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October 31, 2006 (Tuesday)
Big Improvement
I can confirm that yesterday's perceived performance improvement brought on by the Vector II 437s was no fluke. Today: same result. They work much better than the regular Vector YUs I'd been using.
Is this due to the template (YU v. 437) or the II's inner foil? I don’t know, but my board works unreal with the new fins. I guess it has to do with release, not sure--I'm not good at describing the technical aspects--but there's more drive too. Also, my surfing is more flow-y (but still kook-y).
Posted at 11:20 PM
Post-session
Slightly bigger. Weak. Kinda crowded.
Posted at 5:01 PM
October 30, 2006 (Monday)
Post-session
Windy and smallish. Used the Vector II 437s today for the first time, and they work frickin' unreal.
Posted at 12:41 PM
October 29, 2006 (Sunday)
Post-session
Smaller and gutless but doable. Not crowded.
Posted at 12:57 PM
October 28, 2006 (Saturday)
Post-session
There's something. It was boring. Had a few pretty-good rides, though. The TV news just said there'll be south "swells" until the end of next week.
Posted at 11:57 PM
October 27, 2006 (Friday)
Post-session
Inconsistent but fun. Nice conditions and form.
Posted at 1:20 PM
October 26, 2006 (Thursday)
Post-session
Bigger and sloppy. Wind backing off now.
Posted at 1:30 PM
October 25, 2006 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Bigger, for sure, and windy and sloppy. A bit cold too.
Posted at 1:00 PM
October 24, 2006 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger, showing signs of new energy. Windy and sloppy.
Posted at 3:02 PM
October 23, 2006 (Monday)
Post-session
Back to normal: moderate to strong trades, small and sloppy.
Posted at 1:18 PM
October 22, 2006 (Sunday)
Post-session
Smaller but still very doable. Kinda sloppy from the moderate trades. Not crowded.
Posted at 1:22 PM
October 21, 2006 (Saturday)
Post-session
Awesome time at the A-framer. It didn’t start out that way.
First went out to my regular spot. From the beach, I could see some nice looking sets coming in. And it was crowded. Started at my usual bowl. But it was inconsistent, and the nearby peak was really pulling in the waves, so I paddled over. The waits were long there too.
And the people. Irking. They were giving me the creeps like I had a phobia. I know where that came from. It's from all the days earlier in the week surfing un-crowded waves. Really, beginning on Tuesday and every day after, I had great sessions. The waves were consistent, the conditions and form were excellent, and it was pretty much only three to five of us (and we all knew each other) trading waves and laughing and having a blast. The week represented probably the most fun I've had all year.
So I'm at this peak with about 20 people, all kooks--no skill and aggressive--and I just want to leave. One guy, in particular, is trying to take over and dominate. I'm looking around, and I feel very uncomfortable. I catch a few, but it's very unchallenging and boring.
One of my friends who surfs the A-framer with me is out, and we decide to make the trek to the A. It's not far. On the way, we pass through the Right-hander. I snag a set-wave, then take the final several strokes. What we find is smallish, about waist-high, very choppy mush. There's a lot of cross swell from, I assume, the moderate trades and rising tide. The wave faces are vandalized by ripples and wavelets cutting sideways and making it difficult to time even a single turn. It seems pretty dismal.
But soon it begins to improve a bit. It's still windy, but the surface chop has cleared significantly. I start to get some fun rides. But it's still quite sloppy. Then my friend has to go in (he has baby-sitting duty). I decide I'll catch a few more but plan not to stay much longer. (In fact, I almost went in with my friend, but it's my day off, so I might as well stretch it out, especially after yesterday's buzz-killer when I had to end earlier than I wanted because I had to go to work.) I had no idea what was about to happen.
As soon as I was alone, the waves turned on, and I had one of my best sessions of the summer. Head-high to slightly-over-head, consistent, lined-up, fast-breaking, juicy walls. Wave after wave. Non-stop fun. Challenging takeoffs with just the right amount of warble and chop to make it difficult and interesting. I was surfing very well and made few mistakes. My board was working unreal. It was one of those unbelievable sessions. I pulled some maneuvers that had me chuckling and grinning. I really had a magnificent time.
