|
Bolinas
|
Patch
|
|
9:00 am to 10:30 am
|
3' to 4', sets head high
|
|
High tide (3.6 ft at 8:30 am)
|
Stiff onshore (south) wind
|
|
Air temp: 65 degrees
|
Water temp: 57 degrees
|
|
Overcast – June gloom
|
Exercise session
|
Check
out the photo above – a flag on the cliff above the Patch blowing straight out.
All
the elements had come together but one – Wind.
- Swell: 3' to 4' ft south at
16 seconds,
- Tide: moderate high tide
(3.6 ft at 8:30 am),
- Weather: high cloud cover
resulting in reasonable air temperature,
- Crowd: low, four at the
Channel and 10 spread across the Patch,
- Wind: out of control south
onshore blast.
Stormsurf
labeled this south swell 2S, which arrived on the 4th of July, meaning the
second major south swell on the season. South swells come right into south
facing Bolinas. The tide was high enough to cover all the rocks of the Patch
reef and put plenty of water into the waves. The weather in the rest of the Bay
Area, including Mill Valley, was in a heat wave. Bolinas was a desirable
exception at a mild 65 degrees. Only a few bodies were in the water, but the
wind screwed it all up.
Doug,
Ray the retired Petaluma fireman and Jack the Dave Sweet rider claimed that
earlier the surf was great before the wind arrived. Jack was in the water at
first light at 5:30 am. The wind had suddenly picked up and that did it. Given
the decent size swells rolling in and the ugly chop, the Patch had that
"Victory at Sea" look.
Why
did I go out? I don't know. The wind spun me around carrying my board down the
ramp. Exercise! That was why I went out. I didn't catch any waves worth talking
about but I did burn up a ton of calories. Others out there were: David who
used to ride the Becker board, Hank, Martha and Jim on their new Dewey Weber
boards, and Bill from Berkeley.
