February 20, 2015 Friday

Bolinas	Straight out from the ramp and the Groin
9:10 am to 10:20 am	2' to 3', sets to 3.5'
Mid upcoming tide	Slight onshore breeze
Air temp: 60 degrees	Water temp: 57 degrees
Low overcast to patchy sunshine	Fun session

I walked down to the beach at Bolinas and was surprised to see four surfers at a peak straight out from the ramp. This peak had reappeared after four years of being dormant. No one was out at the Groin or the Patch. I have wonderful memories surfing this peak in years past – beautiful A-Frames waves peeling in both directions. Its reappearance has to do to shifting sands. Usually after winter storms the sand pulls out to sea and today all of the big rocks in front of the seawall were fully exposed. The sand must have reformed in sand bars 50 yards offshore forming these fun waves.

I stood on the seawall with camera in hand and watched Frank the stand-up guy, Mary, Jaime the starving artist and one other surfer connect on some nice well-formed three-foot curls. That's Frank on a good one in the photo above. He stroked into the peak, cleanly turned right, let the wave build up and cruised a long ways on a continuously peeling right curl. He ended up a few yards from the base of the ramp. Mary also connected on three long right waves in the ten minutes that I stood there.

"I'm going!" I said to myself. Gentle well-formed old man peaks breaking in both directions with long periods between sets for easy paddle outs. Jaime warned me that the upcoming tide was impacting the waves and the backwash off the retaining wall was increasing. The waves were better earlier – just my luck.

When I entered the water Mary was exiting. The peak had shifted to the south and water was rushing up the ramp. No one was out there. I paddled out to the peak with high hopes. But it didn't happen. The deeper water caused the waves to break closer to shore and the retaining wall of the house on the south side of the ramp. I managed to connect on two decent rights, but it was obvious that the good waves were over.

I walked down the beach to the Groin and paddled out around to wall to the first south peak. By now one surfer was out there and two stand-up guys were in the Channel. The waves at both locations were intermittent. I waited and waited and finally caught one slow mushy wave. It wasn't happening here. Knowing that high tides sometimes form good right peeling on the inside, I looked for them and they were there – the Malibo rights had appeared. I caught four of them – fast, two-foot right peeling curls. After an hour my arms were spent and I headed in.

On my way back to the car, the peak at the base of the ramp was crashing into the retaining wall. I chanced waiting for a lull to make a run to the ramp. I didn't quite make it and had to stop and move out to confront an incoming wave. I pushed my board over a wall of white water and braced myself to fight through the two-foot backwash wave bouncing off the wall.

While out at the Groin at stand-up surfer paddled over from Seadrift. It was Captain Kip, who had time on his hands due to the port slow-down by the Longshoremen; he is a captain of a harbor pilot boat. We chatted briefly, and he headed south while I moved in for the Malibo rights.

The surf wasn't great, but as usual after a dose of cold water and vigorous exercise, I felt great – revitalized and ready for anything.