Here’s what a typical ride was like. Long wall sweeps in from the SW, very west-y. Take off in the pit on, of course, an A-frame bowl. Windy. Late, steep drop. Turn off the bottom and then just drive down the line as the wave runs and breaks quickly for the first section. Pretty much throaty and barrel-y and you're just ahead of the throwing lip. Now with plenty of speed, you move off the middle of the face and drop to the bottom and then go straight up in the pocket. Hit the lip vertical fins-out. You've got plenty of velocity and the sections are coming together very fast. The wave wants to leave you behind and chew you up. Your board is revving, and it loves the high RPMs. Pick your spot, set up off the bottom, then go straight up again. Then one more time, only sooner because the rhythm of the wave sections are more staccato now that the wave is nearing the inside and it's terminus. You're board is practically hydroplaning it's going so fast. Now an entire section is going to mush out and crumble--you're almost at the end--and you take a very wide turn off the bottom and then hit the foam at a vertical angle (180) but then quickly snap down into a right angle (90) and translate your momentum forward as you ride completely over the entire section and drop into the next one. A crisp, slashing cutback and then one last bash off the knee-high remnant and you're done.
Can’t even begin to count how many of those I had. Four hours later, I was tired and burnt. Big dinner, then a nap. Spectacular day off.
Posted at 11:50 PM
Erratum
I made a mistake: Yesterday wasn't smaller, it was bigger. And, as I said, it was frickin' good.
Posted at 12:04 PM
October 20, 2006 (Friday)
Post-session
Smaller but going off.
Posted at 1:34 PM
October 19, 2006 (Thursday)
Post-session
About the same size. Excellent conditions/form early, but now moderate trades.
Posted at 12:31 PM
October 18, 2006 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Bigger and fun.
Posted at 1:20 PM
October 17, 2006 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Pretty much awesome for about an hour; and then less so for the next hour; and then total crap for the last hour. All nearby spots looked nice with excellent conditions and form. Near the end of the session, the wind switched to moderate west, and that's what broke things up.
Was just me and another one of the regulars for most of the time trading waves and having super fun. Another of the regulars joined us for about an hour. I had some really good rides and was surfing pretty well. Did some very gratifying snaps and bashes. My board was working unreal.
The word from all quarters is that everywhere was going off. Also, that tomorrow there's supposed to be an increase out of the SW (conditions should be good again). Will have to go earlier in the morning than usual so I can spend more time in the water before work.
Today was completely satisfying. Relaxing and enjoyable. Good camaraderie. Exactly what surfing is all about--well, for me at least.
Posted at 6:03 PM
October 16, 2006 (Monday)
Post-session
Nice conditions but small and crappy.
Posted at 1:23 PM
October 15, 2006 (Sunday)
Shaken, And Stirred
I would consider today's quake a strong one. The movement and rumbling woke me up. The first tremor lasted quite long--seemed like about 20 seconds. I actually put on my shorts and hurried to the front door. That's because I live in a building that is a very old concrete style structure that is extremely rigid and not what I would consider something that could tolerate a lot of sideways force. I was ready to run into the street when the shaking subsided. I'm serious. I didn't want to be crushed by the implosion of a three-story apartment building.
I was off today (which is not normal because I had to work for seven consecutive days), so I took my time and headed to the beach at around 1:00. The winds were light to moderate onshore (southerly) and the waves were small and very sloppy. It was crowded. (Guess for most people there wasn’t much to do at home without electricity. One could catch up on some reading, of course, but that would be bad because reading ruins the mind.) The waves sucked, but I stayed out a surprising 2.5 hours.
When I got back, there still wasn't any power. Just sat around and did nothing until about 8:30 when we got the juice.
Heard Country has been going off. I saw the pics on JB's site. I don’t care. I'm satisfied for now. Apparently we're going to be getting some significant and lesser south swells later this-coming week.
Posted at 9:02 PM
October 14, 2006 (Saturday)
Bleh
Open: first round, 1st, advance; second, 5th (last), eliminated. Senior: finals, 2nd.
Posted at 2:26 PM
Second Time
Contest at Queen's again. This time there's gonna be waves.
Yesterday was good at the A-framer. I didn't want to go in because it was getting better, and I had it to myself. It was hot and sunny and the water was nice. Really, one of those relaxing and fun sessions.
