| Pacifica | Linda Mar |
| 1:10 pm to 1:30 pm - that's right, 20 minutes! | 3' to 5', sets overhead |
| High dropping tide | Strong west cross wind |
| Patchy sun and strong winds | Frustrating session |
Kahuna Kupuna Surf Contest – Part 1
“So how did you do?”
“Humbled!” I had just exited the water with my board in hand after my heat in the 65 to 69 year old “Legends” group. “Humbled! The ocean won!”
I was frustrated and disappointed in my performance. I had such high hopes of scoring big, but it didn’t happen. As I walked up the steep beach a photographer ran up, took my picture and gave me a thumbs up. A woman focused a camera, snapped away and waved. People on the beach congratulated me as I walked along. What’s going on? I sucked out there. Only later after reflecting on the whole experience, I realized that people were congratulating me for just doing it, not for my performance. I’m 65 years old and I’m out there doing it. The first surf contest of my life was over in twenty minutes and I was disappointed.
“We waited around all day for this?” I greeted Jack Ellis, the Dave Sweet team rider, when he got out of the water. He too was frustrated. Jack won this division last year and had expectations of ripping it up again. He got one good ride and did nothing on his other two waves. Expressing more frustration was John Fordice, the third Bolinas regular in our heat. He connected on one good wave and then got trapped inside.
At 8:30 am when I arrived, Linda Mar was shrouded under a blanket of high fog, a cold cross wind howled and the swell had picked up from yesterday. On the beach north of the parking lot were two tents, a platform for the judges and a crowd milling around. Posted on the judges’ stand was the schedule of the heats. I scanned from top to bottom and near the bottom, the last heat before the start of the second round was the “Legends” 65 to 69 years 1:15 pm to 1:30 pm, a four and a half hour wait.
“Jack, fifteen minute heats? That’s not much time.”
“That’s right. Here are the rules: they blow two short blasts on the horn meaning there is five minutes left in the current heat and the guys in the next heat may paddle out. So you paddle out and wait for your heat to start. One blast on the horn marks the end of one heat and the start of the next one.”
“Sounds like a sprint to me.”
“That’s right. You have fifteen minutes to catch three waves. Max number is four waves. They count your three best.”
“And if you catch less than three?”
“They score three waves, meaning zero points for waves less than three. So make sure you catch three waves no matter what. Also if you take off in front of someone you are disqualified. And you must not catch a wave after your heat ends that will confuse the judges. Belly a wave in, don’t stand up or you will be disqualified. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Don Holm, another Bolinas regular who I surfed with here yesterday, chatted with us while waxing up for his 9:15 am heat. He was in the 55 to 59 years group. Jack and I watched his heat and I took pictures. Conditions were rough: big close outs, howling wind and a strong north current. There was Don with no booties and no leash. If he loses that board, the current and the force of the waves would take it north and all the way into shore. Don struggled to get out, as did the others in his heat. He took off, sailed down a big left wall, climbed to the top, trimmed through another long section and pulled out near shore. He was now north of the channel and in the impact zone of the next peak. Wave after wave pounded him and the current pushed him further north. He was now at least a half-mile down the beach; just a speck, I could barely see his orange jersey. Through pure effort he struggled past the breakers and made it back to the peak in front of the judges stand. He caught another one that broke all over him when the double blast of the horn sounded. That’s Don on his second wave in the above photo. He managed to catch his third wave just before the final horn sounded. Don placed second and was into the finals.
An hour before our heat, Jack, John and I suited up and watched the heat before ours, the intergeneration team #6 led by veteran Greg Cochran. Intergeneration teams were an interesting concept and unique to this contest. A team consisted of six surfers from different generations with at least a 30 year spread between the oldest and youngest members. During a team’s fifteen minutes they tried to rack up as many points as they could. Thus there was no competition in the water; each member encouraged teammates to score big.
Greg Cochran was also in our heat. Jack let us know that Greg was an excellent surfer. He was the founder of the San Pedro Point Surf Club, surfed here at Linda Mar everyday and was one of the founders of this contest, which he has won several times. We studied Greg in his team event. His strategy would be our strategy. Greg knew where the channel was and he easily paddled out without getting his hair wet. He sat inside, took off on smaller perfectly formed left waves, cruised down long shoulders and smoothly paddled back out to do it again. He had the placed wired. All we had to do was follow his lead.
The double horn sounded, Greg was there and entered the water. Jack, John and I followed him and stroked out with no problems. Following Greg was easier said than done. We were outside but had to wait a couple of minutes before the start of our heat. The wind and current sucked us north. I was frantically paddling back to the peak in front of the judges’ stand when the horn sounded. Greg immediately caught a wave and I never saw him again until the heat was over. Time was so short and I was so focused that I never saw any of the rides of the others in the heat. I saw Jack take off as I paddled over a wave and I didn’t bother to look back to see how he did.
“Catch a wave and break the ice,” I was thinking to myself as I paddled for a wave and missed it. I went for another one and missed it also. I turned around and here was a huge overhead set breaking outside. I went under the white water of the first wave, then under the second one and barely paddled over the top of the third one. I tried for another one and missed it. Next came a close out wall and I went for it. The wave was breaking when I stroked into it. By the time I stood up the wave broke all around me. The white water was up to my head; I rode it out and pulled out quickly. I didn’t want to lose time riding the soup.
Outside another big right wave came through, I turned to go for it and so did John. I saw him drop down the face as I turned around again to go over it. John later told me that this was his best ride. Another big one approached. It looked left; Jack was next to me, and we both paddled for it. Jack pulled back to let me have it. I dropped down a steep face, turned left, locked the rail under the lip of the curl, sped down a fast section, cut back, turned into the shore break and dove over the top of the wave as it broke on the sand.
Now I was north of the channel and the double horn had just sounded. I struggled to get back out. I needed one more wave. I tried for an inside smaller wave but missed it. I quickly turned around and fought against the incoming waves. A huge set wave approached and broke several yards outside. I turned, caught the white water, jumped up hoping the wave would reform, it never did and I rode the soup all the way in to shore. At least now I had three waves. I attempted to paddle back out but there was too much white water pouring in. With the strong current and the thrashing turbulence I couldn’t get beyond the shore break. I kissed it off and let the incoming waves push me to shore. Thirty seconds later the final horn sounded. That was it, twenty minutes and it was over.
The contest directors announced the results of all the finals at the evening banquet, which I didn’t attend. Jack promised to email the results and pick up my trophy. All of us in our heat received a trophy because with only one Legends heat we were in the finals. Next day around noon Jack’s message arrived, “Bolinas crew did all right: 1. Greg, 2. Jack, 3. Loren, 4. John and 5. Gary.” Wow, I came in third! The 2-Mile Surf Shop in Bolinas posted the results in its morning blog. I received emails of surprise and congrats from Mary, Marty and Matt. Suddenly my disappointment faded. I did it, I came in third, and I got a trophy and a tee shirt. Just wait until next year!
No comments:
Post a Comment