November 14, 2014 Friday

Bolinas	Patch
9:30 am to 10:30 am	Consistent 3', sets to 4'
Low outgoing tide	Slight NW breeze
Air temp: 60 degrees	Water temp: 58 degrees
Sunny with high clouds	Fun session

"Here Loren, take it. It's yours, try it out."

Dripping wet after having just exited the water, Jack the Dave Sweet team rider shoved his brand new board into my hands. He has been telling me for weeks about this new "perfect Patch board" he ordered from John Moore of Mystic Surfboards. John knows the Patch from living and surfing in Bolinas and has been building custom surfboards for years. He and Nick started the 2-Mile Surf Shop. Thus with Jack's specifications and John's knowledge of the Patch, they came up with the ideal board for the Patch –

9' - 6" in length,

23 inches wide,

3 and 1/4 inches thick,

19 inches across the nose,

Square tail,

Airplane wing shaped rails with little taper from the center, and

Little rocker for fast paddling.

Per Jack, side fins slow down the board and are only needed on steep waves, which is not the Patch. For attaching the leash, Jack had John build up a bump of glass and resin in the tail block with a hole drilled through it tying the leash cord to the board. This avoids putting a hole through the board to insert a plastic plug for the leash cord. Over time the plug can loosen or pull out causing leaks between the glass and the foam.

Jack promised me he would let me ride it. He was convinced that I needed a board, and he was right. My borrowed 9' 4" Becker was showing wear with numerous cracks in the glass and ten patched dings. Also, with age, we older guys require bigger and easier to paddle boards. That's Jack with his new board in the photo above.

"Here, take it. Stay out as long as you want. I have some painting to do on the house above the Patch. I can watch you from there and know when you get out."

That did it. I'm going out. I didn't even check the waves or take any photos. I went straight back to my car to suit up.

Just my luck the waves were good. The parking lot was full when I arrived, someone pulled out and I got his spot. All indicating the waves were up. The morning buoy report was encouraging, 7-foot NW swell at 14 seconds. The end of a strong swell that came in last Sunday in front of a cold front that brought rain to Marin yesterday. The inside rights at the Patch were pumping.

I easily glided out to the line-up on Jack's fast paddling Patch board, and in an hour caught six long right curls. The board handled great. I paddled into every wave that I went for, quickly swung right, climbed high in the curls and cruised across continuously right peeling curls.

Jack greeted me as I came up the ramp after my session, and I had to agree with him that he and John had created the perfect Patch board.

November 10, 2014

Bolinas	Groin
9:20 am to 10:30 am	3' to 4', occasional 5'
Mid upcoming tide	No wind to slight onshore breeze
Air temp: 55 degrees	Water temp: 58 degrees
Low on-the-deck-fog to thick overcast	Fun session

I'm back! In a little over an hour I caught fives waves – all lefts and all good rides.

For the first half hour I paddled around mushy waves trying to get the feel of the conditions. The waves had force and were intimating. David who used to ride the Becker board was out there also. Two old wounded warriors. He was recovering from a shoulder operation and I from my surfer ear procedure and a bad cold. After six weeks out of the water my arms and legs were weak and my confidence was low.

I watched David closely and followed his lead. As always he looked in great shape and caught plenty of waves. One other longboarder was on the peak with us. A set came through, and he took off while I ploughed through the white water. The surge picked me up and washed me back several feet, and I felt a bump on my legs. This guy had wiped out and his board hit me. I was ok and so was he. No harm, no foul. It just added to my apprehension about this morning's conditions.

With no wind and a super low fog, the surface was perfectly glassed off when I finally caught one. Just as the wave was breaking I paddled hard and glided into well-formed four-foot wave. It was forgiving; building slowly and thus allowing me time to get to my feet. What a thrill to turn into a smooth wall of water and hear that "smoosh" sound while cutting across a perfectly glassed off face. The lip crested and broke in front of me, and with plenty of speed I drove under the white water and climbed back into the swell. The wave kept forming, I shot through the another section, cut-back, turned left again into the curl and hummed all the way to the shore break, pulling out over the top as it collapsed on the sand. I had surprised myself on how well I handled that wave. It was like riding a bicycle; the old form was back.

