Long Delay Recap

Wow,it rally has been a long time since i posted, about as long since I ave surfed.

We had a great time a the new eveolution of Tresfest down at San Elijo. That has to be the best camp ground in So.Cal.Did you know you can have Pizza delivered to your campsite? We ate like kings, the water was cold for late setember, but we surfed anyways. We had 3 Bluff site and one in the back for overflow.

I was great to hook up with some old friends. I mean, in reality, I have known one since we attended kindergarten, so that must be 39 years? Others since 5th and 6th grade, high school and so on.

For the past 7 months or so, I had this consulting/1099 kinda of gig going. This was in my previous profession as a Commercial construction Estimator. The timing of this was good, because my new career came to a grinding halt. Well the consulting thing pretty much eliminated my ability to surf mid-week, or surf at all between family duties, AYSO, Little League, etc. But that cam to a end a few weeks back, and I am now supper busy doing Appraisals. I am taking every offer that comes my way, because I don't know how long this will last. So, Surfing is not a priority. Yes, surfing is not a priority. Kinda of sad to actually see the words hang ther on the page.

However, I know I will be back soon.

Here are some pics from the trip.

Screwed!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you may know, that back in 2005 I had shoulder surgery. Pretty bad stuff. I have mentioned it before. Rotator Cuff Tear, Bankart Tear, Slap Tear, just a mess. The doc said I should probably not do any long distance paddleboarding. That was fine, I would keep it under 4 miles, with the most just a lap around Naples Island here in the LBC.

This past spring and summer I was getting back into it, really enjoying the paddles on the bay. I was working up my speed, strength and endurance. In the mean time, I was throwing the baseball and football with my son.

Sure enough, the shoulder starts to hurt..........ALOT! I kinda mentally freaking out, knowing the "warranty" has expired, and thinking I might have torn something again.

July goes by, I don't surf or paddle, and just rest the shoulder, August comes and goes, and I do the same thing, no surfing, no paddleboarding, just rest. Finally I break down and call Dr. Kramers office and make an appointment.

Well, they take an xray with their new fancy digital xray machine, and for the first time, I get to see what he put in my shoulder.

Holy crap! look at that screw, it looks like a drywall screw.......

The doc checks me out, makes me do all kinds of movements and strength tests, and tells me to just keep doing what I want too, yeah there might be some rough edges that he could smooth out, but should he go in and do that? not Really he said. He repaired it to last.

I breathed a big sigh of relief., I an go back and surf and paddleboard.

But, on a side note, on the wall of this particular exam room, is the most amazing photo of a wave with a kid, must be around 12-13 getting ready to drop in. I just love this shot, it is so pure and simple. I snapped pic with my droid for all to see.

The Lost DOUG AITKEN

Way back in the day, August of 1988, a bunch of friends got together for a little camp out at San Onofre. Not so much camping, as sleeping in a parking lot with dirt and trains going by. We did surf.

This was just a casual get together at the end of summer. Little did we know that a core group of us would somehow continue this little camp for the next 22 years. I think all of us were still in college. But as you can imagine, alot has happened in those 22 years.

The most intriguing, was a friend, of my good friend, his name is Doug Aitken. Doug was a Student at the Art Center College of Design on Pasadena with my friend Vince.

Vince is a surfer, and Doug is a surfer, and in a world of art students wearing black, Doug and Vince were the few surfers at art school.

Fast Forward 22 years, Doug is now an internationally known visual display artist. He was just tapped by the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA to "headline" the November Gala.

Well, who would have known that the guy sitting in the dirt with us would become so big.

And what about the rest of us you might ask?

Well, we are all planning to sit in the dirt for the 22nd year, in a few weeks. However, the location has changed to San Elijo.

To surf local or not?

Sure, I can surf local. I can be in the water in fifteen minutes. But, more often, I prefer the predawn drive to a distant spot.

As you slip out the back door, the crisp morning air hits your face and your mind awakens. The air is fresh and alive as it fills your lungs. You are ready! You hear the sounds of your engine bouncing off the houses of your dark street as you “sneak” off while the rest of the world sleeps.

