who here has been surfing this week?

Elsa delivered up north

 

full suits still Manik ? The am pump was phenom .

 

I saw one guy in trunks and rash guard, otherwise, yeah. We still had dark and ugly skies when it cleaned up, then it cleared and was hot and humid. The window went from about 2 pm till dead high I'm assuming (8 or 8 30 I think). Took a bike ride with my kid around 7 and checked it, smaller and mushy with the incoming but still there for sure.

 

Think it was thurs when a buddy reached out to me to check on if waves would clean up evening after elsa pushed thru. I had surfed 3-4 days prior, so i was leaning towards taking a break and surfing clean up next day. It wasn't all that manageable, chop for sure and the waves would peter out when u thought you had something. Didn't really catch a ride, and friday was too spent on going that morning where it was about waist hi at best. Sat morning i biked it to washout for thi hi-ness. It was meh, so for us at least here on Folly the best of the storm was beforehand. Got some days ahead during work week to get a lil more riding in before it's real summer, spotty in the foreseeable future

 

Been surfing a lot lately. Been working a lot too. So much that I havn't been able to goof off on here as much and tell my stories of surf, food, and beer.

This weekend I went north to find some open beach. I get there and in the water quick. The tide was dropping (good) but the wind was coming up (bad). I'll say that some of my best sessions were in that in-between time, where one condition is getting better while others are getting worse.

I paddle out, and immediately see a nice set coming my way. I catch it on the reform and I'm racing down a nice waist-high wall. Get a few bottom turns, a couple floaters and a big dramatic kick-out turn over the back. Awesome way to start the sesh, except that was the only wave of the entire session like it!! Noooo.

I proceed to sit there for two more hours, fat waves not breaking, others just slamming in a foot of water with no where to go. I was on the 8'0 Catch Surf Log so I was charging the shorebreak but one can only do that so long without 1) getting hurt or 2) getting bored. It was the latter for me.

I ditch the board and bodysurf for a bit, then head home. Made a couple collard green wraps for the wife and I with blanched collards, homemade ranch dressing, homegrown tomatoes and jalapenos, onions, carrots, pepper jack cheese, the whole 9 yards. They were awesome and hardly any carbs since the collards are the wrap.

 

Surprisingly fun little wave this evening. Every once in a while a couple of peaks would converge giving a chest high takeoff that would get you into a little waist high race track for about 20 or 30 yards. Glad I biked up for a look.

Also may have had a shark encounter. Had a rather tall and somewhat narrow fin slice through the surface about 15 yards away. It never emerged again and only cought a brief glimpse. Really would have been happier if that one would have shown itself again and the fact that it didn't leads me to believe even more that it was a shark and not a dolphin. Seemed too tall and narrow for a dolphin. The shape and what I saw broght to mind the tall narrow fin of a hammerhead.

 

They cleared the beaches here about a week ago, but weren't sure if the fin was a shark or sunfish. Supposedly it was circling, making me think it was a shark, but not wanting to scare the tourists and tourist money, they are going to push sunfish. It was all over the news. The cape has been getting a lot of sightings. Lots are tagged and you can follow their path online. They seem to like Block Island quite a bit. We definitely share the ocean.

 

The past 2 weekends I've been going up to Daytona beach to hang with some newer friends and surf.
Great group of people . bbq on the beach where everyone is welcome. They feed lots of people and no one is turned away.
Good surfing people as well. Its a great mix of skill and fun.
I'm glad I dont live there but I can't wait to get back up there.
Waves have been around 2 to lucky 3 the past 2 weeks consistently. Best July so far in a long time.

 

Surprisingly fun surf this morning. Waist high and super clean. Caught a bunch of fun ones on the log and even got my hair washed on a couple of em. The Cap says we'll have something to ride for the next couple days. Better not be lying to me!!!

 

yea, i was also surprised how swell managed to creep into waist hi status yesterday. Biked all the way to washout, was worthy. Guys on shortys sat on the inside, making the most of it off carolina cutbacks. Loggers, like myself that day, rode them to shore. Had a good handful of nice flying down the line ones in less than an hour. We might have another run at it today, looks clean knee hi - drained out from lo tide. Headhigh, surfCap is showing a good chest hi swell for so Cali come next week

 

we did have another run at it. Same as yesterday,less ppl in the water this time. This should be last sess before cali. Should also be my last bike ride to Washout. It's not been as bad as i thought it would be and glad i made it work now realizing how long this fix is taking. Critter ate up my car's engine harness wiring system couple wknds back. Should have my car next week, hopefully before my trip out. Also kinda tired of riding the LB

 

Nice looking setup!! And thanks for the heads up about the cali forecast. Hope it holds out! I have not been looking. Got to try and focus on work somehow. That ship has sailed now though. 4 work days til my vacay.

Got some again this morning. Still the same swell as the last several days. Almost rode my fish but instinct told me to ride the log. It was the right call. Some dude even told me so on the way back to my car haha. I saw him out there not getting s*** on his 6'6ish looking fish. Nice guy tho. Would have sat there and talked but I wanted to get some breaky on the way home. Port City Java has a jalapeno bagel that is on point. With a green smoothie it was *chef kiss*.

I'm going to try again for the tiny leftovers tomorrow. edit: surf leftovers not food

 

Did the beach buggy surf trip thing today. Spot was crowded and the waves marginal but got a couple of fun ones.

 

Went up to the beach this evening for an hour to shoot. Waves and lighting kind of sucked. Probably my best shot of the evening.

 

I love Joe Walsh, he still shreds live.
Just got out of the water a little bit ago. Very small, just enough to push the log. I basically got on it with the out going tide to almost dead low. It was decent at first but faded for a while. The few others out gave up, I kept scratching for anything. I'm glad I did, the last half hour it picked up a little, got a few legit ones. One of my last was about waist and walled up for a while, got a nice bottom turn, plus a fun cutback into the wave then turned back and it walled up again on the inside for another fun little run. So nice to get wet, even in small surf.
My garden is producing, I have a nice squash and a lot of green beans for a side tonight. Thinking steak tips on the grill tonight.

 

In my mind, there are great waves and there are waves that are unrideable.

But even those unrideable days, it was a thrill to just paddle out, hang out with my crew, enjoy being on the water, smelling the wonderfulness of being out there, away from life’s work… is it surfing?

I would say yes. There you are on the board, patiently waiting for something to glide on, even if its a short piece of white water…

Is it your fave session: maybe not, but it’s still fun!