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Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Waves, please stop!
Surf check: Still huge, but now it is poop brown, rained all night. We leave for Boca...
Scott from LA came with us today. Boca looked smaller, but once we got out, there were still some sets that had us hooting and scratching for the horizon. Will it ever end? The waves just keep coming without a break. It is simply big or bigger.
There is a tree in the lineup today, and it looks spooky. Suddenly, we realize it is just us out! What is going on? We hear that it is the economy. No one is here. Hey, what am I doing here? I don't even have a job. It is all insane. But, we are here, and we are surfing.
Afterwards, we go to Caldera and find a jetty break that looks promising to Andy. I think it looks marginal. I am jaded.
The next day, we take Deb and Ryan with us to Caldera. It was so stupid from the get go. I could only see a big close out, but Andy wanted to try it. It was a great bodyboard wave. It wedged up in a nice peaky bowl, but it was too short and most of them closed out. The body boarders were charging! Andy had fun, but all I saw was close-outs. I left, and went over to the left I saw yesterday. That was a waste, too, just a mush ball - and then the wind came onshore. Oh, well, some days you win, some days you lose.
The good part was seeing Glenn today. We went to his house, bearing gifts of beans that I made and a casserole Deb made. Ryan had so much fun helping me sort the beans the other night. That was so cool how much fun he had. He wanted to sort more last night. How cool is that?
At first, we were afraid to see Glenn. When he came walking out of his house, it was a bit unsettling. His nose was taped up. He looked as if he had been in a heavy bar fight. One eye was swollen shut, and both eyes were black and blue. But, he was smiling and joking and happy as he ever was. Lindsey showed us the X-rays, and you could see how his nose bone has been completely chipped off. They formed a new one with plastic, and he still has the end of his nose. It was so good to see him again. All he wanted to know was what waves we had surfed. He told us that there have been a multitude of injuries over the last few days. Jim Hogan has a gigantic bruise from the top of his hip down to his thigh. Another guy got stitches in the leg, and some girl got stitches in her chin, all locals.
It's hard not to feel spooked.
Mark arrived this evening. The swell has been rising again, all day, just insane. We stood on the beach at sunset, just pointing to the two block long waves that are too big to even ride. Mark is worried about paddling out tomorrow, but we put his fears to rest. Well, we tried to pretend we had it wired at Boca to make him feel better. Ha ha. Shiver. More to come...
Scott from LA came with us today. Boca looked smaller, but once we got out, there were still some sets that had us hooting and scratching for the horizon. Will it ever end? The waves just keep coming without a break. It is simply big or bigger.
There is a tree in the lineup today, and it looks spooky. Suddenly, we realize it is just us out! What is going on? We hear that it is the economy. No one is here. Hey, what am I doing here? I don't even have a job. It is all insane. But, we are here, and we are surfing.
Afterwards, we go to Caldera and find a jetty break that looks promising to Andy. I think it looks marginal. I am jaded.
The next day, we take Deb and Ryan with us to Caldera. It was so stupid from the get go. I could only see a big close out, but Andy wanted to try it. It was a great bodyboard wave. It wedged up in a nice peaky bowl, but it was too short and most of them closed out. The body boarders were charging! Andy had fun, but all I saw was close-outs. I left, and went over to the left I saw yesterday. That was a waste, too, just a mush ball - and then the wind came onshore. Oh, well, some days you win, some days you lose.
The good part was seeing Glenn today. We went to his house, bearing gifts of beans that I made and a casserole Deb made. Ryan had so much fun helping me sort the beans the other night. That was so cool how much fun he had. He wanted to sort more last night. How cool is that?
At first, we were afraid to see Glenn. When he came walking out of his house, it was a bit unsettling. His nose was taped up. He looked as if he had been in a heavy bar fight. One eye was swollen shut, and both eyes were black and blue. But, he was smiling and joking and happy as he ever was. Lindsey showed us the X-rays, and you could see how his nose bone has been completely chipped off. They formed a new one with plastic, and he still has the end of his nose. It was so good to see him again. All he wanted to know was what waves we had surfed. He told us that there have been a multitude of injuries over the last few days. Jim Hogan has a gigantic bruise from the top of his hip down to his thigh. Another guy got stitches in the leg, and some girl got stitches in her chin, all locals.
It's hard not to feel spooked.
Mark arrived this evening. The swell has been rising again, all day, just insane. We stood on the beach at sunset, just pointing to the two block long waves that are too big to even ride. Mark is worried about paddling out tomorrow, but we put his fears to rest. Well, we tried to pretend we had it wired at Boca to make him feel better. Ha ha. Shiver. More to come...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
never a dull moment
In case you were wondering if the lack of updates was due to lack of things to post or boredom, here's a hell lot of stuff that I just didn't have the time to post.
"Never look down on the board!", I used to tell my surfing students...
These gopro photos were taken on 6 24 (the same day of the those Oahu photos of last post) on the south shore. Funny how the wide angle makes the big waves look small and the small ones (they were waist to chest high) look big!
Unfortunately, I keep having a major droplets problem. I tried many photographer tricks, but none worked, since the screen of a water housing is flat and lets the drops run easier than the very convex screen of the gopro.
Fortunately, I didn't have any droplet problem for the photos I took during the short walk on the beach between surf spots. My stalking has gone to another level.
It was the first time I used the gopro on a shortboard. That was when I found out that kicking with my feet when paddling for a wave is bad for my foot.
As a consequence of that, I'm trying to put together my broken 8.6. Unfortunately, the way it broke made the two halves not match at all and I tried filling the gap with some pour resin. Kind of got the rocker straight, but the pressure of the expanding foam made the two pieces end up not in line.
Tried this (went up to three bricks) for a few days, but it's not moving.
Plan B will be to cut three inches of the board around the break and try to stick together the two parts... I'm going to have an 8.3!
Since I'm not too confident about the result, I'm also planning on going to Oahu and getting myself one of those Tanaka mini longboards from the Town&Country factory.
7.2, 7.4, 7.6, 8.0... they all look pretty good to me.
In the meantime, I filled a hole in my SUP quiver. After I sold the Sea Lion, I was missing a short board for summer time waves. Looks like I found it...
Lately, I've been lazily trying to understand if the Canon 20D I bought on eBay is a keeper or not.
I'm not a photographer, so pretty much I don't know how to use it. But the other day I met Francky, who is an awesome photographer and does know how to use it. He took a couple of photos focusing on the mailbox of this house and I did the same with my old, cheap and trusty point and shoot Sony.
Here's the shots and here's what I sent via email to a bunch of friends that are helping me figuring out this atrocious dilemma...
I'm attaching a couple of those photos we took the other day.
Don't even know how to download the raw files (the sw didn't see them), but it's a jpg at the highest quality. Res is 3504x2336, file size is 3.8 MB. I cropped the Sony shot to have similar frames. The Sony shot is 1094x818, file size 329 KB!!!
Sure, the Sony shot looks over exposed and kinda bleached (can't see the tiles on the white wall... that's something that I can try to fix in future shots), but it also looks way sharper!
We were both focusing on the mail box, but even that is sharper in the Sony shot.
The Sony shot is taken at f3.5 and that should give it a narrower depth of field (compared to the canon shot taken at f6.3), nonetheless everything looks more in focus in it (I don't even know if that's a good thing or not).
I'm really perplexed...
Canon.
Sony.
FYI: Francky is doing an exhibit at the Green Banana cafe in Paia. The opening party is Friday 9th at 7pm. Can't wait to see the photos he selected.
Also, my buddy Chris sent me this email:
GP,
I would love it if you could give a shout out on your blog to my summer project which was initially inspired by your Oahu trip last year. Branded 60 Days of Summer. The aim of the 60 Days of Summer project is a simple one; to show that there is far more to Hawaii than winter surf and that with the right attitude, the right equipment and enough time you can find waves, wind, surf, freestyle, slalom, SUP, skate, kite, hike, bike, you get the idea, tons of action and have a whole lot of fun too – after all isn’t that what it’s all about?
Check how Chris does on his blog. My guess is that he's going to have a blast, also because it looks like he's going to get lucky right away!
In fact, I just saw on the weather maps a pretty deep storm that will send an overhead NW swell by Sunday/Monday.
This map is forecast to happen Thursday... not a bad fetch for summer time.
This south Pacific one instead is forecasted for Friday 9th. And that means that the weekend after that will see waves on the south shore. How come south swells always happen on weekends?
