I don't remember when I last enjoyed a surf session this much. And it was all about attitude and gratitude.
Being waaay out of surf shape from the year-long and still-ongoing cervical disk herniation recovery, a properly executed pop up was in the realm of pipe dream.
Sunday Nov. 6 brought waves not unlike like this late summer gemOWN REWARD
But paddling a surfboard around in light surf can be it's own reward. Such a treat I'd not had in a year, so I was more than grateful just to be able to do it. The water was remarkably clear for Long Beach, and with fall's coolness crisply set in for the season, the crowds were long gone. Only one other surfer joined us; she had the next jetty over all to herself.
ZEN-GLAD
This session fell squarely into the category of "just glad to be out there, and enjoy an almost perfect, zen-calm session. Punctuated by whoops for the waves Mustang caught in the light-to-moderate side-off wind, thigh-to- waist-to-shoulder high, long-period surf. Per Mustang, this came courtesy of what must have been a distant Tropical Storm Sean.
And the best ... no waves crashing on you on the easy paddle out. Did I say paddle? Correct that -- easy walk out, with short dry-head paddle at the end.
Water, maybe a wee bit cold, but with the sun relatively strong, thin open-seal paddling gloves were just fine for the job. You paddled, you got warm quickly.
NOT GETTING ANYMORE PERFECT
The only hard part — dragging my butt out of bed on a Sunday morning at 6:45 a.m. — came a little easier with realizing that with the clocks set back an hour, I probably wasn't going to get back to sleep.
... And the surf wasn't going to get any more perfect for a user-friendly first surf in 6 weeks. If there was any issue it was doubt about the super shallow low tide -- no margin for error on takeoff, which added a level of caution.
Six weeks? That long? How did that happen? Well after the September Surf-Bike Duathlon, the "wheels fell off the bus," so to speak, and the left arm-neck disc issues flared up with an alarming bite. I decided to go with the flow and back off the sports intensity until it died down.
TIMING
It did, and Mustang magically messaged my cell the night before; excellent timing.
Moo toted his 6'2" Nature Shapes quad fish into the small waves with a good degree of success. And some definitely "whoopable rides"
As for my 9'0 Ben Aipa Swallow tail. First time out it always reminds me of its maneuverability, versus 9'6" noserider. But within a few waves you're ready for its eagerness to turn.
Despite the physical neck-arm woes, I was able to manage a couple of knee rides including one very long one with perfect placement on the board to maneuver using just my lower body through the knees. Only one major twinge of nerve pain to report.
The wind switched to stronger side-on just as we used up the last of our "good paddlearms" and each caught a last sled back into the beach. More fine timing. An hour later and we'd have been blown out. Worth getting up for.
BLISSED
So the car didn't start. It was about 68 months old anyway. Who cares? Dug out the jumper cables, and Moo drove down the half-block and gave me a pump of juice. Very little calm lost, and still blissed all the way to Advance Auto Parts in Island Park for a new battery. No problems.
As for the neck/arm continuum, driving home I felt no pain. How's that done? Just goes to show a gentle day of surf has a healing power all its own.
[Day two and three after, well there was a price to pay — as long unused muscles tightened up —but not too bad. The Advil did it's job. (It — or a stomach bug — hit my insides with a vengeance come Thursday, so that's that for the pain killers for a while.)]
QUIZ:
Where's Waldo the Baker?
He's out there. I've seen him; but I'm not tellin'.
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