MET QUOTAS, SUN 18JAN2015

 

Loc: Manhattan Beach, 26th Street

Time: 0900-1030
Crew: Bri
Conditions: 4-5 FT, sunny, cold, walled, consistent
Board: 6’0 Lost Mini Driver, large quads

     The morning after Klaude’s party, Bri and I paddle out on the second shift at 26^th. I’m a little reluctant to surf because of the lack of shape. Bri’s even more reluctant since she had heard about my beatings on Friday.

     It’s a morning that we’re supposed to meet some of our friends that we had just seen last night. KK didn’t commit to coming, but he hinted that he would. Cheryl, who has a back injury, said she would come, too, just to hang out. Of course, after most late-night gatherings, filled with mirth, no one paddles out, and I can’t blame them. For Bri and I, especially I, have no life this Sunday, so why not go for it?

     It’s a bright and sunny, cliché in any book, but it’s true. Everything’s bright in the late-morning sun. The strand is packed with weekend walkers, joggers, worker-outers, everything! So it’s a surprise that the lineup’s not too packed either. There are people, but the crowd is manageable.

     We try to pick a good spot to paddle out, which is a challenge because a set rolls through, making the inside row upon row of churning whitewash. Despite the torrid inside, it’s smaller than it was on Friday. “You’ll be fine,” I tell Bri. I must say, after getting my ass kicked on Friday, I’m pretty confident about this morning’s paddle out. I think that’s what ass whoopings are good for. Today’s walled, but it’s smaller, so I know I’ll be fine.

     I paddle out first and stop short in the impact zone, waiting for Bri to catch up. Every time a wave breaks on her, I expect her to get dragged back, but she turtle dives the 6’10 and resurfaces unscathed.

     It’s a picky session. We let the sets go by, and I paddle into closeouts that might have a chance for distance. Meanwhile, Bri tries to catch the in-between waves, but they’re too small. She scratches out, turns around, and sees that she’s in the impact zone for the incoming sets.

     Putting my good-boyfriend hat on, I point out waves to her that are rideable. I even take a right and get one snap before it closes out. When I get back to the lineup, she paddles for a left, but the wave looks too soft. I’m thinking, If she had her NSP she’d be able to catch it. I know how that Becker feels on soft waves. You paddle your ass off, and then it doesn’t—

     But Bri puts in an extra paddle and the wave lets her in. It looks soft from behind, but I watch as she goes down the line, shoulders to head exposed from my perspective. Good.

     It’s hard to find shape for the rest of the session. I catch a couple more closeouts. Our metered spot is only good until 1030, so Bri and I head in.

     At the showers, we go through the normal I’m-glad-we-paddled-out banter. After all, it is a nice day. I did get one turn, reached my quota, and Bri even got a good wave in walled conditions.