July Doldrums: Missing the Waves

It sure is hot! For some reason, it seems warmer than I remember in a long while, and I'm less tolerant of it this year. I ran at 5:15 a.m. this morning and it seems crazy warm. I don't remember being so drenched with sweat after a run. I finished with six miles, which is what I had planned, but I wished I could have laid down on the bed for just a few minutes for a cat nap. I also had a busy day at work. I received a text message from a surfing friend saying that although the waves were small, He was able to surf early on. Sometimes I wish I lived a little closer to the beach so that I could more routinely show up for dawn patrol. But, I think it would still be a difficult thing to do because of the nature of my work.  I love working early in the morning. I get a lot of work completed before 8 a.m. But, still, it probably wouldn't hurt me to have a few mornings of dawn patrol. After all, I have vacation to burn so that I don't lose it when the new academic year begins Sept. 1.

I have not had many waves to surf the last month because of the summer doldrums…flat water due to lack of wind strength or bad wind direction. But, last Friday, I heard the waves were surfable. I looked at the webcam, but I didn't think they looked surfable. They looked a little too rough for an SUP, but not quite big enough for a surfboard. I took the advice of my friend, though, and loaded my 9'6" and headed to 43rd. I'm so glad I did. I met a friend who had been examining the waves before I got there. He suggested that since the tide was out, it might be easier to walk the board out further than usual. I followed his lead. It was the smart thing to do, and I'm glad he suggested. I caught several waves for the next couple of hours and had a great Friday afternoon. I would have preferred for the waves to be a little more defined and bigger, but at least I had something to surf. By Sunday, the waves were not strong or big enough to surf and a little too rough to use an SUP. The forecast for this weekend does not look good, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I desperately want to get back out in the water and SURF!

Really Small Waves and Some SUP Time

I have been wanting to surf. But, like always, when I am off, there are no waves. I know I have said/wrote it before: The best waves are always Wednesday mornings at 8 or 9 a.m., just as I am about to go to a meeting or right after I finish one. Therefore, I miss the good waves. Of course, no matter what day or time it is, I think many people think they miss the "good waves." I was determined last week to go to surf on Friday afternoon, which is my usual time for surfing. The forecast didn't look great, but by Friday morning, I could see a few little ripples out there. On the webcam Friday morning, it looked as thought a few people were out at 45th. I kept my fingers crossed that it would stay that way until I got off work on Friday afternoon. I originally had planned to got to Surfside, but with the waves being "iffy" at best, I decided Galveston was my best option. Made it to 43rd around 2:30 p.m. and worried that I had almost missed them all. However, I paddled out and noticed there were a few little peelers just for me. I got caught on the inside once, causing me to flip under the water and lose my sunglasses even though they were on a string around my neck. I am always caught off-guard when these things happen. Never even saw this happen. I caught a few little waves and had lots of fun. The beach was quite full because of summer vacations, but I was still able to get out past the crowds in the water. One young lady was out (Autumn) and she was making the waves look pretty and easy. I was in awe of her abilities. A couple of young boys were also out and, of course, they told me how the waves had been bigger in the morning. I chuckled. The only other eventful thing that happened was when the key I wear around my neck became detached from the ribbon it was on and, in slow motion, fell first to the top of the board just as a wave was coming in. Of course, I never saw it again. But, after a $115 visit from a locksmith, I was able to get back in my car. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon.

By Sunday, it was even smaller than Friday. I loaded up my SUP and met a friend at 43rd for a quick morning session. We had a ball. I hadn't been out on my SUP in awhile, and I still have a lot of learning to do, but I still had fun. I fell off the board twice -- once when I was was wading through the white wash to get out past the break, and another time when my board was knocked awry by the beginning of a wave. If the waves had been a little bigger and stronger, I would have definitely been surfing, but the waves weren't really breaking until they got closer to shore. I started to question my decision of buying such a short SUP, but at the same time, I realize that if the board was bigger, I would definitely have trouble loading and unloading. I think my friend had fun too. As the summer flat spell hangs on as it usually does in July, I'm so glad I can least go out and SUP.

