Cherylita Hearts Her Longboard 100911

Surf Report: 3-5 footers with diminishing conditions as the tide rose

Water: Colder than yesterday

Winds: Off shore!  I love Fall

Atmosphere: Sunny once again

Another Golden Sunrise.. These never get old

After cutting out of the Long Hair Don’t Care party of Dais and Khang at 1000 PM, I crashed on my bed at 1030.  I couldn’t help but feel the tickle in my throat, but stupidly enough, left my window open for the night…

I awoke at 530 in the morning to feel a coughing heave every time I breathed out.  OH SHIT I thought to myself.  Not today… not now.  Please, no sickness right now.  I called Fransauce if he was gonna paddle out soon, or if he was already there (he had texted me last night that he was dawn patrolling at 530.)  he didn’t answer his phone.  Furthermore, he texted me later saying he had a late night and would be paddling out around 900. 

What a relief.  I closed the window, wrapped myself up in a jacket and jeans, and went back to bed.

My phone signaled a text message from Christina.  She was already there and saying that the waves looked weaker than yesterday.  The parking lot was still empty, but there was a 5K going on so don’t take Rosecrans, she remarked.

I rolled out of bed, still heaving a few coughs as I breathed out.  I took deep breaths to let my cough subside, and it seemed to have worked.  I ate some dried fruit and took off to 26^th Street.

I parked up the hill and got changed in the cold weather.  It wasn’t that cold, but it was enough for me to keep my sweatshirt on as long as possible.  I made my way down the hill to 26^th Street to see a mellow line up…

I saw the usual suspects this morning too: Roy, Orlando, Bruce, and Mikey.  I saw some of the groms, including Kyle.  And then I saw Christina.  She was paddling, head down and going straight, while another surfer was paddling at an angle for the right.  He had to straighten out as Christina made the drop into the face and snaked the guy.  I hooted her for the wave, and she was stoked like a little kid.  And low and behold, Cheryl was out!

Tom Yam came out too.  We had a small surf crew going, and the conditions were just like yesterday:  long lulls, weak, mushy waves, but bombs rolling through every twenty minutes or so.

One set lurched its ugly head out of no where.  I actually took the small wave that was right before it, only to look back on the ensuing paddle battle against the Ocean.  It was a solid six wave set, and I missed every single wave.  Tom took a close out left, and regretted taking a wave so early since he saw the wave behind it opened up all the way to shore. 

We make our beds, and we have to sleep in it. No pain, no gain. 

The winds stayed off shore as the sun beamed through the clouds.  It was a pretty mellow morning, as are most Sunday morning sessions.  I personally don’t have many rides to share this day, but I have to share three waves that Cheryl caught that deserve recognition. 

First wave was a wave I didn’t think she would catch.  In fact, none of us thought she would catch it.  “None of us” included Tom, Roy, Bruce, and myself.  We were all watching her, paddling and wiggling her butt down the face, then she popped up.  The board just caught speed and went down the line for a nice right.  She stayed high on the curl and took the wave to shore. And this by no means was just some ten yard ride.  It was at least twenty five yards long. 

“Oh man, all the way to shore! Way to go Cheryl!” Bruce said.

Cheryl took a long time to paddle back out, but when she got back to the line up, another right just came her way.  She paddled for that one, as we all watched if she would catch this one.  No, that wave is gonna bog out, I thought.  BAM, she was on her feet, and down the line. 

“Another ride to shore!” Bruce said.  “Man, I haven’t even gotten rides half as long as hers today!”

We all gave her props on her two waves.  But she was undeterred and determined to catch another one. 

Tom and I had swapped boards at this point, and so Tom was on my loaner fish, while I was on his potato chip.  Cheryl paddled for a left, as did Tom. I saw Cheryl pop up as I duck dived the wave, and watched the horizon for another wave that never came....

"Ho~ another wave to shore! Man she is on fire!" Bruce said.  We were all really stoked for Cheryl.  It was a redemption session for her from yesterday, where she didn't catch one single wave on her fish, Pinky. 

I didn’t watch the whole wave, but I saw Cheryl and Tom allllllllllllll the way down the shore… they took a good five minutes to come back with smiles beaming from their face.  Another wave to shore! Everyone watched her in envy. 

“Ok Cheryl, now you’re blocking for us!” I told her.

Bruce and I talked about how Christina was on a foamie.  We both agreed that it's better to be on a foamie, since the point of surfing, to both of us, is to catch waves.  And if you're not catching waves, it's not really surfing.  I pointed out that she is carrying on the Will of Bruce by riding foamies.

"Hell, as long as she's having fun!  I know I have a lot of fun.  I know that a lot of other people would be really happy if I didn't ride the foamie, but I wouldn't be happy at all.  I could ride shorter boards, but I wouldn't be happy at all," he said. 

In essence, isn't that why we surf?  Because it's FUN.  And who cares what other people think?  Those who care don't matter, and those that matter won't care. 

Tom got a good feel for the twin fin.  He never rode a twin fin, let alone a good twin fin by Zippi.  So he was stoked to finally stroke into a wave on that thing.  We switched back boards, and he took his last wave.  He later told me that the twin fin already taught him a good lesson in bottom turning, since you have to really lay in on the rail with your back foot or else your rail digs in on the front.  His last wave was his most memorable, he said.

Fransauce made it out too!  It was nice to see him, but I had to leave quickly because my nephew’s 3^rd birthday party was at 1130, and I had to do the grocery shopping before that, get home, pick up my dad, and go to the party.  So, I told da boys (and girls) that I had to leave with the next wave.

And just on queue, the next wave came.  I paddled hard for it, popped up, and saw the wave just wall up in front of me.  I saw a guy paddling for the shoulder, and let out a “HO HO HO!” to let him know I was on the wave.  He backed out as the glistening water started to suck up sand and I banked off the lip to the white foamy waters.  I ate the landing, but I still felt so good from catching that last wave.

I graciously bowed to Mother Ocean as I left the beach and walked up to the parking lot with Tom.  We said our farewells and departed.

I love Autumn in Southern California.

Mahalos Mother Ocean.