Promises, Promises

A north wind was forecasted this weekend! Surfline gave Saturday morning a positive review offering first a blue forecast that changed to green (cleanest of clean waves) later in the week indicating big, beautiful waves. Unfortunately, not only did a north wind come through but another weather system stalled and came in from the south meeting the north "cool" front causing quite a bit of rain for southeast Texas. Surfers from all over were ready to descend on Galveston. As long as the lightning stayed away, surfing in the rain wouldn't be a problem.  However, not everyone was expecting the crazy wind. Yes, the temps dropped just enough to make it a little chilly for wet people standing on the beach, but that didn't stop anyone as they planned for Saturday.

Friday first though! Friday afternoon is my usual surf day of course. The weather was stormy though

Saturday was just plain sloppy!
(A view looking toward the
Pleasure Pier.)

and the waves were a bit of a mess. It just wasn't worth it to go surfing. No one was out. They were all waiting for Saturday. I had already decided that rather than cycle on Saturday, I would surf because of the forecasted waves. I thought I would do a short 6-mile run at 5:30 a.m. and head down. But when I woke up, it was raining at my house, so I slept in. Early reports from Dude B indicated that the waves were big, but rather sloppy. He said he would check a little later, but if he were me, he wouldn't make the drive down. I visited a couple of webcams and saw crowds of surfers, but I had to agree that the surf looked sloppy. Because it was raining, I opted to go to spin class at the gym rather than bicycle. I popped Roxanne in the car though just in case I received a text from Dude saying that the waves had cleaned up and the surf was calling. The text never came. I later spoke to another surfer I knew who said he paddled out, but after about 30 minutes, came into shore because the waves were impossible to catch. I journeyed to G-town later that night for supper and drove along the beach. It was still a mess even at 5:30 in the afternoon, so I wasn't holding much hope for Sunday.

I received a text early from Dude B on Sunday saying that he would be giving lessons and that the winds might have lightened a bit. He warned that it was cool, but could possibly be worth a paddle out.  I packed Roxanne and drove to the 43rd St. jetty. It was just as he had described it: a little messy, but if a person didn't mind waiting, a set would roll through. I paddled out and caught the first wave I paddled into and stayed for about an hour-and-a-half. I had a ball. The waves didn't last very long before fizzling out, but if you took them at just the right angle, it was possible to get a decent ride. I didn't have the best rides ever, but I did catch a few that made the trip completely worthwhile. I was a little chilly while waiting on the board, but I wasn't as cold as I thought I might be. Sometimes I just need a clean wave or two to clear my head. Things in life can get so confusing and catching a wave can help clear the cobwebs! So glad I had the opportunity to do that.

Gulf Storm Waves

A little more than five years ago, Hurricane Ike hit Galveston. Although I had a safe evacuation that actually turned into a mildly entertaining visit with some good friends in downtown Houston, the experience caused disruption in many lives including mine. Quite a few people suffered as did several I loved dearly, but it definitely could have been worse. I hadn't begun surfing at the time, but I do remember seeing surfers taking advantage of the waves caused by the storm. Now, as a surfer, I hear other surfers talk about storms from a different perspective. It's all about the waves. I don't think I'm ever going to be crazy enough to head to Galveston when I should be evacuating elsewhere, but I can't help but be a little excited when a storm that isn't near us cause some building waves in Galveston. Don't get me wrong, I do not like the idea of others being devastated by a storm, but when a storm has formed in the southernmost portion of the Gulf, I can only hope that it doesn't come our way and that it will, perhaps, build some waves. Tropical Storm and then Hurricane Ingrid churned in the Gulf this past weekend and waves developed. Friday morning might have been the prettiest morning for surfing, but I couldn't make it to the island until the afternoon. I agreed to take an extra board for one of the young gals from my neighborhood. She has surfed a few times so she wasn't going to need my assistance, just one of my boards. So I loaded up Roxanne for me and my Softop, Iris, for her and met her at 36th. Because of the waves, the 43rd Street jetty was packed, which is why I headed to 36th, met my friend Brian and eventually met up with the young gal from my neighborhood. I had a ball. The toughest part about 36th is that there is no jetty with a rip current to get to the outside. Paddling out at 36th means timing the sets and making it through the waves as they break. Despite that, I caught many waves that day, and had a great time. I still need practice on my pop-up and also getting down on the board to paddle back out after the wave is past. I'm sure some day I'll get it all figured out. Until then, I'll just have fun practicing.

