Finally, the waves return with a vengeance only the wind is blowing so hard that they are a mess! Even taking the rip out was tough. Because of the horrendous road construction taking place on Seawall Blvd., I decided to surf at 36th street. A handful of other surfers had found their way to 36th also. I had some great rides though; enough for me to think the trip was very worthwhile on Friday (10/22). Friday afternoons are the times I really look forward to for surfing. I can often get to the beach before many people are off of work and get in a couple of good hours of surfing. I took my 9'6", which was good for me in the rough stuff, but not so good for hauling the surfboard in and out of the water. When the wind is blowing so strong, I'm forced to carry my board parallel to the ground, which really stretches out my arm and eventually makes it seem much heavier. If I carry it perpendicular to the ground, which is much more manageable to control, the wind will catch it and blow me around on the seawall. It's almost like having a sail except that I can't use the wind to propel me forward. All in all, Friday was a good surf day -- good rides and, finally, some waves.
By Sunday, the winds had calmed a little and the waves were big enough for me to use my 7'2". However, although the winds had calmed, it was still rough and what was left of the prevailing winds sent us east. This meant that I had to surf on the east side of the 37th street pier, my new surfing hangout since the road resurfacing project is still taking place near 43rd. (I hate parking near 43rd when the lines have been eliminated. I feel vulnerable parking without the lines.) I only had a couple of rides on Sunday, but I got a lot of practice paddling thourgh strong currents on my shorter board, which is a good thing. I still need a lot of practice though!
