CREW: Randy
TIME: 0900 - 1045, 1.75 hrs..
WIND: none
WATER: Cold as usual, glassy, low tide, easy paddle out, sunny, small waves at about 2 feet, inconsistent.
My brother is flying out to Bali in a couple days, and he won’t be returning for quite some time. He said he was going to paddle out this morning, so I made the effort to meet him in HB. I had a feeling that Porto would be tiny, and I hoped for some kind of surf down south.
It was an inviting, sunny, morning with only a few heads out. North of the river jetties were some paddle boarders, and we could make out a couple more people down south. We paddled out right where we hit the sand. There were two peaks that produced some waves, but they were small. The waves were clean, but only two feet tall. Some random sets, about a foot higher, would break on the outside, but that was probably once every fifteen minutes. We knew that it wasn’t the right morning to surf. Some SUP’s even tried to warn us, before we set out, that the waves were too small. We were literally there just to work up an appetite before we had AYCE sushi. We spent a lot of time just talking about what we were planning to do within the next year. We talked about Lauren and I coming up to Bali to visit and us getting some surf in. I paddled and scratched hard for some tiny waves. I got one right where I was able to get some baby spray before the wave bogged out. Randy was just kicking out after catching waves to the inside.
Not much to write, it was just a small morning. This morning was more significant to my brother. It was the last time he’ll surf HB until his return from Bali, years from now. Afterwards we knocked out some shopping at the Billabong employee store, and then we killed some sushi at Zenkos.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
2010 DUMP RIDER CREW STATISTICS
* I know that all of you have surfed a lot on your own time without me. This is just the records that I have for the times that I surfed with you all for 2010.
All right, it’s the moment we have all been waiting for! Actually, it’s the moment that only I have been waiting for and maybe Klaude, since he gets bored at work. The obvious truth is that no one reads this shit, and I am pretty much doing all of this for my own pleasure and for the likely event that I can look back on all of this when I’m old and ripped like Groundskeeper Willie. Oddly enough, I find some kind of strange fascination with documenting certain things in my life that I can reflect on. Hell, I started this whole thing in August of 2008 when it was just Jon and I. I wrote about sessions back when I was just long boarding and going straight; I didn’t know what a turn was!
Okay, so back to the topic. This is the first time that I have ever compiled all the stats for a whole year regarding: how many times I surfed for each month and who I surfed with. You all might not find this worth your time, but I think it’s actually cool to break it down. So I’ll start by breaking it down by month, then I’ll do the total at the end.
MILITARY LEAVE (April 10th - 25th): 4 SESSIONS. I was in Iraq for eight months out of the whole year, but I did come home on leave for two weeks, which I surfed at least four sessions. I surfed with Rick, but I don’t count his sessions because everyone knows that he’s really consistent; it’s no surprise. But I also surfed with Klaude and Cheryl for one session during that time.
Cheryl 1
Klaude 1
AUGUST: 6 SESSIONS. It was a rough month. I just got back home, had to buy a car, and was apartment hunting. Also, I was rusty as all hell from being out of the water for so long. I still found the time to surf, and these are the figures.
DAIS 1
DAVE 1
DK 1
JON 1
KLAUDE 1
RANDY 3
SHAN 1
TIM 1
SEPTEMBER: 15 SESSIONS. It was still a month filled with moving and settling back in. I wasn’t able to hit the water with everyone as much as I wanted to, but I knew I would make it out once I took care of business.
AL 1
CHERYL 3
DAIS 1
KEV 1
MICHELLE 1
RANDY 2
SHAN 2
OCTOBER: 24 SESSIONS. This was actually a good month. I was finally in my apartment, chillin‘, with my balls hanging out. There was nothing else to do but eat and surf.
AL 1
CHERYL 2
CHRISTINA 2
DAIS 3
DK 2
J 2
JON 2
KLAUDE 4
RANDY 1
SHAN 5
NOVEMBER: 25 SESSIONS. Fuckin’ A, another good month. I almost surfed this whole month, too. Here’s how many times I got to enjoy it with the rest of you.