The next morning, I had a run in Galveston. I competed in the Press Run put on by the Galveston County Daily News. It was a 10K and my only complaint about the run is that it started at 8 a.m. rather than 7 a.m., which is crazy in September in southeast Texas because of the HEAT. The cause was a good one though. The run raised money to put newspapers (electronic and paper) in local schools. I was even willing to add money to the entry fee for this noble cause. I ran a pretty good race even though I had to stop and walk during my second climb over the Causeway. I finished 1st in my age group, 8th in all the women and 23rd overall. I wasn't convinced that I had actually one first in my age group though because there was a runner listed above me. However, she wasn't ranked. Not sure why, but I was presented the first place medal and it was fun. I can only imagine how fast I might have run if I hadn't overheated and walked a short distance. After I finished the run, I decided to go back down to the beach to have fun in the storm waves. I heard that the waves were cleaner earlier in the morning, but by the time I made it there at 10:30 a.m., they still looked pretty clean to me. I made it out on the west side of the 43rd St. jetty and managed to catch a couple of fabulous waves when I suddenly started feeling weak. Unfortunately, it affected the rest of my weekend. I'm guessing I overheated and dehydrated. I heard that the waves on Sunday were messy so I didn't miss much. And today looked incredibly rough even though the storm had moved ashore in Mexico, but they should be calming a little later this week. And, I can't wait!

Dodging Sharks and Storms

I skipped posting last week partially because I was busy and partially because I didn't get to surf last weekend. However, I had gotten to surf during the week, including a fabulous Tuesday night session with incredible waves. I'm back in a strange pattern with the waves. When the waves are around, I can't go; and, when I can go, there are no waves. According to my surfing buddy, the waves were good this past Friday morning. However, by the time I got off at noon, they were weak and messy. I didn't care. I decided to load up Roxanne and take her down. Surf dude didn't like the looks of 43rd because so many surfers were out at that jetty. (The webcam makes 43rd a popular place, and, for some reason, the waves are the best there.) He suggested we go down to Flagship, which used to be the most popular surf spot on the island before the Galveston Island History Pleasure Pier opened up with games and rides. I thought the waves looked weak there, but I was willing to give it a try. I only caught a couple of waves, while a couple of the more experienced guys caught wave after wave. The break was unusually quiet though; possibly because the waves were better at 43rd and the parking is so difficult at 25th because of the Pleasure Pier. After the first 45 minutes, I was ready to leave, but it wasn't until surf dude  saw a 6' shark that we got out of the water. He paddled up to me and said, "Get out of the water, now." I thought he was joking, but when he looked at me and said it again, I knew it was time to get out of the water.  By that time, he and I were the only ones out there, but he warned the lifeguards anyway just so that they could warn any other swimmers or surfers who wanted to paddle out on the east side of the 26th St. jetty. We ended up at 51st Street, where I had a ball with only a couple of other surfers out. The waves weren't any stronger, but they seemed a little easier for me to paddle into and to surf.

This morning (Sunday), I received a text early that the waves were good. However, since I had already

Thunderstorms moved in and cut
my Sunday surf session short

planned a 5:30 a.m. run, I wasn't ready to head down until about 9:30. Of course, according to a couple of the guys I surf with, the waves turned to mush before I got there. I paddled out anyway and caught a couple of waves before a thunderstorm appeared, and I was forced to get out of the water because of lightning. I hate it when that happens! I would have loved to surf more waves, but it didn't look as though it would let up any time soon. I went with a couple of the guys to a garage where the surf dude and one of his instructors mend boards. It was fun to see their place and to see T, one of the owners of the surf repair shop, hard at work mending what looked like a little board. What an artistic endeavor creating and fixing boards seem. Hmmm...

Looking at possibly taking a surf trip to Bali sometime in the spring. I really want to go, but I need to check into the safety of such a trip, especially if I have to go alone. I read the book "Eat Pray Love," but I'm not sure I will have the financial backing that the author of the book had. But, I can't wait to discover more about it.