RICK’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND PT.I, FRI 07NOV2014

Here's Rick my surf mentor and former platoon sergeant. When I'm in my 50s, I'll be lucky if I'm ripping like this guy.

Loc: Churches

Crew: Rick, Juan, Gary, Nate, Daniel

Time: 1100-1230

Conditions: 1-3 FT, glassy, sunny, cool, soft.

     Rick’s secured a campsite for the whole weekend. Unfortunately, the surf forecast is dismal, probably the main reason why some of his main homies have backed out of this trip. But Rick’s like a dad to me, and I don’t give a shit if it’s only half a foot out there. I’m going.

     It’s an early start. I get up at 0420, Rick picks me up at 0500, and then we rendezvous at Gary’s house in Torrance. From there, everyone else shows up. I’ve surfed with Nate in the past at DMJs, but this is the first time I’ve met Daniel. They’re both Russ’s childhood friends, and Gary’s coached them when they did hockey tournaments as teens.

     After battling traffic, we arrive at Churches in good time. With a six-and-a-half foot high tide, the surf is swamped out. The conditions are excellent. The sun’s shining brightly over two longboarders sitting in the lineup not catching shit. A fisherman on a longboard paddles out. There’s a crate on his deck, fishing pole, too. Yet, there is an occasional one footer that breaks. The surf wants to do it. A good sign with a tide this high.

     Then it’s breakfast at Pipes Café in San Clemente. It’s practically empty. Their $6.95 French toast special is a small unfulfilling meal, but thankfully the rest of the guys don’t know how to eat, so I polish off a couple their leftovers.

     By 1100, the tide is beginning to go out. Small-wave peaks are rolling in. There’s no complaining from any of us. No moans or groans about the surf. We all knew the forecast before coming out here, so there’s no bitching aloud.

     Gary lets me sample his 5’9 Lost RV. The thing is over 21 inches wide, so it should do great in these conditions.

     Nate and Daniel head to Lowers but stop short and paddle out with the rest of us when we set ourselves up at North Churches.

     The longboarder and SUP guy at the spot can’t be happy with our invasion. I’m trunking it with a rashguard, and fuckin’ A, the water’s cold. What happened to hot November? To compensate for the temp, I paddle with a purpose for every wave and move back and forth through the lineup.

     Rick gets a lot of waves on his green longboard. It’s a 9’6 singlefin. Gary’s on his Pill. One of the other guys is on the Lost Lazy Boy.

     The last time I had sampled the RV was at Jalama in big rippable conditions. Basically, I was using it in the wrong conditions. Now in legit small surf, I’m testing it out with my SA2 quad setup.

     Even though the surf is small, it’s still fun out here. Trestles, Churches, San Onofre just have good shape, and you don’t always need a longboard. Right now, the RV is working, and I’m catching waves pretty easily. Of course, not as easy as the Zippi, but I’m getting quality rides on this thing.

     I start off with some noserides. Some occasional lefts sprout up at three feet. The smooth shoulders line up perfectly as I pop up, get in my first two pumps, and wrap the RV back and rebound down the line again. As much as I love rippable surf, I know how to have fun in these conditions, too.

     It’s a short first session, more like a go out just to make the camping trip official. We head back, snack, and wait for the evening window to surf again.  

All set up for a dirty-old-men weekend. That's Juan, looking depraved and hunchbacked.