CHERYL 2
CHRISTINA 2
CHRISTOPH 1
J 1
JON 1 (photo detail)
KLAUDE 4 (injured list)
RANDY 4
SHAN 10
YO 1
DECEMBER: 18 SESSIONS. It rained a lot in December, so the numbers are a little down for this month. Dais is listed in one session. He showed up, but we couldn’t find each other in the line up. Anyway … so who was down to surf, despite the holidays?
DAIS 1
J 7
RANDY 3
SHAN 2
2010 TOTAL: 92 SESSIONS.
CHERYL 8
CHRISTINA 4
DAIS 6
DAVE 1
DK 3
J 10
JON 3 + 1 (photo detail)
KLAUDE 6 + 4 (injured list)
RANDY 13
SHAN 20
TIM 1
AWARDS: BATTLE BUDDY OF THE YEAR - SHAN. Even though you’ve been a little flaky lately, fuck … you surfed 20 times with me this year. We got it good in December; you paddled out with me 20 fuckin’ times. That’s twenty times that I got to watch you get all wet under that shower with the water glistening off of your chest hair. RIGHT ON!
AWARDS: FLAKE OF THE YEAR - JON. Gawd damn … didn’t even show up to your welcome back surf session that EVERYONE showed up to, and you missed the DRC dinner after you said you’d roll. ‘Nuff said.
Well, I did my best to make up for lost time. I paddled out 92 fuckin’ times. I know I could have been more consistent, but that’s all I could muster out. That’s like surfing once, everyday, for three months straight. I hope to do better in 2011.
DK, Dais, I hope to pull in some sessions with you guys this year and get to know ya’ll better. Klaude, get that shoulder working again and we’re on it! Christina, you gotta make Cheryl paddle out with you every time you come out with us. Shan, keep’m coming, Big Boy. Jon, you know I’m just messing with you because I miss your ass out there. I know you’ll be out there once your affairs are settled. J, thanks for being so consistent even though I haven’t known you that long. Randy, I’m gonna miss you, Bro, and thanks for all the knowledge you’ve kicked down to me, AND A KICK ASS BOARD (that Rick is currently repairing). Everyone, let 2011 be the year that we progress and exceed our expectations to progress to a new level of surfing. More importantly, let’s do our best to get together to create some stronger bonds and pump each other up to get some good waves. I’ll be seein’ ya’ll in the water!
All right, it’s the moment we have all been waiting for! Actually, it’s the moment that only I have been waiting for and maybe Klaude, since he gets bored at work. The obvious truth is that no one reads this shit, and I am pretty much doing all of this for my own pleasure and for the likely event that I can look back on all of this when I’m old and ripped like Groundskeeper Willie. Oddly enough, I find some kind of strange fascination with documenting certain things in my life that I can reflect on. Hell, I started this whole thing in August of 2008 when it was just Jon and I. I wrote about sessions back when I was just long boarding and going straight; I didn’t know what a turn was!
Okay, so back to the topic. This is the first time that I have ever compiled all the stats for a whole year regarding: how many times I surfed for each month and who I surfed with. You all might not find this worth your time, but I think it’s actually cool to break it down. So I’ll start by breaking it down by month, then I’ll do the total at the end.
MILITARY LEAVE (April 10th - 25th): 4 SESSIONS. I was in Iraq for eight months out of the whole year, but I did come home on leave for two weeks, which I surfed at least four sessions. I surfed with Rick, but I don’t count his sessions because everyone knows that he’s really consistent; it’s no surprise. But I also surfed with Klaude and Cheryl for one session during that time.
Cheryl 1
Klaude 1
AUGUST: 6 SESSIONS. It was a rough month. I just got back home, had to buy a car, and was apartment hunting. Also, I was rusty as all hell from being out of the water for so long. I still found the time to surf, and these are the figures.
DAIS 1
DAVE 1
DK 1
JON 1
KLAUDE 1
RANDY 3
SHAN 1
TIM 1
SEPTEMBER: 15 SESSIONS. It was still a month filled with moving and settling back in. I wasn’t able to hit the water with everyone as much as I wanted to, but I knew I would make it out once I took care of business.
