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February 28, 2007 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Smaller and very sloppy. Empty.
Posted at 1:36 PM
February 27, 2007 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Initially sloppy but fun head-high doubles then total crap. Empty.
Posted at 8:12 PM
February 26, 2007 (Monday)
Post-session
Weird. Definite new energy, S-SW. Some good sets (over-head) initially then nothing. Empty--only one regular and me--then crowded. New board working insane.
Posted at 1:39 PM
February 25, 2007 (Sunday)
Post-sesison
Tiny with some west in it.
Posted at 1:50 PM
February 24, 2007 (Saturday)
Post-session
Smaller, windy/sloppy. Crowded.
Oh, the kooks were out today. On almost every wave, someone was in my way, especially at the end of the session when I was trying to catch a last one in. People paddling out in front of me when I'm taking the drop, people sitting there like buoys on the shoulder, in the face--every frickin' place. You f---ing idiots!
My leg is feeling much, much better. And my board was working quite well. I'm finally getting the hang of it. The turning action off the tail is exceptionally quick and snappy. And it throws a lot of spray. It seems to catch waves better than my F6. I think it's because I have to lie farther up toward the nose because of the increased rocker, and that allows me to stroke into waves more easily. So is it because of the rocker itself or my body positioning? The trick to keeping it from bogging in flat areas and the shoulder is constant rail-to-rail, like mini s-turns, and also turning back to the pit.
Now all I have to do is learn how to surf. Then I'll be, "Good to go."
Posted at 11:07 PM
February 23, 2007 (Friday)
Post-session
Still some sets. Inconsistent. Windy. Cold.
Posted at 1:35 PM
February 22, 2007 (Thursday)
Post-session
Bigger. Still windy. Not crowded.
Leg/hip still bothering me but not as badly. Hopefully should be almost normal tomorrow.
Posted at 12:05 PM
February 21, 2007 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Bigger. Windy. There's definitely some new energy.
Had a difficult time. Could only stand. Turning and any kind of bouncing or rail to rail was not possible due to the discomfort. Extremely frustrating.
Posted at 1:31 PM
February 20, 2007 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger. Still windy. Supposed to be new southern energy, and I guess it's there under all the wind-generated stuff.
Hurt my bum hip today. Took off on a head-high wave. The surface of the drop was chopped up with four "steps" in the face. I hit the first two like they were speed bumps, and then somewhere between the third and fourth the wave doubled and dropped away and my board fell out from under me. I hit the water hard in an off-balanced and awkward way and tweaked my leg.
It was sore from then on, but I could still stand and do some rudimentary turns, so I stayed out for another hour. When I went in and started walking on the beach, I could feel the pain. I knew it was gonna get worse. Sure enough, at home I lied down and rested, and my leg began to really bother me. Certain positions, especially when walking, were very painful.
I ate lunch and took a nap, hoping things would improve. When I woke up, the pain was stronger. I took a Celebrex, which the doctor prescribed for that same hip and for my arthritic knee of the other leg. That helped. Right now it's not so bad. I'm wondering if I can surf and work tomorrow. I'm thinking, can.
Posted at 11:31 PM
February 19, 2007 (Monday)
Post-session
Smaller and blown.
Posted at 1:54 PM
February 18, 2007 (Sunday)
Post-session
Bigger but blown out.
Posted at 1:34 PM
February 17, 2007 (Saturday)
Hyperbole
Okay, perhaps it really wasn't an air.
Posted at 11:53 PM
Post-session
It's small and blown. Really bad.
Was having a difficult time on my new board. But there were glimpses--flashes--of promise. It did a few things that truly blew my mind. For instance, when I was kicking out, I did a hard pivot with barely any speed, just fooling around, and I inadvertently did a low 180 air. The tail simply popped out, and the movement was extremely quick, controlled, and smooth. I was in awe.
I guess the only way to put it is that the board is crazy-responsive. But not in an overly-sensitive way. In other words, it reacts well. Also, it's lively and fast in the steep part of the wave. The other thing is that it throws a humongous fan.
BTW, this morning I took my old board to Blue Planet. It was sold in two hours. I dropped it off at 10:00. I went back at noon to buy a leash, and the guy told me, "Oh, your board sold. I was putting it out, and a guy walked in and looked at it and said, 'I'll take it.'" All my boards sell quickly there, the typical time being about 2-3 weeks, with the longest being a month. I think, though, it has to do with the high resale value/demand of/for WT's boards.
Posted at 4:54 PM
Getting High
Is this for real, paraglider at 32,000 ft.? Think about it. That's unbelievable. These guys fly at Diamond Head when the winds are southerly.
So I got my new board on Tuesday. The screws were missing from the boxes, as I've said. Also, I've noticed some very-minor flaws in the glass job; the foam blank has some readily apparent pits and gouges; and there were two tiny pressures on the bottom. Am I grumbling? No, but I wonder if such a board would be put on the rack at retail? The base price went up too.
But gosh darn it, WT's boards work insane. All I need to do now is get acclimated to this new one. I'm expecting some loving to take place very soon.
And I put a small ding in it already on only the third day. It's a puncture that broke the glass to the foam. I got it by inspecting the board for pressures. How's that? Being neurotic and obsessive about the condition of my board caused me to ding it. Seems almost all the damage to my boards occurs out of the water, either when transporting or storing.