Pre-vacation surfing and dancing

It's that time again -- time for me to take my annual hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains. Because of the trip, I usually have to miss a few of my regular surf sessions. So, since I wasn't going to be able to make it today (Sunday) to surf, I was anxious during this past week to get in some good surf time. I noticed on the G-town webcam Thursday, that the waves looked pretty nice. The forecast had predicted some decent surf because of strange light, north winds blowing in on Wednesday and Thursday. So, when I left for work on Thursday, I decided to go ahead and pack up my surf stuff, just in case. I knew that I had a work commitment that would keep me at work until about 5:30, but because it stays light later, I decided I would probably have enough daylight to surf a couple of hours after work. I took my 9' Softop because it can be left in the car all day unlike fiberglass or epoxy boards with wax that would become a sticky mess if left in the car all day. I drove down and met two of the guys (Dude B and T) who were already out on the west side of the 43rd street jetty having fun in the small, but clean suf. I paddled out and instantly caught a wave. I knew it was going to be a fun evening. I started surfing about 6:15 and caught multiple waves. I also had the opportunity to watch the guys who caught twice the waves I did and made it look so easy. When I paddled hard, they seemed to paddle easy, pop up with ease and dance on the waves. I envy their style and hope that some day I can surf like them. I watch them and try to mimic their every move. However, I still have such a long way to go before I can surf with the ease and grace that they can. When it started to get dark at about 8 p.m., we decided to call it a day. It was peaceful and wonderful to see the sunset. Although they were surfing too, we were really all alone out there. I guess it's always that way, surfing being a solitary sport, but I felt it more that night simply because it was quiet and the sun was going down and all seemed right with the world. I was so glad that I went down. I might have to start incoporating at least one night of surfing into my regular workout schedule during the summer when the days are long. Friday was "iffy." Surf forecasts were predicting it to be flat, but my noon call from B offered some positive news. The waves were still there...very small, but clean. I ran by the house after work, picked up a board, changed into my swim suit and made it to Galveston at around 2 p.m. I wasn't going to have much time to surf because of a busy afternoon of activities, but I wanted to make the most of the time I had. The winds had died considerably and, by the time I arrived, much smaller than they were at noon. They were breaking real close to shore on the inside. I had made the correct decision to bring my 9'6" board. However, because I haven't surfed it in a while, it took a little time for me to get reacquainted with it. Also, because I haven't surfed it in a while, I had a wax issue to overcome. Quite a bit of the wax was coming off on my arms and rashguard. The board was unually slick. My hands slipped, as did my feet, a few times. I need to strip the old wax off and start again. I probably should do that every season anyway. Despite all of this, I had several good, but short rides. And, after about an hour, the waves had diminished even more, so I left the beach. I'm hiking this week, so my workout will include a lot of leg work, but I'm just sure that it can only help me in all my other endeavors, including surfing. I'm not sure how yet, but I can't wait to find out next weekend when I'm surfing. Maybe I should incorporate some pop-ups while on the trail...or maybe not. (hmmm...having a hard time uploading photos on my iPad, will have to do that later. I'm also having spacing issues. Oh well.)

Does Size Matter?

Midsummer flats! During the middle of our Texas summers, the waves disappear. However, if there is enough wind, which is also something that erupts often in Texas, small and manageable waves will peak through on the inside near the jetty and the shore. Although it's not an ideal situation for surfing, I'm usually so desperate for anything that I will go down to 43rd if a ripple even exists. And, sometimes, these waves prove to be very beneficial to me for practice. Today was a perfect example. Much to the chagrin of Brian, I took my new 8'1" McTavish with me even though Brian said the waves were really small. Brian urged me to bring a longer board, but I need all the practice I can get with the shorter board. (Note: my board is not a SHORT board; it is a mini-longboard.) So, "Sunshine" and I went to the beach. Because I was a little hesitant about my ability on the shorter board, I also took "Goldie," my 9' Softop. (I keep changing the name of my Softop! It's going to have an identity crisis if I keep it up.) I realize that it will take a long time for me to get really good on the shorter board, or a longer board for that matter, but I'm sure having fun trying.

I found this article online about surfing small surf. I thought it was very interesting, and loved the first paragraph, which basically pointed out that surfing small surf was what most people had to do. Although, I doubt anyone's surf is as small as mine was today, I like reading about advanced surfers being forced to surf 2-ft. waves.

http://surf.transworld.net/1000002624/features/how-to-rip-in-small-surf/

From the article:

"When paddling for bigger waves, the wave does most of the work. In small waves, you do the work. One thing you should do if you want to rip small waves is cardio-vascular training. Either run, bike, swim, or whatever you do to get your heart rate going."

Well, I'm glad to see that my running and biking help with the surfing too. I definitely feel like I get a workout on the smaller waves, but I'm able to stay out for three or four hours without burning myself out probably because of my other sports. I realized today that size doesn't have to matter!