I saw this great gopro video on beachtelegraph.com. Fabrice Beaux and Rob Stelhik in Oahu.
I like the way they hold the paddle while filming.
And I saw this on Facebook.
Congrats to Bruno Andre for pushing the limits. My only hope is that whoever will feel like trying that, will do so in an absolutely deserted lineup. That's one board you don't want to be run over by!
SUP Downwind racing season is about to peak. This sunday July 11 there's a Maui Molokai race, then July 18th the Naish Maliko Kahului and after that the Molokai Oahu.
If the wind will be forecasted to be strong, I may enter the Naish race with my 50 pounds, six years old 12.6 and wooden paddle and show them all the effort they put into making more technologically advanced gear was... worth it!
Last, but not least, I'd like to thank Dave Kalama for this inspiring post on his blog. After I read it, I stopped using the bus to go to the launching spot for my downwinders. Now I do that on the bike. If the wind is strong is not exactly a piece of cake on my old shitty bike, but sure it's a hell lot easier than paddling for five hours against the wind from the harbor to just past Peahi... you got to be kidding me!!!!
Thanks Dave. With the first five bucks I'm going to save on bus tickets, I'll buy you a beer.
"Never look down on the board!", I used to tell my surfing students...
These gopro photos were taken on 6 24 (the same day of the those Oahu photos of last post) on the south shore. Funny how the wide angle makes the big waves look small and the small ones (they were waist to chest high) look big!
Unfortunately, I keep having a major droplets problem. I tried many photographer tricks, but none worked, since the screen of a water housing is flat and lets the drops run easier than the very convex screen of the gopro.
Fortunately, I didn't have any droplet problem for the photos I took during the short walk on the beach between surf spots. My stalking has gone to another level.
It was the first time I used the gopro on a shortboard. That was when I found out that kicking with my feet when paddling for a wave is bad for my foot.
As a consequence of that, I'm trying to put together my broken 8.6. Unfortunately, the way it broke made the two halves not match at all and I tried filling the gap with some pour resin. Kind of got the rocker straight, but the pressure of the expanding foam made the two pieces end up not in line.
Tried this (went up to three bricks) for a few days, but it's not moving.
Plan B will be to cut three inches of the board around the break and try to stick together the two parts... I'm going to have an 8.3!
Since I'm not too confident about the result, I'm also planning on going to Oahu and getting myself one of those Tanaka mini longboards from the Town&Country factory.
7.2, 7.4, 7.6, 8.0... they all look pretty good to me.
In the meantime, I filled a hole in my SUP quiver. After I sold the Sea Lion, I was missing a short board for summer time waves. Looks like I found it...
Lately, I've been lazily trying to understand if the Canon 20D I bought on eBay is a keeper or not.
I'm not a photographer, so pretty much I don't know how to use it. But the other day I met Francky, who is an awesome photographer and does know how to use it. He took a couple of photos focusing on the mailbox of this house and I did the same with my old, cheap and trusty point and shoot Sony.
Here's the shots and here's what I sent via email to a bunch of friends that are helping me figuring out this atrocious dilemma...
I'm attaching a couple of those photos we took the other day.
Don't even know how to download the raw files (the sw didn't see them), but it's a jpg at the highest quality. Res is 3504x2336, file size is 3.8 MB. I cropped the Sony shot to have similar frames. The Sony shot is 1094x818, file size 329 KB!!!
Sure, the Sony shot looks over exposed and kinda bleached (can't see the tiles on the white wall... that's something that I can try to fix in future shots), but it also looks way sharper!
We were both focusing on the mail box, but even that is sharper in the Sony shot.
The Sony shot is taken at f3.5 and that should give it a narrower depth of field (compared to the canon shot taken at f6.3), nonetheless everything looks more in focus in it (I don't even know if that's a good thing or not).
I'm really perplexed...
Canon.
Sony.
FYI: Francky is doing an exhibit at the Green Banana cafe in Paia. The opening party is Friday 9th at 7pm. Can't wait to see the photos he selected.
Also, my buddy Chris sent me this email:
GP,
I would love it if you could give a shout out on your blog to my summer project which was initially inspired by your Oahu trip last year. Branded 60 Days of Summer. The aim of the 60 Days of Summer project is a simple one; to show that there is far more to Hawaii than winter surf and that with the right attitude, the right equipment and enough time you can find waves, wind, surf, freestyle, slalom, SUP, skate, kite, hike, bike, you get the idea, tons of action and have a whole lot of fun too – after all isn’t that what it’s all about?
Check how Chris does on his blog. My guess is that he's going to have a blast, also because it looks like he's going to get lucky right away!
In fact, I just saw on the weather maps a pretty deep storm that will send an overhead NW swell by Sunday/Monday.
This map is forecast to happen Thursday... not a bad fetch for summer time.
This south Pacific one instead is forecasted for Friday 9th. And that means that the weekend after that will see waves on the south shore. How come south swells always happen on weekends?
I saw this great gopro video on beachtelegraph.com. Fabrice Beaux and Rob Stelhik in Oahu.
I like the way they hold the paddle while filming.
And I saw this on Facebook.
Congrats to Bruno Andre for pushing the limits. My only hope is that whoever will feel like trying that, will do so in an absolutely deserted lineup. That's one board you don't want to be run over by!
FOIL STAND UP PADDLE from Surfsailing Team on Vimeo.
SUP Downwind racing season is about to peak. This sunday July 11 there's a Maui Molokai race, then July 18th the Naish Maliko Kahului and after that the Molokai Oahu.
If the wind will be forecasted to be strong, I may enter the Naish race with my 50 pounds, six years old 12.6 and wooden paddle and show them all the effort they put into making more technologically advanced gear was... worth it!
Last, but not least, I'd like to thank Dave Kalama for this inspiring post on his blog. After I read it, I stopped using the bus to go to the launching spot for my downwinders. Now I do that on the bike. If the wind is strong is not exactly a piece of cake on my old shitty bike, but sure it's a hell lot easier than paddling for five hours against the wind from the harbor to just past Peahi... you got to be kidding me!!!!
Thanks Dave. With the first five bucks I'm going to save on bus tickets, I'll buy you a beer.
Monday, July 5, 2010
More excitement...
Okay, this is officially the craziest surf trip ever. Today when we got up and saw that the waves were still giagantic and unsurfable, we never expected to end up NOT being able to surf third beach in Manuel Antonio because surfing there is now officially banned!
It seemed like the perfect idea, big swell, right direction, and third beach needs all that to light up. It is truly one of the most fun right points in Costa Rica.
So, we get to the park, walk the walk, and then get that bomb dropped on us. No reason given. "You can take your surfboards inside the park, but you cannot ride them." Perfect! What genius came up with that one? Just more nonsense.
Disappointed, we walked to the main beach where there are touristas everywhere and the beach break is wonky and booming. Andy has to get in the water, but I walk way down to the rock in search of a better break and a place away from the crowds. I never find much, but paddle out anyway, and catch a few mediochre waves.
Then, as I get back to the beach where Andy is surfing, mayhem unfolds. Big sets are creating a strong rip current and suddenly psople are yelling and Andy is attempting to save people! People are gathering, people are drifting out to sea, there goes some guy with a longboard. Where are the lifeguards? This is insane! They eventually save everyone, but one girl faints when she gets to shore and they lay her on the beach. People gather to gawk. Jesus! An ambulance trundles down onto the beach and they take the girl away. Meanwhile, a few feet away from the mess a guy is selling shave ice! On the way home, we stopped at another beach to check out the waves and we saw two kids drifting out in the lineup. Oh,no, not another rescue! Is this another bad episode of Baywatch? I tell Andy that I will get my board ready, but he is so exhausted and cursing stupid people for going out in that mess, and we just watch until we are sure they are out of danger. Let's just not check any more beaches today, I say.
Today, as we drove out of the driveway to go to Boca Barranca, I told Andy I was a bit hestitant to find out what today might bring after what has gone on the last two days.
But, today was most excellent.
We got to Boca Barranca and paddled out in overhead plus winding walls with light offshores and green, warm water. I got the wave of the day again, so said a Brazilian dude who saw that crazy big steep wall that I chattered down at warp speed, hanging on for dear life. It was hilarious, and I started laughing so hard I nearly choked afterwards. Right after my Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Andy caught one huge wave right in front of me, and I was hooting my head off as I looked up at that beast and saw him dropping in. What fun we had today. Only FOUR of us in the water! We realized that the magic hours are between 9 and noon, when the dawn patrol crowd leaves and the third crew hits. We felt like we won the gold ring today...