I'm up earlier than usual on a Saturday (my off day) because I was supposed to surf the North Shore with my friend this morning. But he cancelled a little while ago. So now I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go. I'm too lazy to go myself. Someone has to needle, prod--goad--me into action. Otherwise, it's simply the usual place even though it's total crap.
Posted at 8:27 AM
February 16, 2007 (Friday)
Post-session
Small, west-y. Windy.
Posted at 1:29 PM
February 15, 2007 (Thursday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger. SE?
Posted at 12:29 PM
February 14, 2007 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger. Seems like E-W combo. Good conditions. Mushy form.
Frustrating time with my new board. Argh.
Posted at 1:37 PM
Next, Please
Picked up my new board yesterday. It's a K3, so it's a different model from what I've been riding (F6) for almost a year and a half.
Something funny (both ha-ha and odd) that happened when I got the board home is that I found the Future Fin boxes didn't have any screws. That really threw me. I was panicked and stumped. Then I figured I could simply back out the screws on my other board and use those, which I did. But I was worried to be careful so as not to strip or otherwise ruin the boxes when I inserted the screws. In fact, I did put one in at too shallow an angle and had to reverse and try again. And the screws turn really easily--too easily, based on past experience, and so much so that I thought I messed up. But they seem to be okay. I mean, really, conceptually and as a practical matter, how difficult could such operation be, right? Yeah, right.
The first thing I noticed in the water about the board is that it doesn't seem to be as buoyant as the previous one. I think it's more in-the-water. And the deck doesn't feel as dome-y. I had a difficult time riding it. Not only because the waves totally sucked, although they were significantly better than yesterday, but also because I couldn't generate speed. So I'll have to find that sweet spot and the method to create on-demand propulsion.
Other than that, I'm stoked to be finally using my new board, which had been finished in December, but I didn't have the extra cash. This model is supposed to be killer in the pocket, and I'm hoping it'll improve my straight-ups.
Hopefully, we'll get some west-y energy during the next few days. A-framer?
Posted at 9:57 AM
February 13, 2007 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Slightly bigger, more wave action; but still windy and sloppy.
Posted at 5:58 PM
February 12, 2007 (Monday)
Post-session
Unbearably awful.
Posted at 1:31 PM
February 11, 2007 (Sunday)
Post-session
Smaller and windy. Perfect beach day.
Posted at 1:03 PM
February 10, 2007 (Saturday)
Post-session
Still some smallish west stuff. Standing on the beach, it was partially cloudy and cold. Then as I headed out to the A-framer, the sky cleared, and the sun was blazing.
Had it to myself and was getting some okay ones. Then one guy came over; then one more, then four, then one, then three. That's a huge crowd by A-framer standards. Luckily by then I was satisfied, and the waves and conditions/form had deteriorated with the increasing wind and the dying sets. Pretty much the other guy and I had scored it at what seemed to have been the best time.
Posted at 4:13 PM
Not x2
The next event that was set to run today at Sunset has been postponed. Guess it's too big? More likely, it's overall doable but there are big remnants and bomb-sets.
So I made plans with my friend to surf either Country or Wesside early this morning, but I cancelled because I was simply "super tired." Set my alarm for 6:00, and then called to say I wasn't gonna be able to do it. It was funny because when he answered he was wide awake and chipper and raring to go. He's definitely a morning person ;-).
Some Town spots that pull in the west have been good during the previous few days. I was surprised how well the wrap was hitting the A-framer yesterday. And I heard from a friend just now that the Left-hander apparently has been real good of late (particularly, two days ago).
Posted at 9:27 AM
February 9, 2007 (Friday)
Post-session
I don’t know why, but it's bigger out of the west.
Posted at 1:48 PM
February 8, 2007 (Thursday)
Post-session
West wrap, knee- to chest-high. Light north winds now west.
Posted at 12:28 PM
February 7, 2007 (Wednesday)
Post-session
New albeit weak energy with pronounced west angle. Initially moderate WSW winds that seem to have just switched to north.
Posted at 1:35 PM
February 6, 2007 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Gosh-awful. Small, onshore, and sloppy. A-framer with one other regular. But I'd rather that than the alternative of dodging kooks.
Posted at 4:47 PM
February 5, 2007 (Monday)
Post-session
Much smaller. Flawless conditions earlier, now light variables with texture and slight chop. Beware: Kooks are out in force.
Posted at 1:17 PM
February 4, 2007 (Sunday)
Post-session
Surprise: New energy out of the SE (at least twice bigger). The A-framer was fun; the Right-hander looked real nice but was Kook City (afterward, one of the regulars said it was good but weak/soft).
Posted at 1:39 PM
February 3, 2007 (Saturday)
Post-session
Excellent conditions and miniature and crowded.
Posted at 4:46 PM
February 2, 2007 (Friday)
Post-session
Went with my friend (visiting from North Carolina) to the A-framer. When we got there, it was nice everywhere with excellent conditions and waist- to head-high. The swell direction was ideal for the A, and the bowl-ages were working, both rights and lefts. The instant we got to the lineup--this is no exaggeration--the wind turned strong (20-25 mph) west and destroyed it.
Posted at 1:08 PM
February 1, 2007 (Thursday)
Post-session
The same but smaller because lighter wind.
Posted at 12:28 PM