Here and There and 3-2 Wetsuits

We're in the season…not just the holiday season…the season that includes cold fronts blowing through, beautiful, "California"-like waves pushing to shore and wetsuits. I've surfed three or four times since my last post, but not on my usual surf days. When the cold fronts come through, the SSE wind-generated waves get cleaned up by the north wind. If I'm lucky and I've planned everything correctly, I'm surfing when it happens.

The first Thursday surf session (a couple of weeks ago) took place after work, right before we set the clocks back for the return of fall. I made it to G-town around 5:30 and surfed until after 7, well after dark. I was the last one out of the water, but I was having so much fun that I didn't want the sun to go down. I originally went out on the east side of the jetty with most of the other surfers, but, because of the crowd, I decided to join the one other surfer located on the west side. He seemed to be catching quite a few and once I located the sweet spot, I started catching a couple too. I stayed on the west side of the jetty for the rest of the night. The guy surfing also gave me tips. The waves were a little hard to read, but he offered advice about which ones would make it all the way to me.

Although it rarely happens,
I love when the cold
fronts come through
on the weekend.

I surfed on the wests side of the 43rd street jetty on Friday also. By then, everyone was out -- east side and west side. The waves were definitely clean and fun. One of the most fascinating things about that afternoon, was the family that was out surfing near me. Three little blond children, probably under the age of 10, on boards that were possibly 4 ft or shorter were surfing the waves next to me. And, they were doing quite well. Their father was out on a stand-up paddleboard and was also doing quite well catching waves. I had a ball watching them surf. What fun to see their entire family surfing one waver after another. The waves were definitely smaller than the night before, but they were also fun. I surfed for about three hours and loved every minute of it.

A front moved through again this past Thursday. A local weather forecaster had predicted it would come in early Thursday. I woke up with a severe headache, went back to sleep for about a half an hour,  woke up and was fine. I looked at the webcam to see the surf cleaning up nicely. I loaded a board and headed to G-town, and I'm so glad I did. I got a couple of hours of surfing in before I had to paddle in and drive back to the mainland for work. I surfed at 43rd, although when I first arrived, the best waves were at the Pleasure Pier. However, it was so crowded there, I knew I needed to surf elsewhere. By the time I was loading up to leave, approximately 6-8 surfers were out at 43rd with me. Caught a couple of marvelous waves, and felt wonderful about taking a couple of vacation hours to get in some surf time. The only unhappy part of this morning surf session was that I had to wear my 3-2 wetsuit for the first time since last spring. It seems early for me to have to wear a wetsuit because for the past couple of years, I haven't needed a full suit until December. But, I guess this year, I'll be wearing one from now until spring. Oh well, it's a small price to pay for having so much fun!

Surf Here and There

I've surfed three times in two weeks. I missed last week because of an out-of-town conference in D.C. that I had to attend, but I was able to go during the week when a rare norther moved through, and I went down after work. The waves were awesome. I had gone down a few days earlier and had a marvelous session because of well-formed waves and sets. So, when I thought I could do it again on a Tuesday, I loaded up the board and made it down about 5:30. I had about an hour-and-a-half of good surfing before the sun went down, and I surfed until the very last minute. What a blast! Many were out because of the waves, and I was glad I was one of them. I didn't see any other women, but they could have just been at another jetty. I caught multiple waves that night and had such fun!

I didn't get to surf
during my conference, but
I did get to pose with
a wax JFK.

The D.C. conference put a wrench in surfing and/or SUPing until I returned this week. Of course, by Thursday, it was FLAT. I kept my fingers crossed and the tide changed. By today, it was rough and choppy. However, I knew I wanted … no, I needed… to go out. Today (Sunday) after my 12-mile marathon-training run, I drove to the 43rd street jetty, got out and watched the waves to see if they could be surfed. Occasionally a set would come in that looked promising, but I decided to drive further down the beach just to see if there were more waves. I made it to 37th and sat on the seawall for a little watching the waves. I noticed that the waves on the west side of the jetty were actually cleaning up very nicely. I went out and after the first two or three waves, I knew that I had done the right thing. While no one was out before I went in, I was joined by a young guy approximately 30 minutes after arriving. By the time I was leaving an hour or so later, four surfers were out. I'm so glad I went out. The waves were fun. I look forward to going out again.

