RogerPollock

I surf more than anything else now . . . alone . . . at one of the most miserable, battering beach breaks in the area, just because it's close and convenient. And every time I enter the surf, I'm afraid to one degree or another . . . I don't know if that will ever change, or if it would be a good thing if it did.

That was the thing . . . some of those 8 footers out there looked like a blast, but others . . . you'd have tales to tell, that's for sure. Tough, tough call . . . "somewhere in there managed to tweak my neck . . ." Not an experience I'm ever looking for, but I guess them's the risks . . . Heal well . . .

I tried a surf boat for the first time this weekend, too. Very interesting not a massively different experience than a planing-hulled ww boat, but the finned experience was cool. Seems lots of interesting possibilities, there. I haven't bought a new boat in a while, now, and that plastic Mega Maverick sure looks cool . . . hmmm . . . and many colros to chose from . . . hmmm . .

Sunday 11/4. We arrived at Nahant at noon to find Bill Gwynn outfitted for both touring and surfing. Watching the action together for a while, the surf wasn’t as clean as one would expect, and there was very stiff offshore wind. The were some very nice, large peelers with defined shoulders rolling in, but the price to pay was the bigger sets, mother boomers with overhead foam piles, that shook the sand we stood on. Though the forecast was for diminishing conditions, they hadn’t diminished all that much yet. After discussion and reflection, we made the call to check out Kings Beach, which appeared smaller and much mellower. A good call – in the lee of the wind, a very easy paddle out, easy to time and easy to handle if it broke on you, unlike head-breaking GHB, which I’m accustomed to. Nice long, long, long rides with lots of green, and, often enough, defined shoulders to chase you down the line. Really, a very pleasant, very mellow kayak surfing day, such wasy sufing, with 3 + foot waves, no beatings, and, really very few capsizes for anybody. Maybe an hour and a half to two hours and things rapidly began to die out. We should have packed up quick, and bang, boom rushed over to Nahant to catch the last of it, but, it was already so late with sunset almost on top of us, so we made the best of the last few swells, until they were gone:(. Well, a good thing I guess, to opt for the smaller venue. Fortunately, it wasn’t a dynamic with too much testosterone and not enough brains. We’ll all have an opportunity to do something stupid another weekend, perhaps as soon as the coming one, ‘cause it sounds as if there’s more surf on the way (!!!!!).

Kevin, I have a plastic Tempest. It gets used hard and put away wet - every time. Stored outside, no tarp, totally exposed, three years through every season and doing fine. Fading, scratches, dents . . . holes . . . all badges of honor to displayed proudly. Use your boat and enjoy it, and don't worry about the consequences. Worry about paddling and having a good time. If it gets "brittle" from exposure or otherwise wears out before you WEAR it out, you're not paddling enough. Have fun . . . Roger

John, Totally with you on the sweating/cooling thing . . . the worst feeling . . . the cag helps a little . . . but it seems the only thing that really clinches it is to outright change your thermals at lunch/break time, which is a miserable operation that exposes you to the cold, but man, does it feel better and warmer to get some nice, dry stuff on. Actually, though, last year we kept out winter day trips short such that we didn't do lunch or a real break, so it wasn't a problem, thank God. For the record, was plenty warm, at times too warm, in my 4/3 full wetsuit during a playboat outing with lots of rolling and splashing, with no concern whatsoever for soggy, heavy, sweaty thermals. Quite nice, actually.

It's all such and imperfect science . . . and I'm no expert. Thing is, same sort of scenario occurred a few weeks ago - background swell w/deep water buoy's reading 5-6 seas and a stout offshore wind w/incoming tide - and the surf was fantastic. As far as the forecasting sites go, sometimes they're on and sometimes they're not. Magic Seaweed wasn't exactly calling for nothing - they were calling for two foot surf - not great, but not nothing. Who knows . . .

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Oct 13 2007, 08:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Can't make Roger's SNG today, but might be at Good Harbor tomorrow or another location. Anyone interested? All the better, Kevin. There was uttelry nothing there, though by rights there should have been. I didn't check out the beach today. Anything??