AL 1
CHERYL 3
DAIS 1
KEV 1
MICHELLE 1
RANDY 2
SHAN 2
OCTOBER: 24 SESSIONS. This was actually a good month. I was finally in my apartment, chillin‘, with my balls hanging out. There was nothing else to do but eat and surf.
AL 1
CHERYL 2
CHRISTINA 2
DAIS 3
DK 2
J 2
JON 2
KLAUDE 4
RANDY 1
SHAN 5
NOVEMBER: 25 SESSIONS. Fuckin’ A, another good month. I almost surfed this whole month, too. Here’s how many times I got to enjoy it with the rest of you.
CHERYL 2
CHRISTINA 2
CHRISTOPH 1
J 1
JON 1 (photo detail)
KLAUDE 4 (injured list)
RANDY 4
SHAN 10
YO 1
DECEMBER: 18 SESSIONS. It rained a lot in December, so the numbers are a little down for this month. Dais is listed in one session. He showed up, but we couldn’t find each other in the line up. Anyway … so who was down to surf, despite the holidays?
DAIS 1
J 7
RANDY 3
SHAN 2
2010 TOTAL: 92 SESSIONS.
CHERYL 8
CHRISTINA 4
DAIS 6
DAVE 1
DK 3
J 10
JON 3 + 1 (photo detail)
KLAUDE 6 + 4 (injured list)
RANDY 13
SHAN 20
TIM 1
AWARDS: BATTLE BUDDY OF THE YEAR - SHAN. Even though you’ve been a little flaky lately, fuck … you surfed 20 times with me this year. We got it good in December; you paddled out with me 20 fuckin’ times. That’s twenty times that I got to watch you get all wet under that shower with the water glistening off of your chest hair. RIGHT ON!
AWARDS: FLAKE OF THE YEAR - JON. Gawd damn … didn’t even show up to your welcome back surf session that EVERYONE showed up to, and you missed the DRC dinner after you said you’d roll. ‘Nuff said.
Well, I did my best to make up for lost time. I paddled out 92 fuckin’ times. I know I could have been more consistent, but that’s all I could muster out. That’s like surfing once, everyday, for three months straight. I hope to do better in 2011.
DK, Dais, I hope to pull in some sessions with you guys this year and get to know ya’ll better. Klaude, get that shoulder working again and we’re on it! Christina, you gotta make Cheryl paddle out with you every time you come out with us. Shan, keep’m coming, Big Boy. Jon, you know I’m just messing with you because I miss your ass out there. I know you’ll be out there once your affairs are settled. J, thanks for being so consistent even though I haven’t known you that long. Randy, I’m gonna miss you, Bro, and thanks for all the knowledge you’ve kicked down to me, AND A KICK ASS BOARD (that Rick is currently repairing). Everyone, let 2011 be the year that we progress and exceed our expectations to progress to a new level of surfing. More importantly, let’s do our best to get together to create some stronger bonds and pump each other up to get some good waves. I’ll be seein’ ya’ll in the water!
Monday, January 10, 2011
IMMERSED IN LIQUID SUN: MON 1.10.2011 MORN
CREW: SOLO BOLO
FLAKES OF THE DAY: No one said they would be out, so nope … NO FLAKES!
TIME: 0700 - 0845, 1.75 hrs..
WIND: Calm, like my anus after the wrath.
WATER: Cold, but so glassy it made the waves invisible on the horizon. Low tide just over two feet, shallow on the inside, four feet on the plus sets, surprisingly punchy, a little rip on the inside, kind of walled, there were fun rides, but there was a LONG wait.
I’ve said it before, but it’s really easy to get unmotivated to surf in the winter. My wetsuit hung damp over the bath tub this morning. Half asleep, I felt the lower legs of the suit. Just as I expected, still drenched. I filled up my hot water bottles, grabbed all my shit, and I was warming up my car by 0614. The temp gauge was at forty-nine degrees. I made my way down Vista Del Mar; it was still dark. I passed on the free spot on 45th and snagged the free spot in the lot, lucky me. I still couldn’t see out there. I was cold, but at least there was no wind. I left the car running with the heater on full blast. I text a couple people to let them know what the conditions appeared to be, then I finally suited up. Compared to the swell as of late, today looked tiny. It was one of those mornings where people pulled up then drove away, too small in their eyes.