It’s the Aroma of fresh coffee and an old wetsuit bag in the back seat, as you head down the road following the distant red tail lights of a late night driver. Your thoughts are all yours; there is no boss, no clients, no email, no phone, no wife no kids, just you as you drive to a distant spot.

Escapism? Perhaps, therapy?.... sure. I don’t drink, or do drugs, so this is it for me; we all need to escape now and then. I am 44 now, and the solo morning runs mean more to me now, then ever. It is a time of deep thoughts and retrospection. Contemplation and introspection, of planning and remembrance. When the right song is playing, my mind drifts off like a fading swell. Things are Clear.

Some say that is what surfing provides. I find that hard to believe with today’s crowded lineups.

So, if you ask me to go local, I just might say no…………

Mans Best Friend Turns 12

A man and his dog. What can be better? I don't really know if women have the same bond as a guy does with his dog? I can walk in the back from the garage, right after I walked out the front door and drove my truck around back, and Shasta will come running with the tail wagging all excited to see me. I have been gone all of 90seconds, but still, she gets all excited to see you.

You come back from a day of surfing and who is the first one to see you and happy too, your wife? she might wish your were still out surfing. Your kids? depends how old they are. But your dog will always be happy.

So, today my Rhodesian Ridgeback(Shasta) turned 12(84 in dog years). I decided to give her a birth day dinner. I got a can of solide white albacore tuna and miked it with a cup of her food. A small birthday moment while the rest of the family was in the other room. She finished and looked up asking for more.........

I got out finally!

Paddleboarding is not a SUP!

I got this little essay from a friend of a friend who shall remain nameless.
The picture however is yours truly in mid paddle from Swamis to Windnsea. This was a few years back. No more long paddles, just 1-3 miles now.

Enjoy the essay!
The end is awesome



Real Paddle Boarders Do it Laying Down

July, 2, 2010

You know the feeling after a long paddle out to a remote surf break, or paddling hard into a big wave against the wind? Now imagine that feeling for 32 miles, or at least 5 straight hours. That sums up the intensity and insanity of the few "traditional" paddle boarders who take on the Kaiwi Channel every July. Now imagine the millions of people who have tried stand up paddling claim they are also "paddle boarders". Traditional paddle boarding, as its now being referred to, only a few years ago was the only paddle boarding the world knew, and now

with the popularity of Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP), the traditional guys are fighting for their sport --and their name, amongst a bevy of inexperienced stand up "paddle boarders".

Though classified under the same category, and often times confused with stand up paddling-- real paddle boarders do it laying down, along side the ocean, not 6 feet above it. Prone paddle boarding is one of the toughest, mentally grueling and most ocean-sensitive paddle sports. The innate snes of feel each paddler requires to recognize each change in the ocean landscape, distinguishes the sport for only the true water men. On a paddle-board, you can fit into almost every type of bump, which makes you work with the ocean in a more intimate way than any other ocean sport--yet at the same time, any minor ocean change, such as a knot of wind, inch of tide or ripple of surf, effects your performance much more drastically. The lack of leverage from standing or sitting up, forces you to relate and adapt to the oceans current climate using a keen --almost subconscious --6th sense.

Stand up paddling is much different. You have maximum leverage standing, a towering, 6 feet above the ocean, and most of time you don't even have to get wet while doing it. In essence, the two sports are nothing alike, aside from the similar speeds they travel across the ocean and the fact that you are on a board.

Stand up also extremely novice-friendly--the obvious root of its popularity--because literally, anyone can do it. This creates a problem, when novice water men are wielding 7 foot blades and 14 foot boards in the treacherous open-ocean or crowded surf breaks.

This, among other reasons, is why, in spite its many participants, stand up paddling is surprisingly still struggling to find its place among many other traditional and modern paddle sports. Surfing, one of its' biggest overlapping sports, has ironically been one of its biggest adversaries. The size of stand up boards makes it easier to catch waves farther outside, putting SUPers at the top of the surfing hierarchy, which not only crowds local surf spots but leaving "traditional" surfers frustrated with the ease at which they catch them.

