of laughing and being silly in between being under water.

Bye Athena! Have fun in India!