2nd Surf on the New Angulo 10' AA

Paddled out at Henry's a little before Andy made home from work. Our plan was to stay out until after dark and snag a few in the dwindling crowd. Waves weren't as good as yesterday according to Andy, but there still were some fun walls that let me continue to get used to the new 10-0 Angulo custom. Andy was on his new Angulo too, so we got to trade around a little and compare differences. There were already five guys out on SUPs when I paddled out. Andy and I made seven, that's more SUP surfers than I've ever seen out at Henry's at any one time, attesting to the continued growth of the sport. We were all surfing the beginner/intermediate breaks. Outside, at the more advanced spots, the locals were ripping. It's amazing to see how deep the talent pool runs around here. Just like watching a surf movie. Nat Young paddled by after slashing backside turns and tail slides across a long wall into the inside. And two more guys surfed waves after him, boosting big airs and making Nat look like "just another surfer".

Andy's board is built almost exactly like the demo, which is what the three of us who demoed the demo, all wanted. After surfing it for a few waves, it was exactly as I remember it. Solid feeling under your feet, a good noserider, longboard maneuverable and a steady paddler. A really fun board. Compared to my board, it is a little "sluggish," which is about the only word I can think of to describe it. Sluggish isn't a very flattering term, but in comparison to my Angulo AA it fits. My board is just a little slimmer and trimmer all the way around except for length. Nose, a little more rounded, tail configured with wings into round pin and pulled just a bit more than Andy's board.

I removed the three fin thruster set-up and put in the Rainbow LB Pivot, (I have the all fiberglass model, but I wish I'd known about the bamboo model....nice!) which is a pretty massive looking fin that to me, looks like it wouldn't work very well. Only I know it does work really well, because it's the fin that was in the Angulo demo. Once again changing fins altered the performance of the board, and it worked superb as a single fin. It held steady in the whitewater for angling through sections, but it still turned off the bottom and top very smoothly. If anything, the three fins give the board a little more snap than the big single. Fun both ways.

Henry's is a great place to surf in the dark. The lights of town are bright and festive, befitting the tourist town appeal that is now part of the places evolved DNA. I found Andy halfway in as he loomed out of the dark after surfing this little inside sand bar by himself for five or six waves in the blackness. The only thing illuminating the wave faces was the lights from the pier and the amusement park.

So far, I'm liking this board more and more, and learning more about SUP surfing, as opposed to SUP paddleboard surfing.
Feb 25, 2009 (W)

In: 1642
Out: 1835
AT= 57F to 53F
WT= 54F
Wx: Partial low cloud cover with high scattered clouds above
Tide: 0.3' Rising to 1.0'
Wind: Brisk south westerlies calming after dark
Sea Surface: Light wind ripples with mixed rolling bumps
10-0 Angulo EPS/Epoxy Custom SUP with Infinity Ottertail carbon fiber paddle

Fin set-up: RFC LB Pivot
Bathymetry: Rock reefs and sand
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
1600: 6.1 feet @ 17 - 290 degrees (2 - 4 ft. faces)
1700: 6.6 feet @ 14 - 295 degrees (2 - 4 ft. faces)
1800: 5.8 feet @ 14 - 290 degrees (2 - 4 ft. faces)