Swell is definitely fading. While yesterday saw a brisk wind the entire session from the SW,
today's ongoing wind was from the E, then SE then dead onshore from the south. The only consolation was that the wind calmed about a half hour before dark. Tide was very low, and kelp abundant.I paddled out a little after 4P on the Angulo noserider. Dave swapped out the big Rainbow fin for the stock Angulo fin that comes with the 2009 models which has a little less volume and more rake in order to deal with the kelp. It worked a lot better for kelpy conditions, but didn't hold as well when on the nose. Still, the board is a great ride.
Hardly anyone out, tide too low, waves too small. Couldn't complain about consistency though, lots of little waves of dubious quality coming through. Surfed Casa Roja's again, then Sarges. Caught an absolute ton of waves.
As I was getting out around 5:30 I was surprised by Andy and the Waveyarder paddling out. He's been wanting to ride the noserider so we swapped boards and surfed together until dark. He had fun on the noserider and was also amazed at it's stability and quickness in turning, and how steady she rides on the nose. I enjoyed the Waveyarder which is a completely different animal than the noserider. The Waveyarder at 11 feet and almost 40 pounds surfs surprisingly well, mainly because of the rocker Andy hand shaped into the nose and tail. But 40 pounds is 40 pounds so don't think about schwacking the lip a lot. The board has momentum and is an absolute kelp killer. Get that thing up and in trim and get out of the way. I keep seeing it on a 12 foot wave, I think it would be perfect for big surf.
After surfing we dropped in on Dave's back yard to check out a couple boards and fins. Andy wants to make a couple fins for the winter and there's a lot of templates in waiting back there.
The sunset was stunning, the first good one I've seen from the water this season. That alone was worth the paddle out.
NOTE: Data notation change. I'm going to start using the CDIP data instead of the data directly from the NDBC. CDIP is initialized by NDBC data, but the models includes deep water swell AND wave face sizes. More efficient, and I like the graphics.
Oct 27, 2008 (M)
In: 1605
Out: 1830
AT= 62F to 56F
WT= 56F at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Patchy clouds
Tide: .1' Rising to 1.8'
Wind: ENE, E, SE, and South, calm to 5 mph, with gusts to 9
Sea Surface: Wind rippled
Angulo 10' Noserider Pre-production Prototype
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: Deep Water Swell
1600: 4.7 feet @ 12 NW (305 degrees-NPAC) and 2.1 @ 14 SSW (205 degrees-SPAC)
1700: 4.5 feet @ 12 NW (315 degrees-NPAC) and 1.3 @ 14 SSW (190 degrees-SPAC)
1800: 4.9 feet @ 14 NW (295 degrees-NPAC) and 1.3 @ 14 SSE (165 degrees-SPAC)
1900: 4.5 feet @ 12 NW (310 degrees-NPAC) and 1.7 @ 17 SSW (215 degrees-SPAC)
CDIP: Wave Face Heights
1600: 2-3 feet
1700: 2-3 feet
1800: 2-3 feet
1900: 1-3 feet
Gary, it was great luck to run into you last night. I had a great session and really enjoyed the chance to jump on the Angulo Noserider.
ReplyDeleteDave, it was great to meet you and thanks for letting me take a spin on that sweet board.
Still stoked from the other night, I high-tailed it over to Sarge's for one last after work session before the darkness descends for the winter. After our fin discussion the other night, I thought about pulling the side bites to see how the Waveyarder would ride without them, but in the interest of time I left them in. Turned out to be a good thing, since I ended up surfing it as a twin fin in little knee high peelers. I managed to find a low-tide sinker about 5 seconds into my paddle out, and heard a terrible crack. I flipped the board over to see how badly I whacked the fin, only to find there was no fin. In a panic I started searching all over the reef, feeling around with my hands and feet, only to see my fin float by. It ended up cracking through the pin (I made a quickie repair of it once already) so I stashed in the rocks and paddled out with my new twin fin SUP. It definitely loosened the board up, but it was still surfable in the small waves that were breaking. The key was to stay on the tail, because as soon as I moved forward, the fins lost their bite and it was spin-out city. Take offs were tricky too, since hard paddling tended to turn the board too much, causing me to miss a few waves 'till I figured it out. Once I got it going, it was fun, just surfing off the tail and keeping her going down the line. For sure I can see this board working with a lot less fin than I've been using, now that I've ridden it at the opposite extreme. Nice night out there, but the clouds moved in to spoil the sunset, and the surf has really faded.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am a total advocate of fin swapping, bro' you gotta find another way of changing out your fins at the beach! Pretty amazing that your board, with all that tail rocker, would work without a center fin eh? I've got a bunch of different size center fins if you want to try them. Let me know.
ReplyDeleteGary, I'd be happy to take a test ride with a few of your fins. Maybe we can connect some time this weekend.
ReplyDeleteSounds good...give me a call.
ReplyDelete