My confidence grew with each ride. I moved in to wait until the waves were breaking to go for them. One wave was feathering for several feet across the impact zone when I turned and started paddling for it. The wave picked me up, and I jumped up as it broke. With speed I drove along the bottom of the wave just a few feet behind the breaking curl of the wave. I attempted to drive under the white water to climb back into the swell. But it never happened. For several yards I powered just behind the curl until the wave jumped up for the shore break causing me to dive over the top as it broke on shore.

For over an hour David and I had the peak just north of the Groin wall to ourselves. The only other person in the water was a stand-up surfer a quarter mile south at a peak in front of the houses at Seadrift. He was constantly moving around and started paddling north. I thought he looked like our surfing buddy Kip the pilot boat captain. Soon he joined us and it was Kip. We chatted briefly and off he was again paddling south to the furthest peak at the Channel.

When I arrived this morning the on-the-deck fog was so thick I couldn't see the waves at the Patch or the Groin, and so couldn't take any pictures. I took the photo above after my session from the overlook on Terrace Road above the Patch when the fog had lifted a bit. Note the tide was higher, the waves mushier and the crowd had arrived. David and I had caught the best of it today. 

November 3, 2014 Monday - Part 2

Sunflowers

At first I went to Bolinas and it was virtually flat. When I jumped out of the car I spotted Frank the stand-up guy toweling off after his session. He gave me that "it's flat" hand gesture. He had gone out merely for the exercise. We had a good chat about grandchildren. Two weeks ago my daughter Allison gave birth to our first grandchild, Sebastian. Frank's daughter had just given birth to Frank's second grandchild. Frank and his wife were about to head to Southern California to visit them. He assured me that grandchildren become more fun and interesting as they grow. His older one is now 19 months, runs around the house and is beginning to form complete sentences. My little Sebastian can only eat, sleep and poop. I wished him a good trip and hopped back in the car to check out Stinson.

I stopped at the farm stand at the edge of town. I was thinking of buying some sunflowers for Kate.

"Are the sunflowers fresh?" I asked the guy who was unloading squash in the back of the stand.

"Picked yesterday and some this morning." Thus I met Ryan, one of the one proud founders of Gospel Flat Farms.

He proceeded to teach me what to look for in sunflowers. In the center of the bloom, there's a brown center that looks like a pincushion. This is where the seeds form. The bees pull out the pollen and leave a small "speck" (don't ask what the "specks" consist of) at the base of the stem of the petals near the center. With active bee pollination, these specks form a ring around the center of the flower. Thus the bigger the ring the longer the bloom has been open. Ryan told me to look for flowers with no ring or with just a thin ring. With that advice I picked out the freshest bunch there, as you can see in the photo above.

John, the excellent surfer and owner of the Parkside Cafe in Stinson Beach, arrived with an empty produce box in his hand. He was there to buy vegetables for the restaurant. I introduced him to Ryan and informed Ryan that John bakes the best bread in Marin County. John loaded up his basket and had a good "farmer's" discussion with Ryan about the produce.

I hopped back into the car and headed for Stinson Beach to go surfing for the first time since my ear operation. As usual, it was a great day in Marin. 

November 3, 2014 Monday - Part 1

Stinson Beach	Right out front
10:15 am to 11:00 am	2' to 3', occasional 4'
High dropping tide	No wind, glassy smooth
Air temp: 65 degrees	Water temp: 61 degrees
Sunny with high clouds	Fun session

In 45 minutes I caught three waves and missed dozens of them. All three I rode on my knees, two to the right and one to the left. On my first wave I jumped up to my knees, turned the board to the right, cut high in the curl, hung there for a couple of seconds as the wave formed into a suck-out wall and over the falls I went – straight down free fall into swirling white water. I was proud of myself for hanging onto the board. My next two waves weren't any better, and with the tide going out and the waves walling-up I called it quits.