It seemed like the perfect idea, big swell, right direction, and third beach needs all that to light up. It is truly one of the most fun right points in Costa Rica.
So, we get to the park, walk the walk, and then get that bomb dropped on us. No reason given. "You can take your surfboards inside the park, but you cannot ride them." Perfect! What genius came up with that one? Just more nonsense.
Disappointed, we walked to the main beach where there are touristas everywhere and the beach break is wonky and booming. Andy has to get in the water, but I walk way down to the rock in search of a better break and a place away from the crowds. I never find much, but paddle out anyway, and catch a few mediochre waves.
Then, as I get back to the beach where Andy is surfing, mayhem unfolds. Big sets are creating a strong rip current and suddenly psople are yelling and Andy is attempting to save people! People are gathering, people are drifting out to sea, there goes some guy with a longboard. Where are the lifeguards? This is insane! They eventually save everyone, but one girl faints when she gets to shore and they lay her on the beach. People gather to gawk. Jesus! An ambulance trundles down onto the beach and they take the girl away. Meanwhile, a few feet away from the mess a guy is selling shave ice! On the way home, we stopped at another beach to check out the waves and we saw two kids drifting out in the lineup. Oh,no, not another rescue! Is this another bad episode of Baywatch? I tell Andy that I will get my board ready, but he is so exhausted and cursing stupid people for going out in that mess, and we just watch until we are sure they are out of danger. Let's just not check any more beaches today, I say.
Today, as we drove out of the driveway to go to Boca Barranca, I told Andy I was a bit hestitant to find out what today might bring after what has gone on the last two days.
But, today was most excellent.
We got to Boca Barranca and paddled out in overhead plus winding walls with light offshores and green, warm water. I got the wave of the day again, so said a Brazilian dude who saw that crazy big steep wall that I chattered down at warp speed, hanging on for dear life. It was hilarious, and I started laughing so hard I nearly choked afterwards. Right after my Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Andy caught one huge wave right in front of me, and I was hooting my head off as I looked up at that beast and saw him dropping in. What fun we had today. Only FOUR of us in the water! We realized that the magic hours are between 9 and noon, when the dawn patrol crowd leaves and the third crew hits. We felt like we won the gold ring today...
Saturday, July 3, 2010
In the blink of an eye, everything changes...
As Andy and I stood on the beach this morning, I was wishng we had stuck to the plan of going to Manuel Antonio today. There is a right point break there that only breaks on a big swell. Andy thought the waves looked smaller today, and he really wanted to just surf behind our rental place, so... this was it.
It still looked pretty big to me. It's hard to tell with no one out. But when it looks like it is breaking in slow motion, that usually means it is reaching max size for me. I resigned myself to it. My confidence was restored after yesterday. Still, as I stood there, watching the relentless and heaving power of the four foot shorepound... I stalled. We both seemed to sense something. Andy kept watching it, too. We must have stood there, the current pulling us around, for about a half hour.
Finally, Andy just went for it. I have so much respect for him. I just put my board down and watched from the shade of the palms. I just didn't want to risk it. I was truly afraid.
Just then Glenn walked up, smiling, ready to charge. He didn't hesitate, he just ran down the beach and jumped in, as I watched Andy narrowly miss a pummeling.
I watched them for a long time before Glenn finally caught one. It was a huge one, double overhead, he looked so tiny on that glassy right. He made it, and cut out the back. I wondered why he would be riding a longboard on such a big day, but knew he was used to it, and I knew it had the length to get into the slopey faces easier.
Andy caught a left, a nice big shoulder to get used to the size, and I knew he must be hooting out there. Then I saw Glenn get another good right, but narrowly miss getting closed out on. Andy got another bigger, longer left that I knew he was stoked about.
Lindsey, Glenn's wife, came walking up the beach then, and we talked before she took off for her morning walk. Deb and Ryan came out, too, and Ryan and I made creatures out of the beach debris lying in the black sand.
Then, everything changed. About an hour and a half had passed. Lindsey returned, and went up to the pool. Ryan, Deb, and I decided we would, too. Then I saw Glenn walking up the beach, so I took off running. I wanted to tell him he was my hero.
As I got closer, I could see red. His face was red, bright red, and my heart sank as I saw his hand holding his face, blood streaming down. I rushed to him, saw that it was worse than I thought, a flap of skin hanging from the side of his face, white specks bubbling out of the red mass his fingers seemed to be holding in place. I took his board and talked to him, worried he might fall or faint from blood loss or shock. I told him he would be alright, Terry Nails had done the same thing, I said, and he was going to be okay, just like Terry. Deb ran up and panicked, ran to the hotel, calling for help. Then everything started happening at hyper speed. Ryan ran to get Lindsey, and they all were suddenly gone.
I ran to get Andy, who was running up the beach. He had seen Glenn take off on a macking wave, right in the peaking pit, the nose of his board catching an edge. The last thing Andy saw was him supermanning down the waveface. Later, Glenn would tell him that as he tumbled in the whitewater he felt a hole in his face.
As I washed the blood off Glenn's board, I saw a chunk missing from the nose of his board, and knew that was where the impact had occurred. They told us later that a chunk of the board was imbedded in his face.
Andy ran up the beach and disappeared, and we all ended up on the road... searching. Ingrid, a lady who Deb had found, had driven Glenn and Lindsey to the clinic. We took off. Once at the clinic, we learned that Glenn had fractured his nose and had some crushed facial bones. They got an IV into him and were getting ready to race him to San Jose for surgery.
All the other details are unimportant. Lindsey called us when we got back. She said they had made it to San Jose in the ambulance in one hour and ten minutes, and that it had been one hell of a "Mister Toad's wild ride." GLenn was stable, had a broken nose, and his eyes and teeth were fine. His surgery will include plastic surgery to repair his nose. He may have to have a steel plate in his face, but they would know more once they got in there at 2pm today.
Once we knew he was going to be okay, we all sighed and breathed again. Deb and Andy took his car back to his house and washed the blood off it. Now we wait...
It still looked pretty big to me. It's hard to tell with no one out. But when it looks like it is breaking in slow motion, that usually means it is reaching max size for me. I resigned myself to it. My confidence was restored after yesterday. Still, as I stood there, watching the relentless and heaving power of the four foot shorepound... I stalled. We both seemed to sense something. Andy kept watching it, too. We must have stood there, the current pulling us around, for about a half hour.
Finally, Andy just went for it. I have so much respect for him. I just put my board down and watched from the shade of the palms. I just didn't want to risk it. I was truly afraid.
Just then Glenn walked up, smiling, ready to charge. He didn't hesitate, he just ran down the beach and jumped in, as I watched Andy narrowly miss a pummeling.
I watched them for a long time before Glenn finally caught one. It was a huge one, double overhead, he looked so tiny on that glassy right. He made it, and cut out the back. I wondered why he would be riding a longboard on such a big day, but knew he was used to it, and I knew it had the length to get into the slopey faces easier.
Andy caught a left, a nice big shoulder to get used to the size, and I knew he must be hooting out there. Then I saw Glenn get another good right, but narrowly miss getting closed out on. Andy got another bigger, longer left that I knew he was stoked about.
Lindsey, Glenn's wife, came walking up the beach then, and we talked before she took off for her morning walk. Deb and Ryan came out, too, and Ryan and I made creatures out of the beach debris lying in the black sand.
Then, everything changed. About an hour and a half had passed. Lindsey returned, and went up to the pool. Ryan, Deb, and I decided we would, too. Then I saw Glenn walking up the beach, so I took off running. I wanted to tell him he was my hero.
As I got closer, I could see red. His face was red, bright red, and my heart sank as I saw his hand holding his face, blood streaming down. I rushed to him, saw that it was worse than I thought, a flap of skin hanging from the side of his face, white specks bubbling out of the red mass his fingers seemed to be holding in place. I took his board and talked to him, worried he might fall or faint from blood loss or shock. I told him he would be alright, Terry Nails had done the same thing, I said, and he was going to be okay, just like Terry. Deb ran up and panicked, ran to the hotel, calling for help. Then everything started happening at hyper speed. Ryan ran to get Lindsey, and they all were suddenly gone.
