Cold fronts, waves, timing and more

(photo from a flat picnic day ... notice those clouds)

I mentioned in my past blog post ... in fact ... in several past blog posts that my timing is really off when it comes to taking off in the waves. Well, I can say my timing is off in other areas as well. For instance, even though I can surf most days now, I still miss some days of surf by not logging on to the cams at the right time. I have a little more times these days to prep, but I still seem to forget something or miss something simply because of bad timing. 

This fall, I have had the opportunity to surf more than I have during the past few years because of retirement. I have even been able to make the trek to Gtown as the cold fronts are coming through. For instance, last week, I made it down just in time for some beautiful waves to roll in. They were probably waist-to-chest high. I paddled out easily to find a spot in the crowded line up. I paddled more to the east, closer to the 41st street jetty. Although the waves looked beautiful from the seawall, by the time I paddled out, my perspective changed. They were still beautiful sets, but from my position on the board in the line-up ... especially when paddling in prone position and looking back, I thought the waves looked HUGE.  Not sure why it bothered me so much or looked so big to me, but I suddenly thought I needed to paddle in. 

During my paddle in, I lined up with another surfer. He made small talk and I told him to I was paddling in to play in whitewater because I was freaking out due to the size. He urged me to hang in and even tried to get me to paddle into a wave. On hindsight, I wish I would have. I caught a couple of small waves ... mostly whitewater, but I'd give anything to go back to that day so that I could attempt to paddle into those waves. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to pop up fast enough. I've been watching pop up videos and practicing, yet again, on the imaginary line on my living room floor. I had been worried that I developed some bad habits, and that I was popping up incorrectly by bringing my back leg up first. I watched videos, and was particularly pleased to see that one of the videos described the pop up the same way I typically did it by bringing the back leg up first. The video warned that this particular method would only work on a longboard and could not be done as quickly as some of the other methods. All this time, I had been trying to change my method. Most suggest that you bring your front leg up and then slide the base leg forward. I haven't been doing it that way in a very long time. I felt relieved seeing it in a "how to" video. I have not been back out since seeing the video and strengthening the pop up I was already using.

I mentioned in a previous post about me skateboarding -- more specifically, land paddling. I think it will help me with my surfing since it lets me practice my balance and my stance. As I found by land paddling, I need to bend my knees more, sit back a little and let the rest come naturally. I need that to transfer to my surfing. Wish me luck!

Timing, timing, timing ...

 (https://youtu.be/5bhmDaYfj5I)

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.

Revitalized: Retirement, surfing and so much more

During the past few years, I didn't have any extra time or, perhaps I should say, extra writing energy to contribute to this blog. I definitely didn't have much time to surf. At the end of August, I retired from a job I had been blessed to have for 21 years. It had been a job I loved for many years, but earlier this year I realized that it had been sucking the life energy from me. I am not saying I did not still enjoy a large portion of what I did for my living, but I had reached a point in my career where I felt like there was more I wanted to do. And, I decided early this year that it was time for me to find my passion again. While I look for it, I am planning to have some fun.

Because of pure mental exhaustion, I did not surf much early this year. In fact, I do not think I even paddled out once this year in my wetsuit. It was well into spring before I made it out. Since retiring in August, I have probably surfed more than I had up until this point in 2020. Last week, I made it out three days in pretty waves formed by an early fall cold front that changed the wind direction. Because they were a little weak, I had the opportunity to practice my paddling and timing, which is practice I always need. Quite a few wonderful waves came through, but I caught about four waves for every 60, but the ones I caught made it all worthwhile. I rode some pretty little lines and established that I need to paddle earlier when the wave isn't quite defined. I noticed that some of the other surfers were catching quite a few and that the shortboarders were actually paddling a little later. Basically, I've been studying the waves for over 10 years now and Galveston waves are difficult to read AND understand. I plan to keep practicing so that I can catch even more when another northeast wind blows through. 

On another note, I bought a new surfboard. It is a sweet little 7'11" Rockin' Fig fun board I am calling Adele. I am still pretty much a longboarder, and will likely always be a longboarder, but the lure for a shorter board was too much. I found it in a Facebook group and couldn't resist the price. I have had two other funboards in the past that I have ultimately sold to others hoping to transition to a shorter board. Now that I have a little more time on my hand maybe I can make the leap this time. A surfing friend of mine suggested I make it wall art. It is certainly pretty enough, but I think I'll keep Adele with the rest of the quiver for a little while longer in case some more strong waves present themselves.