Though my session was a bust, I had a good time. Reason: this was my first time back in the water since September 11 – 53 days! On September 15 Dr. Agbayani operated on my Surfer's Ear; a hospital procedure where he put me out and literally chiseled off the bone material that had built up in my left ear canal. The recovery required three weeks of staying out of the water, keeping my ear dry and taking eardrops and antibiotic pills. During this period I caught a nasty cold that would not go away. When Dr. Agbayani gave me the ok, I didn't feel like going into the water due to the cold – drained of energy, aching joints and overall blahs.

After another couple of weeks, I went to my local doctor to get some relief. He put me on a five-day regiment of antibiotics, which meant I had a bacteria infection. I asked him if I could have caught this infection from the hospital. He didn't think so because my ailment didn't affect my ear. I wasn't convinced. Twice I have gone to Marin General for operations and twice, after three weeks, have come down with internal bacteria infections.

Why was this day special? The antibiotics worked, I felt much better, the weather was warm and sunny and the swell was small – perfect for getting back into shape. As has happened numerous times before, there's nothing like vigorous exercise, warm sunshine and a dose of cold water to shake a cold. After this session I felt great. The cold was gone and I was back. 

September 15, 2014 Monday

Exostosis

"Exostosis," it's called Exostosis. Surfer's ear is Exostosis.

This morning I took care of my Surfer Ear problem. Dr. Romero Agbayani using a 1-millimeter chisel operated on my left ear to remove the boney material that had developed in my ear canal. At Marin General Hospital, his team put me to sleep, operated for two hours, claimed the operation was a success and released me in the afternoon. I walked out with a small sponge taped inside my ear canal, a bottle of eardrops and some antibiotics for good measure. I was told to keep it dry and to return in a week to see how it was doing. With luck I would be back in the water in three weeks.

Per Wikipedia, "exostosis is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone, because of excess calcium forming...It is most commonly found in places like the ribs, where small bone growths form, but sometimes larger growths can grow on places like the ankles, knees, shoulders, elbows and hips."

Again from Wikipedia, "Surfer's ear is the common name for an exostosis or abnormal bone growth within the ear canal. Surfer's ear is not the same as swimmer's ear, although infection can result as a side effect. Irritation from cold wind and water exposure causes the bone surrounding the ear canal to develop lumps of new bony growth, which constrict the ear canal. Where the ear canal is actually blocked by this condition, water and wax can become trapped and give rise to infection. The condition is so named due to its prevalence among cold water surfers...Most avid surfers have at least some mild bone growths (exostoses), causing little to no problems. The condition is progressive, making it important to take preventative measures early. The condition is not limited to surfing and can occur in any activity with cold, wet, windy conditions such as windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, jet skiing, kitesurfing and diving."

Other interesting facts from the California Ear Institute -

• Will exostosis improve if left untreated? No. The bone growth is irreversible once formed.

• In general one ear may be much worse than the other. If so, this may be due to the prevailing wind direct direction in the areas most visited by the patient.

• The widespread use of better wetsuits has allowed people to participate in water sports in much colder water, likely increasing the incidence and severity of exostosis.

• Cold-water surfers experience exostosis at a rate 600% higher than warm water surfers. The colder the water, the quicker exostoses grow.

Of course I knew none of these facts in the 30 years of surfing leading up to this operation. My hearing had been fading; a condition Kate often reminded me of. I had a family history of poor hearing; both my father and brother had worn hearing aids for years. So every six months I was going to the ear doctor to have my hearing tested and ears cleaned. And every time, the doctor reminded me that I had surfer's ear in both ears and that my left ear was really bad.

"Loren, your left ear canal is over 95% shut." Dr. Agbayani finally put it to me bluntly, "When it closes down, your hearing will be severely impaired, and if you get an ear inflection, I will not be able to help you." That did it, I signed up for the operation.

