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Bolinas
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Patch
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9:45 am to 11:15
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Consistent 4' to 6', sets overhead
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Low upcoming tide
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Slight onshore breeze
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Sunny and warm
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Exciting & frustrating session
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"It's been a long time
since I have taken off on overhead waves." Mary exclaimed with excitement
to Hank, David who used to ride the Becker board and I at lunch at the Parkside
Cafe after our morning session. "To look up and see the top of the wave
feathering two feet above your head and then to move out onto the big shoulder
is exhilarating."
"I saw her take off on
that wave and watched her disappear when she dropped down the face," Hank
added. "Only to see her reappear way inside a few seconds later."
Hank too spoke with similar excitement about connecting on a few big waves.
The biggest waves of year hit this morning – a big south
swell from Hurricane Marie. "Five feet at 17 seconds!!" I repeated to
myself what I just heard on the NOAA weather radio Tuesday night. I couldn't
believe it.
Per Stormsurf.com, Super Hurricane Marie - Marie peaked on Sun at 18Z with winds
140 kts (161 mph) positioned 1075 nmiles from Dana Point on the 161 degree
great circle path with seas estimated at 43 ft and about 6 hours after moving
into the Dana Point swell window... Assuming a 13 sec period swell arrival
expected Wed (8/27). Rough estimates on swell size suggest peak swell to be 7.5
ft @ 15-16 secs late Tuesday (11 ft faces at exposed breaks) holding into Wed
AM then fading.
All the elements had come together – a big south swell,
rising tide (5.4 ft at 1:45 pm), no wind (flags at the Stinson Beach fire
station were hanging limp), and no cloud cover or fog. For the first time in
two months the skies were clear at 8 am.
The waves were big and powerful. White water covered the
Channel and Groin and the entire impact zone of the Patch. Ten short boarders
were challenging the head-high walls at the Groin with little success. They
would drop down a steep face, cut left and were buried by a ton of water. The
waves were breaking off too fast. For the few who managed to beat the curl, it
was a specular tube ride, but few made it. Three stand-up surfers had success
at a peak off the base of the ramp. I hadn't seen the waves break there in
years. The stand-ups were able to paddle into the swells early, set high in the
curls and hold on for a long ways until the waves unloaded on them near shore.
The Patch was big but looked more rideable. I headed out
there. About six surfers and a couple of stand-ups were at the furthest peak. I
had never seen it break so far out. I swear they were a quarter of a mile off
shore. That's Mary fading into a big outside wave in the photo above. I elected
to paddle out to the first peak to connect on some sizeable inside right
peeling waves. For me it was a frustrating session. The waves were powerful, frequent
and breaking all over the place – storm surf. I couldn't locate a consistent take
off point and kept moving around hoping to find the spot. I ended up catching
white water from big outside waves and riding the churning foam as the waves
reformed on the inside. On my first one, the white water hit me like a truck,
picked me up and bounced like a bronco. I remained lying down, hanging on until
the wave smoothed out and formed into swell again. I jumped up and flew down a
steep face until it crashed a few feet from shore. I continued doing the same
thing for another hour. On my last wave, I flew down a fast right breaking wall
and straightened out as the wave broke. The white water was up to my shoulder
and bailed out before being slammed onshore. That was enough excitement for one
day.
We rallied at the Parkside in Stinson Beach for lunch to
greet David who was recovering from a shoulder operation. He looked in great
shape and confirmed to us that a little pain in his tendons would not prevent
him from returning to the water. Good luck David, all of us are pulling for
your speedy recovery.
Click on the link below
to view my photos of this big swell.
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