~photo by unknownS WIND 30 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS TO 45 KT. COMBINED SEAS13 FT DOMINANT PERIOD 13 SECONDS.
I mentioned a couple days back sitting on the beach reading Paul Dresman poems. Paul is a Professor at the University of Oregon and, perhaps, more importantly, a poet and a surfer...in Oregon. I hope he doesn't mind, but here's one of his poems...
Triangular Projection
for John Larison
It's "November" in New Zealand
because it's May in Oregon
It's getting windy in Auckland
yet sunny at North Bend.
When a swell comes up
from May's south pole
the waves will rise where we ride
all the way across the Pacific.
On a south-southwest swell
each set of waves stretch across
the mouth of the wild creek,
winter's sandbar laid offshore,
and the swells break with symmetry--
gift of the southern hemisphere's tempestry--
a series of rings
that pulse thousands of miles
to the bay at Port Orford.
The water's in the forties,
morning's wind in the thirties,
and I wish I were twenty again.
The waves look big from far.
Up close, the walls are bigger yet.
When it gets really big, some
surfers hide in the lee of the "sea stack"
--a big offshore rock--a monolith--
to wait out the sets.
When it gets triple overhead
We catch what we can ride
We ride what we can catch
Local Report:
...nice session on the central coast. Got there 45 min before low tide and only one guy surfing. Caught about 10 nice little "warm-up" waves on the inner break. Other guy left pretty quickly and I moved out to the outer/bigger break. Had it to myself for a while and had a few nice drops and long rides. Then to my relief, 6 other guys showed up...being satiated, I welcomed the company. Waves got bigger, but a lot of shifty and deceptive peaks rolled through. Realized after a while that I was the only one out again. Got in the car and looked at the clock...I had been surfing for 4 and 1/2 hours!! I thought for sure the clock was wrong...time warp.
~funk
4 comments:
I think he posted or use to post on the OSP? Is his work published? Be interested in reading more.
As far as I'm concerned the only place that pulls in those Kiwi lumps on this coast. Used to make it there quite a bit when I was in school down there, but now it's out of my usual domain.
Speaking of usuall domain, think a road trip out of it is order this weekend to find shelter from the winter sized swell on tap?
Yes...Paul is published.
Nice to see you post his work, doc.
I often find myself picking up his book and thumbing through it...
I hope the P.O. locs can't read poetry or they'd
be P.O.ed about Paul waxing and milking on southern hemis cranking into their bay.
Poetry reading in Port Orford?...Nah, couldn't happen.
Hmm - seems Paul and I frequent the same haunts. I may need to hook up wityh him for a surf trip out of this la la land called Eugene one of these days.
Great blog Doc. Can't belive I never saw it before.
Alohas
Dan 'o'
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