South Swell and Rain

By 5PM this evening a steady, light rain was falling throughout the area. By 5AM this morning the first forerunners of a long period south swell were beginning to show on the nearshore, data stuttering buoy.

I launched at the pier around 1130 hours (about an hour after low tide) hoping for some boost from the rising tide and not expecting much from the new south. But I was pleasantly surprised by a number of waist to chest high, five to eight wave long period sets, which were much more consistent and sizable than I had hoped for. My plan was to paddle down to Sarge's and Gdubs. My back is still recovering from Monday so I thought a good paddle and perhaps an occasional wave would be good rehab. But when I saw that first eight wave set at Apt. House Point I knew I wasn't going anywhere soon.

No one was out but me (therefore the paucity of surf pics) and a skimboarder on shore. I couldn't believe it! Friday...the last Friday of Spring Break and the place was deserted. Granted, the waves weren't epic but there were many good rides to be had in excellent conditions. There were a dozen laydown guys out at Sarge's and at around 1230 a regular convention of janitors invaded. My last count was seven SUP riders at Sarge's...and no one but me at the point.

Both the weather (rain) and the surf (south swell) were accurately forecast by the NWS, Mark Sponsler's StormSurf and Adam Wright's southern california surf forecast. Adam's blog and forecasts are a great new "find" thanks to Jason's DailyBread blog in SoCal. It has been much easier for me to find resources to accurately predict North to West swells but finding good resources for south swells has been more difficult. Adam's website is outstanding, and a great indicator up here in NorCal for incoming southerly swells.

The day started out in bright sun and ended up with high cloud overcast. Based on Nate Burgoyne's suggestions on The Zone, and a column he wrote in his online mag, I switched out my Greenough cutaway for my trusty Preisendorfer Rainbow flex. I used the 2" Burgoyne Rule for a good starting place. It took a few waves to get used to the new feel. The board was solid on the wave face and perhaps a bit harder to turn, but overall the tail end felt a little more stable in the wave. I also got a good recommendation from Nate re a cutaway fin so I bought one with a credit I had at Freeline. The theory is that this 9" Future cutaway produces more drive from a beefier base, but the cutaway gives you more maneuverability and a "pivoty" turn. More on this after I try it out.

Since the sun was nearly overhead when I launched, and it's rays were harsh enough to be of concern, I decided to try my new "Indo" surf hat from Dakine. It worked great. Somebody ought to get employee of the decade for designing this hat, it's got everything, is very comfortable, and does what it's supposed to do...keep the sun off my face, ears and neck. It comes in "one-size-fits-all" which I think will be too small for people with bigger hat sizes. Mine fits me perfect and I wear a size that is almost exactly between S/M and M/L. For $30 it's a great deal. (Dakine makes a ball cap too which is also a big seller according to the sales folks at O'Neill's, where I bought the Indo.)

Finally, Evan had a very cool post of him surfing his new Blair 9'11" Quad SUP at Puena Point. He's looking very moderne in red surf shorts and dark glasses. It made me remember that I had a pair of surf sunglasses from SeaSpecs that I had received for free with something I bought a couple years ago. Today I gave them a try with mixed reviews. They are tinted brown (they come in gray too), and they worked great in the bright sunlight. But when it got overcast and the sea color blended with the sky color at the horizon, it was difficult to see which were the best waves in each set. It was difficult without the glasses too, but somewhat easier without the SeaSpecs on. Another slightly irritating thing about the glasses is that when they get wet you have to look through the water drops on the lenses. You can't really wipe them off, they just streak. (My wetsuit sleeve did the best job, but it was still kind of a hassle.) I did like the glare reduction though and will probably wear them again in bright sun. For distance paddling the glasses will be totally killer.
March 28, 2008 (F)
In: 1123
Out: 1300
AT= 53 - 58 degrees
WT= 50 degrees at the farshore buoy
Wx: Sunny and cool with incoming leading edge cold front clouds to increasing overcast
Tide: 0.85 Rising to 1.59
Wind: Light south/southwest at 3 mph, increasing to 6 mph with gusts at 10
Sea Surface: Smooth and glassy with bands of light wind texturing to fully wind textured
Buoy: NWS
The buoy is delivering sporadic data.
1000: 5.2 feet @ 19 Seconds South
1100: No data
1200: 5.6 feet @ 17.4 Seconds SSW
1300: 5.2 feet @ 17.4 Seconds SSW
1400: 4.9 feet @ 17.4 Seconds SSW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity paddle
Fin set-up: 2+1 with 9" RFC Preisendorfer center fin and FCS GL sides
Rock reefs
Waves: 3 feet at 10 seconds (Nearshore buoy approx. ave.) Storm Surf Buoy Model