Another weekend skids halfway by. It's been a busy one so far, and I'm sure that Sunday will wear me out too. Friday's waves were wonderful. The sets were well-defined and kept that definition all the way to shore. Needless to say, by the time I made it down to the 43rd street pier, many other surfers had decided to surf their afternoon away. Surfing buddy Brian had a lesson, and although I had brought my Softop (still waiting to hear on my new board) because I hadn't had much time on it lately, he insisted I use his 10' Robert August board with the beautiful blue paint job. He had actually brought it for my surfing pal Robin who has been away for a month visiting lands far away. (She did manage to work in a surf lesson in Cornwall, England.) However, a lingering toe injury from before her trip is forcing her to keep her foot up. So, she decided not to go to Galveston with me, which left me as the person Brian wanted to use the board. I used mine for a short while and found that I really noticed the missing six inches from the board I have been using (who says size doesn't matter?). I got pretty beat up on my 9' and struggled the whole time. I must have been having an off day 'cause I also struggled with the 10' Robert August, which seemed way too long to me. I couldn't catch a wave even if it had been handed to me on a platter -- they practically were. I was a little nervous being out with so many other surfers and constantly felt like we were in each other's way. And the time change made it seem like 6 p.m. when I finished rather than only 4 p.m. even if the time change was only one hour! I guess some days are like that. I definitely have "off" days with cycling so why should surfing be different?
Today (Saturday) was a little better, but I still struggled. So, it must just be an "off" weekend for me. I chose to surf instead of cycle, hoping for some redemption from Friday. Because there was a short board surf contest taking place at the 43rd street pier, Brian suggested that we go to the 21st street pier across from The Galvez. The waves were still pretty good, but not as well-defined as Friday's waves. I swam out and Bryan (different from Brian and another surfing pal) said I definitely looked more confident than Friday. I was using Brian's special fiberglass Hurricane board and caught the first wave coming my way. It was a great ride. I had a few other pretty good rides, but nothing to brag about. I still have a timing issue. I really have to work on catching those waves at just the right moment.
I didn't give up on cycling all together. I took my mountain bike and rode around the island a bit. But, I will have to get a good road ride in either tomorrow or one day this week during lunch!
