Inconsistent Waves and Lots to Do

As usual, winter proves to be a difficult time to guess about the waves. If the north wind comes through strong enough, nice, clean waves are available. But, the weather has been so bizarre that the north winds are either too strong or too weak to create waves of any worth. It's also seemed so unusually cold this year. Case in point: last week, I looked at various webcams and saw some waves. They weren't the prettiest waves, but they were surfable, and I needed to get wet. Well, I think the water temperature has been hovering around 55 degrees, so I was definitely out in my 5-4. I hate having to surf in a 5-4.  My movements are hindered, and it is a pain in the behind putting on and taking off. Ran into a few people that I met through Facebook, and they seemed to be having a good time. But, they too, complained about how cold it was, the good and bad about wearing booties, and the uncertainty of the waves.  I went out at 36th Street, and because the waves were fairly weak and because I'm not the best surfer, I only caught a couple of waves. Many were having trouble, so I didn't feel so bad. But, I sure miss catching nice waves.

Waves are calling…somewhere.

I'm dreaming of travel again. I've looked up some warm places to travel that might be inexpensive and easy to travel to, and that might have surf. I could fly back to Ixtapa, Mexico, and go to Troncones, but I think I would be nervous going alone or with just a friend. So, then I thought about Cancun. I would feel pretty safe traveling there, but I'm not sure the waves are great. I found a couple of surf schools, which I think I mentioned in a previous post, but I'm just not convinced the surf would be very good. What to do, what to do…

One thing I can do during these winter months is build stamina and upper body strength. I've started a 28-day challenge for doing planks. I'm on day 8, and I've already skipped a couple because I've forgotten, but I'm now back on track and must stay in plank for a minute, building to three minutes by the end of the month. I certainly see how doing plank can help with surfing, as well as my other sports of running and cycling. Most sports require a strong core, and the planks are one of the best ways of getting that core. From the plank position, I can practice the pop-up. I certainly could use more practice with the pop-up. I think I'll be practicing that forever.

Please send some waves my way!

Squeezing In Surf Time

Beautiful blue skies, clear aqua water and clean waves make my heart smile. If I squint real hard, I have that every time I get to go surfing. Of course, in reality, I might have the blue skies, but the clear water and clean waves can be hard to come by. I take what I can get though. As I've moaned before, the good waves rarely appear on the weekend, which means I have to take what I can get. Last week, I made the trek down to Gtown after work on a Monday evening, because I could see a little surf on the webcam. It was rough and quite a few people were already out, so instead of surfing at 43rd as I usually do, I went out at 36th. I surfed for about two hours until it was almost too dark to see. It was a great way to end the day. 

SUPing is fun when I can't surf.

By the time the next weekend rolled around, surf had disappeared…at least on Friday. Saturday kicked up very rough, but un-surfable waves so a running friend and I decided to go paddle boarding. She had always wanted to do it, and I knew I wanted to get wet. So, I contacted surf Dude (aka Brian) and discussed either renting a couple of his SUPs or asking him to give us an SUP lesson. He was more than happy to do it and took us out to 99th street -- the bay behind the golf course. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we had a great time. Neither of us fell, and because the water was so calm in the bay, we didn't struggle to get up or find our place in the water as I had the previous times I had SUP'ed in the wavy Gulf. We floated through the water, laughed and paddled into some of the canals. Later I learned that gators hide out in the marshy area, which was a little alarming and may stop me from heading back to that area again. My friend said she was more frightened of snakes, which also had never crossed my mind. Fortunately, we made it out of the bay unscathed by the experience. But, although I will SUP again, I will definitely have to think twice before going out at 99th. 

This weekend, I made my first surf trip to Surfside. Many Houston surfers believe that Surfside is THE surf spot. On Friday, I loaded up and headed down. Waves were rough and the current was strong that day in Galveston, and the conditions were no different in Surfside. It's a new surf break for me, so I wasn't sure where or how to get to the outside. I saw three surfers outside, but most were just playing on the inside whitewater. I opted for the second choice since it was my first trip. I had a rough time even doing that. I don't know the beach, so I wasn't quite sure where to line up. Because the current was so strong, I got pushed quite a ways down the beach right from the start. I caught a small wave in and walked back down to my original spot. Basically, I fought the current the whole time…and watched the guys on the outside. I only stayed a little over an hour, but I plan to go back. I'm hoping to connect with some gals from Chica Brava, whom I've never met, but seem pretty cool through email and social media. 

