Author: Tracey

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Saturday Evening

2013-MXB-05-11b

Surf: A little more windblown, but about the same.

Pretty much more YAY. Fun cruisey evening rides on the hull. <3 After surf, we settled down for dinner and a movie. Only two minutes in to Gangs of New York, this guy decided to join us. IMG_7264

This guy is one of only two scorpions I’ve seen in all my trips down here. Unlike the tiny yellow (very poisonous) one we saw the first trip, this big guy did not run away. Beamer poked him with a shoe. He raised his tail and held his ground. We tried to shoo him away, but he was not having it. Sadly, the confrontation ended with the scorpion being squashed and the humans uneasily tiptoeing around the house for the rest of the night.

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Friday Night – Mexico

2013-MXB-05-10a

2013-MXB-05-10b

Surf: Windy, waist high.

We’re in Mexico 😀 Wooo.

The surf is a bit windblown, but the water’s warm. I took out my hull, perfect for gliding around chop. Sure it was a little closed out, but it was fun out there.

I traded Beamer my hull for a wavestorm. Those things feel so fast. I have no idea why. Got a good laugh out of it.

Ahh warm water.

The place we’re staying is cute and cozy. Much more jungle than beach, but still charming. Beamer and I stayed out in the water past sunset and saw plenty of little glowing jellys, just like the last trip.

We made dinner, ate ice cream and watched movies. Yay vacation.

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Hullabaloo

2013-OB-05-08

Surf: 2.3 ft at 12.9 s from the SSW at 208° Small and kinda clean.

Started out the morning at Ocean Beach. It was windy, small, and all around not inspiring. After kicking some dirty and waiting for a wave, the wind shifted south and we decided to look for a more sheltered spot.

I’d brought my hull hoping to convince myself that my hull was not really all that fun and I shouldn’t take it to Mexico (even though Burros is pretty much the perfect wave for it.)

Linda mar looked small. I thought it would be perfect. I’d struggle and get frustrated and decide that all I need to take is my fish, not my fish AND my hull.

Of course, when you decide something like that, the waves turn out to be super fun. My little hull zipped all around, gliding like crazy, swooping a little. It was silly fun. I got some great long rides.

I wound up walking away from the session knowing I was going to take one heavy board bag to Mexico and that I was going to have a heck of a lot of fun.

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Board Swap

2013-MT-05-07

Surf: 3.0 ft at 12.9 s from WSW at 245°. Windy.

Sometimes when the surf is less than inspiring, the only thing you can do is swap boards. Brien got a chance trying both Chris’s 10’something” log and my 9’4, Chris got a try at Brien’s 7’4 egg and my board, and I got a try at Brien’s board.

I got some fun rides all around. I also managed to flip myself completely over. Chris got some good ones on Brien’s board, but I think my board falls into the “too similar but too different” window so no love there. Brien got some long ones on Chris’s board, but my board turned out to be a little less intimidating.

Fun party waves all around too. Not bad, but spring conditions for sure.

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Almost

2013-OB-05-03

Surf: 3.3 ft at 16.0 s from the S at 184°

I *almost* got into a lot of waves today. I’m having trouble and I’m missing em. I felt like I was getting lined up right, but I was missing that last elements I needed to get up and go.

I still got a few. They were mostly scraps that felt mushy and slow. I left the set waves for people who wouldn’t totally blow it, so there wasn’t much to work with.

One wave I felt like I was set up right, I paddled, I almost got it, and then I get swept over the falls kicking and screaming. The whole way down I could hear Sticker and Josh howling from the cliffs. The orange board makes me easy to spot. I still think orange was a good color choice. As I’d mentioned to Sticker: Nothing says AAaAAAAAAAA LOOK OUT like international orange.

The surf got better as the tide changed. I didn’t want to leave but I’d gone from getting waves here and there to not getting into anything at all. I figured it was office time before embarrassing myself further. 😉

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Offshore

2013-LM-05-02

Surf: Offshore. 4.9 ft at 10.0 s from WNW at 302°

Wow. I was not expecting this at all. Not only was the wind off shore, but the waves were working. Good size, nice long waves. Wow.

Of course, in typical Lindy style it was packed to the gills. I’m not yet comfortable with sitting inside so every wave felt like a firing squad. It didn’t help that in trying to avoid being the the way, I got squarely in the way over and over. John nearly hit me, Mike nearly hit me, dozens of strangers nearly hit me. Yeeow.

I guess it’s good duck diving practice? (Although a failed duck dive resulted in me turning my eyelids inside out. Ow)

I managed to get a few waves, but man did that take effort.

There was a cameraman in the water. I’m pretty sure half his roll is me *not* getting the wave. Ahh well. That’s me in the bottom photo, trying to see in the morning sun.

I got a few drops to remember out of the morning and got to see friends get some really nice ones. 🙂

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By Steve Byrne Photo

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Sun in Santa Cruz

2013-HK-05-01

Surf: 9.5 ft at 10.8 s from WNW at 300° Low tide.

I wanted more fish time so I snuck out to Santa Cruz. Rolling up the low tide was a little too low. Like bare rock low. Beamer and I hit breakfast and the hot tub and waited for it to come back up.

The waves were slow and it was tricky to navigate the homeschooler grom stinky-eyeing up the place, but Beamer got lots of nice ones. I paddled and paddled and paddled but only managed one wave.

These one wave sessions in SC are killing me. I want to get better at this fish but it’s so frustrating driving all that way for one wave.

We hit the hot tub again to help my pride recover.

What I lacked in wave catching, I more than made up for in sunburn and hot tub time. Getting ready for Mexico!

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Sandbar

2013-MT-04-26

Surf: 2.3 ft at 12.9 s from the SSW at 211° Windy

After yesterday’s fun waves, today’s windy small stuff was a bit of a let down. Oh well. We got a few fun tiny warbly ones off this very shallow sandbar.

So shallow, I took a close out wrong, board hit the bottom, board hit me, and I wound up with a real nice bruise on my thigh. Ouch.

This beach will always be a strange one for me. Super shallow sand bars. Crazy deep channels. Shifting, bending, backwashing. It’s a tough one to figure out some days.

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All to myself

2013-LM-04-25a

Surf: 3.3 ft at 13.8 s from the SSW at 198°. South Winds.

I knew the surf would be on the small side and I figured it would be a good day to get in some log time. What I forgot to do was switch out my 6ft leash for my 9ft leash. Opps.

Rather than try to navigate the crowd while leashless, I went up to the north end where I had a solid hour of solo time, just me and some really fun little waves. Well, me, fun little waves, and a whale right in the lineup!

I got some real nice long ones.

Eventually folks figured out that I was having a ridiculously fun time and joined me. Sure, it wasn’t as fun to have to share, but it did mean I got to surf with Heather for a while, that was fun.

All around lovely morning.

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