Another summer begins...

Ah, Memorial Day. I remembered to go early, as today can be one of the most crowded days of the year. It didn't matter. The waves were chunky and choppy and slow as peanut butter at the pier. I went home, after reporting in to Andy that it wasn't worth the drive.

Around ten o'clock, I saw the wind looked a little lighter. Tom called and said maybe it would be worth just getting the exercise? I decided to take a look again. The parking lot at the pier was already a zoo, so on a sudden whim I decided to just make the drive to Matanzas. The tide would be high in a little over an hour, the perfect time for whatever dribblers were coming in at the overlook.

I realized I had forgotten my cell phone, my drinking water, and my lycra.

Perfect.

Perfect for good luck. Whenever you have everything perfectly organized and prepared is when you get foiled. Ever notice that? So, when I pulled into the parking lot and saw it was only half full, I smiled. I walked out to look, and surprise... it actually looked rideable - and green. Hardly a soul was in the water or on the beach. I speed-walked back to get my board. As soon as I got to my car, Tom pulled up. He was ready to paddle out in anything, too. I told him how I forgot everything. He brought a bottle of water over to me, and then threw me a lycra! You can have it, he said. His son has so many freebies from sponsors. He had just won the "King of St. Augustine" contest this past week. He just barely beat Chris Rapero at Crossovers. I still haven't even ever seen him surf! Tom said he is off to California tomorrow with someone from Cocoa Beach. Lucky me, the lycra was a small and fit.

We walked out, and there were about six guys over at "Buttrash," where it was breaking the hardest. Once I was out, I noticed it was bigger than it had looked from shore. There were some thumpers. The seas were five feet at six seconds, a windswell, and it was focusing its energy pretty nicely at this particular spot. Once I got in the right spot, I had some pretty nice drops and cutbacks, but they were far and few in between the closeouts. It was worth it, though, just to get out in the ocean.

Once I got back to the parking lot, it was full and the overflow was spilling out onto both sides of A1A. Time to hit Quizno's for a veggie sub and then home to hide out from the Memorial Day mayhem.