BRI’S BECKER BOARD, TUE 13JAN2015

 

Loc: Manhattan Beach, 26^th Street
Time: 0700-0900
Conditions: 2-3 FT, cool, semi walled
Crew: Bri, KK
Board: 6’0 Lost Mini Driver, quad

     I’ve been concerned about my tentative trip to Indo this summer, not necessarily about me but for Bri. She’s been riding the 6’8 NSP for some time now, and the board that my brother has waiting for her there is a 6’4. “Big” according to him, which means it will be small for Bri. Though, if I’ve learned anything, it’s not to push or force the issue on people. For example, I want to tell Bri that she should taper down to the 6’10 Becker, which has more length but less volume because it’s shaped like a shortboard, but I don’t want her to do it on my accord. I just want her to keep having fun.

     As if our minds were in sync, on Monday night she tells me that she should start using the Becker. Right on.

#

     Bri leaves the house before I do. After changing on top of the hill, I walk to the sand and see that the lineup is packed with high-schoolers. Typical. I search for Bri on the sand, expecting her to be warming up, but then I see her already mixing it up with the crowd. She snakes one of the groms on a left, but the wave is kind of racy and runs away anyway.

     She’s in front of Brick House, just north of the 26^th Street tower. As I warm up, I watch her paddle into another left. Her popup isn’t super fast, but it’s getting better. I watch her get down the line. Her pumps aren’t manly and aggressive but more subtle while still serving their purpose. She’ll improve in time. She gets good distance on the wave all the way to the inside. It’s when she paddle back out over an inside wave that I realize she’s using the Becker. Wow. She’s already looking good on that thing.

     I paddle out and say, “Hey, I saw that.”

     “You see that?! I’m having so much fun on this board.”

     The wave quality could be better. I haven’t seen classic peaks here in a while, consistent classic that is. Waves are standing up in walled lines with occasional shoulders at the end of them, racy but manageable if you’ve got the stuff. I catch a closeout.

     Bri takes off on another one. I’m amazed how quickly she’s adjusted to her timing on it. She gets down the line again. When she comes back she says, “This . . . if my board.”

     When she takes off for work, it’s right on cue when the groms have to leave, too. The older farts and I paddle south, closer to the tower. Normalization restored.

     With the sun blinding me, I only notice Klaude’s presence when he’s just yards away from me.

     “You didn’t tell me it was this small,” he says.

     I sense the disappointment. I had messaged him earlier, said it was fun size, and that shape was an issue. Just as he says that, an outside set rolls in. We all have to paddle out to beat it.

     Vietvet Mike is sitting in the lineup with us. It’s a little hard to catch waves, even for him. The ones with shape are smaller and break more towards the inside while the bigger ones are closeouts.

     The session turns picky, but despite the desperation I paddle into an inside right that actually has shape. Popping up, and knowing how racy the waves are, I immediately start pumping, hoping to milk something out of the ride. Surprisingly, the face is open and holding, so I bottom turn and get one solid backhand snap. I pump again, and there’s room for a second. After the finishing turn, I turn around and face the ocean. Klaude’s looking back. We always watch each other. Don’t worry, it’s with gay tendencies only. I throw up my arms and claim it. It’s a noob thing to do, but it’s for fun. I got a decent wave. I’m stoked.