Now that I'm retired, I should have more time on my hands. And, I guess I do, but it sure gets away from me. I forget the day and I definitely forget the time. Just the other day I made the mistake of going to the grocery store at 5:30 p.m. I was surprised at how packed it was until I realized that everyone was off of work and doing their on-the-way-home shopping. My timing was definitely off that day.
This week, Galvestonians and Houstonians focused on the weather. Hurricane Delta had crossed into the Gulf and was scheduled to strengthen. Forecasters promised that the trajectory of the storm would change and, thankfully for us, it did. Louisiana folks weren't quite as lucky, and they braced for their second storm in a month. These storms are definitely causing stress for everyone, but they are also providing some waves to all of us Gtown/Surfside/Corpus Christi surfers. During this particular storm, I made it to Gtown on Thursday evening with a friend from my former job and paddled into waves that were knee-to-waist-high and borderline clean. While they got quite big on Friday, they didn't clean up again until late Friday. I think a couple of very skilled, local surfers were waiting on the shore for these momentary clean waves. I watched on the cam. Much to my surprise, I noticed on a couple of the wave forecasts that the forecast for Saturday called for clean knee- to thigh-high waves. Those are my kind of waves ... perfect in size. I couldn't believe it, nor could most who thought it would either be flat or too rough still, but I knew I wanted to be ready for early Saturday morning just in case. And, I was sure glad that I was. The waves were beautiful, California-esque sets that could be read and rode. The only unfortunate thing about this outing was my inability to paddle into the waves -- timing -- something I've struggled with for a long time.
On Saturday, I was determined not to be pushed out of the line by more aggressive surfers. I shouldn't have worried about it because the sets and the waves were long and generous. There was room for everyone and defined sets and waves long enough and spaced out enough for many to ride. I can say that I caught two solid waves, but I should have been able to catch more of them because they were so perfect. I almost caught a couple of them, but probably stopped paddling too soon. My friend Brian says I need to paddle sooner. What's odd is that I didn't have as much trouble last year, but suddenly this year, I'm struggling. My timing is off. My surf friend Dave was having the same trouble on Saturday, not able to catch a wave. Some in the lineup were catching everything heading their way. A couple of others were catching every other wave. I don't have any trouble riding the line once I catch the waves, but I don't want to have to wait for the wave to break before I catch it. I've watched videos, but I think the only way to really learn the timing is to surf .... surf .... surf, which I hope to do this fall.
To practice my footwork ON the board, I have taken up skateboarding. I bought my first longboard earlier this summer. It is a 6'6" Hamboards Classic. I love it and it is perfect for land paddling. Since then, I've bought a shorter 4'2" Braap Big Wheel Fiberglass Camber Longboard that is a low profile longboard with large narrow wheels, which provide a softer ride. I also bought a 19" Bamboo Egg Longboard, which is actually a mini longboard. It's much easier to carry than my Classic longboard, but it is also harder to maneuver on the cracks in the parking lot in which I practice. Ninety percent of the time I use my Classic, and I really believe it helps me find my balance and maneuver my surfboard. I love it!
For the past few years, I also have been considering buying a GoPro. I searched Amazon and couldn't convince myself to buy a $350 camera. I bought a $70 no-name action camera instead. It came with a small bag of accessories, which I love. The clip attached is from the camera and shows me practicing my turns on the Classic. I still struggle with the right-hand turn, which is not that unusual for a goofy-footer like me.
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