DO WE HAVE TO SACRIFICE A VIRGIN? : SUN 1.30.2011 MOR

CREW:  Klaude, Klaude’s dad, Dais, Cheryl, Shan
FLAKES OF THE DAY:  None
RAN INTO:  Whiffle Boy
TIME:  0700 - 0920, 2 hr. & 5 min. (fed meter)
CONDITIONS:  Overcast with rain late in the session.  Shoulder high to head high on close outs.  Ridiculous high tide, lonnnnnnnnnnng ass paddle out, rip current on inside, strong north current, better shape early, and then it started to close out.

    I really wanted to drive to Trestles.  I’ve been having shitty sessions lately, and I am in desperation for clean shoulders.  I had to stay around town, so I told everyone that I’d check out 26th at first light; I wanted the free parking.

    I almost got Jon to paddle out with me, but he couldn’t make it.  I first drove to 26th, and there was no free parking anywhere.  I took a look at the water, and it looked waist high.  The tide was drowning it out really bad, so I texted everyone that I’d be at Porto.  When I got there it was about 0645, there weren’t many people parked, and there were waves. 

    I paddle out by the tanks.  This morning reminded me of yesterday.  My first wave was a right.  I got one turn off the lip, pumped, bottom turned, stalled on the lip, re-entered, and then the wave bogged out on me.  Everything else I got after that was a close out.  On my way to go back in, I saw Dais in the water.  I told him I’d be back.  I got to the sand, and Klaude told me he put some money in the meter for me.  I still added change.  When I got back to Klaude, Dais had already drifted close to the jetty.  I expressed my frustration, and Klaude said, “Get out there and catch some waves.”  He was right.  I got caught on the inside trying to make it out; I don’t know how I paddled through.  Unfortunately, I only got close outs for the second session.  The sky grew dark, and it started raining.  The on shore wind picked up, and the water became choppy, gray, and uninviting.  I saw Shan and Cheryl warming up on the shore, but only Shan was able to punch through the surf.  We both took off on a peak:  Shan went left as I went right.  He said he got a good ride out of it, but mine sucked. 

    I ran into Whiffle Boy in the water, and he was fighting the current just like me.  Shan only stayed for twenty minutes, but I didn’t blame him.  The sets got head high and started walling up.  I got to say bye to everyone in the parking lot.  I’m happy I got that one wave, but I’m still not satisfied.  I’m beginning to rethink how I spend my time surfing.  It may be worth it to drive further for a spot with good waves.

    Klaude and I topped off with some burgers and pancakes from Metro Café.  I guess that made up for the shitty surf.  And then the fucking Lakers lost to Boston, which made the day shitty again. …
   

IS IT A WAVE?: SAT 1.29.2011 MOR

CREW:  Klaude, Klaude’s dad
FLAKES OF THE DAY:  Shan, Cheryl
RAN INTO:  no one
TIME:  0645 - 0915, 2 hr. & 15 min.
CONDITIONS:  Another sunny and beautiful day.  High tide, long paddle out, sucking inside rip, a couple shoulders mixed in with mostly walled close outs. 

    I had to stay local on Saturday since I had homework to do.  Shan, Cheryl, and Klaude said they’d meet me there.  I didn’t expect much, but I hoped that things would finally get better at my local break.  On Friday afternoon I repaired my DMS board, so I looked forward to paddling out on it again.  I was also thankful that my brother’s Wade Tokoro board didn’t get damaged when I used it.
    I paddled out in between the tanks and the stacks.  When I first got out, there were scattered peaks all along the beach.  It looked really promising.  El Porto and 26th St. can get really good on a high tide.  Yeah, it’s harder to paddle into the mooshy waves, but once you get the slide you can get a long one. 
    For the first half of the sesh I got three waves that had a little shape, but one of them was a nice, long, left.  I got one top turn before stalling on the lip and falling.  I got to pump my board a little, so that was really fun.  When I got out to put change in the meter, I ran into Klaude and his dad with their photo equipment.  Klaude said he didn’t see me at all out there.  After I fed the meter I paddled back out, in hopes to get a good shot for them.  I got one clean right when I got to the line.  I had to grab rail to stay on the high line.  I forgot if I got a couple pumps or not, but I remembered that it was the only legitimate wave that I got the rest of the day.  After that I got close outs and wiped out.  I got caught in a rip current on the inside twice; I paddled for minutes without even moving. 
    When I made it back to Klaude he told me that he didn’t get any pics of me on that one right, but that he saw me get it.  I didn’t mind.  Picture or no picture, I’m there to surf.  At least I got two good waves, but still … it was such a tease to only get a couple of waves.  I’m waiting for that day of good local surf.