FYI...Dr. Agbayani is the only doctor in Marin that does this procedure. He has done over 100 of them, all for surfers. He did a good job, I highly recommend him.

He reminded me several times that removing the bony material does not cure the condition. It can grow back, and thus I have to protect my ears while in the water. I discovered that a couple of close friends have also had the surfer ear ream job. My close friend and long time surfer buddy Greg has had the operation twice, and he urged me to get it done. Our Bolinas clan surfer, Rob (Mr. Malibu) first had it done in the year 2000 and then again in 2013. Lesson learned; I'm using earplugs every time.

I had the complete ear overhaul this summer. While getting ready for the exostosis operation, Kim Zeller Hoppin of the Marin Hearing Center tested and fitted me for hearing aids. Kim also was alarmed at the bony build up in my left ear. With her nano camera mounted on a thin wire, she gave me an inside view of my ear canal, that's the before view on the left in the above photo taken last July and the post operation view on the right taken in October. So now I'm ready for any noisy restaurant due to my new hearing aids and the Roto-Rooter job on my left ear canal.

All you Marin surfers, take it from me, protect your ears and get them checked. 

September 11, 2014 Thursday

Bolinas	Groin
9:15 am to 11:15 am	2' to 3', sets to 4'
Low upcoming tide	No wind, none, nada!
Air temp: 73 degrees (heat wave)	Water temp: 63 degrees
Overcast to sunny and warm	Good session

I entered the water at 9:15 and by 9:30 I had caught three good waves. The first was a long right from the peak just north of the Groin pole to several yards south of the wall. The second was a fast left that jumped up and held all the way to shore break, and the third was another strong left that I took off late and rode on my knees until it cashed on the sand. Then I knew I was in for a good session.

The NOAA weather radio reported a 3 ft 14 second south swell. Per Stormsurf another significant south swell was on its way and should be here in the afternoon, but fortunately it arrived early this morning. Only a few cars were parked on Brighton Ave when I pulled up, not a good sign. Russ the stand-up guy was toweling off after his session. He claimed that he had scored on a few good ones outside of the meeting rock at the Patch, but the tide was coming up quickly, the rock was now covered and the waves were dying.

I walked down the ramp to check out the waves and no one was in the water, neither at the Groin nor the Patch. But a few rideable waves came through the Patch and some better-looking curls broke at the Groin. Since this was my last chance to surf before my surfer ear operation (scheduled for Monday, Sept 15), and conditions looked good (glassy surface and warm water) I had to go out. Besides it was a spare the air day for the Bay Area with warm air and no wind. Tuesday I had a fun session at the Patch riding the inside rights, but today the lefts at the Groin looked good and I decided to head out there. What a good decision. As noted above I quickly scored three good ones and continuously connected on wave after wave for two hours.

Two women surfers suited up just ahead of me and headed for the Groin. As I walked down the beach I saw them south of the wall exiting the water. They stepped over the wall to talk to me.

"Getting out so soon?" I asked.

"We wanted to warn you that we saw something in the water?"

"A shark?"

"We think so. Thus we thought we would sit out for twenty minutes to see for sure. We wanted to warn you."

"Thanks. I will keep an eye out for it," and I entered the water. I suspect they saw one of the several harbor seals that were near the shore this morning. I did keep scanning the surface, but never saw anything.

I was the only one out and I had not seen such glassy conditions in months – a spare the air day heat wave with absolutely no wind. For thirty minutes I had this beautiful glassy peak to myself.

Finally two others came out and one of them was an excellent surfer. My tactic was to sit outside to catch the waves early. This other guy sat way inside and caught them as they broke. One time I paddled hard for a set wave and missed it. This guy was inside of me and skillfully glided into the wave as it broke. I sat and watched him from behind. He cut right, climbed high in curl, shot through a section, cut back, swung right again, glided through another curl, cut back again and on and on he went. He had connected with the inside right curl that we call Malibo and ended up way inside the cove in six inches of water.

