I was ready to surf today! For the first time since June, it has been more than a week since I had been out in the waves, and I definitely wanted to get out in the water. However, I've also been fighting a cold this week...one that kept me out of work on Wednesday, which is something I never do. My congested, feverish body needed some rest. Meds had helped me make a speedy recovery, but I thought it best for me to pass for today. I went to the beach, though, and watched the cool front come through. The winds shifted less than an hour before I arrived. The waves were bigger than usual, although not huge. Surfers had flocked to the 43rd and 46th street pier, although most of them looked miserable. Only two or three went out past the breaks and managed to catch a couple of decent rides, while the rest seemed to be just fighting with the water. My surfing buddy Brian showed me where the waves were getting sheared off by the wind. He said he wasn't going out today because it would be a lot of work for little payoff, although he was willing to get his board and take me if I wanted to go. Personally, I, too, thought it looked like most of the guys out were struggling quite a bit for very little payoff. Brian thought tomorrow might be better, but it just depends on how forceful this front moved through. It could be rough and choppy just like today. One cool thing I saw was a young woman who took her board out and seemed to outsurf several of the guys around her. She wasn't quite as good as the two guys who went out past the breaks, but she managed to get some decent rides. I saw a couple of waves fold on her though through no fault of her own. Brian says that's one of the problems with surfing in waves like today's. I can't wait to see what tomorrow or Sunday might bring in the form of waves. Sunday, though, I won't get out until a little later since I have to work a rest stop for the big Bike around the Bay two-day bicycle ride that starts in Anahuac and finishes in Baytown. The cyclists spend the night in Galveston. I decided not to ride it since I might be surfing. I am working the Sunday morning rest stop in Texas City though. It should be fun and I'll either ride or surf afterward. I've been spinning regularly, but I do miss saddle time on MY bike.
In other BIG news, I ordered a new surf board today. It is a custom-made fiberglass board by James Fulbright. That's right, I will have my very own Senator surfboard. James built the Hurricane board (an old moniker) that Brian owns and that I borrowed. Even though it's longer than my Softop -- it's 9'6", it didn't feel like it and was like surfing on a cloud. I got the same length and added a 1/2 inch in width to give me a little more stability (I'm tall for a surfer chick, and I'm a beginner). James says it usually takes six to eight weeks, but thought he could get mine to me in four! I can't wait, so keep your eyes posted for photos of me and my new board.