I ran to get Andy, who was running up the beach. He had seen Glenn take off on a macking wave, right in the peaking pit, the nose of his board catching an edge. The last thing Andy saw was him supermanning down the waveface. Later, Glenn would tell him that as he tumbled in the whitewater he felt a hole in his face.
As I washed the blood off Glenn's board, I saw a chunk missing from the nose of his board, and knew that was where the impact had occurred. They told us later that a chunk of the board was imbedded in his face.
Andy ran up the beach and disappeared, and we all ended up on the road... searching. Ingrid, a lady who Deb had found, had driven Glenn and Lindsey to the clinic. We took off. Once at the clinic, we learned that Glenn had fractured his nose and had some crushed facial bones. They got an IV into him and were getting ready to race him to San Jose for surgery.
All the other details are unimportant. Lindsey called us when we got back. She said they had made it to San Jose in the ambulance in one hour and ten minutes, and that it had been one hell of a "Mister Toad's wild ride." GLenn was stable, had a broken nose, and his eyes and teeth were fine. His surgery will include plastic surgery to repair his nose. He may have to have a steel plate in his face, but they would know more once they got in there at 2pm today.
Once we knew he was going to be okay, we all sighed and breathed again. Deb and Andy took his car back to his house and washed the blood off it. Now we wait...
Friday, July 2, 2010
Am I ready for the biggest surf of my life? NO
As I stood on the beach that first evening, I realized that some people might look at these waves I stared at as the best of luck. I have lost my job, and have little prospects at the moment. I shouldn't even be here. My life is just insane at the moment. But, look at the surf, will you?
How I got here doesn't matter. What does is that these are the biggest waves I have ever seen in my entire life in the flesh. My heart sinks. My confidence couldn't be any lower than it is at this point in time. I do not relish paddling out in this tomorrow. It is too insane to consider at this moment. There are so many reasons why we can't go out right now. We have to get set up at our place, get supplies, do this and that. Good. I do not want to go out here right now. It looks like it is forty feet out there.
No one is out, not one single person, anywhere we look. That tells you something, Andy says. But, what excuse will I have tomorrow? I feel sick at this moment. I just want a wave that won't kill me.
The next morning, we walk out. Good God. I was surprised the beach wasn't shaking. It looks a little smaller, Andy says. Are you kidding me?
We decide to look at the cabinas. Glenn says he will meet us there. When we get there, I just want to cry. Huge, glassy, green walls are heaving like buildings toppling over in slow motion. Glenn tells us about a guy who paddled straight out here, recently, with a new board and never got one wave. Snap! Down came the lip, and that was that. I was picturing my spine snapping as I watched another one rise up and bomb into a moutain of white water. Gulp. Andy actually wanted to paddle out. Respect!
I talked him down as we watched one of four super human or insane types bobbing outside like specks of dust in the universe. Oh my God, he is going for one... holy crap, he is taking off! We watch as he makes it and slides to the bottom, the thing four times over his head! I am twisting and squirming, did you see that? I am babbling. Glenn and Andy are speechless. One guy walks up, panting. Glenn says, as an aside, "Hey, he's a good surfer... what happened?" He says, "I got halfway out there and then came to my senses." We decide to go back and wait for a different tide, or day, or something, yeah. Waiting is good, thank you.
Okay, so we didn't surf those first two days.
No shame in that. No one was out anywhere except at wimpy Jaco, where it is 1/8th the size.
So, today dawned and I knew we would have to paddle out. That's what we came for.
Luckily, we went to Puntarenas. "Second best left point break in the world," a sign says by the $2.00 shower sign.
It looked about 3-5 ft. plus out there. I sighed with relief. There were still some bombing sets, but nothing compared to Hermosa, thank you. We headed for the cliffs, after paddling through the murky "croc" river, as Glenn called it. Glenn chickens out along the skinny path, the cliff steep and scary. He said he was afraid of heights. "WTF?" Andy said. "He drops in the biggest waves around here, and he can't be up here?" That path was narrow, and I was nervous, too. But, look at those lefts peeling off! There are only four people out. Am I dreaming?
We paddle out, and I catch one right away, a pretty good size one, overhead and clean. I race it, steep and fast. I almost make it to the inside, but the whole thing heaves and I bail. Stoked! There is so much time inbetween waves it doesn't matter.
Andy moves inside and is hooting, catching a bunch that are peeling off like clockwork. Glenn in snagging big ones, overhead, smiling the whole way. I am getting a little frustrated. I want a big one, but I am having trouble reading the waves. They start to break, and I back out, thinking they are going to close on me. It is hard to adjust to a peeling wave after the waves we get at home. Then it happens. There could have been no better time for it. My wave of the day.
I see the horizon go dark, and see the long line. It's a big one. I move a bit inside and over, realizing the trick, how it shifts. I am paddling hard, it is heaving, and I am almost too late. I am not backing out, and I jump to my feet at it throws out. I can only tuck inside, pig dog style, to make it.
And, then came joy.
The lip threw over and I set my line, just slightly pumping inside, on one of the best tubes I have ever had in my life. The lip just kept unfolding over me, again and again. It was ridiculous, and beyond belief. I saw the guy on the green board looking in at me, then the ripper kid, then Glenn down the line, hooting his head off! I kept in it past them, down the line, for so long. I kept thinking it was going to end, but it just keeps looping over and over the farther I moved inside. Then I just started laughing because it was beyond insane. I did some weird move that shot me out on the face and I saw Glenn grinning from ear to ear. "I think you were inside that wave for at least 20 seconds!" He laughed. I was shaking all over in disbelief, a happiness inside that words could never convey.
I paddled past the guy on the green board and he was looking at me, grinning, and said, "That was crazy!" I said I had been having a crap session until that wave. He said, "Well, you sure turned THAT around!"
When we got back and took out the boards, Andy noticed I had put my fins in all wrong. I put the big ones in the back and the small ones in the front. I just started laughing all over again. Andy just smiled, shook his head, and started putting them in for me.
How do I get through life? With a little help from my friends.
How I got here doesn't matter. What does is that these are the biggest waves I have ever seen in my entire life in the flesh. My heart sinks. My confidence couldn't be any lower than it is at this point in time. I do not relish paddling out in this tomorrow. It is too insane to consider at this moment. There are so many reasons why we can't go out right now. We have to get set up at our place, get supplies, do this and that. Good. I do not want to go out here right now. It looks like it is forty feet out there.
No one is out, not one single person, anywhere we look. That tells you something, Andy says. But, what excuse will I have tomorrow? I feel sick at this moment. I just want a wave that won't kill me.
The next morning, we walk out. Good God. I was surprised the beach wasn't shaking. It looks a little smaller, Andy says. Are you kidding me?
We decide to look at the cabinas. Glenn says he will meet us there. When we get there, I just want to cry. Huge, glassy, green walls are heaving like buildings toppling over in slow motion. Glenn tells us about a guy who paddled straight out here, recently, with a new board and never got one wave. Snap! Down came the lip, and that was that. I was picturing my spine snapping as I watched another one rise up and bomb into a moutain of white water. Gulp. Andy actually wanted to paddle out. Respect!
I talked him down as we watched one of four super human or insane types bobbing outside like specks of dust in the universe. Oh my God, he is going for one... holy crap, he is taking off! We watch as he makes it and slides to the bottom, the thing four times over his head! I am twisting and squirming, did you see that? I am babbling. Glenn and Andy are speechless. One guy walks up, panting. Glenn says, as an aside, "Hey, he's a good surfer... what happened?" He says, "I got halfway out there and then came to my senses." We decide to go back and wait for a different tide, or day, or something, yeah. Waiting is good, thank you.
Okay, so we didn't surf those first two days.
No shame in that. No one was out anywhere except at wimpy Jaco, where it is 1/8th the size.
So, today dawned and I knew we would have to paddle out. That's what we came for.
Luckily, we went to Puntarenas. "Second best left point break in the world," a sign says by the $2.00 shower sign.
It looked about 3-5 ft. plus out there. I sighed with relief. There were still some bombing sets, but nothing compared to Hermosa, thank you. We headed for the cliffs, after paddling through the murky "croc" river, as Glenn called it. Glenn chickens out along the skinny path, the cliff steep and scary. He said he was afraid of heights. "WTF?" Andy said. "He drops in the biggest waves around here, and he can't be up here?" That path was narrow, and I was nervous, too. But, look at those lefts peeling off! There are only four people out. Am I dreaming?