I was able to make out that the first guy on the sand was Ray. By then the sun illuminated the sky to a faint blue, and I could see the waves. The tide looked low, but it wasn’t totally drained out. The waves were about three to four feet. The main breaks had long peaks that broke fast, but there seemed to be random nugs here and there. At about 0645 I locked my car up. There were a couple more cars parked, people congregated in the lot, and a guy was carving on his skateboard. I walked in front of 45th to stage, and the sand gave me cold burns on my feet. A little warm up and I was out. I felt awkward on my 6’6. I actually had a hard time paddling out. I definitely underestimated the waves. From the shore they were small, but gawd damn were they punchy. They packed a little wallop and hindered my progress. It took me a while to get to the line. I mistimed it and battled a consistent set. I said hi to Ray, and I bullshitted with the old timer that knee boards.
There was a current pulling south. Initially a lot of people were at 45th, but they all drifted and stayed at 42nd. The three of us decided to duke it out with the current and stay where we were. I was lucky to pick off some shoulders. The water was so glassy that it was hard to distinguish the bump in the surface from the horizon. I moved with a purpose every time a good shoulder was forming. In between the walled sets there were some clean and easy peaks. The lips were soft, inviting, and curling, as if it was a palm just pushing you into the wave, saying, “Come here, Little Buddy. Don’t worry, I got you. Yayyyyy, now slide down the wave!” Other waves were deceiving. They looked like a shoulder, but upon dropping in there was just a wall to the left and right. My first wave was a fast left with a building wall. I got to pump my board about three times before I fell. No, it wasn’t a great ride, but it lasted long enough to appreciate the speed that I felt.
Once the sun was over the horizon the atmosphere changed. I looked to the east to see the blinding gold glow; it sparkled in the sky and poured onto the glassy surface. Soft little mounds floated with black shadows that looked like gentle blobs of black. At that point it didn’t matter that the conditions weren’t phenomenal; to be cradled in the sun’s natural wonder made it worth just sitting on my board.
Some random outside waves would clean up the line every once in a while. I thought that I was the only one having a hard time, but I saw Ray and the knee boarder hanging out in the white water for a while. When I talked to them later they said they were caught in a rip, and that the waves held them there, too. I had to duckdive a wave as the lip crashed on me. It took my board from me like an old grandma being viciously mugged. Fuck mugged … raped! I thought that my duckdiving sucked, but I really think that my last couple boards have been so long and thick that they were just too buoyant.
Aside from my mediocre rides, I was the lucky recipient of two good lefts. One random peaked came out of no where. It was a punchy three footer that sent me down the line pretty fast. As it walled up I pumped my board and was able to get a decent top turn and reentry. I still had more wave to work with, but then I stalled on the cut back. I think I stall out from: 1. Lack of skill, and 2. Too much board. It’s probably more of the former than the latter. The second left was the same, but smaller, and I fell on the attempted top turn. I did get a couple rights, but I couldn’t get any spray because the lip was already curling down before I could bash it. There were dolphins playing in the water out ahead. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was immersed in a sea of honey, it seemed.
At 0745 I caught my last wave. It had a long wait for it, so I paddled in and rinsed off. Shan text me to ask how it was and wanted to check it out in the afternoon. I told him that the forecast showed it to be biggest in the morning, and that I wouldn’t expect much for the evening. Surprisingly, it was a fun morning. I wrote earlier that it’s hard to get motivated in the winter, but when you’re walking back to your car after a good session and look back at the water … you’re always glad you made it out.
FLAKES OF THE DAY: No one said they would be out, so nope … NO FLAKES!
TIME: 0700 - 0845, 1.75 hrs..
WIND: Calm, like my anus after the wrath.
WATER: Cold, but so glassy it made the waves invisible on the horizon. Low tide just over two feet, shallow on the inside, four feet on the plus sets, surprisingly punchy, a little rip on the inside, kind of walled, there were fun rides, but there was a LONG wait.