At first, it wasn't much. There were some bigger sets, but it was crossed-up and weak and not anchoring in the main bowl (kinda swinging wide). Then as the tide started to lower, the size dropped, too, and the waves began breaking in the pit in true A-framer form. It was pushing together, lined up and juicy with some decently-powerful doubles moving over the reef. And the rip wasn't raging as it had been earlier. The wind slackened, and so the surface conditions were quite nice. Could've stayed out at least a few more hours.
I'll update when I'm done at Queen's. Might come home between divisions.
Posted at 7:58 AM
October 13, 2006 (Friday)
Post-session
Bigger and fun. I'm bummed I had to leave to go to work.
Posted at 1:16 PM
October 12, 2006 (Thursday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger, and boring as all get-out.
Posted at 12:24 PM
October 11, 2006 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger at the A-framer. Very pronounced west-y angle (west wrap or new SW energy?). Kinda fun. Moderate SE winds making it choppy/sloppy.
Heard the A-framer was going off yesterday evening. Small but perfectly-lined-up barreling rights/lefts with about 20 people out.
Posted at 12:58 PM
October 10, 2006 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Might be bigger but still very small. Awesome conditions.
Posted at 2:01 PM
October 9, 2006 (Monday)
Post-session
Pretty much the same but with lighter winds.
Posted at 12:54 PM
October 8, 2006 (Sunday)
Post-session
Smaller and sloppy. Very east-y. Had a few semi-decent rides.
So I'm at the A-framer with one other person. It sucks, but we make the best of it. At about midway through the session, I hear a girl yelling at the Right-hander, which is the next break over. I see her and another guy off their boards, and the girl is holding her head. I guess they collided and she got hurt. It's not too crowded over there, perhaps 6-8 people. She's yelling a lot.
Then near the end of the session, the person that's out with me gets pounded by a smallish set-wave as she's sitting right in the pit, and she gets drilled into the reef. She says she hit her head and her arm is injured. She goes in immediately.
I was going in anyway, and I'm waiting for a decent last one. Soon thereafter, I hear yelling and harsh-sounding language coming from the Right-hander. I look to see some guys off their boards with arms flailing making big splashes. Seems they are throwing punches. It’s suddenly gotten crowded there with at least a dozen people. Then I see one of the guys paddling away on his board while pushing someone else's board ahead of him. I guess he's forcibly taking the board.
Just then a nice wave comes to me, and I ride it in and then bellyboard to the beach. The entire time, I'm watching the guy with the hijacked board and his buddy quickly paddle in, and the guy without a board trying to swim/walk over the shallow reef shelf chasing after them.
I want to get a close look at the guys because I'm extremely curious to know who's involved. Are they regulars? Do I know/recognize them? Are they going to fight on the beach?
The two guys reach shore just before me and scramble up the hill presumably to their car. They don’t bother to shower. When they are the closest to me, I can't make out their faces, and they don’t look familiar. The guy swimming in is now walking as fast as he can with abandon over the reef. I've crawled and walk over that reef many times before, and I can tell you it's certain he's got lacerations all over the bottoms of his feet. I don’t recognize that guy, either.
That woman who was at the A-framer with me is at the showers, and she has abrasions on her arm and back. She's okay. The guy without the board ran up to the cars but he didn't recover his board. The two guys were gone.
Posted at 12:45 PM
October 7, 2006 (Saturday)
Post-session
Smaller and sloppier but do-able. I was clumsy and kook-y and had only a few good rides.
Posted at 8:22 PM
October 6, 2006 (Friday)
Post-session
Bigger with new energy, and although somewhat inconsistent it's nice. The water feels awesome. Calm to light variables. So-so crowded.
Posted at 1:14 PM
October 5, 2006 (Thursday)
Post-session
About waist- to chest-high with occasional bigger. Fun. Light to moderate E-SE winds. Crowded.
Posted at 12:34 PM
October 4, 2006 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Bigger but sloppy.
Posted at 1:10 PM
October 3, 2006 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Bigger with more wave action but crappier form. Basically, just wind-slop. Had much more fun yesterday.
Posted at 5:59 PM
October 2, 2006 (Monday)
Post-session
Some teeny ones. Very crappy but do-able. I actually had fun. Kinda crowded at first.
Heard Country is small. In fact, a friend drove there and came back to surf my regular spot (said it was bigger).
Posted at 4:10 PM
October 1, 2006 (Sunday)
Post-session
Tiny. Really crappy.
Posted at 12:29 PM