Eight Log Entry 9/16/04

Since this is the first entry in my surf [we]b-log, I have attached the past entries to my surf log. Today was day 72/84. For a truly committed surfer, be sure to check out Travis' surf log at http://travinator.blogspot.com. He has done 84/84.



Since my last entry, I have continued the streak. This past Sunday, we went on a surf safari. Instead of surfing at 17th street, we went way up north to the Cliffs. That is probably a whole quarter mile north of where we usually surf. The locals there still speak english, but that is where the similarities end. The break there is a lot slower than 17th, but we were getting longer rides. Definitely a long board spot. Trav's friend Larry advised us that the Cliffs break when 17th is flat. Saturday 17th was definitely flat, so we made the move. Monday we were back at 17th and things picked up a bit. Most likely due to Hurricane Isis out in the Pacific. Tuesday I went over the falls and landed on my board, my elbow hitting the rail and smashing the rail. I patched it up Tuesday night using fiberglass epoxy putty and a piece of fiberglass with Suncure resin. It turns out that suncure is activated by UV light and will not dry just from heat. If you have a halogen bulb that will work well. I suspect that a UV bulb will work, but I have not tested it. The UV bulb would have the benefit of not melting the wax or yellowing the fiberglass if the bulb is left on too long (grin). I had to remove the UV filter glass from my halogen bulb on Wednesday morning and make quick work of drying the resin. Made it to the water, albeit a little late. Thanks to the everyday routing, making quota in 20 minutes is usually not a problem. Today I just barely made quota because I got caught inside for what seemed like forever. We hit the water at 6:30 today and while it was light, it had only been light enough to surf for 10 minutes or so, meaning we have about 2 weeks left before we get cut off.



Seventh Log Entry 9/7/04



Made it through the Labor Day Weekend. It was crowded all three days and a big swell hit from Hurricane Harold, peaking on Sunday with some remnants on Monday. Even Tuesday there were some head high set waves occasionally, but mostly waist to chest high stuff. I did better in the big surf on Saturday than I did in the previous big swell. I made quota and got a few fast long rides. Even with the south swell from Harold, there have been a lot of rights lately, so I have been getting better going right, but I still have some problems making the initial turn and I rode up too high on one wave and just fell off the back. The sunlight is still plenty for our typical 6:15 – 6:30 water entry. Today is day 63/75.



Sixth Log Entry 9/1/04



We made it to September. This morning it was pitch dark when I left the house just before 6:00, but by the time I got to 18th street, it was light enough for surfing. We hit the water and it was pretty weak. I barely made quota and all the rides were short and junky. There were very few set waves and I never got one. It was foggy, making it impossible to pick up waves far enough out to get in position. Better luck tomorrow. Today was day 57/69



Fifth Log Entry 8/31/04



Entering the home stretch. We have been getting in the water at about 6:30 lately and it is light enough to surf shortly after 6:00, so if we lose :40 a day that means 45 days (until October 15) until it is too dark to surf. This is longer than the our original estimate of September 26. I managed to repair my board sufficiently last night to make it waterproof. The epoxy putty from home depot worked really well. Sun Cure will dry without the sun, but it takes a long time and a heat lamp. I had to do 30 minutes in 10 minute segments to keep the board from getting too hot and yellowing. Surfing today was pretty weak. I pearled taking off on two waves that I should not have pearled on. On one of them I was too far forward and did not have time to scoot back. I got my quota and a few extra, but it was not my best day. I was in the vicinity for the set waves, but never in the right place enough to catch one. If you can have a bad day surfing, today was it. But it was still better than most things.



