But before today's report here's a flashback from 2012 and a link to my blog post from the day in question...January 9, 2012, which was the best day I've ever surfed this place...ever. It wasn't until a few years later that I learned my friend, Jared Chandler, a photographer par excellence had documented the day, and the exact time I surfed. Here's his pic of that epic day.
Moving on to 2020 here's today's report. I haven't surfed the beaches for a long while. Last year there were no consistent sand bars that I ever saw, and the year before that I took a flyer headfirst into a little hidden part of the sand bar I was riding and gave myself whiplash. Winter surfing was over until I made my annual trek to the Islands in May.
Truth is that it's been too big and too good in town to venture to the beaches so, until today, I didn't really know what was going on. Here's the story...
Arrived in the Harbor lot about 0930, bundled up and stepped out of the car into a brisk offshore wind. It was fucking COLD and I found some shelter behind an RV to scope the situation. Much bigger than I had anticipated (head to one foot over or so) but it looked surfable, or rather, the peak with a firing left looked good. And it was...two shortboarders killing it on really fun looking zippy lefts into a sorta channel. Overall not bad and had it been anywhere but here I would have ventured out. But, I could not overcome 44° with a brisk 7 mph east wind right out of the valley. In case you're wondering that's a wind chill corrected 39° outside temp. I could not get past it. All I wanted to do was get back in the car, heater on. Then a young third guy ran down the sandy beach, no hood, no gloves, no booties. WTF? I am SO OLD!
On to Boozers where it was smaller and a little less windy and again was surfable. Two guys out. A shortboarder on the left getting good lefts (today was all about lefts) and a guy on a surfing kayak working the rights opposite the long peak with the left. The left would have been the call because there was something just not quite right about the right but it was well worth a go. It turned out to be the best bet of the morning, but still, I hate to admit it, I couldn't work myself up to get out in the cold. Next stop HP's.
Heinlein's Point was practically deserted with very few cars. Down to the end of the road which had more cars than HP's. I was expecting a big crowd and really good waves but while there were about eight or nine out, they were all spread out surfing different not that great peaks. I was surprised to see a couple of SUPs out. All the peaks were shifty and fast and very consistent. It looked very pretty but it wasn't all that good. I didn't really see any good rides. Again, Boozers was better. So did I go back? No, on to Badges.
Badges had the most people and it was very small and really inconsistent. The best wave had about ten guys on it and I only saw one two-wave set that was rideable. Everything was small and there were guys up and down the coast. Nothing looked good.
Last stop Tables where it was nearly flat all the way to the lot. Two longboarders riding a fun looking miniature (knee/calf) left almost to the lot. No waves seen from the lot looked even remotely good or fun so, I headed home.
If it stays small, I'll try again tomorrow...now that I know what to expect.
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