It’s summer and the living is easy. At least it got that way once I got all my video production jobs out the door. The past few days have had plenty of shapely, little waves to wipe away the woes of work. Not that I mind the work, but this year, for whatever reason, it got a bit overwhelming. Now it’s time to play a bit, and, of course, continue to write.
In the mean time, check out the little surf, set to some street beats, and filtered with a bit of cartoonish fun.
My son, Matthew, and I surfed into sunset on summer solstice. We used to do this every year, but I wasn’t surfing last year, or the seven preceding years for that matter. But then I got into SUP. Then SUP surfing. So Matthew and I planned an outing for Tuesday evening, not realizing that the actual solstice was Monday, but hey, we were close.
We got in the water about 7:30, and got out just before 9. The sun had set, and we had wide grins. My wife, Donna, was there to greet her lads. Matthew, by the way, had never surfed a SUP, but he’s a fitness trainer at Empowered Fitness, has great balance, used to surf a long board with grace and agility, and boy did he take to SUP Surfing like a duck to water. Check it out.
We were packed for a Bolinas outing. We’d planned to paddle the lagoon, check in on the nesting herons and egrets, maybe snag a few waves at one of the surf spots.
The sleepy little town of Stinson Beach is set against the steep western flank of Mount Tamalpais. It’s really quite the treat just standing at the shore looking out to sea, or up the coast toward Bolinas, or over your shoulder to the massive mountain that holds this little town so carefully.
We had a great breakfast at Parkside Cafe, scouted the surf for long enough to know that there might be waves at Bolinas, then hit the road for the last stretch. But by the time we got there the beach was packed, the town was heading toward bumper-to-bumper traffic and it was already 75 degrees.
We paid a short visit to Audubon Canyon Ranch. At least we could see the heron and egret rookeries. But there were none this year. There’s speculation that an increased population of bald eagles may be the culprit.
Onward to Point Reyes Station where we put in to paddle up a creek. Lagunitas creek to be precise. What we found was quite stunning. Maybe a half mile of water just deep enough to paddle. There were cormorants, turtles, and the odd cow in the rolling meadows beside the water. A few fish jumped along the way.
If only I’d brought along the GoPro. But we did visit Spirit Matters, the lovely little shop in Inverness Park that hosts so many treats for the spirit. Donna found a Kwan Yin seated on a turtle, just like the ones we saw in the creek.
The next day, back in Pacifica, I snagged a few little waves right out my own front door. Check it out, all set to some nifty little jazz. Hey, it’s only a minute.
I’m shopping for a new Stand Up Paddle board. My current SUP was fantastic when I got it last summer. But now I have a bit of experience and am ready for an upgrade.
I’ve tried a few and have found that what looks good on paper, or even looks good on the rack or on the floor, isn’t always the one to get. Trying before buying appears to be a pretty good bet, unless you’re willing to grow into the board while flailing and falling and I’m really not.
I thank my friend Eric for giving me the chance to try aKings SUP. The boards are magnificent, and light, and if you check out the two minute video below you’ll see that in the right hands the boards are simply delicious.
I’ll keep you posted on what I end up with, at which point I’ll have a near new F-One Manawa for sale along with it’s expensive FCS board bag.
Now sit back and check out Kings SUP at Santa Cruz’s Indicators surf spot.
I’ve been busy, and tired, and edgy for waves. Not the gigantic wind chop slop that’s come day after day. I’ve needed rest, but only as a last resort, when the caffeine and the chocolate have run their course and left me deflated, eyes flapping in a wind of to dos.
My posts have been pushed past the end of the day then placed on the shelf where they just gather dust. But this morning the wind stopped, the swell dropped, and the sun came out. There was time to take out my big board for some much needed play.
Caught a few waves, recharged my battery, now ready for a 21-day cleanse that starts tomorrow with no caffeine, sugar, gluten, dairy, or alcohol. What’s left, you might ask. Fruit, veggies, lean meat, fresh fish, almond butter, humus, and lots and lots of water.
It’s been at least two weeks since I stepped foot in the surf. The waves have been large and unruly but it rained which is good. My ten week workshop with the San Francisco Writers Studio has been fulfilling. This class ends Tuesday. I signed up for the next one which starts in two weeks. Between now and then I plan to publish some of the work I’ve done in the class.
Yesterday I got wet and it solidified the notion that SUP days are better than others. Even though I lost my footing more than once, I caught waves and paddled the length of the beach. After an hour session I left the water with a clear head and sore muscles.
So why the title African SUP? Watch the one minute video: It’s the music.
This afternoon I walked the beach to greet the incoming swell that will pump through Mavericks tomorrow. It’s not expected to be the gargantuan size that they sometimes get, but a 20 foot face would certainly get my chest thumping.
Today, with an outgoing tide and plenty of shore birds, I got a few SUPs against some crisp jazz. Enjoy.
My future daughter-in-law took me to the beach to watch the birds, chat it up, and see some SUP surfing. Here’s a bit of our morning set to the contemplative jazz of Scott Wilkie.
Remember New Brighton? We’ve had so much fun there, but that was in summer with warm water and small surf.
Yesterday the surf was unruly up and down my coast, but there were hints that it might settle down in the afternoon. It was a play day and my gills were dry so I gathered my gear and hit the road. Every beach had monster waves, but I was not going to any beach, I was going to the one that might be small enough for me.
Santa Cruz was on fire with wild waves from the west side to Capitola. When I arrived at New Brighton the tide was low, and there were no fewer than 40 surfers riding smallish fast waves, with not A SUP in sight.
(SUP is an abbreviation for Stand Up Paddleboard.)
So I waited until the tide started to rise, and watched the surfers leave one by one until it was my size, and uncrowded. I caught a couple of waves and had plenty of paddling. Good thing too, since the storm is back today with heavy wind, strong surf, and sideways rain.
We have surf right in front of our world famous Taco Bell. It might be the only Taco Bell on the planet built on the beach. It has stunning views, and at high tide, during a large swell, the surf might flow under the building. But let’s discuss soft top boards, not soft shell tacos.
I saw this guy heading out to surf with a soft top board, like those pictured above, but his was white with blue stripes. Soft tops are the board of choice for most surf schools, since they soften the inevitable fall. I assumed, therefore, that the guy was a beginner.
During the next half hour I put my new camera through its paces. This is the camera that got drenched during my close encounter with large waves at the pier this past Thursday. It seems to be functioning quite well.
There were close ups of gulls posing beside the terminus of San Pedro Valley Creek and surf scoters gliding effortlessly over the low tide swell. The guy on the white and blue board, who was hardly a beginner, gave me a handfull of fun waves.
SUP DAYS are better than others 