February 27, 2009 Friday

Bolinas	Straight out from the ramp
9:30 am to 11:00 am	2' to 3', sets to 4'
Low upcoming tide	Stiff offshore breeze
Bright, sunny, clear and cold	Good session

“So what do you advise?” I asked Nate as he was exiting the water. He and Kaylee were just ending their morning session before heading over the hill to open up the Proof Lab Surf Shop in Tam Junction. I was suited up and eager to paddle out after watching the good rides they were getting. Last Wednesday I followed them out to the peak in front of the ramp and had a good session. Nate was standing in ankle deep water in front of the house on the north side.

“Straight out from here there’s a good left,” he responded pointing at the peak. “You can get good ones from here to the end of the wall.” I was thinking the same thing.

Off they went and I entered the water. Two other guys, who I didn’t know, were out. They caught a couple more and left. There I was with the break all to myself. The sun was out, the air was crisp, the wind was offshore, the surface was smooth and clean left 2’ to 3’ peeling lines were coming in. Knee high curls, my type of wave. The swell had finally cleaned up from after three weeks of south wind swells. The waves were smaller than Wednesday but they had better shape. I paddled straight out from the ramp and positioned myself on the south edge of it. On my first wave I dropped into a three foot wave, climbed to the top, locked my inside rail under the lip of the curl, watched the water spray back off the top and froze in position until the wave finally collapsed within ten feet of the rocks of the seawall. What a great ride, I thought to myself, but I must be careful not to get to close to the rocks. I was pushing it. That was the first of several similar waves. I was becoming more accustomed to my new board. It is thicker in the nose than my old board thus I can get closer to the nose when paddling for waves allowing me to catch them sooner. That additional second makes all the difference in the world. It allows me to position myself at the top of the wave instead of dropping to the bottom and losing momentum.

After an hour a couple others came out but the consistency of the waves provided plenty for all of us. A half hour more and I was exhausted and cold. My hands and toes were becoming numb. I ended a good ride near the rocks, decided to give it up for the day and went in. Again I had that glow of satisfaction from healthy exercise and the enjoyment of another beautiful Marin morning.