SUPing at night, racing and a little surfing

Another Sunday night and I'm bushed! I generally have a busy schedule, but lately my schedule has been unusually crazy. Last weekend, I went to Vegas to be a part of my nephew's wedding. It was a great family outing, and I sure hope they have a lifetime of happiness. I had been hoping to do a little SUIPing in Lake Mead, but alas, I ran out of time. Since writing on my blog a couple of weeks ago, I've had a wonderful couple of surf and SUP sessions though. 

The week before leaving for Vegas was a crazy one, as they usually are the week before a trip. The Sunday before the trip, though, I found some time to go surfing. A cool front had come through and even though it was a little gray, I  took Petal and headed to Galveston. I hadn't been out on the 9'6" board in awhile, and I had a chance to rediscover why I love that board. I went to the 37th Street jetty and had a blast. I was only out a short while, but I caught multiple waves.  Today, I  took my 9' Softop and went out at the 43rd. I chose the west side of the jetty because of the way the wind was blowing. Only one other guy was out, and he had been there a short while. He told me that he thought we might have been the only surfers finding waves. However, I had already seen several at 37th and a couple at 25th, so I knew that surfers were out down the beach. The afternoon was beautiful, and although I would have probably surfed better using Petal, I needed the Softop today because of a luncheon that would have my board sitting outside in the sun for a longer period of time. Sometimes, I just prefer using the Softop on days like this. The air temp was warm, but the water was cool…the intrusive hint of fall. I dread needing a wetsuit soon. 

I've also been SUPing a little more. A couple of weeks ago, one breezy weeknight, I loaded Penelope

I had a ball SUPing in the moonlight!

(my SUP) and met up with an SUP group in Galveston. The sun was on the verge of setting, and I drove down after a busy day at work. The group met at a parking lot on 61st Street on the side of Offat's Bayou. A friend from work also showed up. We unloaded the boards and dropped them in the water at the end of the boat pier. Just as the sun set, we took off across the water with lights and a required life vest.  The group stayed out about an hour, and I look forward to doing it again sometime soon. The experience was awesome. I met some people active in the SUP community, and learned about some events especially for SUPers that sounded like fun. One, in particular, was a race that took place this weekend (Saturday/yesterday). The race allowed people to register and compete in one of three events: 12' boards, 11'1 boards and an open category. I felt like I had nothing to lose and opted to register for the open event. Since I know so little about SUPing, I had no idea what to expect. Saturday was quite windy, so the course was rough. The route was three miles total, meaning two 1.5-mile loops. Racers lined up at the end of the pier at Moody Gardens' Palm Beach. About 30 racers showed up on various forms and sizes of boards. I could tell the racing boards from the boards like mine. They were long, narrow and thick. They were made for speed and the minute the bell went off, those speedy boards took off. I was pulling up the rear and struggling. The current was as strong as the wind, which was causing small waves to form.  Many people were falling off their boards, and, eventually, I fell; but only once. I noticed many were on their knees at the beginning, and I followed their lead. I got lapped by about six people, but I kept going. After I finished the first lap, I considered quitting, but opted to go on. I was sorry I did. The emergency crew rescued someone from the rocks, and, very soon, I noticed that only a few of the novice people had gone on for the second lap. I turned around and went back to the finish line. I was proud of my work friend who made it through most of the second lap. However, he didn't "officially" finish either. He's on an 11' board, which makes it a little easier for him, but I think the current was even a little strong for him. Overall, though, he did great! I'm a little jealous of his performance. I thought I handled the board well, but I have a lot to learn. I know that my board is really geared more for surf, but I still think I can get stronger on the flats with it. Practice, practice, practice!