Kevin, As of Friday morning, forecast is: W WINDS AROUND 5 KT...BECOMING N AROUND 5 KT AROUND NOON... THEN BECOMING SE LATE. WAVES 1 FOOT OR LESS. Plus, pushing 80 degrees . . . It should be a big bathtub . . . with islands . . . so, except for the open water aspect, just about anybody ought to be able to handle it . . .

I've never had a problem with any boardie, anywhere, ever. Best rule of thumb in surf is, kayakers should always give boardies - and other kayakers, for that matter - as wide a bert as possible - unless you can reliably demonstrate good skills and control. Longboats can be particularly difficult to control in surf . . . unless you're Nigel Somebody. Mostly, I think what boardies see of kayakers, and the bad situations I've seen, is people out there who don't have a clue - a couple kids monking around on a sit on top, a guy and his girlfriend who rented rec boats for the weekend - just loose in the surf, and dangerous to others. So, when they see a kayak, they feel threatened, and I kind of don't blame them.

To me Boston Harbor is a lot like Salem Sound . . . on steroids . . .

We were one week early at GHB . . . What a difference a week makes . . . Deep water bouy wave readings this a.m. from 5-7 feet . . . Hit the beach at 7:15 and there were 2-1/2's to sometimes 4 foot sets with a fair zephyr out of the north clipping the peaks into pluming rooster tails . . . boardies crowding the corner (but not too bad), and you'd be crazy to play in the rocks like we'd done just one week ago . . . Just big enough so it wasn't murder to get outside the break, though it was still quite tricky - and a workout. Beautiful morning - no better time than morning . . . vanilla sky . . . warm water . . . awesome sets - just big walls of twinkling blue glass . . . long rides w/lots of time on the face and a foam pile you could play on all the way to the sand. A few capsizes . . but no beatings . . . This was Good Harbor . . . this was why you keep coming back. And, today, the steepest vertial drop I think I've ever experienced, felt like a hundred foot wave. Holy molie what a ride . . . Plus, there was this traditional island stand up style paddle/board surfer there today, and man could the guy shred it up. Made it look effortles, and, wow, he could just scream speed down the line . . . It was inspiring just to watch - very unique. My only beef . . . this new super-stretch wetsuit . . . the neck chafing is killing me . . .

Phil, My only option this weekend will be to get out on Good Harbor on Saturday early, like, 7-8 a.m. Leaving by 10. Clearly, this is insane for most kayakers associated with the board, but . . . Clearly, in those predicted conditions, surfing is a lot more appealing (at least to me) than slogging along in an estuary in 30 kt winds (which I've done many times). Maybe I'll see you there . . .

Sat 9/22 . . . Well, the predicted conditions were 2.5’- 3’ surf w/3’-5’ seas, and spying the beach from the dunes at 9 a.m. things didn’t look too bad. We ended up with 5 of us in short boats, and 3 in long boats, and everybody, it seemed, was ready to have a surf experience . . . but, unfortunately, once out there, things were not as lively as they first looked, and seemed to get even quieter as they day developed. We did out best, however, to make chicken soup out of chicken poop, and nobody complained too much (except for me). For some it was their first experience in surf in a long or short boat (or close to it), and I think conditions were just right for an introduction. When it’s kicking, the surf at Good Harbor can run the gamut from big and peeling, to, more often, big and dumping, and I’ve taken some very memorable beatings there. Better, I guess, for everybody to leave feeling positive and more confident, rather than overwhelmed and beat down. At one point, while the long boaters were practicing rescues, Bob and I headed down to the south corner and played out on the rocks. Though the surf was minimal, there still seemed a fair swell and surge (strangely), which we surfed through some cutes and over some corners. The short boats are so VERY at home in this stuff, and have intriguing potential for coastal rock play that needs further experimentation. Thought not quite what was expected, not a bad few hours in the water . . .

Yeah, that's right, Whitam St.