We paddle out, and I catch one right away, a pretty good size one, overhead and clean. I race it, steep and fast. I almost make it to the inside, but the whole thing heaves and I bail. Stoked! There is so much time inbetween waves it doesn't matter.
Andy moves inside and is hooting, catching a bunch that are peeling off like clockwork. Glenn in snagging big ones, overhead, smiling the whole way. I am getting a little frustrated. I want a big one, but I am having trouble reading the waves. They start to break, and I back out, thinking they are going to close on me. It is hard to adjust to a peeling wave after the waves we get at home. Then it happens. There could have been no better time for it. My wave of the day.
I see the horizon go dark, and see the long line. It's a big one. I move a bit inside and over, realizing the trick, how it shifts. I am paddling hard, it is heaving, and I am almost too late. I am not backing out, and I jump to my feet at it throws out. I can only tuck inside, pig dog style, to make it.
And, then came joy.
The lip threw over and I set my line, just slightly pumping inside, on one of the best tubes I have ever had in my life. The lip just kept unfolding over me, again and again. It was ridiculous, and beyond belief. I saw the guy on the green board looking in at me, then the ripper kid, then Glenn down the line, hooting his head off! I kept in it past them, down the line, for so long. I kept thinking it was going to end, but it just keeps looping over and over the farther I moved inside. Then I just started laughing because it was beyond insane. I did some weird move that shot me out on the face and I saw Glenn grinning from ear to ear. "I think you were inside that wave for at least 20 seconds!" He laughed. I was shaking all over in disbelief, a happiness inside that words could never convey.
I paddled past the guy on the green board and he was looking at me, grinning, and said, "That was crazy!" I said I had been having a crap session until that wave. He said, "Well, you sure turned THAT around!"
When we got back and took out the boards, Andy noticed I had put my fins in all wrong. I put the big ones in the back and the small ones in the front. I just started laughing all over again. Andy just smiled, shook his head, and started putting them in for me.
How do I get through life? With a little help from my friends.
what I've been missing in Oahu
My friend Bruno Sillac sent me a few photos to show me that Oahu has been good lately.
That's what he wrote:
A nice South swell arrived, albeit spotty, along with somewhat less than marginal wind conditions, however Robby Naish, Scott Carvill and Bruno Sillac still ventured out to make the best of it. Although the conditions were less than ideal it was a rare treat to personally witness some fantastic sailing. Robby Naish maybe be getting older, but you would never know it by the way he rips.
This is Bruno.
Robby.
The other photos on this gallery on the Waterproofphotography website of Francis Brewer.
Oh well, this year no Oahu for me. At least not for windsurfing.
If I find a last minute cheap accomodation, I may still pop over to check out the Surf Film Festival and grab a few waves...
That's what he wrote:
A nice South swell arrived, albeit spotty, along with somewhat less than marginal wind conditions, however Robby Naish, Scott Carvill and Bruno Sillac still ventured out to make the best of it. Although the conditions were less than ideal it was a rare treat to personally witness some fantastic sailing. Robby Naish maybe be getting older, but you would never know it by the way he rips.
This is Bruno.
Robby.
The other photos on this gallery on the Waterproofphotography website of Francis Brewer.
Oh well, this year no Oahu for me. At least not for windsurfing.
If I find a last minute cheap accomodation, I may still pop over to check out the Surf Film Festival and grab a few waves...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Time to go...
Riding on the interstate. It is, once more, the end of June.
Summer clouds build in the distance. The trees lining the highway are green. Just like then. I will never forget.
When mom was getting sicker, and we could no longer deny what was happening, we rode together in the car to St. Petersburg to see the doctor.
It looks just the same. Today could be that same day, the same moment in time.
But, It's not. And that's why I am leaving for Costa Rica in the morning.
harsh board test
I love testing boards.
One of the reasons I love my job is that I get to try all kinds of boards.
Lately I've been playing a lot with some short Starboard standup boards.
The report of the test sessions (kinda boring if you're not into it) is in this thread of the standupzone forum.
Here are some photos that give you an idea of the kind of harsh environment the test was conducted in.
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"Don't drop in on me!" paddle holding technique.
One of the reasons I love my job is that I get to try all kinds of boards.
Lately I've been playing a lot with some short Starboard standup boards.
The report of the test sessions (kinda boring if you're not into it) is in this thread of the standupzone forum.
Here are some photos that give you an idea of the kind of harsh environment the test was conducted in.
.jpg)
"Don't drop in on me!" paddle holding technique.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Barrels o' Fun
I started the search at dawn. Karen left out the bike (thanks, pal!), and I headed for the point. The trek was a bit harder than last time, due to unusually soft sand at higher tide. But, nothing beats the lift of the heart to see two different sets of turtle tracks in the morning light, one set in and one set out. I imagine the eggs, warming in the summer sand. Grow little turtle, grow. And, hope to the heavens that when you see your first day, that it is not marred by oil in the water...
At the point, oddly enough, it looked smaller than it had further up the beach. The water was a rusty brown, and I knew that meant cold. I rode all the way to the tip of the point, but the waves had no shape, just weak lines coming in and listlessly closing out.
I decided that I would just ride all the way to the pier, and hope for rideable surf. It was stupid. High tide at the pier? What a dumb idea. But, I was determined not to chase it all over today, burning fuel - and daylight - for something resembling a wave.
Well, lucky me. I parked the bike at the rocks, where I could ride no further due to the rising tide. What the... look at that right peeling off! I watched as a longboarder rode a chest high, glassy wall all the way to the inside. The combination of the high tide and that little crook in the landscape had equaled a decent little break. I scrambled to get ready, and paddled out without even stretching.
Three hours later, I came in exhausted, sated, and stoked! The waves were finally breaking, walling up with enough power so that you could fly along, cut back, hit the lip, and even (believe it or not) get tubed. I had so much fun out there today...
One wave in particular stands out... I saw it jacking up, closer to the pier, a bigger one, and dropped in a bit behind the peak. I just pulled into it, looking out the almond eye and held on and on as it broke over me. Valerie kept talking about it the rest of the morning, and that made it seem real. She said, "You're showing the boys how it's done!" I loved that. There were others, some I came out of, others I didn't. The walls were so breath taking when they rose up in glassy peaks and walled up steep and fast - for once! Today it felt like a real swell, as if it might be coming up. But, after talking to Bob, and everyone else, I think I just lucked out today, and caught everything coming together in the last place you would ever think it would.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
a boring world cup post
Just watched the Italy game versus Slovakia.
Italy is out and they deserved too. 30 minutes (the last ones) of decent football are not enough to qualify.
I used to dislike football (soccer for the americans), but lately I've been enjoying it a lot. I watched plenty games of both the italian Serie A and the english Premiere Legue last season. Enough to have an opinion about Italy's performance, so here you have it.
IMO the manager Lippi did a really bad job at selecting the players. He left home players like Totti and Cassano who would have done sure better than Montolivo or Pepe or Iaquinta.
He left sitting on the bench two great Napoli players: Quagliarella and Maggio. As soon as those two entered the game (together with another great player Pirlo, who had been injured till then) the difference was clearly noticeable.
But the biggest mistake of all was to replace the injured keeper Buffon with the inexperienced Marchetti who looked and acted quite nervous. Napoli goal keeper De Sanctis (sitting on the bench) would have done a much better job.
Now that the first round is almost over, the tournament will get interesting. I sure don't want to miss Germany vs England, let's hope for a good game.
At the very beginning of the the world cup, England was my favorite. So much talent (despite all the injuries) on the pitch, let's see if Capello finally will let them play they way they know to.
That's all I have to say and to try to avoid to make this the most boring post ever, here's a lil south swell shot.
Italy is out and they deserved too. 30 minutes (the last ones) of decent football are not enough to qualify.
I used to dislike football (soccer for the americans), but lately I've been enjoying it a lot. I watched plenty games of both the italian Serie A and the english Premiere Legue last season. Enough to have an opinion about Italy's performance, so here you have it.
IMO the manager Lippi did a really bad job at selecting the players. He left home players like Totti and Cassano who would have done sure better than Montolivo or Pepe or Iaquinta.
He left sitting on the bench two great Napoli players: Quagliarella and Maggio. As soon as those two entered the game (together with another great player Pirlo, who had been injured till then) the difference was clearly noticeable.