Traditional paddle boarders and outrigger style paddlers have watched the sport explode in a sense of shock and awe as it continues to gain national and international popularity, high prize purses and major sponsors. The sense of dismay comes from knowing highly technical sports, such as their own, will never gain as much popularity based on the difficulty of it. However, these traditional paddlers seem to find peace in the fact that they know they can always step up and grab a piece of the action.





Some of the greats have, indeed, broken into Stand Up and have taken top honors. Rooted in the traditional (and now minority) forms of paddling, they have "stood up" to get their hands on some prize money. Take the top four Battle of the Paddle finishers--Danny Ching, winner of the Molokai Solo earlier this year-- Travis Grant of Australia was on the winning Pa'a 'Eono crew--Aaron Napoleon, 11th in the Molo Solo, renown surfer, paddler, waterman and Jamie Mitchell, the king of "traditional" paddle boarding all stepped out of their usual sports to take top honors.

At least there is a sense of justice knowing that although the traditional paddle sports are still lacking financial backing, its easy enough to cross over to the more easily learned paddle sport and get some money.

Maybe the animosity comes from seeing fully clothed (and dry) SUPers leisurely paddling by, or someone paddling a whole race with the paddle angle backwards, or just the fact that Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Ritchie can both do it.

But compared to its "traditional" brother, there is no way they can match up. In other words, if your standing, your hair is dry, you can see your destination easily over the bumps, or you star in corny romantic comedies-- Don't call yourself a paddle boarder.

Two Sessions, double the fun.

So, I actually got out and surfed this past weekend……Twice. How crazy is that? The longer you stay out of the water, the harder it is to get back.
I was really lacking the motivation to go, so I devised a plan that would test my desire. A 4:30am wake-up for a Dawn Patrol. Truly crazy. But then, I made it even more difficult by deciding to go to County Line.

Some how, I had friend agree to go along. I can always count on him for a Road Trip and a Dawn Patrol.

By the time we got to County Line (after stopping for Coffee) it as about 5:40. The tide was very low, and the waves looked average at best. I really wanted to just turn around. But I had made such a good effort, I had to paddle out. I brought the 2mm short sleeve full, what a mistake. When I first jumped in the water and felt the cold come over me, I thought what a bad idea this was. But these are the things that happen if you don’t surf regularly. You make excuses about why you don’t surf.

I wasn’t a stellar session, but I did manage to catch a couple before I succumb to the cold and the mediocre conditions.

Sundays’ Session

This one was not even planned. Surfing was the last thing on my mind. I had just finished taking the dog for a walk, and stopped to talk to my neighbor. He said he was going to surf since the swell was up. He was going to Anderson Street. Then it got me thinking, this is a South, South East Swell, the river jetty at Seal works good, sometimes real good on this type of swell. HB was out of the question on a South, you get in at The cliffs, and in fifteen minutes you are almost at Bolsa.

I grabbed my trusty 7’-6” and went on down to hit Seal. The waves looked good. I caught a few and came in, nothing great, but just enough.

After being Self-Employed for 8 years, and being able to surf whenever and wherever(usually Trestles). Having a par-time paid Consulting Job in an office is tough. I would normally surf during the week and not surf weekends. But, responsibility calls.

TresFest

First Surf Cars

So, my good mate, VR sent me this picture of his 1971 Opel.His first car. He loved that car. This is a picture from 1982, or 1983 up in Ventura, by EmmaWood. He said the boards on the roof are Channel Islands Twin Fin and a Skip Frye Single. I would kill to have those now.

Sadly, both the boards and the car are gone. But it makes you think back to the innocent times, when you got your drivers license, and all the surf spots opend up. You became free to hit the road and search for surf.
This was before surfline. If you wanted to know what the surf was like someplace, you got in your car and drove there, The only kinda of surf report w back then was to watch Dr. George Fischbeck on Channle 7 at 11pm.