Yesterday (Sunday), I surfed at my "home break." Again, the current was strong and the wind was

ridiculous, but I just had to get wet. I took the rip out and caught the first wave coming my way. It reminded me why I love to surf. I rode the wave forever, and even though my subsequent "rides" were weak and pretty awful, that one ride rejuvenated my soul. I can't wait to surf again!

A Cold Front and Waves Once Again

I have not been surfing in Galveston since late November. If it weren't for my trip to Costa Rica in January, I would have been out of the water for more than three months. Fortunately, today, a cold front moved across the coast. Typically, these cold fronts move across the coast mid-week, during the middle of a work day. I can never be in the right place at the right time for surfing…until today.

Surfers from throughout
the area were glad when
waves finally arrived.

Weather forecasters predicted that the next cold front would pass through sometime this morning. Of course, all predictions are unpredictable. I wasn't quite sure when it would pass. At around 8:45 a.m., I received a text from the "surf dude" in G-town saying that the west wind was making the waves too messy to surf. However, when I looked at the webcam at about 9:15 a.m., I saw several surfers out and the waves looked clean. I called the Brian and told him I was coming down. He said he just realized that the winds had shifted so I probably needed to get down there fairly quick before the north wind blew out the waves.

I loaded Roxanne and headed to the 43rd Street jetty. I pulled on my 5-4 wetsuit (I'll be so glad when I can surf without wetsuits) and booties, split my fingernail (ouch!!) and paddled out. At least 10 surfers were already out. I paddled for several waves, but either misjudged their power or their speed. However, eventually I caught a few. I couldn't wait to paddle out again. After about an hour at 43rd, surf dude and another surf buddy showed up and wanted to go to 36th. I wasn't quite ready to leave, but decided that I wanted to surf with them. So, I loaded up and headed down seven blocks. No one was out at 36th and the wind was picking up so I realized I better hurry and paddle out.

I caught the best wave of the day the minute and I turned back to the shore. Unfortunately, because of the booties and thick wetsuit, I hadn't realized that my leash had wrapped around both of my ankles. I managed to save it and surf a little before jumping off to untangle myself. I only caught two other waves after that, and missed a whole bunch. My friends caught several, but I didn't have as good an experience at 36th that I had at 43rd. My timing was way off at both places, but I think I would have eventually been able to recover it had I stayed at 43rd. It didn't matter really, though, because I was so glad to be back out in the water. I needed that time in the saltwater. It just felt good! With Daylight Savings Time in full swing, I can now go down after work and surf an hour or so. I hope it gets warmer though. That 5-4 wetsuit is just no fun putting on or taking off. Wishing for warm water and warm air temps soon!

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!

TS Andrea and Well-Formed Waves

By Wednesday of last week, it was obvious that Thursday and, possibly, Friday would be good days. A tropical system that eventually became Tropical Storm Andrea formed in the Gulf. I always hate to hear about tropical systems because it can mean such disruption and devastation to anyone and everyone that ends up being in the path of a storm. The National Weather Service is predicting a busy storm season for the Atlantic/Gulf area this year. I hate to hear that. Many surfers don't mind though since they love the wave action created by such storms. A tropical storm formed pretty quickly in the Gulf last week. Although it was no threat to the Texas Gulf coast, everyone still paid attention to it since it was the first of the season. It was predicted to go inland in the southeast portion of Florida, and it did. Because of it's location, Galveston surfers realized that we would receive nicely formed waves. The prediction was that Thursday would be really nice and, if we kept our fingers crossed, the waves would still be here by Friday.

I couldn't make it down on Thursday morning, but I noticed the beautiful waves on the webcam and dreamt about being able to surf waves like those. The sets were perfect. I thought about going down after work on Thursday, but a quick surf report from surf dude Brian, made me realize that Thursday night wouldn't be the best night for me. The wind had picked up considerably in the late afternoon hours and, because of that, the waves were a mess. On Friday morning, I was surprised to see that the waves were quite nice again. Surfers were everywhere on the webcam, and I kept my fingers crossed that the waves would hang on until the afternoon. I headed down there after I left work at noon. It was incredibly crowded, possibly because it was the first week of summer break for local school districts. Many were out surfing. I couldn't find a spot to park at 43rd, and wanted to stay away from the crowds of surfers, so I drove to 36th. I found a place to park across the street and made my way to the water. Fortunately, only a couple of surfers were near the jetty. I paddled out and greeted the other two in the water and caught the first wave that came my way. I had a ball.