But the biggest mistake of all was to replace the injured keeper Buffon with the inexperienced Marchetti who looked and acted quite nervous. Napoli goal keeper De Sanctis (sitting on the bench) would have done a much better job.
Now that the first round is almost over, the tournament will get interesting. I sure don't want to miss Germany vs England, let's hope for a good game.
At the very beginning of the the world cup, England was my favorite. So much talent (despite all the injuries) on the pitch, let's see if Capello finally will let them play they way they know to.
That's all I have to say and to try to avoid to make this the most boring post ever, here's a lil south swell shot.
Waves, but not waves!
I had everything planned out last night. I called Karen to ask her to put the bike out for me. She remembered at 1 am! But, I didn't look hard enough for it in the pre-dawn light and blew it, not seeing it there. I got up at 5:15 am, got everything organized, and then headed for her house. I unlocked the park gate by car headlights, and unloaded the car. But... where the heck is my bike?
Discouraged, I did not give up. I decided to travel to Matanzas. It was just as I thought. Bob was there, which was great, Walter, too, but the glassy swells were rearing up and backing down just at the point of breaking. Ack! We ended up only getting depressed, discussing the oil spill, again. At one point, Bob was yelling, "That's is, I have had it with this crap!" And he didn't mean the waves (I did get one good one, anyway).
I told him that I have always said that it was going to take something horrific to get people to do something to change things. Until they are affected, people will exist in their bubble o' consumer illusion. It all sucks, and it made us feel lucky that we were out in the ocean at all, sitting in a clean, glassy sea, a dolphin surfacing, coming up towards me, inside a cresting wave.
I went in after only about a half hour, and drove back to the tenth street. It was disappointing, brown, and lifeless. It looked like a sea of oil. The pier was a zoo, a million longboarders and closeouts. I can't wait to get to Costa Rica. Six more days...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Surfometer is up!
I haven't seen it that high in months. I think it's just because it has been flat for so long, because I actually surfed four spots this morning and I can safely say they were all only on the edge of almost being good.
First stop: North side of Matanzas. It looked so-so early. Bob had been out since 4 am. Really? No, 5:30 am. Walter was standing on the beach, telling us he had seen a shark in the shallows chasing mullet. So, Andy and I paddled out. Andy came in after about twenty minutes. This ain't worth it! It was lumping up again and disappearing, but every now and then we would watch one peel off, mint green water and rolling along begging to be ridden. I caught one really fun one towards the end that peeled off nice, but over all...eh.
Next stop, Summerhaven. I met up with Jack at the overlook as I was leaving Matanzas, and we decided to go look at it on the south side. He said he has seen some "overhead sets" there. I was doubtful, but went with him. Once there, it looked blah. "Just wait for a set," he said. We waited. And waited.
The outgoing tide was killing it.
I left and drove to the end of the road, where Junior and I went yesterday, but today it looked brown and not as lined up outside. I hoped it was a minor deception and paddled out. Nope. That was a bust. It was only breaking close to shore today, and not even that good. Mostly close-outs. Bleech. The water is so chilly at first!
Bob said he heard Marineland was breaking good yesterday, so I went there. No one was out there, and it looked so-so. Why can't we get a break? We finally get a somewhat swell and the tides are the worst!
I headed for Crescent Beach next, where Junior was waiting. At least the water was pretty there. Only a few guys were out, and it looked a bit more shapely here, at least. We paddled out, but it was the same old thing. Gutless. I did manage to score a couple that were good for roundhouse cutbacks and racing along, but overall, not the juice I want. The water was nice, though, glassy and green. It was worth the paddle out, just for that.
Off to 16th Street next, where I met up with John and Griffin. We paddled out there, but the sun was getting so high and the crowds on the beach were getting annoyingly thick. I scored a few good outside sets, but they were the kind that bowled up nice and green and got your heart racing for naught, as they would suddenly loose their steam and you would be left milking it, cutting back and forth to generate speed. I need real waves! If it was just a couple feet bigger...
One week until Costa Rica!
Dave Kalama's secret spot revealed
The little south swell is pumping (I know, that's an oxymoron) and yesterday I ended up behind a celebrity on the highway.
He's my paparazzi job.
He's my paparazzi job.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Summer
Yesterday, I gave Hope another surf lesson.
It is such a joy to see the look of joy on her face after she catches a wave! She is so fearless and stoked! Her mom, Tara, wanted to try it, and it is clear she gets her skills from her mom. Tara stood up nearly every single time, too! The waves were just big enough.
Today, Junior and I were on the scene early. I was anticipating so much more than was there. Listening to the buoys all night did not bear the fruit I imagined. Two feet at eight seconds, all night long. When I arrived at the beach this morning, I was determined to ride the 5'6" despite the size of the waves. It still amazes me, how that little rocket ship catches the mushiest mush and still flies. I so wanted to take off and do something, but the waves would just lump up and disappear.
The janitors came out on their SUPs, then the long boarders, and my heart sank. The tide dropped, and I told Junior I couldn't take it anymore, the people everywhere in the water, the SUPs, the people everywhere on the beach!
We headed for sanctuary. South, to Matanzas.
Once there, on the south side at the end of the road, we found it. The water was green and no one was around. I couldn't believe no one was even surfing the south side at all. It was small, but I have seen twenty people out in less. We traversed the rocks, crossed the river, and the beach opened up, empty and clean. The waves were small, but my first one was worth the whole drive. It was a right that peeled off, green, chest high, and fast. A few more came through, but nothing like that one, and then the lowering tide sucked it all away. It was just as well, as an annoying jack hammer started pile-driving a concrete piling into the ground just beyond, by the bridge. Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was like we were in a different world down there. The only people we could see were two lovers, standing in the shallows. The landscape was so serene, the water clear and sparkling. It took all the stress away. Well, if you could block out the jack hammering.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
a peculiar pet
The first two comments inspired me to add some information.
Average number of people killed by sharks worldwide every year: 4
Average number of people killed in car accidents worldwide every year: 1.2 millions
Average number of people killed by DOGS IN THE USA ONLY every year: 26
In contrast we are killing close to 100 million sharks per year and most of them are simply killed for their fins to make shark fin soup, a status symbol in China. Next time you go into a chinese restaurant and you see shark fin soup on the menu remember an animal that has almost the same life span as you died for that soup and his fins were severed from his body and the body dumped over the side.
Virtually all the shark attacks happened because the shark thought the victim was either a seal (in the case of a surfer think how a surfer looks from below) or there was poor visibility in shallow water. Virtually all attacks are a single bite and the shark didn't come back for more because it didn't taste like he expected. The deaths are usually due to blood loss.
For more info on shark attacks and the number of sharks killed by humans go to:
www.bite-back.com
Average number of people killed by sharks worldwide every year: 4
Average number of people killed in car accidents worldwide every year: 1.2 millions
Average number of people killed by DOGS IN THE USA ONLY every year: 26
In contrast we are killing close to 100 million sharks per year and most of them are simply killed for their fins to make shark fin soup, a status symbol in China. Next time you go into a chinese restaurant and you see shark fin soup on the menu remember an animal that has almost the same life span as you died for that soup and his fins were severed from his body and the body dumped over the side.
Virtually all the shark attacks happened because the shark thought the victim was either a seal (in the case of a surfer think how a surfer looks from below) or there was poor visibility in shallow water. Virtually all attacks are a single bite and the shark didn't come back for more because it didn't taste like he expected. The deaths are usually due to blood loss.
For more info on shark attacks and the number of sharks killed by humans go to:
www.bite-back.com
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Biking sucks! You heard me!
This week Danny got hit while riding his bike on his lunch hour by a fat drunkard driving a PT Cruiser. He had to be life flighted to Shands Hospital in Jacksonville with possible head injuries.
THE GUY KEPT ON DRIVING!
Luckily, someone chased him down. Danny is at home now, recovering. No head injuries, but stitches, staples, and road rash deluxe.
My loathing for PT Cruisers and Cadillacs grows.
So maybe it was a good thing that the tech at the bike shop forgot to put a crucial part on my cassette this week, and I didn't find out until I got up early today, packed all the biking gear in the car (let me tell you, biking is much more complicated, equipment-wise, than glorious surfing). So, I drove over to Sean's and found out I had to miss the ride today. I like to think it was all to save me from something like crashing right before my Costa Rica trip. But, that's "magical thinking," like Sean says. SO WHAT! I BELIEVE IN MAGICAL THINKING.
