Tag: california

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Bo Getaway

Surf: 5.3 ft at 13.8 s from the W at 268°. Low tide.

Whew. Work has been busy. Getting ready for my bro’s wedding has been busy. There are birthdays and professional things and house stuff. It’s a lot going on. I headed north for a few easy waves and some sunshine.

The tide was low (low enough that I had to bail on waves that turned into dry sand) but the short rides were plenty fun.

After a while I opted to bodysurf. Jumping in the waves I stepped on something that was not real happy to be stepped on. It was like a large chicken cutlet. Chris B stepped on it, too. A few minutes later, it swam across Chris’s feet. Amazingly, none of the kids stepped on it. Chris poked around instagram and found this guy:

Poor Angel Shark probably got hooked the night before, then stepped on by us. I hope things got better for the little creature.

The rest of the day was a mix of beach time, painting time, and other chill out time before it was back to work. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person to walk on the beach in Bolinas in a suit, but I had a meeting to go to. At least it’ll be a good story for all the people who spotted me.

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Pre-storm Surf

Surf: 3.3 ft at 11.4 s from the WNW at 283°.

I love love love my pre-storm surf sessions. It had rained a little already, but everything was still in the south winds, mellow waves part of the storm. I was happy to get out there while I could. Once it rains I’ll be out of the water for a while to avoid getting sick before the wedding.

The waves were small, but clean and fun.

Bring on the rain!

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Better

Surf: 5.3 ft at 10.0 s from the WNW at 292°.

Yesssss. It was much cleaner today. Sure, the size went down, but the shape was a lot better. We started out with a few small waves at the south end where we’d been the day before. Those really held up and I could work on a few steps. Sadly, it was pretty crowded and a little too much chaos.

Paddling north, the waves got larger. What I couldn’t see in the glare was the crowd was about the same size. Thankfully many people in that crowd were friends and people were sharing waves well. I got a few really fun fast ones. It was a blast.

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Occasional Waves

Surf: 6.9 ft at 8.3 s from the WNW at 287°.

The surf looked less than great when I rolled up. It was ragged and a little jumbled. We made it work, though. There was a spot that somehow turned into a wave or two, but man, when it wasn’t it was funky, closed out, and not great.

The first wave I got, however, was a long, peppy right that let me walk up, cut back, and surf it like a real wave. Wow! I didn’t expect that at all. Things improved as the wind died down and the tide changed. Hoping it will be better tomorrow.

We took my car today as Chris’s was out of commission. Thankfully I’ve gotten the manual lock working more smoothly. Someday car manufacturers will figure out that surfers need to get in and out of their cars, too.

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A few quick waves

2016-BO-04-02

Surf: 5.6 ft at 13.8 s from the WSW at 249°. Low and incoming tide.

I only had a little bit of time today, but I wanted to: get out of town, get a few waves. Sure enough, I got both. The waves up here have been fun, but a little funky the last few times I’ve been up. It’s been a little on the mushy side, but when everything connects, there are some nice long rides in store.

I would have loved to stuck around longer as things were just starting to pick up, but I head to back out for some errands.

Oh! First session taping up my foot with KT tape. About 1/3 of it fell of almost right away, but my foot wasn’t sore, even with the long walk down to the patch and back. I’m hoping this will hold up for my SanO trip in June. It’s a long walk from the campsite down the trails and I want to do my best to keep my feet in good shape.

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Long Session

2016-SCSH-03-26

Surf: 8.5 ft at 12.9 s from the NW at 324°. High and outgoing tide.

Whew! I surfed three hours today. Blam was in town and wanted to get in a few waves. We headed south and, which the swell had come down a bit, there were waves to be found. While the hook was pretty packed, a nearby peak was wide open. Eventually we got the spot to ourself and stayed out till I was sunburnt and exhausted.

I’ve been surfing Bo so much that I’d forgotten what it’s like to have a nice zippy long wave. I got some steps real far up and couple cutbacks. It was a really nice day and great to see Blam and Robert.

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Bing

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Surf: 5.9 ft at 12.9 s from the WNW at 292°. Outgoing tide. South Wind.

I had the chance to take out Chris’s 9’6 Bing Gold Standard.

The south winds were blowing and there were a few waves out there so it was worth paddling out into light rain showers.

I’ve ridden that Bing before, but I think this is the first time since I got my Ashley. It’s only an inch longer, but the thing is heavier than my Ashley and the rails are pretty different. I paired it in with an 11′ fin with very little rake. The first wave I caught I though “oh man, this beast isn’t going to turn for anything!” Thankfully after a few more waves, it started to feel a little more natural.

It still sort of felt like the first draw wall all the board, then once I was through the top turn, I could steer again. I got going pretty fast with all that weight and walked way up the board. Navigating the crowd was a challenge, but overall pretty fun. Lots of steely grey landscape to stare at waiting for waves. 🙂

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Catching up

2016-LM-03-18

Surf: 3.9 ft at 10.0 s from the WNW at 286°. High tide, outgoing.

The swell came down and the wind came up, but I wad looking for some exercise and figured I could make the most of it. Sure enough, there was a wave or two out there. I had at least one where I got way way up on the nose, despite the chop.

About halfway through the session, I hear someone yelling my name. It was Veronica! 😀 We haven’t surfed together since way back when I learned and I can’t remember the last time I saw here. It was really great to catch up and I’m so glad she’s still surfing.

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Taking a break

2016-LM-03-17

Surf: 5.9 ft at 12.1 s from the W at 271°. High and outgoing.

Life has been busy busy lately. I’d stayed out of the water last week as it was pouring rain and the water was filthy. This week I was slammed with work. I finally had to just stop, take a day off and recover. I got enough done to be able to sneak out for a morning surf. With the time change and my 10am meeting, it was a short and slightly rushed session, but I got some fun waves and I got to feel a little more like myself.

Hoping things will get a little more manageable, soon.

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Stoked guy

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Surf: 6.9 ft at 13.8 s from the WSW at 248°. Outgoing.

This morning was closed out and funks, but boy was this bodyboarder excited to get out there. He was hooting and skipping down the beach. I hope he had a blast out there.

I surfed like a bit of a mess today, but still managed to make a few waves work. It was a funny mix of totally blowing takeoffs and getting some fun high lines before waves whomped shut. I think everyone was happy to have one more day of surf before the big rains come.