I’ve said it before, but it’s really easy to get unmotivated to surf in the winter. My wetsuit hung damp over the bath tub this morning. Half asleep, I felt the lower legs of the suit. Just as I expected, still drenched. I filled up my hot water bottles, grabbed all my shit, and I was warming up my car by 0614. The temp gauge was at forty-nine degrees. I made my way down Vista Del Mar; it was still dark. I passed on the free spot on 45th and snagged the free spot in the lot, lucky me. I still couldn’t see out there. I was cold, but at least there was no wind. I left the car running with the heater on full blast. I text a couple people to let them know what the conditions appeared to be, then I finally suited up. Compared to the swell as of late, today looked tiny. It was one of those mornings where people pulled up then drove away, too small in their eyes.
I was able to make out that the first guy on the sand was Ray. By then the sun illuminated the sky to a faint blue, and I could see the waves. The tide looked low, but it wasn’t totally drained out. The waves were about three to four feet. The main breaks had long peaks that broke fast, but there seemed to be random nugs here and there. At about 0645 I locked my car up. There were a couple more cars parked, people congregated in the lot, and a guy was carving on his skateboard. I walked in front of 45th to stage, and the sand gave me cold burns on my feet. A little warm up and I was out. I felt awkward on my 6’6. I actually had a hard time paddling out. I definitely underestimated the waves. From the shore they were small, but gawd damn were they punchy. They packed a little wallop and hindered my progress. It took me a while to get to the line. I mistimed it and battled a consistent set. I said hi to Ray, and I bullshitted with the old timer that knee boards.
There was a current pulling south. Initially a lot of people were at 45th, but they all drifted and stayed at 42nd. The three of us decided to duke it out with the current and stay where we were. I was lucky to pick off some shoulders. The water was so glassy that it was hard to distinguish the bump in the surface from the horizon. I moved with a purpose every time a good shoulder was forming. In between the walled sets there were some clean and easy peaks. The lips were soft, inviting, and curling, as if it was a palm just pushing you into the wave, saying, “Come here, Little Buddy. Don’t worry, I got you. Yayyyyy, now slide down the wave!” Other waves were deceiving. They looked like a shoulder, but upon dropping in there was just a wall to the left and right. My first wave was a fast left with a building wall. I got to pump my board about three times before I fell. No, it wasn’t a great ride, but it lasted long enough to appreciate the speed that I felt.
Once the sun was over the horizon the atmosphere changed. I looked to the east to see the blinding gold glow; it sparkled in the sky and poured onto the glassy surface. Soft little mounds floated with black shadows that looked like gentle blobs of black. At that point it didn’t matter that the conditions weren’t phenomenal; to be cradled in the sun’s natural wonder made it worth just sitting on my board.
Some random outside waves would clean up the line every once in a while. I thought that I was the only one having a hard time, but I saw Ray and the knee boarder hanging out in the white water for a while. When I talked to them later they said they were caught in a rip, and that the waves held them there, too. I had to duckdive a wave as the lip crashed on me. It took my board from me like an old grandma being viciously mugged. Fuck mugged … raped! I thought that my duckdiving sucked, but I really think that my last couple boards have been so long and thick that they were just too buoyant.
Aside from my mediocre rides, I was the lucky recipient of two good lefts. One random peaked came out of no where. It was a punchy three footer that sent me down the line pretty fast. As it walled up I pumped my board and was able to get a decent top turn and reentry. I still had more wave to work with, but then I stalled on the cut back. I think I stall out from: 1. Lack of skill, and 2. Too much board. It’s probably more of the former than the latter. The second left was the same, but smaller, and I fell on the attempted top turn. I did get a couple rights, but I couldn’t get any spray because the lip was already curling down before I could bash it. There were dolphins playing in the water out ahead. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was immersed in a sea of honey, it seemed.
At 0745 I caught my last wave. It had a long wait for it, so I paddled in and rinsed off. Shan text me to ask how it was and wanted to check it out in the afternoon. I told him that the forecast showed it to be biggest in the morning, and that I wouldn’t expect much for the evening. Surprisingly, it was a fun morning. I wrote earlier that it’s hard to get motivated in the winter, but when you’re walking back to your car after a good session and look back at the water … you’re always glad you made it out.
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