Monday, July 26th, 2010
Sunset Monday
Surf: Knee high with some pretty strong sideshore winds. Rideable.
Snuck out for another afternoon session before the brunt of this week’s work is expected to hit. There was a small group just tearing up this peeling wave at the middle of the beach. Nose riding, all that fancy stuff.
I drifted more to the north, getting some decent rides in. One right in to the sand. One left on the outside wave, then jumping back for a peeling right on the inside. More barefoot surf time in. Good way to kick off the week!
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Another Sunny Friday
Surf: Knee high waves, inconsistent and a little crumbly.
Work this week was pretty brutal. After finishing my project I race out the door and on to the waves. Little crowded out there but catchable and offering a few good rides here and there. The mellow waves this summer has offered up are proving some long rides and a great connection to the inside waves. Nearly all my rides were right to the beach. More barefoot surfing. We’ll see if I can hold out all summer.
Didn’t eat anything all day. Thoroughly DEMOLISHED some tacos after.
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Friday, July 16th, 2010
That’s more like it
Surf: Waist high, surprisingly well shaped given the wind, warm water FULL of jellies.
Headed out after work with low expectations. Water was still warm and the waves had shaped up since the day before.
Plenty of fun rides. Lots of nice little lefts and sections to chase. I managed to somehow park myself in a complete swarm of little jellies just as it was getting darkish and hard to see. Yick yick. Surfing barefoot with jellies is a littler slippery.
All and all, pretty low expectations were exceeded. Grabbed some Pho after to round out the night. Score!
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Sunset
Surf: Waist high waves. A few chest high sets. Warm water.
It’s amazing how warm water can really brighten up a surf session. Had some pretty low expectations for this post work surf, but man was it worth it.
The air and water were so warm I skipped the booties for a barefoot ride.
It was pretty dang fun out there. Managed to get a little air on one wave and stick the landing. It was a total fluke so I laughed all the way in to the beach. Also got a nice long ride on a pretty sizeable wave compared to what I usually pick up. Head High according to Max.
I paddled back to Max and Chris hooting that I’d made it. I tend to go for the little waves no one else wants but was perfectly set up for that one. It was bumpy, a little funky, and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but I got it. 
We surfed till sunset and packed up in the dark.
I love summer and I’m having a lot of fun rocking the single fin.
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Big Jetty Sunset
Surf: 4-6ft, some larger sets. Little bit choppy, but surprisingly clean for the size and the howling winds elsewhere.
Left work early to sneak in a little sunset surfing. The sunset was beautiful. Big gold waves moody clouds. The surf was big. I tend to get skittish around 4ft on the longboard. It’s a lot of board to have in the water. Even with the 9′ (which is meant to be ridden on a bigger, steeper wave), I was making whimpering noises paddling out.
The waves were fairly clean so the paddle out wasn’t hard. I was doing my best to avoid going for a wave, but did finally stop being a complete wuss long enough to catch two nice waves, probably the biggest I’ve caught. definitely the biggest I’ve caught and held a clean line all the way down. That 9′ can really fly.
I had a pretty exciting wipeout too. Over the falls, me and to board held down by the wash, bouncing along the sandy bottom. Oooof. I laughed it off because it must have looked spectacular. I also gave my friends on shore another good laugh watching me get caught inside on a BIG set just after sunset. I must have spent 10 minutes scratching over waves, diving under them, being a tiny dot in a big blue grey wall, before I caught one that had already broken and bellied in to shore. Whew.
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Monday, April 26th, 2010
Sunset at the Jetty
Surf: 2-3ft, Inconsistent, Mushy but smooth.
Gear: 9’0 Stewart LSP?
After wrapping work early, I decided to go for my first double session and catch a few waves at the jetty. Conditions were a little weak, but at that point, so was I. I haven’t done double sessions before (especially after getting up at 5am), so I was sloppy out there. I got maybe one okayish wave. There was a pretty embarassing moment when another woman in the linup (who was TEARING it up on a longboard) asked if my board was mine or I was just borrowing it.
Ouch.
She was legitimately interested in my board and suggested that perhaps it’s an LSP and not a hydro hull. After looking up the specs on the LSP, I’d say she’s right. The upside is that I’m learning a new board and it’s one that should be able to handle steeper, larger waves next winter. It’s what Stewart calls their “9’0 shortboard”. Hopefully it will help me learn to be more agressive and take on steeper waves. I’m also hopeful those skills will translate to my shortboards once I get better at riding them.
The lineup was pretty great to watch. Between the woman cutting screaming lines down the face and Jeff Clark turning a mushy peak into magic, there was a lot of great surfing going on.
Hopefully I’ll be able to up my second session game in the future.
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Sunset to Snow
Surf: 2-4ft, clean, inconsistent. Dark.
After Tuesdays bigger wave morning, I was pretty excited to hear the swell was dying down. At high tide the waves were mushy. It was an easy paddle with lots of sprinting for mushy waves. I wound up doing a fair amount of kooky riding, trying to make bottom turns standing on my nose.
I surfed till I couldn’t see, went home, packed a bag for Tahoe. California living is pretty special.
No Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
One more Sunset Sesh before Daylight Savings
SURF: 1-3ft. Inconsistent, but clean.
Headed back down to Santa Cruz with Luke and Cynthia to get in one last sunset session before the time changes. Waves were pretty inconsistent, but the sunset was beautiful and the moonlight on the waves made the couple of waves I did catch something special. 
Stealing these pics from Cynthia.
Check out her site for some video of our sesh and lots of other great NorCal wave reports.
2 Comments » - Posted in surfing by Tracey
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
Sunset in Santa Cruz
I forgot to snap a pic so I snagged one on flickr from photographer chrisrfox
SURF: 4-5 ft. shoulder to head high with occasional 6 ft. and good conditions.
PM REGIONAL OVERVIEW: Mostly-clean, good surf prevails this afternoon as WNW and SW swells ease. Average breaks have knee-waist-chest high+ surf, while top exposures are running in the overhead+ range on the better sets.
Luke talked me in to a sunset session down in Santa Cruz. The weather was warm, waves were looking pretty clean.
I’ve only been down to SC a few times. The hook is pretty different from what I’m used to: kelp forest, reef bottom, more territorial locals, so I was a little skittish getting out. I got in two nice rides. The kelp forest keeps the waves clean and the reef bottom allows a smooth break and a long ride. I was surprised how fast the rides were, the waves definitely had more energy than I’d expected. I’m used to beach breaks where the wave is either fast and breaks fast or slow and breaks slow. Fast and breaks slow was a pleasant surprise.
Best part of the evening was watching the sun go down over the water. Lots of purple and gold waves. The moon was reflecting in the waves and the weather was just fine. Nice night out.
Also check out this pic by shredderbetty for some sunset action.
