October 26, 2011 Wednesday

Bolinas	Channel and Groin
9:30 am to 11:00 am	Consistent 3' with sets to 4'
High upcoming tide	Slight offshore breeze to no wind
On-the-deck fog to patchy sunshine	Fun session

As I was walking to the beach with my camera in hand, Jacek came up the ramp from checking the waves with a Thermos in one hand and sipping coffee with the other. I gestured to him by putting both hands out palms up to ask, "Well?" I then switched to the thumbs up and down gesture. He responded with one hand out, palm down rotating it side to side to say, "So - so."

"I'm going out, there's something at the Channel," Jacek greeted me when he was within earshot.

"Good!"

I wanted to walk down to the Groin wall for some close-up pictures, but the high tide had waves pushing up against the retaining wall of the house on the south side of the ramp. I moved to the overlook above the Groin. Six surfers were at the one peak at the Channel. Out there were David who rides the Becker board, Marty, Doug and stand-up guys Frank and Russ. Due a thick on-the-deck fog I could barely see them. The sun reflected through the fog creating a bright gray wall. My camera could not focus on anything. The automatic focusing feature requires contrasting colors to lock onto an image, and this morning there weren't any. I tried taking a couple of pictures with minimal success - as you can see in the above photo. But from what I could see, the waves didn't look very good.

"Creighton how was it?" He had just come up the ramp after his session. "It was ok."

"Ok? Is that all?"

"Yes, just ok. Small but clean and glassy."

That was all the encouragement that I needed. I came here yesterday and didn't go out. A stiff, cold onshore wind put an ugly chop on the water. At least this morning it was glassy and besides I needed the exercise.

"Jaime, I heard an hour of your show last night." I greeted Jaime as he was toweling off after his session at the Patch. "It was good to hear you on the air again." He hosts Faultline - two hours of music and a few comments by Jaime every Tuesday evening from 8:30 to 10:30 pm on West Marin Radio, KWMR. He had taken a month off due to his surgery. The surgery was a success and Jaime was back in the water and back on the air. If you haven't heard his show, I highly recommend it.

"Jaime, with the show ending at 10:30, you must not get to bed until midnight."

"No, I was in bed by 11:15 last night."

"But you live in Fairfax and the station is in Point Reyes Station."

"True, but it only takes 25 minutes to get to Fairfax." I had this image of a bolt of lightning flashing out of the studio and streaking down Sir Francis Drake to Fairfax.

"There are two things I'm very organized about - my music and my surfing. I woke up this morning at six and was out of the house by 6:15 and was in the water by seven." That's certainly more organized than I am.

Out in the water David warned me about the incoming current. "I paddle and paddle and don't get anywhere." I remember that yesterday about this time a strong five-knot river flowed into the lagoon.

The waves were picturesque - beautiful emerald green walls that would break with some force, peel in both directions and would immediately die. Jacek sat way outside and could connect on the set waves when they jumped up at the apex of the peak. But he couldn't stay in them after the initial break. I experienced the same thing. I came down two beautiful left faces, immediately cut back into the white water and pushed my weight forward to stay in them. On one wave that worked, on the other the wave just petered out.

Matt was north and inside of the pack and was having some success at the peak near the Groin pole. Sometimes with a good north swell and a high tide the famous Malibo peak appears - Malibu like small right curls that break inside the Groin wall. I paddled over there to join Matt. He commented that he was exhausted fighting the strong incoming current and that he rode a wave all the way in, got out and walked around the Groin wall to re-enter the water. Sitting next to Matt a good set came through. Matt took the first wave and I caught the second one that was a decent right curl. Following Matt's lead, I rode it as far as I could towards shore, got out and walked around the wall instead battling the current to get back out to the line-up. For the next half-hour, Matt and I continuously caught small inside waves and walked around the wall to avoid the current.

After an hour and a half, I was exhausted and went in. It was a good morning. I had that glow of satisfaction from healthy exercise and fun waves.