Waves have returned...at least for now

It's about time. After a couple of weeks of absolutely flat surf, today the waves were back. They weren't huge (after all, it's still Galveston), but they were a little bigger than they had been during August. The sets were different too. Although there was a quite a bit of time between the sets, when the waves finally made it to me, they seemed different somehow. I started out on my own 9' Softop, but, eventually, traded it for Brian's 9'6" fiberglass board, on which I love surfing. I'm not really complaining about my Softop. It's a fabulous board (and it's pretty too), but that fiberglass board is like surfing on a cloud. It's incredibly light and easy to manipulate in the water because it is also a little more narrow than mine. I'm dying to get a board just like it, but I know this one was custom-made and would probably cost me $1,000 or more. I'm not sure I could describe the differences adequately. I just know that it seems easy to maneuver.

I'm still having trouble "catching" the waves. I'm trying to catch them out past the break(s), but I only really catch about one in ever four or five. The others I seem to misjudge. I end up face first in the water alot too, without any real explanation as to why. I guess it's just part of the learning process. Today's waves tired me out too. For the first time, I can honestly say that my arms were a little tired today after surfing only about three-and-a-half hours.

I bought my springsuit just in time. I needed it today. The water temp was only about 78 degrees, but stepping into it was shocking. I eventually warmed up, and I'm sure the springsuit had something to do with that. I think I'll probably need it for about another month or so until I have to drag out the ol' 3-2 wetsuit. But, I hear that when that happens, the waves will definitely be good.

In closing today's blog post, I'll drop in the opening quatrain/stanza from Katherine Anne Porter's "Texas: By the Gulf of Mexico":

Ye shivering ones of the frozen North, list [sic] to my happy song
Of the seventh heaven nestled here below,
In our rich, fertile valleys, midst sunkissed fruits and flowers
In Texas, by the Gulf of Mexico

Friday floating

Light north winds have flattened the Gulf again making my Friday surfing day a bust. Well...I should say it was almost a bust. Robin and I still went down to Galveston with our surfboards to have some fun. Although I'm sure we looked quite foolish, we took them out and swam out past the end of the pier. We floated and swam. We practiced our knee paddling, which will help us a little. However, how we swim out when we have real waves will be a different matter. I'm sure we will be a little less certain of ourselves the first time we confront a 4- to 6-foot wave as we're swimming out past the breaks. We got a pretty good workout today though, swimming from pier to pier. Because the wind was out of the north, we also got pushed out quite a way from the shore line. Brian joined us eventually and talked to us about catching waves, which seems to be a problem these days for both of us. Once we catch the wave, we know what we are supposed to do, but actually timing everything just right and catching the wave is the hard part. That's something that will just have to come with practice I think.

Tonight, I went shopping for a springsuit, which Brian says we will need probably by October. I had been given a $50 gift certificate by my fabulous office mates for my birthday in August. Although I went by Sun & Ski last week and couldn't find a springsuit or wetsuit, I decided to give it another try. This time I found a very small selection. I'm guessing the store drug them out of their storage area hoping that they would sell them during their bike sale. I questioned their small selection of springsuits only to be met with a very rude, "We're not a surf store," to which I wished I would have answered, "No, you're a SPORTING GOODS store," hoping that the sarcasm would tell him that as a sporting goods store they should be able to cover a variety of sports. But, alas, I said nothing. I just picked up a couple of springsuits and took them to the dressing room. A young female clerk from Germany came to help me. She was delightful. Of the two springsuits, one was a little loose, but comfortable, while the second was like...well...a second skin. I was assured that the second one was how it should fit. With it being on sale for $75 and me having a $50 gift card, I was able to buy it for $25. The price was right. I decided I could make it work. It was a men's small. ummm...Hope I can get it on when I need it! It certainly fits like a glove; a little tighter than my 3-2 wetsuit. Note to self: DON'T GAIN ANY WEIGHT BETWEEN NOW AND OCTOBER!

Dancing on the board

I extended my Labor Day weekend during the past week by taking Tuesday off. I made it to the beach early and met my surfing mentor Brian. He and I were the only ones at the beach that day. Waves were not big, but at least there were some. Also, because no one else was on the beach, I had plenty of room to play on my board. I had been learning about taking off at a slight angle so I could ride the wave farther down the beach. Brian told me that I needed more of a Mae West wiggle with my back leg because it looked so stiff when I was standing on the board. I certainly didn't argue since I felt like I was stiff, and because when I saw photos of myself on the board, I looked stiff. Tuesday was a good day to practice. I successfully caught the small waves at an angle, popped up and wiggled. I was able to walk on the board and turn it successfully. Brian thought I improved quite a bit on Tuesday. I won't really know though until I'm out on a real wave and successfully riding it in. I also practiced my knee paddling, which has turned out to be a very effective way of getting out quickly.

I usually surf on Friday too, but, today (9-11), the seas were flat! It was also quite rainy with showers popping up quickly and offering much-needed downpours to the area. However, where there are rainstorms in southeast Texas, there is also lightning. Lightning and surfing don't go together at all.

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I was looking for a poem to share. I'm close to finding one. I believe I located the title and the author, but I haven't read the actual poem yet. Maybe next time...

(The photo posted with this blog was taken Sunday, Sept. 6, before I caught some waves.)