The waves were very small by the time I made it in the water, but  they were well formed, which allowed me to watch, paddle and surf the waves. It would have been better if the wind would have been a little more out of the east instead of the west only because I'm a goofy-footer, which makes it

The waves started disappearing
as soon as I got out of the
water on Friday.

hard for me to go left on the wave. I kept surfing toward the jetty, which shortened my ride. I had a ball anyway. I caught several waves, dropped down on the board and paddled right back out for more. After a couple of hours, I paddled in. By then, the wave were incredibly small. They would definitely be gone by evening. And they were. Saturday was flat, and Sunday brought small, wind-driven slop that was surfable, but not really worth paddling out. (At least, that is what the surf dude said.) That's okay since Sunday was an incredible busy day for me. Today (Monday), the waves looked nice, but since I had to work and then run, I didn't have time to make it down for and evening surf session. It might be a couple of weeks before I get to surf again. But, it can't be helped. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that some pretty little waves will form once again. Although I hate to think of someone suffering through a storm, the swell it creates is pretty darn fun!

Wednesday Night Wonderful

After looking at the surf forecast on Surfline last Monday as well as watching weather forecasts, it seemed pretty obvious that I wouldn't have surf for this past weekend. A cold front was scheduled to cross the coast on Thursday, which means that it would be flat on Thursday and Friday. When a second was scheduled to cross the coast again on Sunday, I decided that if I was going to surf, I would need to do it before Thursday. When surf dude contacted me on Wednesday and said that it that the waves were surfable, I knew it was my last chance for a little while. So, I rode my bike home from work, loaded my car and headed to the island. The air temp was warm, but the water temp is still in the 70s, so I know I would probably need more than a rash guard. I brought my new Roxy springsuit, and it was perfect.

I paddled out at 36th Street since the 43rd Street jetty had quite a few surfers already near it. Approximately seven or eight surfers were already out between 35th and 39th.  When I'm at 43rd and seven and eight surfers are out, it seems crowded; however, when I'm at 36th, it seems a little roomier. While standing on the Seawall, I found the waves to be nice and consistent.  When I was out in the water though, I found them very difficult to read. Timing had to be perfect in getting out because of the lack of rip current next to a jetty. Going out at 36th requires counting sets and waiting for a lull. I made it out, but then I had a hard time judging the timing of the waves. All in all, I caught a few, but I also misjudged a few. The ones I caught were spectacular, but I really prefer catching most, not just some. The surf dude told me that the waves had been much nicer earlier in the day, but since I couldn't make it there before 6 p.m., it made no difference to me. I can only go when I can go, and it does no good thinking about the waves I missed. I need to work with what I have. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this weekend, but the weather is looking incredibly "if-fy." Maybe if I click my heels together and say three times:

Wishing for waves...

Wishing for waves...

Wishing for waves...

It can't hurt!

Surfing Again, at Last

It's been a little over two weeks...actually, almost three...since I've been surfing. The waves always seem to come during the work week when I can't make it out. I was hoping for some waves on Friday afternoon because I knew that I would be working on Saturday (UHCL introduced it's new mascot -- the Hawk), and I wouldn't be able to surf if the waves were good. Friday was too messy according to my surfing contacts, and, fortunately, so was Saturday. My report early today (Sunday) was that it was messy again. I decided to run instead and got in five miles, but once I returned home and looked at the Galveston web cam, I decided I must go down.  I'm incredibly busy lately, but I felt like a good surf session would help strengthen my soul.

I surfed at 37th today instead of
my usual 43rd Street jetty.

Since I have my first marathon coming up in June, I needed to run today. I also had some responsibilities at church this morning, so I knew even if the waves had been decent, I wouldn't make it down this morning as early as I would have liked. I really prefer getting down to the beach by 7 a.m. because fewer surfers are usually out at that time -- usually just the locals.  I also had a lunch scheduled with my mother and father, but I was able to convince them to eat in Galveston. Once lunch was over, I drove over to the Seawall, which was full of other enjoying April. Although the sun was shining, the temps were a little on the cool side, which meant that I would probably need a wetsuit. (The water temps were quite cool too.) I found a parking spot on the hotel side of the Seawall between 36th and 37th and opted to surf there. Waves were breaking beyond the jetty, but they weren't all holding up very well. I made my way out and immediately turned back toward the beach when I saw a powerful wave come my way. I caught whitewater but it was still incredible to be out surfing again. I caught several more whitewater waves while I was out and was able to practice turning and looking forward instead of down. I wanted to catch some waves as they were breaking instead of just catching strong whitewater, but only accomplished that once. I definitely need more consistent practice. I can't go two weeks between sessions. Just like my running and cycling, I need to surf more. As the water warms, the days get longer and the busy-ness subsides, I'm sure I will be able to do that.

