Turn On It, Tune Out, Drop In

~photo by covephoto LLC

S WIND 30 TO 35 KT...WITH GUSTS TO 45 KT THIS AFTERNOON.
COMBINED SEAS 14 FT...BUILDING TO 19 FT THIS AFTERNOON.
DOMINANT PERIOD OF 10 SECONDS.

With the last 5 days dedicated to tracking all the Nelscott contest fallout I haven't even posted a report about going surfing! It's been a rough month...only 2 go outs in 2 months. Also, Happy New Surf Year to everyone who reads this blog.

Here's the report from last Thursday (that was in 2006)...

There is no Surf in Oregon...

Even so, I paddled out today after a too long forced hiatus due to responsibility, alcohol, injury, more alcohol, work, relationships, some more alcohol, inertia, hubris and finally alot of alcohol...

What did I find?

That if you're 45 and surf 2 times in 2 months you had damn well better do something other than consume alcohol and surf the interweb...my wetsuit was tight, I was winded hiking downhill and I was hurting bad on the paddles out...

That said...despite the state's lack of surfable waves...I saw a window and defenestrated myself into it...got in about 1pm, pretty low tide, semi-disorganized and bumpy on the inside...but there were a few bumps lining up on the outside...

Creeks run through it.

Since I can no longer in good conscience name even the most obvious of location due to my vow of silence and vagueness...the above statement must suffice...and I surfed the middle creek...there were only 2 other guys out nearby...one of them paddled out and set up uncomfortably close...I contemplated fighting him but as a liberal and pacifist I sublimated these primal emotions and merely vibed him with unsmiling glances and no "Howzit goings" or "S'ups"...he got the message and gave me enough room to work with...on his first takeoff, he blew it...a perfect head high wedge too...I was ready to snake him at will and without mercy but he pulled into the next wave without error so I grudgingly permitted him to surf unmolested...

Sunshine, glass and windless.

Alright there was a little wind but it was mild...the glare was intense though and the chest to head high waves were pretty fun and consistent, although there was a tendency for fun looking peaks to tease you into chasing them futilely...

You always remember the one that got away.

There was brief period about an hour in where the swell, bars and angle all had a harmonic convergence...peaks lined up for short down the line runs and even a couple little throw overs...saw a bump on the horizon that corresponded with the south indicator and paddled a bit further out to await the set wave...a bit too far out unfortunately...as I scrambled into position for my wave of the day...I turned and paddled hard for a lined up head high left...only to have it pass under me and break perfectly down the line...fortunately there were plenty of other fun waves coming through...but none that matched that one...

Here I sit with aching back.

Sunburned face, bloodshot eyes, muddy shoes, sore neck and tired arms...in other words, satisfied...for now.

~doc

I also got called out for saying it was head high...I admit I may have exaggerated slightly and it doesn't come close (or even halfway) to the 6 foot Hawaiian wave being surfed on the central coast by holddown pictured above...that wave is a macker!