Loc: 26th
Time: 0800-1000
Crew: Klaude,
Joyce, Mel
Conditions:
1-3 FT, sunny, consistent, EMPTY
I’ve been getting up early lately, so this
morning I must sleep in. While the eight o’clock sun pours down on me, I can’t
help but feel late. The sky is clear and the wind is light, pristine
conditions. When I reach 26th, I’m surprised to see that the groms
have already cleared out.
Klaude is in the water with Joyce, and a
few other heads around them. When I ask Klaude about the high school kids, he
says, “They weren’t even here. In fact,” he motions around him, “It’s more crowded
now. It’s been like this all morning.”
I’ve dusted off my Motorboat Too. I don’t
know why. I guess I want some snappier turns and want to ride something loose, something
different. My backhand turns aren’t as crisp on the Lost board, and I’m feening
for a different feel.
Right away, I catch a left. The swell size
has tapered off, but the waves are still fast. Immediately, I feel the speed of
my board. I’m pumping hard and the board responds. It’s a lot of work, but I
try to float it, covering some distance even though I don’t make the whole
section.
Klaude and Joyce have to leave, but Mel is
still out. I ask her how her job’s been, but she says she’s quit teaching. I
tell her I admire her for that, and then I share my own story about how I used
to work for Honda. Once upon a time I was
a corporate clown. . .
She leaves to feed the meter, and the
second shifters start filtering into the lineup.
I get this right, and I’m pulling off these
semi floaters, clearing the sections. Before the wave closes out, I get a
little hit off the closing lip. It feels good because a hit like that would’ve
been hard on my Lost board.
The crowd begins to thicken, and the waves
get a little more walled. The best set of the day comes. Ross is paddling back
after a ride, and he tries to turn around at the last second for a four-foot
right, but he’s too late, and he eats shit right in front of me. A left rolls
in for the second wave of the set, but some guy on my outside gets it.
For my last wave, I take a left that walls
up. It’s gonna be a closeout, and it’s doubled up, showing a little slot for a
suicide barrel. I pull in and duck for a second, and again, there’s a guy on
the inside in front of me, so I pull out and take the rest of the wave on my
belly. I have a lot of reading, so I figure I can conserve some energy.
On the drive back home, the conditions
still look good. Some of the waves are walled, but I can already tell that it’s
gonna be good all day. The wind is still light, only giving a slight texture on
the water. As much as I’d like to stay, I can’t.
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