Woke up very early Saturday morning...couldn't get back to sleep. There was a charge in the air. Clear, sunny and cold. Pulled my shit together then went about rousting the v-man. He had a date with dad. I.....had a date with a beautiful woman. NOAA was calling for 7 @ 14... and sweet jesus... the easterlies were blowing.
My fare arrived early. We loaded up his boards and headed out the door. Could this actually be happening? Getting out the door...a half hour ahead of schedule? Crypes! ...pure bliss for a type A...such as myself.
I don't usually have company for the drive...but I welcomed the morning's conversation. Talk of surf...school...and as luck would have it....another barf-o-rama story that left me howling and thinking that the pickle needs a new nickname.
We pulled into town to find it big and a little disorganized. Not too enticing to me....but T was rarin to go so I unloaded him at the camp ground and told him I'd check in later. Oh to be a 17-year-old surf rat. Cute...carefree...surf stoked.
Made a call...only to find that I was holding up the show. The boards & gear were waiting to be loaded. We...were heading south. Another hour in the car...but I didn't mind. I handed over the keys with the simple instruction of "no tickets". Complete joke...for those that know my driving.
Arrived at the lighthouse....my oh my. Clean lines rolling in at head-n'a-half to double-overhead...and the swell was on the rise. Suited up and picked our way down the rocks for a dry hair paddle out. Not too crowded....about a dozen guys....but you could see more...steadily making their way out along the rip. The cold water felt good. Cleansing...after a very long week.
I sat on the shoulder for a bit...watching the big lefts roll through. Then slowly worked my way inside. I was definitely out of my comfort zone....but determined to get into one of these bombs. No such luck. Found it difficult to get my nose down the face and ended up getting blown off the peak at least 3 times.
Chatted up ding for a bit as I tried my hand at moving inside...but the clean up sets had me working hard to stay outside of the impact zone. I definitely got my paddle workout in for the day. After over two hours in the water...I was a popsicle. And wouldn't you know it.....a peak finally finds me. Dropped into it for a short ride before the whitewater engulfed me. Great...I was now inside. The only thing left to do was ride the white water the quarter mile in to the beach and catch the rip back out.
I made my way back out and sat on the far left...watching as the sets got bigger. Five lines to a set...and cleaning everyone out. At that point I decided I was too cold...and too tired to deal with that much white water. So I paddled over to the cliff and slowly picked my way out.
I won't get into my scramble up the cliff...but I can tell you I was beyond cold...tired...and involved several choice words as I stood and tried to figure out how to heave my board up the path without beating it to shit.
Sunday the swell had dropped a bit...but I was tired from a week's worth of workouts and Saturday's surf. So...we took the S.U.P out to Whalen. My first official spin on her. The herons watched as I worked on paddling into the current...keeping it in one place...then turning and paddling out into calm. The tide was going out so I was limited by shallowness as to where I could take her. I can't wait to get this baby out in the surf.
I see a monolith run in my future...
photos courtesy of Gaz
