Blustery Sunday Evening at Sarge's

In at Sarge's around 5:15 and surfed until dark. The swell was backing off big time and the heart of it was over. There were quite a few leftovers in the chest/shoulder range though and I kept busy paddling back from numerous long rides to the nudie beach. Pretty blowy side-offshore which didn't even come close to dying down until around 6:45, but by then the tide was too full and the swell too diminished to really take advantage of the glassy conditions. Crowd was light and very congenial with a lot of sharing goin' on. Everyone got waves.

This was really a one-day or one and a half day swell generated by a nearshore storm that came down at a steep angle out of the Gulf of Alaska. The swell peaked this morning and into the afternoon and it was very windy out of the NW. Not a bad direction and the paddling wasn't as strenuous as it can be when the gusts are right in your face blowing you backwards one stroke for every two strokes forward. Overall it was much better surfing than I expected when I arrived on scene in the fading swell. It was a very fun surf in blustery, beautiful and dynamic winter conditions, surfing and watching the gray sheets of rain showers wash over the mountains. It was cold but fortunately I bought a good, warm wetsuit for the Winter season last year. I've got nothing but good things to say for my Hotline 5/4 Reflex 1.0. Well, almost nothing but good. The key pocket isn't optimal for me but that's small potatoes in trade for how warm and toasty this great suits keeps me.