January 3, 2011 Monday

Bolinas	Channel and Groin
9:40 am to 11:00 am	3' to 4', sets 5' to 6'
Very high tide	Stiff offshore breeze
Sunny with high patchy clouds	Frustrating session

The tide was too damn high – 6.6 ft at 9:30 am. The buoy reading was impressive: 7 ft NW swell at 13 seconds and light NNE winds. Signs of extreme high tide greeted me as I passed Stinson Beach. Water had filled the entire east end of the lagoon wetlands right up to the edge of the Water District building and only the top the old abandoned dredge peeked above the surface; the rest was submerged. As I got out of my car at Bolinas I heard the “thud” of a large wave smashing into the seawall. Water rushed half way up the ramp and up and over the steps leading to the seawall. I took pictures of the four-foot waves crashing into the seawall sending white water high into the air. From the overlook above the Groin I watched two surfers having trouble pushing into the waves. They were big and uneven with each one breaking in a different location and a strong offshore wind sent arches spray off the tops of the peaks.

I walked up to Terrace Road to check out the Patch. Eight of the Bolinas regulars were out there: Mary, Marty, Jaime the starving artist cartoonist, Shu-Shu, Novato Pete, Susan who always wears sunglasses in the water and standup guys Russ and Frank. The above picture is Susan paddling through the shore break to get out to the break. I stood there and stood there with my camera in hand, no waves came through even though the swell was big. Finally a set came in and everyone paddled for the waves, but only Russ on his standup board caught one and he cruised down a sizeable peak. The waves were barely breaking and the tide would be coming up for another hour. Despite this I decided to head to the Patch. I had not surfed for three weeks due to the rains and the holidays. I was anxious to get back into the water and the small, gentle Patch waves looked appealing.

By the time I suited up my companions had exited the water. First Mary followed by Jaime, and then Frank and Russ came up the ramp carrying their standup boards. Soon Marty came up followed by Novato Pete. By my count, only Susan and Shu-Shu were still in the water. I shouted to Hans who was suiting up that I was heading to the Patch. He said he would join me.

Between waves that were pounding the seawall and pushing water up the ramp, I dashed up the stairs to the top of the seawall. With great disappointment I stared at a completely flat Patch. No one was out there. Susan and Shu-Shu had paddled to the Groin. The tide was so high the swells, even the set waves, just mushed up against the cliff. It was unrideable.

Plan B, go to the Channel, six surfers were out there now. Getting pass the shore break was a challenge. I stood in waist high water at the base of the ramp waiting for a set to pass. I saw a break and dashed out into waves. The rush of water coming back down the ramp from the previous wave carried me out. I thought I was through the shore break when a series of four waves crested further out. I scratched over the first three and ducked under the white water of the fourth one. So much for easing back into it.

Once out at the Groin my frustration started. The swells were big, thick, powerful and difficult to catch. I paddled for endless waves and missed them all. I would start down the swells but I could not push over the edge. The others were having the same problem. Shu-Shu connected on a few at the apex of the Channel peak. She would paddle like mad and pushed herself into some big walls. The standup surfers were doing well. Annette and Miko had paddled out from Seadrift. From a distance I saw Miko cruise down a head-high right on the Seadrift side of the Channel. Annette stroked into a big peak, stepped to the center of her board getting for weight forward to push over the edge and then quickly swung left to drop down a sizeable wall. Colin, who I had just met this morning, caught a good one. To catch a wave I kept moving inside, then a big set came and I was too far inside. Paddling like mad to get over a six-foot wave, I caught a glimpse of Colin dropping down the face in a tight crouch with his back to the wave and his hand firmly gripped on the outside rail. He shot down the line as I duck-dived under the white water. As I surfaced I looked back but could not see him, the wave was over his head. A few minutes later I saw Colin walking his board on the beach. He rode that wave all the way into shore, walked around the Groin wall and re-entered the water there to avoid paddling through the impact zone.

After forty-five minutes I finally caught a wave; nothing to brag about but it did have a decent left shoulder. I managed to catch a couple more by moving inside and to the middle of the Channel. By now the ebb flow was building and the cold had set in. It was time to go in, but what was the best route. The shore break was still pounding the seawall at the base of the ramp. Professor Steve, who had just come out, suggested paddling north of the seawall to the Playground, a sandy portion between the two houses that sit on the beach.

“What do you plan to do?” I asked Steve.

“Oh, I’ll go in at Wharf Road. I parked there.” He was referring to the ramp at the end of Wharf Road next to the mouth of the lagoon. Steve has been entering the water there during this stretch of high tides.

Out at the Peak I watched Shu-Shu attempt to walk her board in front of the seawall of the house on the south side of the ramp. If she can do it so can I. She waited for a set to pass, started walking as the water withdrew, about half way the next set of waves came in. She quickly turned around and retreated. Last I saw, she was paddling out to go around the seawall to chance going in between waves at the ramp. I assume she made it ok.

I was sitting inside, mid-channel when the next set came in. A big wave broke outside, I stroked into the white water; it picked me up and thrust me forward. The wave started to reform, I jumped to my knees, pushed on the nose to stay in the wave, got back down in a prone position and paddled as the board moved along to keep in the wave. I worked it all the way in and pulled out ten feet from dry sand. I ended up half way to Wharf Road; that did it. I’ll go the Wharf Road route. I made the long walk down Wharf Road through town to Brighton Ave to my car. I changed, walked back into town for a coffee and on the way back the warm sun beamed. Even though the waves were frustrating I had exercised my arms and body, had been outside in the elements and had soaked up the scenery. I now had that glow of satisfaction that surfers get after a vigorous session. It felt great to be back in the water.