OC SESH- HITTING THE ROAD: FRI 1.28.2011 MOR

A beautiful morning at HB.

CREW:  Solo Bolo
FLAKES OF THE DAY:  None
RAN INTO:  Jim and Adam (Randy’s HB friends)
TIME:  0800 - 0945, 1 hr. & 45 min.
CONDITIONS:  Sunny and gorgeous morning.  Crowded, but not like Porto.  Tide was unfortunately going from mid to low, chest high, and fast.

This was how it looked when I got there, but it started to get worse once I paddled out.

    My first week in school was over, and I needed time to unwind.  I didn’t have school on Friday, so I thought I’d take a drive down south.  I could’ve chosen between Trestles, San Onofre, or Del Mar, but I had a lot of errands to do, so I decided to keep it an OC sesh.  I woke up kind of late, so I hit the road as the sun was rising. 
    It was my first solo road trip for a surf session.  Usually I have my brother, who’s in Bali now, or I roll with Rick, but he was at work.  I loaded up my car and watched the sky go from dark blue to orange over the road ahead of me.  I was listening to my favorite music, and I highly anticipated some good waves.  The drive was really nice because I had time to think.  I love the feeling of driving in the morning with a destination, especially on a work day.  All the other commuters were heading to work or to their obligations.  Me, I felt like I was playing hooky or going AWOL, like I shouldn’t have been on the road at that time, but I was.  I was on the road for myself.  I was on the road for surf.
    My brother gave me his state parking pass before he left.  He wanted me to use it to surf HB, as much as possible.  It meant a lot to make it out there.  One, to make good use out of it, and two, to follow my brother’s guidance to surf better waves whenever I can.  It doesn’t take a gynecologist to know that HB is a better spot than Porto.
    El Porto can be good sometimes.  It is so rare, though.  But when it’s good, you forget that it was shit, and just enjoy the moment.  Lately, after the MLK holiday, El Porto hasn’t been good at all. 
    There were a lot of cars scattered throughout the HB lot.  I made my way to Brookhurst and parked at a familiar location.  I walked out to take a look at the water before I changed.  I saw three to four foot sets that were clean and peaky.  From my experiences surfing there, it was probably one of the smaller days that I’ve seen.  I changed and ran into my brother’s friends, Jim and Adam, that he introduced me to before.  We talked for a bit, and then I paddled out between towers three and four. 
    It was a short paddle out because of the tide.  I wish I would’ve got there earlier because, despite how good it looked, the lowering tide made the waves a little too fast and closed.  Long story short … I didn’t have a very good session.  I caught waves that were just too racy.  By the time I popped up, the section was taking off ahead of me.  The waves got a little dumpy, and I got pitched over a couple times.  To my north and south were crowded peaks that produced some better waves.  I saw guys getting nice long rides and small barrels.  Actually, guys next to me were getting some good rides, too.  I also saw guys eating shit like me, so I wasn’t alone. 
    I didn’t feel confident out there.  It was my first time there without my brother.  He’s such a good surfer.  It always motivated me to see him doing so well out there.  The HB crowd is different.  I’ve learned that where the waves are better, there are better surfers.  I didn’t want to look like an idiot out there.  I don’t know if I looked like an idiot, but I know I didn’t look like I belonged.  I had to use my brother’s Tokoro again.  That board is an inch shorter than my DMS, and much tinier than my JS.  I guess that could be part of the blame but only a small part. 
    I was on a damn paddle mill machine, meaning that the damn current was pulling strong.  The whole session was a burning work out just to keep my place.  Everyone was drifting.  Only another guy and I opted to fight the current.  I was so tired, but I remembered that my brother told me I needed the training, so I took it for what it was worth.
    Well, the session ended a bit unfulfilled.  The morning drive was the best part of the day.  Even though my expectations weren’t meant, it felt good to hit the road and clear my mind.  I hope to do a little road surf trip every week.