We were in a period of extreme tides – from a low of 0.3 ft at 6:30 to 6.3 ft at 1 pm. As the tide came up the waves changed. Slowly the lefts faded away and the rights moved in closer to shore. I kept trying for the lefts until they were non-existent. When I switched to the rights the crowd had filled in. Ten surfers were now brunched just south of the Groin pole going for the Malibo rights. After trying for a few and missing them, I kissed it off and paddled around the Groin pole and into shore. Another two-hour session and my arms still felt fine.

On my way home I purchased sunflowers for Kate, green beans and strawberries at the farm stand and a loaf of olive bread at the Parkside Cafe (the best bread in Marin). For the rest of the day I had that surfer glow from classic small waves and vigorous exercise. 

September 9, 2014 Tuesday

Bolinas	Patch
9:00 am to 10:30 am	2' to 3', occasional 4'
Mid upcoming tide	Slight NW cross breeze to no wind
Air temp: 55 to 60 degrees	Water temp: 63 degrees
Overcast to patchy sun	Fun session

I was sitting inside on the north edge of the Patch when one of the rare four-foot walls came through. I turned and stroked into it just as it was breaking right of me. I jumped up to my knees, cut left, shot through the first section, then stood up, stepped to the middle of the board and cruised through the second section. To my surprise the wave kept building to the left. I stalled a second while the curl jumped up again. I leaned into it and glided through the third section. The curl kept building and I kept going. I stayed in the curl until it was about to crash into the rocks at the base of the cliff. I pulled out over the top as it collapsed on shore within a few feet of the cliff. What a great ride.

This morning the weather radio announced 3 ft south swells at 14 seconds. "Good, the south swell that came in over the weekend was still in the water," I said to myself. "There should be waves."

When I arrived only a few cars were parked on Brighton Ave, not a good sign. Russ the stand-up guy was changing after his session. He reported there were a few good waves but the tide was coming up fast. Hank, who had just come back from checking out the waves, said there were a few rideable waves, it should get better and he was going out. I went up to Terrace Road to take my morning photos. No one was at the Patch and one surfer had just entered the water at the Channel. Later I learned that was Archie, that's him in the photo above.

The strong south swell and the upcoming 6.1 ft tide had created a beautiful left peak that continuously kept building until the waves crashed against the cliff. For thirty minutes, Hank and I had the Patch to ourselves. The surface was smooth as glass, the water was warm (63 degrees) and two to three foot nicely shaped waves were coming through. I watched Hank connect of a good one that he worked into the inside curl near shore. I scored on four to five good left curls, one after another until the high tide pushed the water up against the cliff and killed them.

After the lefts had died, I moved inside and south to go for the rights, the only waves that were breaking at that point, and slowly the incoming tide killed them also. I had to exit the water by 10:30 to meet with a fence contractor at noon about an estimate on fencing in our yard – now that we have a dog. I figured I would work my way in by moving inside and trying for the rights. It didn't happen. Within a few minutes the rights disappeared, but I sat there and sat there hoping for one more set. My efforts soon turned to exercise; I paddled from the south side of the Patch to the start of the seawall at the base of the ramp to exit at the Playpen, the patch of sand north of the wall. At lease I managed to give my arms a good workout.

As I walked back to the ramp I looked back at the Patch, by now all the waves had died, and there was still another hour to go before high tide. Hank and I had caught the wave window, and at 10:30 it slammed shut hard.

Archie was at his car when I returned. At first I didn't recognize him. He called by name and repeated his. Then I knew who he was. Though he lives in Mill Valley he prefers Linda Mar and had been going there these past few months. He claimed that with winter coming on he would only come to Bolinas and that I would be seeing a lot more of him. We chatted about the Kahuna Kapuna Surf Contest held at Linda Mar every summer. He mentioned that he would be in the 70-year old group, the same as Jack and I. Next summer, all three of us will be in the same group and the competition will be fierce because Archie is a good surfer.

I made a quick stop at the Gospel Flat Farm Stand at the outskirts of Bolinas for strawberries, carrots and broccoli. Of course it was another beautiful morning in Marin.