Along with this new forecast:
COASTAL WEATHER SYNOPSIS (Issued 7am 6/19/10):
The duldroms are here to stay through the weekend, followed by significant improvement starting Monday, extending through midweek when lowering pressure in the northeastern Caribbean Sea combines with a strengthening Bermuda high pressure ridge to produce an extended period of deep/lengthy east-southeasterly fetch over the southwestern Atlantic.
Red Alert: Google a band called FREELANCE WHALES and listen to "Generator 2nd Floor," and tell me these guys are not contenders for best new music this year.
Out of town from 20th June 2010 to 2nd July 2010
Hi, we will be out of town from 20th June 2010 to 2nd July 2010.
For any enquiry, please kindly email to DHsunglass@gmail.com. Do leave your contact number so we can contact you when we are back in town. You should get our reply within 48 hours.
At the moment, my-oakley-collection.blogspot.com is planning to move to a shop space in Central area and should be ready by early Aug 10.
Thank you!
For any enquiry, please kindly email to DHsunglass@gmail.com. Do leave your contact number so we can contact you when we are back in town. You should get our reply within 48 hours.
At the moment, my-oakley-collection.blogspot.com is planning to move to a shop space in Central area and should be ready by early Aug 10.
Thank you!
Friday, June 18, 2010
true, been slacking a bit... with apologies
Post update.
I apologize with Daniele De Rossi. A (pissed off) italian reader sent me an email and pointed out that the Paraguay guy actually did hit him.
In the slow motion at minute 1:02, you can see the Paraguay guy lifting the front of his foot in order to hit De Rossi's left foot. He steps on De Rossi's left hill and De Rossi will fall a step after that. Quite a dangerous contact actually, since he could have tore his Achille's tendon.
That's one case in which the replay would have not helped much... at least if I was the referee!
Maybe instead of a hand held device in the hand of the referee, there should be a team of experts evaluating each case on a big screen HD tv on the side of the pitch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As kindly reminded, I've been slacking a bit (surfing some) and here's the report of a couple of decent wave sailing days at Hookipa.
I'll start from Wednesday 16, Tuesday 15 coming up soon.
Don't really have a favorite, so I'll leave the chronological order, also because the one I kinda liked best was the first one anyway.
Laurent goiter.
Nico takes the Maui Surf Report logo high up. He's my best team rider, for sure.
Mark, mutant clew first.
Fireman Vince Steves.
Spanish sailor Anna Blanc bails out.
Mark.
Pascal.
Laurent.
Mark.
Yeah, let's put Griffin up too.
Pascal's body language seems to indicate that he wasn't particularly challenged by this wave.
Been doing some surfing as I was saying.
Standup is no problem, but regular surfing... oh boy. Even though I'm sure it is part of the problem, I'm not even going to blame the stiffness of my foot. It's just that after almost three months of not surfing you just suck at it when you try it again.
Tried Hookipa first and the patheticness of the attempt was mind blowing.
South shore was much better, but still far from what I used to be able to do.
Now. Should I be pissed off that I can't surf like I used to or happy that I'm finally able to surf again? The answer is too easy... bloody pissed off! :)
Jokes apart, being able to be in the water again is great.
Those little waves on the south shore made me completely forget about the standup downwinders and the July race, maybe will do a few more in the weekend, waiting for the new south swell to show up. Midweek should be good. Not as big as I first thought (gale winds weren't as strong as forecasted), but hopefully we'll see some head highers on the Lahaina side. Let's see how I do with those.
Stay tuned for the second wave sailing report and aloha.
PS. Oh yeah, Italy put all that hard training to use right away.
Seems like Daniele De Rossi will be selected as part of the Italian Diving team at the next Olympics. His interpretation was so convincing that even the Paraguay guy apologized thinking he really hit him...
There's one simple way shameful behaviors like these could be easily avoided by the FIFA: the use of replays. Even if not caught by the referee live, nowadays technology would easily allow the referee to review the action from many different angles on spot with a hand held device. NBA referees do that all the times (btw, yesterday's one was the worse final game ever!).
And even if the referee doesn't catch it at all, the day after the game a specialized team should review each game and when they spot something like this, they should issue a one year suspension to the cheating player. Immediately all cheatings would stop. That simple.
PPS. KP did this video of the first the of the Pistol River wave contest in Oregon.
Good job Samantha for organizing a contest that seems to have grouped quite a few sailors despite the cold water and cross on conditions.
Is this a sign that it's time for someone to try to organize a wave contest in Maui again? I think it's well overdue...
I apologize with Daniele De Rossi. A (pissed off) italian reader sent me an email and pointed out that the Paraguay guy actually did hit him.
In the slow motion at minute 1:02, you can see the Paraguay guy lifting the front of his foot in order to hit De Rossi's left foot. He steps on De Rossi's left hill and De Rossi will fall a step after that. Quite a dangerous contact actually, since he could have tore his Achille's tendon.
That's one case in which the replay would have not helped much... at least if I was the referee!
Maybe instead of a hand held device in the hand of the referee, there should be a team of experts evaluating each case on a big screen HD tv on the side of the pitch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As kindly reminded, I've been slacking a bit (surfing some) and here's the report of a couple of decent wave sailing days at Hookipa.
I'll start from Wednesday 16, Tuesday 15 coming up soon.
Don't really have a favorite, so I'll leave the chronological order, also because the one I kinda liked best was the first one anyway.
Laurent goiter.
Nico takes the Maui Surf Report logo high up. He's my best team rider, for sure.
Mark, mutant clew first.
Fireman Vince Steves.
Spanish sailor Anna Blanc bails out.
Mark.
Pascal.
Laurent.
Mark.
Yeah, let's put Griffin up too.
Pascal's body language seems to indicate that he wasn't particularly challenged by this wave.
Been doing some surfing as I was saying.
Standup is no problem, but regular surfing... oh boy. Even though I'm sure it is part of the problem, I'm not even going to blame the stiffness of my foot. It's just that after almost three months of not surfing you just suck at it when you try it again.
Tried Hookipa first and the patheticness of the attempt was mind blowing.
South shore was much better, but still far from what I used to be able to do.
Now. Should I be pissed off that I can't surf like I used to or happy that I'm finally able to surf again? The answer is too easy... bloody pissed off! :)
Jokes apart, being able to be in the water again is great.
Those little waves on the south shore made me completely forget about the standup downwinders and the July race, maybe will do a few more in the weekend, waiting for the new south swell to show up. Midweek should be good. Not as big as I first thought (gale winds weren't as strong as forecasted), but hopefully we'll see some head highers on the Lahaina side. Let's see how I do with those.
Stay tuned for the second wave sailing report and aloha.
PS. Oh yeah, Italy put all that hard training to use right away.
Seems like Daniele De Rossi will be selected as part of the Italian Diving team at the next Olympics. His interpretation was so convincing that even the Paraguay guy apologized thinking he really hit him...
There's one simple way shameful behaviors like these could be easily avoided by the FIFA: the use of replays. Even if not caught by the referee live, nowadays technology would easily allow the referee to review the action from many different angles on spot with a hand held device. NBA referees do that all the times (btw, yesterday's one was the worse final game ever!).
And even if the referee doesn't catch it at all, the day after the game a specialized team should review each game and when they spot something like this, they should issue a one year suspension to the cheating player. Immediately all cheatings would stop. That simple.
PPS. KP did this video of the first the of the Pistol River wave contest in Oregon.
Pistol River Wave Bash Day 1 from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.
Good job Samantha for organizing a contest that seems to have grouped quite a few sailors despite the cold water and cross on conditions.
Is this a sign that it's time for someone to try to organize a wave contest in Maui again? I think it's well overdue...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
An eventful day...
The waves have almost disappeared. And, the National Weather Service has popped my bubble of hope about that tropical system floundering off the Cape Verde Islands. Now it only has a 10% chance of survival. It's just as well, I suppose. I can only imagine what would happen if a storm raged up into the Gulf right now. Shudder. This whole oil disaster is making me wonder if it really isn't the end of days.
So, how did today begin? I will abbreviate it for your sake, if you are still reading. I want to write all this down so I can remember all the things that comprise a life.
Today was the day I was to meet someone my massage therapist set me up with. I hesitated to give her my number when she asked. She said he was lamenting the lack of women his age that surfed, that he could go surfing with. I am all about making life interesting, so I said okay.
