It's about time. After a couple of weeks of absolutely flat surf, today the waves were back. They weren't huge (after all, it's still Galveston), but they were a little bigger than they had been during August. The sets were different too. Although there was a quite a bit of time between the sets, when the waves finally made it to me, they seemed different somehow. I started out on my own 9' Softop, but, eventually, traded it for Brian's 9'6" fiberglass board, on which I love surfing. I'm not really complaining about my Softop. It's a fabulous board (and it's pretty too), but that fiberglass board is like surfing on a cloud. It's incredibly light and easy to manipulate in the water because it is also a little more narrow than mine. I'm dying to get a board just like it, but I know this one was custom-made and would probably cost me $1,000 or more. I'm not sure I could describe the differences adequately. I just know that it seems easy to maneuver.
I'm still having trouble "catching" the waves. I'm trying to catch them out past the break(s), but I only really catch about one in ever four or five. The others I seem to misjudge. I end up face first in the water alot too, without any real explanation as to why. I guess it's just part of the learning process. Today's waves tired me out too. For the first time, I can honestly say that my arms were a little tired today after surfing only about three-and-a-half hours.
I bought my springsuit just in time. I needed it today. The water temp was only about 78 degrees, but stepping into it was shocking. I eventually warmed up, and I'm sure the springsuit had something to do with that. I think I'll probably need it for about another month or so until I have to drag out the ol' 3-2 wetsuit. But, I hear that when that happens, the waves will definitely be good.
In closing today's blog post, I'll drop in the opening quatrain/stanza from Katherine Anne Porter's "Texas: By the Gulf of Mexico":
Ye shivering ones of the frozen North, list [sic] to my happy song
Of the seventh heaven nestled here below,
In our rich, fertile valleys, midst sunkissed fruits and flowers
In Texas, by the Gulf of Mexico