Fourth Log Entry 8/30/04



Today was day going to be 56/67 but before I could get my 3 waves I dropped in on Travis and cracked open his rail with the nose of my board. This is at least our third collision, the second serious one and while the other two were pretty mutual, this one was completely my fault. I am going to try and repair the board for tomorrow, but this is a good example of why I need a second board (internal sales pitch). Officially I have surfed 55/67. On Friday Travis overslept, but continued his streak by paddling out after work. He went to some place down in Laguna Beach, Brook Street I think. I went to 17th in the morning and saw a dolphin clear the water about 3 ft from some guy. I was about 20 yds away. I am getting the hang of more nuances of surfing. When I pop up, I can adjust where I land based on what the wave is like. I am getting the hang of stepping back to the tail to make faster turns, although I am far from being proficient. I have had a few opportunities to cut back towards the whitewash to keep up my speed, although I need to work on that still. That will go hand in hand with the harder turns. There have been more rights since much of the swell is coming from the North. I am getting better at the initial turn on the rights; this is also related to stepping back on the tail. I have been working on noseriding indirectly, focusing on the functionality of trimming the board. I have been getting closer to the front and have tried a few times to get toes over the nose, but with no real success yet. Surfing has really become fun in the past month or so. As I have gotten better, my wavecount has gone up dramatically and the quality of the rides is better. The only days I did not get enough waves to make quota were when the big swell hit earlier this month. Most days I lose track of how many I have ridden and sometimes have to pass some up just to let my arms rest. I am starting to recognize and be recognized by the other regulars out there. On Sunday, I dropped in on a guy, but I was a ways in front of him. When I got out I apologized and asked if I had screwed up his ride. Turn out I had not, but he was appreciative that I had thought to ask. We talked some more and then went our ways. Cheryl just moved down from Venice. She is 50 and surfs better than most of the people out there. Apparently at Venice there is a breakwater and a single takeoff point. It gets crowded and the crowd can get ugly.



Third Log Entry 8/23/04



Have not missed any days since the last entry, making it 49/60 days. Nearly got run over by two dolphins this morning who were hauling ass through the surf zone. They went directly under me and got close enough to the next guy up (about 30 ft away from me) that they might have bumped him. Surf was really fun. I am getting better at moving up and down the wave going to the left and there have been some rights too so I am getting better on those. Working a bit on noseriding, but at this point more just trying to trim the board than trying to actually get toes over the nose. I guess that is the next step. I tried Travis’ 6’7” x 19” x 2” short board on Sunday. While it was definitely too small for me, I was able to get to my feet and it gave me enough confidence that I think 7’4” may be the way to go if I get a wider board, whereas 7’6” is probably better for a narrower board. There has been dramatic improvement in my surfing this summer to the point where I am catching a lot of waves and having a lot more fun. I make the drops and the turn on lefts most of the time and am getting better on rights. We figure we can get through September before it will be too dark in the morning to go before work. I want to go as long as is practical as it is really relaxing and good exercise too. I have lost 20 lbs since I started doing the everyday thing and since Rebecca fixed my diet. Spent 2 hours in the water on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday. I wanted to stay longer both times, but was getting tired and wanted to get home to see the wife and kids.



Second Log Entry 8/19/04



This is the second entry in my surf log. I missed another day on 8/10/04. Last week surf was small, but making quota was no problem. Locked the keys in my car on 8/12. Bought a hide a key on 8/13. Small surf continued through Monday, with Saturday and Sunday being almost flat but still surfable. Tuesday was huge. A big swell from NZ hit and we were seeing head and a half set waves. It got really crowded. I only got one drop and got pounded and caught inside a couple times. Wednesday was a bit smaller, but still with the crowd. I got one good left and a straight drop. The biggest problem is my nerves when I need to take off to catch the big waves. Thursday (today) was smaller still with the sets chest to shoulder high with the occasional head high, but those usually closed out. Got an honest quota today, two lefts and a right that I didn’t quite make the turn on, but still took off on. Left the door on my car open, not just unlocked but open, the entire time I was out there. Nothing was missing from my car. Also knocked my board pretty hard putting it away at work. Have not yet seen the damage, if any. Travis and I had a collision a couple weeks ago on a Saturday. I am not sure of the date, but it resulted in a big ding on the rail of my board and a pressure ding on the bottom about 4” across. Fixed both with glass and resin, but my pristine board finally got some damage. Have been thinking about a new board, probably a hybrid/funboard with more of a pointed nose. Am debating 7’4” vs 7’6”.



First Log Entry 8/9/04



This is the first entry in my surf log. Travis and I started the everyday routine back on June 25. I missed July 6, 7 and 8 (3 days) due to the final crunch before the customer demo on July 9. I missed July 22-26 (5 days) due to Swedish Camp in Lake Tahoe. I missed July 29 and 30 (2 days) for my anniversary celebration in Temecula. That means that I have surfed 36 of the last 46 days (Travis has done 46 days straight). All of those days have been at 17th street in HB. The surf has been small and fun pretty much the entire time, but there was a period of low tide mornings that made for some really fun surf. The last few days surf has been down. Today was choppy and small, but there were a lot of little waves to catch. Spent the entire time either paddling out or paddling after waves. Very little rest time. West swell provided for some rare rights. Practiced walking the nose. Got about six inches away. Practice quick turns off the tail.