March 4, 2013 Monday

Bolinas	Patch
9:30 am to 10:30 am	Consistent 3', sets to 4’
Low dropping tide (0.2 ft at 10:30 am)	Slight north offshore wind
Overcast and cold	Fun rehab session

Last Friday was a good rehab session for me, but today was better. In one hour, I caught over ten waves, stood up on all of them, and connected on four really long rides despite the wind and the cold. My new wetsuit and gloves kept me warm and toasty.

I had no expectations for waves today though the swell was still strong (10 ft at 14 seconds) but still too north to get into Bolinas. However, the little that did wrap around the point resulted in consistent lines of three to four foot waves. The tide was low and dropping, not a good sign. All the Patch rocks were exposed and seven surfers were out beyond the outside rock – including Mary, Marty, Mark the archaeologist, David who rides the Becker board, Russ the stand-up guy, Ray the retired Petaluma fireman and Creighton. I stood on shore at the Patch with camera in hand and waited … and waited. The sets were infrequent and only the sets were rideable. It was discouraging watching the crew just sitting there and I had my doubts about going out. But I had to try out the new wetsuit and gloves that I purchased yesterday and today was the last day of decent weather this week. Tomorrow a new low-pressure front would move in bringing rain and south winds. Thus I had to go out today.

After months of bearing the twenty or so small holes in my wetsuit, I finally got down to Proof Lab in Mill Valley to buy a new one. Nate and friends picked out an XCEL XLS (extra large stocky) for me to try on. I struggled but did manage to squeeze into it. The price was good so I bought it. Driving to Bolinas this morning I had my doubts about squeezing into this thing a second time, thus I bought my old one along just in case. To my surprise it went on a whole lot easier standing at my car than in the Proof Lab dressing room. Thus now I was set: new booties that I received at Christmas, and a new wetsuit and gloves purchased yesterday. I didn’t feel the cold at all this morning and since I was warm my arm strength and endurance greatly improved.

Mark commented that the waves were good, especially earlier. Mary said they were good lefts and rights beyond the outside rock, and Marty claimed he had several long rides this morning. While paddling out I watched Hank come down a nice right wall, locked in the curl he waved to me as he cruised by on his way to shore. Wow, everyone was right, the waves were better than they looked.

I paddled out ten yards beyond the outside rock to join David and Jacek the tattoo artist. Conditions were getting better and the sets more frequent. The swells would jump up just before reaching the rock and due to low tide would break with some force. Often at higher tide and deeper water the waves would look promising but wouldn’t break. Not this morning, all the waves broke near the rock. Also we could see solid lines approaching way out there and knew they wouldn’t break until they reached the rock.

My first wave was a good one. I was sitting outside and south of the rock when a four-foot wave peaked a few yards south of me, forming a good left. I decided to go for it knowing I would be heading directly for the rock. I stroked into it, jumped up, dropped left down the face, straightened out to steer around the rock, cut left again, climbed back into the swell and cruised a long ways until in died on the inside. What a good ride. I knew I was in for a good session and I wasn’t cold.

Jacek as usual had another good session. He was riding one of his “Patch boards”, long (10’ 6”), narrow with little rocker, a real paddling machine and inscribed on the deck was Vaquero de las Olas, (cowboy of the waves). He never missed a wave; he caught them all.

The waves were consistent and there was never a long wait. I caught over ten waves in one hour. That was one wave every five to six minutes. Catch a wave, paddle back out, wait a minute or two and catch another one. It was a good morning.