energy. These days have had all the pieces of winter from warm sun beating on black rubber to the hard labor of paddling against blustery and unforgiving headwinds. And portentous of the lull to come, this swell would not give us the sheer, raw muscle of winter. We go more gently into the next season, and this not of our own making or will.
Paddled out in warm sunshine where Kyle and Tyler were already on the scene, Kyle on SUP. It wasn't long before it became a full-blown janitors convention with Stewart and his buddy on
stand up, and Lars (retired Cali state lifeguard and surf instructor extraordinaire) out on his 10' House shaped Surftech. The sweepers were everywhere. Finally after a couple hours it was just me and Lars.
I got one triple past Dick's and was ready to get out when Lars and I proposed a paddle and board swap, he wanting to try the Infinity otter tail and me wanting to try the Surftech. I
definitely got the better of the deal because I got to use Lars super secret adjustable length paddle that he designed and built. I am sworn to secrecy but when this paddle hits the market all the boyz will want one. It is hot!
We surfed another hour by ourselves in the sometimes glassy, sometimes wind mottled sea, watching the storms blow through and catching our fill, our actions unconsciously worshiping in the moment.
March 15, 2008 (Sa)
In: 1000
Out: 1230
AT= 50 - 50 degrees
WT= 52.9 degrees at the farshore buoy
Wx: Sunny to stormy with rain and wind to sunny, etc.
Tide: .37 Falling to -0.14 rising
Wind: Calm to southwest at 11 mph to calm
Sea Surface: Light bump with light to moderate wind mottling to glassy and back and forth
Buoy: NWS
1000: 12.5 feet @ 13.8 Seconds WNW
1100: 11.5 feet @ 13.8 Seconds WNW
1200: 10.2 feet @ 12.9 Seconds WNW
1300: 10.2 feet @ 13.8 Seconds WNW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity paddle
Rock reefs
Waves: 8 feet at 13 seconds (Nearshore buoy approx. ave.) Storm Surf Buoy Model
Hey Gary-
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you guys have developed a "spot" where most SUP surfers hang out in your town- sounds pretty SUP friendly. Is it?
Just sniffing it out- the tide of SUP friendliness seems to be changing down here, just wondering how it's going up there.
John
Hey John,
ReplyDeleteI would say that your first paragraph is generally true, although there is still SUP discrimination going on. Of the five janitors I surfed with yesterday, two had stories to tell of being harassed out in the water for no other reason than, "I hate you stand up guys."
I would say that as a rule of thumb stand up surfers do not ride at the best spots (biggest, fastest most critical waves). Rather we tend to surf easier, longboard waves at places where older guys surf, or those with less developed skills. That assessment is for town.
The beachbreaks are a different story where it's more wide open except at those fleeting killer sandbars that offer late take-offs with pitching lips and fast barrels. Only the best riders need apply, and often the younger, shortboard crew is on it and they don't even like longboarders.
Personally I tend to ride either very early in the morning when there are less people around, or later in the day. Gauging the crowd factor is always a part of my surf assessment, and has to do with where I will surf. If I know there are going to be a lot of people, I usually just won't surf there. I prefer to ride a much poorer quality wave any day, than to ride better waves in a crowd. As you know you can get away with this on a SUS (stand up surfboard) and still have more fun than someone who is floating around in a crowd waiting to get a wave he won't get weaseled on.
We stand up surfers have every right to surf in the ocean which no one "owns." We also have the obligation to surf with aloha, following all the common sense courtesy rules of surfing. And finally, I'm no longer going to use the acronym "SUP." Becasue I am a stand up surfer, I use a stand up surfboard, a "SUS."
I know, you know what I mean!
g
John,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to add a postscript to my last. In all fairness I must say that I have met and become friends with many more lay down surfers who accept stand up surfers, than those who have a preconceived dislike of SUSing. We share the waves together and have a great spirit of kinship that all surfers can share if they choose to do so. It definitely isn't all negative. There is a lot of positive energy and stoke being shared by longboarders, shortboarders and stand up surfers alike. This will continue to grow, especially when our surfing brethren find out how much fun stand up surfing really is!
Aloha,
g