Tropical Storm Debbie and waves

Hurricane season is going full strength, which means that it's only June and we already have a named storm starting with a "D." Tropical Storm Debbie is in the Gulf of Mexico. (I heard one of the forecasters say that it's the first time in more than 70 (?) years that we have had so many storms so early.) Surfers have been wondering what the next few days might bring in the form of waves since several models had it moving closer to us, with possible landfall in south Texas. However, tonight seems less hopeful for waves. The storm is forecast to just cause a lot of rain and wind for Florida. Sorry for Florida, but very glad we don't have to worry about a storm. I'm not sure if it's because of the storm, -- there are some who say it -- but the waves were pretty this weekend. They were small, but very well formed in a way that we don't always see or experience on the Texas Gulf Coast in June.

One of my other hobbies is cycling.
I love seeing unusual bikes! The
paint scheme on this is great.

It all started on Friday. I had already planned to go for my usual afternoon surf session because I had heard from one of the gals I met at surf camp who was going to bring her daughter to town for a surf lesson. And, there she was taking a lesson from the surf dude when I arrived. I had already received a report that the waves were good. And, they were: small, but well-defined. I immediately took my 9' board out. It was wonderful. The sets were easy to read, which is somewhat unusual for Galveston in June. Oh what fun! I surfed for approximately three hours. I had some unusual wipeouts, which I don't completely understand, but I also had some clean rides where I turned a little. I get worried about my pop-up every once in awhile because I feel awkward doing it. I pop up and then I wobble. It's almost as if my knees are locked, but then I settle in and get back into what I think is good posture. I need to practice that. I'm not sure why, after all this time, I'm still having that feeling on occasion.

Sunday brought just about the same type of wave, only a little smaller. I went out at 7:45 a.m. at 36th street, moved to 45th around 9 a.m. and stayed out until about 11:30 a.m. My visiting friends returned to the beach on Sunday, and I had the privilege to lend my board to her daughter who, after only a couple of lessons, was quite good at surfing. I pushed her for awhile, but she asked if she could do it on her own, and I said "Definitely." She seemed to have a good time, as did her mother. By the time I left at about 1 p.m., I was bushed and a little sunburnt. I had an excellent time though.

On another note, I'm still looking for a new board. I need a 9' epoxy that will be easier to turn. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but I'm thinking that to get the kind of board I want, I just might have to spend more than I originally thought I would spend. Who can put a price tag on fun, right?

Post-playcation surfing

I had approximately six miles of hiking
to do before I would be back at my
starting point. It was a long,
strenuous hike.

I can't have a pre-playcation (vacation) post and not have a post-playcation entry, can I? This year, instead of returning from vacation on a Sunday, I returned on a Saturday, which meant I still had one more day to play before returning to my regular schedule, which, although still quite fun, is much more subdued and includes work. Although I love my job, sometimes a little time off revs the internal engine a little, which it has definitely done this time. I'm excited to be returning to my "regular" life. I got quite a workout while I was in the Smoky Mountains. I hiked every day while there, with two days of very long (12 to 14 miles, which is long in the "hiking" world, especially in the mountains) hikes and four days of medium-distanced hikes and one day of only six miles. The hikes were beautiful and sometimes strenuous, but worth every step. Fortunately, I always had an inn to return to at the end of the day, and don't have to "rough" it like many hikers. Today (Sunday) could have been a day of relaxation and unpacking I guess, but I opted to bicycle and surf. I can always do the laundry tomorrow after work, right?

This morning, I did a quick little 28-mile bike ride before loading up my 9' Softop "Iris" for a quick surf session. I didn't have a lot of time, but I wanted to get in at least an hour or an hour-and-a-half of surfing before my "fun" time was over. I made it down to the 43rd street jetty about 11:30.  It was getting crowded and, by the time I left, was packed with people. The wind was blowing WSW, which meant that the best waves to surf were on the west side of the jetty. Generally this time of year, we surf the east side of the jetty, but not today. The waves looked decent from the seawall view, but once I was down on the beach, I could see what some of the issues might be. They looked as though they might "play out" quickly. And, once I took the rip out, I found that to be true. It was easy to be pushed away from the jetty, and the first time that happened, I caught a short ride right away. After that, though, I had to wait for waves. They would either break at another spot close to me, or fizzle out. I got pushed in by the current several times and made a rather weak attempt at getting back out without using the rip current. I quickly realized that was an error. It took way too much energy. A couple of young guys on short boards were catching some waves closer to the jetty, which is amazing since they were on such short boards (5'-footers). Although, I must add that even they missed waves because of timing. I started just staying a little closer to the jetty myself and, from there, was able to catch a few waves. I had a blast, and was even able to maneuver around the guys when they suddenly appeared in front of me. I fell a couple of times because I locked my knees and bent forward, but I think that is only because I had been off the board for more than a week. It usually takes me a couple of rides before I feel comfortable again.

Toward the end of my surf session, I had the pleasure of meeting and surfing with two new surf instructors hired by Dude B to help at his camp. Both of them were polite young people who I know will be inspirational to those who they teach. It sure is special to meet such nice people!!

And, although my playcation is over, I plan to keep on playing...at home.

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.)