Exposed southern shores in RI just fired. Not nearly as crowded as I expected, either. Trunks and a wetsuit top were just perfect. Woke up in the middle of the night last night with an awful Charlie horse right in the middle of my lower thigh. Like so bad my feet / toes looked all weird. Went back to sleep after a tall glass of water humming the Dead tune Bertha. That was a fun one. Nice summer swell. Hope they line up for us.
Damn, I knew I should have driven further down! I ended up dodging SUP's up by the front...was so amped to get in, I didn't let any air out of the tires. While I was out in the water, I saw this family pull up in a truck and there was literally 2' between their truck and mine...I was pissed when I got out of the water and walked up. Happy Birthday, bro...could not have asked for a better day...some of the longest, most beautiful lines I've seen in a long time....def got my fill.
Nice lines up here continued. Another solid DP this morn' @ the usual spot. Unfortunately 2nd half of Dawn Patrol / Dusk Patrol Double Header canceled due to hail & thunder & lightening.. no need to get zapped and/or pelted. Still very pleased with the fun waves Bertha left in her wake.
Pulled the trigger at work on Tuesday afternoon, called an old friend and secured some sofa space in South Jersey for Tuesday night so me and the boy could get a morning session in. Drove 3.5 hours each way for 2 hours of high quality surf Wednesday morning before the guards came on. I was home and in the office by 3PM and the kid was back to work as a guard at the local pool. The surf we got was solid chest high, with some bigger random sets. Warm water, gentle offshore breeze, long lines, and some ride-able barrels, etc. The tide wasn't the best for this break, but that didn't seem to matter. The break was "well populated" but not really crowded. I could see a dense pack of surfers a bit north of us, but there was no chance of us going there with that crowd. Our stoke factor was pretty high, as the kid is just starting to find his way on a board. He has tons of natural ability from years of skateboarding and snowboarding, but little opportunity for water time. He learns quickly with the help of his salty old man drawing on decades of experience offering guidance. I knew the conditions Wednesday AM would be perfect for him. You can learn so much more on a really good day than you can on 5 crappy days. He charged into a couple of long lefts that made the old man proud. We drove home satisfied. Epic? No Awesome? Yes Worth it? Totally
Yah mon, hear ya, saw those SUPs, thought I saw your rig up there too. I wasn't gonna deal with that crowd & it was big enough that a lot of the other peaks were going off. Def worth driving down a few miles to get that place all to ourselves. You know that feeling, looking up from your board out in the ocean & seeing just your rig outlined against the blue sky & no other rigs around..... So many rides, pretty sore today. That thing where they pull in right off your truck panels....wtf is that? And noisy bastards, too, with the music & 6 kids & incessantly yapping dogs. It's happened to me up at that top end break there several times this summer. Don't recall that happening in previous years. People gave each other space; but not anymore. Gracias, hermano, it was a great bday spent with Bertha. To chime in with what you mentioned.....cleanest, sweetest, most beautiful lines in a long, long time.....
Was wondering how VB went for you guys. Some guys bailed on VB & came up north a bit. Great that y'all caught it good, 757
Bro. Definitely watched a strong verbal altercation ensue between a SUPkook and two LB kooks for several consecutive sets this morning in Rhodey. Started with the SUPer running a crisscross pattern across one of the LB kooks then they both did it again a few minutes later. War of the worlds. The schitty part was that on the first, the LB dude got caught off guard and lost balance and is headed right towards me in the flats. Like bro, please have common sense and don't kick that 80 liters of glasses foam at my head and just grab and pull it to side. Alas, boat is coming at my head so I just duck under. The move that anyone can do in the flats but so many just stare at their impending demise approach them. So the SUPkook ends up getting berated by both LB dudes and a SB dude. Me and another cat who were surfing together all morning are in amused awe at the kookapalooza and how aggro these bros are. So I bust out the script from EBAD starting with "Mahalo you fuvking surfers!" all the way to telling them I'll cut their leash. Gave the lineup a bit of comic relief for those who knew the reference. Then the next set comes in and the SB dude was sick of getting dropped in on so he says eff the world (literally out loud) then drops in on me. I'm to my feet getting in the highline backside and next thing I know a rail is by my bavk shin. I just headed in at that point, had got enough dope rides and things were nearly getting dangerous. On a lighter, stiffer note...there was an early 20s wahine on a SB right about then that was rocking the hottest t-back ever and her back piece was focking unreal. She had moderate shreddery at best but who the hell cares when she looks that tasty laying prone. I'd prefer she stay paddling in the position she does her best work. Wahine loved the EBAD ref. Just when I was complementing the northeast for how functional it's been all summer it goes and gets like VB for 2 days. Wasn't even near the most people out that I've seen at these breaks. Goes to show you that rules of engagement and observed protocol are everything and so much more influential than numbers in the lineup. Hey, two days of sun, bigger surf, and fine organisms on and in the shore. I'm happy. Especially that I prevented my decapitation.
BTW, KB did you see that kid on the yellow SUP...? Maybe 150 lbs on a 7'8" SUP & ripping it like a surfboard. None of that 12' SUP cruising down the line....that kid tore it up. Which, actually, was not positive. Because he was pretty much a diiick regarding set waves. He'd catch a set wave from way out back, finish his ride & oar back out, past even the longboard guys. Then he'd jump on the next set wave. Repeat, ad nauseum. With 3.5 @ 13 secs, he could, and did, make that wave-catching frequency happen. No one else had a shot. Coupla dudes started making noises, grumbling, but the kid moved down the line a bit so nothing happened. If this is the future, and I suppose it is, there will be blood.
sups tend to show up 2 or 3 days and then go away forever. i do not know why this is. but every sup/dik at my spot i do not recognize every time.
Same sh!t happened to me around 5PMish where I was at. Lineup was packed all day at one point topping 35 people, it finally thinned out and unbelievably it was just me, my buddy and two other chill guys on shortboards when SUPkook 1 and SUPkook two decided to paddle out. SUPkook 1 looked like Laird Hamilton plus 30 years and in all respects could rip, but both these clowns took every single set wave when they came out and was timed so perfectly that we didn't stand a chance. I debated on trying to snag one but decided against risking my head possibly being taken off. Once they left the crowd came back out. Still got a lot of fun ones, snaked a few people who kept dropping in on everyone, and launched the biggest airs on one of my kick outs. Not an epic day by any means, but most def awesomely fun. Surfed from 9am to like 730pm and slept like a baby. And Seldom & Sniffer, got some decent ones in your guys names as well!
Ya know, I'm all about people ripping on anything, and I'm a mellow dude, but I recently had some SUP issues at my go to, and had to tell them to get the F out...not this swell, a cpl weeks back, but it was a real safety issue. And this spot is a distinct sponge/SB wave, really not conducive to SUP'ing. That zig-zagging through the lineup is complete BS. Thank ye sir!
Good stuff brother. Get well soon. Looks like plenty of time to heal during the flatness until the next hype trail rolls through.
Is Chiba City the same as Chucktown? I'm trying to brush up on my southern vernacular. I just figured out "BO" a couple months ago.
Sorry to hear that, buddy. Hope it heals fast. You won't be missing much this weekend, just some logging days.
