January 14, 2008 Monday

Bolinas	Patch
9:30 am to 11:00 am	2’ to 3’
Low, up coming 2 ft tide	Slight north breeze
Sunny, clear and cold	A So-So session

When I arrived at Bolinas this morning Mary and Marty were chatting in the parking lot, not a good sign. The waves were half the size as yesterday’s powerful swell. The ones breaking straight out from the ramp were small, mushy and without any punch at all. The Patch was barely breaking. The Groin and Channel were flat again due to the deep water caused by the missing sand and there was a river of incoming current flowing into the lagoon due to the upcoming tide. On the far side of the Channel on the other side of the current I noticed a series of right pealing waves, but to get there one would have to paddle through the strong incoming current.

Mary decided to go out to the Patch. As she went to suit up, Marty and I walked down to the Groin to get a better look at the break on the far side of the Channel. Marty agreed to take the water samples to Branson this morning. He took a sample from the stream of water in the small channel at the base of the Groin wall. Marty had things to do that afternoon and decided to take off. So with the obligation of taking the water samples to Branson gone, with a good new wetsuit and having borrowed Kevin’s new 5mm booties, I decided to join Mary at the Patch.

Mary and two others were way out there beyond the outside rock. I paddled out there to join them. Mary caught a small wave, which had little force, and rode it straight just to stay in the swell. She then paddled straight south and ended up way, way inside and to the south instead of paddling out to where we were. She knows this break very well. If she positions herself way inside there must be a reason. The waves were small and mushy and the only descent ones were the inside right breaking swells that ended in the shore break on the beach. Mary called it right and I too moved inside.

The waves were small, two to three footers with little to no punch. I had brought my big wave board again hoping that yesterday’s big swell would still be pumping. However, this board is also good in small flat waves. It paddles well and with the momentum of its weight it easily coasts into waves. I managed to paddle and coast into several long, slow, right breaking waves.

It was a warm beautiful day, the new wetsuit and Kevin’s 5mm booties kept me warm, and the small waves were fun, thus it was another wonderful morning in paradise.