August 15, 2014 Friday

Bolinas	Patch
10:45 am to 12:45 am	2' to 3', sets to 4'
Mid upcoming tide	Slight onshore breeze to no wind
Air temp: 70 degrees	Water temp: 62 degrees
Overcast to patchy sunshine	Fun session

I was hoping for a repeat of the window of good surf that Jack the Dave Sweet team rider and I scored on last Wednesday. For an hour and a half decent well-formed right peeling lines marched through the Patch and by 12:30 the high tide had pushed in too much water and the waves died. Jack was planning to surf everyday the swell lasted. He was going Thursday and today, and he predicted that 12 noon should be our target to catch another window of good surf.

The NOAA weather radio last night and Stormsurf's website got me excited. A new small New Zealand south swell (1.6 ft at 18 seconds from 220 degrees) had combined with the existing local wind swell (3 ft at 8 seconds) and a west swell from Tropical Storm Julio (2.3 ft at 15 seconds from 290 degrees). Julio was now 450 miles NE of Hawaii.

Jack never showed but he was correct about another good surf window. I arrived this morning at 10 am and the surf looked terrible. Nobody was at the Patch and only three beginners were at the Groin. The morning was gray, the water was textured from a stiff south breeze and the waves were small and infrequent. I took photos of both the Patch and Groin to record conditions and a couple of good rideable waves came through both locations. I oscillated between the two. A surf camp of twelve teenagers with soft-tops marched down the ramp and headed for the Groin. That did it, I decided on the Patch. I was optimistic that the incoming tide would improve conditions. Susan who always wears sunglasses in the water was on the beach throwing a Frisbee to her dog Pepper. She too wavered about where to go. My decision convinced her to head for the Patch also.

Nobody was out at the Patch when I paddled out at 10:45. Two large rocks were still exposed. I used the outside rock as my marker and positioned south of it and a few yards further out. A set came through and I was off on the second wave. I glided into three-foot wave, jumped up quickly and stepped to the middle of the board and hummed across the face of a continuous right peeling curl. Right then I knew I was in for a good session. As I connected on my second wave and just as I was moving to get up, the exposed outside rock was right in my path. I quickly pulled out and barely missed hitting it. I then decided to move a few yards further south. The kelp was thick and a problem. On my third wave, kelp wrapped around my skeg and my board stopped. It was like hitting the air brakes; the board stopped and I kept going. This happened a couple more times this morning.

After two more good waves, I thought this was ideal – warm water, decent waves and me by myself. Susan came out, we chatted a bit and then she headed further out and north to Ladies Left, the first peak north of the Patch reef. Again I was there by myself. A few minutes later Cathy from Cazadero paddled out with two friends. Now there were three of us. After another thirty minutes Rob, Mr. Malibu, joined us, then Julie from Bolinas who works in Mill Valley paddled out and slowly more surfers continued coming out. By the time I left, there were twenty people spread across the Patch reef.

Julie on her new board, which she loves, glided into several long rides. Rob, who like Jack, schedules his day by the tide, was on the inside nose-riding the shore break. On wave after wave he would casually turn into these small curls, walk to the nose, stand there for a second or two, then step back, and quickly straighten out as the waves broke on shore. I asked him about his new board. He had placed the order with Pearson in Santa Cruz and now had to wait six to eight weeks to get it. Meanwhile, he was doing just fine on his ancient, beat to crap, Pearson Arrow with its deck of delaminated glass.

I was having so much fun I kept moving and riding until the waves finally disappeared due to the high tide – two hours in the water. It was a just another wonderful morning in Marin.