October Surf Time, Cold Fronts and More

I've mentioned it before, but I'm thinking it about it again: October can be a good month and a bad month for surf. On the one hand, because we live in south Texas, we can sometimes have mild weather and southerly winds that give us messy, but decent waves. However, cold fronts also start moving through, which CAN, if the timing is right, give us a brief period of beautiful well-formed waves. That was the forecast for this week. SwellInfo had predicted that the cold front moving through this weekend would have strong winds and that the window for surfing would be very small and would probably be early on Friday morning. I, personally, wasn't sure that would even work out since the winds were forecasted to be 20-25, which is much too strong and would make the beach flat. I had a feeling that there wouldn't be any surf at all for me this weekend, so I was glad when I saw on the webcam on Thursday evening and the pre-front waves looked promising. They looked a little messy, but they were definitely surf-able and they were also a decent size: waist- to chest-high.

I left work a little early, loaded up the board and headed down. This time of year -- right before we "fall" back on the clock -- daylight fades away quickly in the evening. I knew that if I made it to the island by 5:30, I would only have just a little more than an hour to surf before the sun went down. I made my way to 36th Street, met up with the surf dude, paddled out and had a ball. The waves were incredible. I caught the first wave I went for and surfed it until it faded away. This time of year can prove challenging for a goofy-footer surfing a left break into the sunset. However, it didn't stop me. I caught several waves. I had one minor wipeout and it actually happened while I was paddling back to the outside. I got caught in a bad place on the inside and didn't time my paddle-out correctly in the inconsistent sets. (The only bad thing about surfing 36th is that there is no jetty to provide the comfortable  rip current that takes people out past the break. Using a rip current is like having an escalator to take you from one floor to the next; it requires very little effort on your part.) I had some fun rides. In fact, one of my rides still makes me smile when I think about it. I caught a nice-sized (3 or 4 ft) wave turned left, caught a re-form and sailed down the beach. I was moving so fast that it caught me off guard. I made a shrill sound as if I was riding a roller coaster. (IT WAS A BLAST!)  I surfed for an hour and 20 minutes just as it started getting dark. I needed a little light to load the board. I'm so glad I made it out Thursday because although surfers had some pretty, well-formed, small waves early on Friday morning, by the time I got off of work, it was just as I thought it would be: FLAT. And, it stayed that way for the rest of the weekend.

Here's hoping that there will be some waves one night this week so that I can get one last evening surf session in before the time changes. I also hope there will be some waves on Friday afternoon. Surfing is just so darn fun! I'm sorry it took me so long in life to discover it.

Hurricane Waves, Three-Day Weekends

Hurricane Isaac waves had been forecasted this past week! Local surfers, including me, were anxiously awaiting them. Last Monday morning the north winds started blowing a little, and before you knew it, sets were clean. However, the forecasted swell never really occurred. The high pressure over us kept the waves from building. That doesn't mean there wasn't anything to surf though. Surfers were out on Monday, and one of the surfers that hangs out at 43rd said that he surfed for five hours straight. I had an after-work commitment that night, so I knew that all of my "Isaac" surfing would have to be done on Tuesday afternoon/evening. I kept my fingers crossed that there would still be waves and, fortunately, I found that there were. By looking at the webcam, I could see that the 43rd Street jetty and the 25th Street Pleasure Pier/Flagship had an overabundance of surfers. Surfers Bob P. and Brian thought we should go to 36th Street, and that was a good call. We found only a couple of other surfers at that spot, which made the evening much more pleasant. And, even though I don't have the rip current to pull me out like I do when I'm at 43rd, I like it there because it seems much more "open." (I'm sure this feeling of openness has something to do with me being goofy-footed and crazy idea I have that, as a goofy-footer, I need open space to the left of me -- a space that I don't usually get when I have a jetty with which to contend.) I surfed until the sun started going down (about 2 to 2 1/2 hours) and had a ball. I love it when I can read the waves and, when I pop up, have the room to maneuver any way I see fit. What a great night!

By Friday, the regular choppy mess was back, as was the wind. The wind messed up the waves in a bad way. I was very disappointed. For the first time in a long time, I was going to be working in the afternoon and evening, which meant I was going to have the morning free. I very seldom have an opportunity to go surfing early in the morning during the week, so I was really looking forward to it. Oh well! My surf report was bad, so I just stayed home. Saturday morning's surf report wasn't any better, but by Saturday afternoon, the waves were nice. Unfortunately, I already had plans. Even if I hadn't though, I probably wouldn't have gone simply because of the Labor Day weekend crowds. My plan was to get up bright and early and head to Galveston on Sunday and hope for the best.

