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| Crackers in the dark |
Loc: Churches
to Middles and San Onofre
Crew: Bri
and Sebastian
Conditions:
Scorching hot, walled, 3-4 FT.
I’m up at 0545. Late. I let Bri sleep in
and take a step out the tent. The wind is offshore. Old Mans has scattered
teepees all the way to the main point and beyond. I’m far away, so the surf has
to be four feet and consistent, but there’s no way I’m surfing there. By 0600
there will be a surge of longboarders invading the lineup. I’d rather go to Churches
or Middles where it’s less crowded.
Bri’s still tired, so she says she’ll meet
me in the water. Solo, I end up paddling out at the south end of Churches. It’s
glassy, and peaks are coming in through the mid tide, but . . . the surf is
racy. I catch a couple rights but can only pump before they closeout. Paddling,
I sit at the top of the wave with the same results and then work my way all the
way to north Churches.
There are sets with size, but they are
walled. This swell isn’t hitting right. It’s section on section again. I miss
the classic, down—the-line, three-turn gems that I’ve scored at this place to
many times.
Frustrated, I go back to camp. Bri’s still
in bed, so I take my time killing off some jam and crackers. I even drink some
hot chocolate. Looking at my watch, I can’t believe that Bri’s still not up. I
unzip the tent and find that it’s empty. Her board is gone.
#
I spot her surfing the top of the wave at
Churches. In a pack of people, she manages to get a down-the-line right, a wave
that bests every ride I had earlier in the morning. When I paddle out, she says
that we must have missed each other when I had walked back.
We head over to Middles in hopes for better
surf, but it’s even bigger and more walled here. I haven’t had much luck on my
recent trips to this area, but I don’t get upset over it. Instead, we leave,
head back to camp, and go to the PX to get some supplies.
At 1300, it’s just as hot as yesterday, so
I opt to paddle out at Old Man’s to cool off before Sebastian, who wants to
learn how to surf, shows up.
The surf looks good from my campsite, but
when I reach the water, the waves are small and weak. I sit at the north end,
where some bigger peaks sprout up, but they wall up so fast that I purl twice.
Other than a few pumps and failed floater attempts, I don’t get many
waves.
Sebastian’s running late, so I paddle out
at Churches at about 1700. The waves are still walled. Forty-five minutes
later, I return to the campsite unsatisfied. Bri’s helping Seba wax his 9’0
single fin that his brother had given to him. I swap boards and bust out the 6’10
Becker board.
Back at Mon’s Pubis, the onshore wind has
died out, and the high tide is making the waves hold more shape. Paddling out,
I pass on a perfect A-frame and call Seba into it. He paddles for it, but I
underestimate how fast his board can move. The wave breaks right on top of him.
Seba’s cool with just chilling in the water
with us. Bri does well on her NSP. I get my wave of the day on a two-turn left,
getting the best frontside turns that I’ve ever gotten on the Becker board, not
snappy but legit.
Surfing until dark has its consequences. We
find that Seba had locked his keys in his truck. He borrows tools from our
neighbor and rips apart the lock on his passenger door to get inside.
Dinner is an eight-pack of chili dogs. I
worry that I won’t have enough food for all of us, but Seba leaves after two
hot dogs, and I’m stuffed having to eat four all to myself.
Cooking in the dark wasn’t as bad as I had
anticipated. Bri made everything fast, and our one bundle of firewood lasts us
late into the night again. Instead of heading to the drive-thru for milkshakes,
we settle on splitting a Hershey’s bar. Even though the day had started off
with bad surf sessions, in the end, Bri and I find that we have everything we
need even though it’s not much.
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