He met me at the beach today, and so far, so good. He wasn't the hunchback of Notre Dame or anything, and I don't think he thought I was, either. Although, he did say he had a doctor's appointment at eleven, so I thought it might be a ploy to escape, just in case things turned out, well, not as expected. He looked a little like Pete Dooley, and we all know what a good-looking fellow he is! But, it was Pete Dooley with a country boy accent. Don't judge, woman. Many a North Carolina man has made a good friend or life mate.
I saw him carrying a classic board, looked like an eight footer (a Yater spoon). He said he had earned it for doing something at work at the power company where he has worked for 26 years. The waves were tiny, but he pointed out one peeling off, and said how beautiful it was out there, no one around. First thing that happens is he turns right around to go back in, telling me, "I'll be right back, I forgot to take out my hearing aid!" I smiled to myself. Classic. I am old, too, that's right. I had forgotten. We are two old surfers here.
He came back and caught a left. Ah, a goofy foot! We talked as we stood, holding onto our boards, in the cool water. He has kids, all grown, and we talked about them. Then, somehow, we got on the subject of the oil spill, and ended up getting really depressed without answers or solutions. It all feels so hopeless. He said it is so much worse than anyone ever let on. We talked about the animals, the fisherman, what is going to happen? He said he heard a representative from BP say that on a grand scale that it is really nothing. "Can you believe that?" he asked me. Insert blood boiling sounds here. We talked about humanity. He has a much bleaker outlook on it than I do.
Soon it was time to go, but not before a discussion about... his colostomy experience! I am tempted to just go get it over with, just for the twilight sleep part. This is what you talk about when you are in your fifties. We headed in around 10 am, so he could make his apparently for real doctor's appointment (skin check-up). We talked about how no one used sunscreen when we were kids, how we would surf all day, burn our lips, and do it again as soon as they healed up. Stupid.
He said he wanted to go surfing with me again on his next day off, and that's fine by me.
Then it was off to sell Ghost Books downtown in this hellish heat. I can do it! Let's hear it for summer jobs! Or, in my case, let's hear it for ANY job.
First stop, the Lighthouse Museum. The buyer wasn't in today, figures. I looked down to see a huge bear of a dog sitting in the middle of the floor, a thin, frail, old man gently bending over to pick up the end of its leash. As he stood back upright, he looked into my eyes and smiled sweetly at me. I had a little shock. Dang, that guy looks like George McGovern! I realized it really was, as the women behind the counter started talking about "George." "He climbs two steps at a time!" they said - about his lighthouse explorations. Apparently, he must have a summer home here.
Next stop, the Surf Inspired Cafe to shoot photos of my art for Heather.
Three people are sitting around a table outside, and one of them, this tall good-looking guy with pale blue eyes says, "Well, here she is, gorgeous woman, where have you been?" I recognized him, but at first was unsure when I had seen him last. He looked for all the world like Jeff Bridges, and I must say the moment was a bit compelling. But, little by little, the more he spoke, the past emerged and I wanted to escape. He began rattling off his story, and I recalled, oh yeah... the guy at the pier that remembered me from my surf shop days... I had some trouble recalling his name. And then the same story began to unravel, about the wife who had cheated on him with a younger man, how they had both tried to kill him. Again he showed me the bullet wound in his leg, and told me about finding religion (in prison?). Ugh. Er, excuse me, but I have an appointment.
That's enough for this old blog today. Let's just say that the last experience reminded me how people are hooked into things like cults and religions and even relationships. For a split second, before reality brought me back, I was in the clutches of a very charismatic man. He clearly is insane, somewhat, but he has his game so down, seems so intelligent and believable, that had I not known what I know, I might have fallen it for a day. He wanted two hours of my time to talk with me, whenever it was convenient. I thought about all the women he probably could trick, and has tricked, with his charms. God, he looked like Jeff Bridges at that moment... and he would not take his eyes off mine. I ended up leaving without even saying goodbye to him, after I spoke with the owner, I was so taken off guard and disturbed by this.
On the way home, this song's words jumped out at me.
Don't fix
my smile.
Life is
long enough.
We will put this
flesh
into the ground again.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Picking blueberries...
I never expected to be in an open green field picking blueberries by a lake this morning. That's what I love about life. You never know what might happen next.
Tom called early. He had missed the fun little swell yesterday because he listened to the surf report. I kind of like the misleading reports. Most people won't bother with checking the surf for anomalies, so I can score more easily. Crumbs for the beggars, I say! I really enjoyed those crumbs yesterday.
The buoys were a bit smaller today, but Tom wanted to paddle out anyway. I said I'd join him. He was just going out to pick some blueberries from the field beside his house, would I like to pick some for myself? Dang, yes!
I scarfed down a bowl of Life with Publix blueberries, and then headed for his house. I'd never been there before. His house sits at the end of a long, bumpy dirt road just past the Crescent Beach bridge. What I discovered was that he had a little bit of Walden Pond going on, and not that far away from the ocean.
He built the rustic looking, two-story cabinish house himself. It sits in the middle of many acres, and has a lake next to it. He showed me around, and then we headed out for the blueberries. I never picked fresh ones before. I couldn't believe how they grow on trees. I thought they grew on bushes on the ground! This fact and the clusters were fascinating. He had a bunch of trees that we walked among, talking and picking the plump little globes of organic goodness. We got on the subject of animals, and I told him about the trailer for some documentary on animals and the meat industry that Colby had seen. Colby said it had disturbed him greatly. Joaquin Phoenix narrates it, and he said there was a graphic scene of a fox, skinned alive, just staring back at you, a mass of red and glossy flesh, trembling. He was having trouble getting the vision out of his head. I can't get the thought out of my head, either. Tom said he had been out fishing with some guys once, and a fox had come out of the woods, surprising them. He said it was walking oddly, swaying a bit. He said one of the guys walked to the back of his truck. In the bed of the truck were two guns and a crowbar. This "man" picked up the crowbar, and bludgeoned the fox to death.
I don't care what anyone says, people that can do these things need to be wiped off the face of this gift of a planet. Many atrocities occur every single day, due to people's justification of certain actions. It got very quiet out there in the blueberry field.
We decided to go surfing.
At Matanzas, it was smaller than yesterday, and not as clean. But, it was fun because there were still some glassy peelers, fairly green water, and my friends, Tom and Andy were there. Andy had a beautiful one, the wave was so green, his aqua board so gorgeous in color, his stall and relaxed stance in perfect harmony with the moment. We were having some fun, hooting for each other, as we practiced our corniest longboard-style moves!
The wind was a bit more variable today, and came onshore much earlier. All I can think about is what may be coming early next week, if that storm can stay alive and well out to sea...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Unexpected Fun
I didn't expect to have as much fun as I did today. I had a surf lesson to give at 10 am, so I decided to mosey on down to Matanzas and check the waves there, since Andy said he had actually had fun there yesterday when I was at work.
As I walked along the top of the boardwalk, I could see little green lines peeling off like a point break, with only one guy out. It was only about thigh high, but the best shaped waves I have seen in some time. Pale green, groomed to perfection, they wedged up and sparkled in the sunshine.
I paddled out, excited about it, the beach deserted, the waves so perfectly formed that I could only imagine how good it would be if a real swell came along. We have our first tropical system brewing out there in the Atlantic, and just knowing that... everything seems that much better, somehow.
I had so much fun out there. It was wave after wave, little green tubes and tapered walls, with stingrays and dolphin darting here and there. Brian paddled out on the SUP, and I saw him get some good ones. He asked me if I wanted to try it, but it just doesn't interest me. I might like it, but it seems so bulky and awkward that I am not inspired to try. It seems good for paddling around on a river, but for waves... give me something that I can maneuver!
Soon, Tara, Eli, and Hope walked up the beach for Hope's first surf lesson. That kid was amazing! She charged, and stood up on nearly every single wave. I told her that this day was almost exactly like the first day I learned to surf. I told her it was forty-one years ago, nearly to the day. "You've surfed for forty-one years?" she asked, squinting up at me in the sun. "Yep," I said, "and I still feel like a kid every time I paddle out. Stoked!" She smiled, and caught another one, as I raised my arms in victory and watched her scream with delight.
I caught a few when she got tired, and watched a good surfer ride one and do some tricks. I even went back out after the lesson, as the wind was still offshore.
What an unexpected surprise today was. I would live it over again, any time, any day. I just wish Andy, Karen, and Bob had been out there, surfing with me.
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