That's exactly what I did. I was on the island by 7:15 a.m., which allowed me to have prime parking and get out in the water with fewer surfers. Two were in the water when Dude Brian showed up and he  and I paddled out. The WSW winds made the waves a mess! And, just about every time I made it to the end of the jetty, I was pushed halfway down the beach. I got pummeled by waves a couple of times...one time so hard that my eye even hurt as if I had been punched. However, I caught more than I missed. I had to paddle a lot to stay in a surf-able spot. Dude Brian went way to the outside, while I stayed just to the end of the jetty, which meant I was outside, but not quite as far as Brian. He eventually went in and others replaced him. After about three hours, it was quite crowded. My surfing friend Bob H. made it out. (I met him on the beach a couple of years and see him while surfing from time to time.) He is an outstanding surfer and fun to watch. He and a couple of the other guys made it look easy. And, even though I caught some waves, I still wish I could have caught them as often and as easily as they did. Since tomorrow is a holiday, I could go surfing again. However, the forecast suggests more southwest winds. I worked so hard paddling today, though, that if the winds are as bad as they say they might be, I will probably take it easy on the arm exercises and, instead, give my legs the workout by participating in one of my other favorite sports -- cycling. I love three-day weekends!

Friday fun day and a different break

A new break? Beautiful Friday waves -
A photo taken from the Seawall

Friday afternoons are just plain FUN! I think most people would agree that there is a lighthearted attitude in the air because it's the beginning of a weekend. In fact, the feeling starts in the morning. I work half a day on Friday and, in the summer, that means lots of surf time. This Friday was perfect for it. Some strange, weak cold front/norther came through, which shifted the winds out of the north and dropped the humidity for a few hours. I was worried that by the time I got off of work, which is usually noon but was changed to 11 a.m. this week, the waves would be gone.  But a phone call from my friend at 11 included a positive message. The waves were small, but still very pretty. I can certainly enjoy small. I brought two boards to work with me on Friday. I'm usually a little worried about leaving a fiberglass board in the car during the summer because of the melting wax, which means I usually just bring my Softop. However, because of the lower humidity this past Friday as a result of the weak cold front, I decided to take my 9' Softop AND my 8'1" McTavish with me and, because of that lower humidity, I didn't find wax melted all over the inside of my car. (On a side note, I'm thinking about selling my McTavish to get another 9' board since I've decided that 9' is my perfect size, but that's for another post.) By the time I made it to the island, the 43rd Street jetty was packed. So, my friend and I decided to surf at 36th. I had surfed 37th near the jetty, but I had never surfed at 36th, which is a sandbar break. With that said, it means that I don't have the rip next to the jetty to help me get out. It didn't matter much on Friday, though, since the waves were still pretty well formed and getting out only required some strong paddling and timing. Sets were pretty consistent, so if I counted and watched, it was possible to make it out between sets. It was definitely the right choice for me. The waves were fantastic. They were small...maybe two or three feet...but perfect. I used my Softop because they were on the small side and because I was at a new break. I think I would have had a hard time on anything smaller because it would have required a lot more paddling. All in all, I had a fantastic time. I caught wave after wave. I missed a few, but not many.  I wish we could have more afternoons like that.

My other usual surf day is Sunday. I found out late Saturday that I would have out-of-town company on Sunday, so my surf time was going to be short. When I woke up this morning though, I realized that I wasn't going to miss much. The waves were very crappy, and although the dude would have enough for lessons, they were not rideable. The G-townsurf.com report described them as "barely rideable if at all." It was a good excuse to stay home and wait for my visitors.

On another note, I am trying to figure out a way to solve my workout dilemma. I'm not sure there is an answer I'm willing to accept. Because I surf in the middle of the day on Fridays, it's usually extremely warm. When I work out hard surfing like I did this past Friday, my workouts on Saturday suffer. This weekend, I joined a new group for my Saturday workout. I worked out with a triathlon training group. Their Saturday workout is a run-bike-run plan. I debated whether I would make it this Saturday because I had my heart set on just cycling, but I knew I needed to get a run in and, ultimately, decided that the only way to ensure a run would be to join with this group. I ran 6.3 miles and then rode 48 miles. I was supposed to finish the workout with a 4-mile run, but because of some bad communication and the fact I was so dehydrated from surfing on Friday, I opted out of the second run. I need to figure out a way to stay hydrated. I'm not sure if it means less surfing on Friday or just carrying more fluids with me on Friday AND Saturday, but either way, I need to figure it out. I think I will have plenty of weekends this summer to do just that.