Raw NorCal - A Trip to Pacifica Part 3 060312

Surf Report:  2-4 foot

Water: Cold

Atmosphere: Blazing sunny

Winds: Light trade winds

We stop by Jerwynn’s shop, Sonlight Surf Shop.  They just had their 27^th Anniversary of being open.  They are the local mom n pop shop, being ran by a Philipino owner.  Jerwynn and his friend John were running the shop today, getting rentals in and out the door.  Jerwynn told me he could hook it up with a wetsuit, so I decided to try the Patagonia wetsuits.  I found a good match, and just bought it.  I needed a winter suit because of my recent fall out with O’Neill wetsuits, and so I was happy to be able to purchase a new suit and support a local surf shop. 

We just hang around the shop, watching the boys do their thing, watching the Volcom Fiji Pro.  We were just kicking it on a Sunday afternoon.  With the sun blazing hot outside, Fransauce looks at me and says, “Wanna paddle out?”

“Yea, why not?  We’re here to surf!”

So, although my arms were still dead tired, we pull on our wetsuits and head out to a spot right outside of the surf shop.  The beach is still Linda Mar, but this spot is more high performance.  There are a few exposed rocks that are north, and there was a right peeling off of it.  There were some sections and A frames south of those rocks, but I wanted to catch those rights.

Fransauce paddles out before me, and I lose sight of him.  I walk up towards the rock, and paddle out there.  The new wetsuit felt great!  My hands and feet were cold, but my body was warm!  I was happy with my purchase. 

The paddle out was long again, and my arms were burning.  Every stroke was pretty tiring, but the waves kept coming in.  I finally got to the point I wanted to sit on, right by the rock.  The rights came in, but they were too mushy and I had to sit closer and closer to the rock to catch them, which I wasn’t too keen on doing.  So, I paddled further south, away from the rock.

Golden, Raw California - Linda Mar

The waves looked golden in the setting sun, but they were deceptive because they would jack up on the horizon and clean up the line-up.  The winds were blowing, but the scene was just beautifully raw.  The cold, golden water, the cliffs, the trees, the lack of people and lack of human interference in this place was just breath taking.  I soaked in the whole moment, and simply smiled. 

I felt the most comfortable surfing here.  I got some nice waves, along with some nice wipe outs.  There was one memorable wave where I paddled hard for the wave.  I was able to pump down the line, wait for the reform at the bottom, and then pump for the crumbling close out section to float it over the golden white water. 

I saw these two guys working the left on the inside.  They kept getting turn after turn, ride after ride.  I saw Fransauce go where they were, but I think his arms were getting dead tired too.  Every time I was stuck on the inside, so was he.  We were definitely pushing the limit of our bodies. 

I think we surfed for about an hour this session, and just called it a day.  The roaring white water looked ominous as I took my last wave, and I decided not to paddle back out to the line-up.  I was way too tired to paddle back out to wait for another wave in the line-up.  I sat on the sand and waited for Fransauce to come in.  I couldn’t help but smile during this time, being able to surf a double session in raw NorCal surf.  My arms were dead weight, my legs were glued to the sand, and I couldn’t even pee because I was devoid of any fluids. 

Fransauce comes in, and we both take a moment to sit and watch the waves roll in.  We soak it all in, and walk back to Sonligh Surf Shop.  We decide to go eat at Guerrero’s.  Jerwynn gets two taco’s, Fransauce gets a wet burrito, and I get six taco’s.  The horchata was delicious, and so were the shrimp and fish tacos.  The chicken tacos were meh.  It was fuel for my empty body. 

Fransauce's Wet Burrito - Delicious Chili Verde

We decide that there was no way we were driving home five and a half hours that night.  I didn’t feel like killing anyone.  If we had driven that night, for sure someone was going to die on the way home.  I think we knocked out a little before midnight to a deep slumber. 

Monday morning, the weather was the complete opposite of Sunday.  It was raining.  It wasn’t pounding rain, but it was definitely enough to get you wet.  On the ride home, we stopped by Casa de Frutta and bought some snacks.  We munched on garlic flavored pistachios, guacamole flavored pistachios, jalapeno flavored pistachios, strawberries, peaches, and left over inari sushi from our drive up to NorCal.

When we made a pit stop at Bakersfield, my boss calls.  I play it off as if I’m at work, saying how the weather is nice, asking about how his vacation is, and our phone conversation ends.  I fist pump in triumph, successfully playing hookie. 

And then he calls back.  “Can you send me that stock analysis you made on Friday?”

Oh shit.  No fucking way.  “Sure thing, I’ll send it right to you.”

Fransauce said he could take me to work and wait for ten minutes as I did my task.  But I didn’t feel like going to work after playing hookie all day. 

Man, talk about being stressed out!! Fransauce felt it: you can cut through the internal tension and turmoil going about my head with a knife. 

Should I go?  Man that sucks.  Ten minutes?  To write a frikkin e-mail??  And make Fransauce wait???  But it’s for my boss, and I love him.  I’m supposed to be at work anyways.  No, you made the decision to cut work today.  We all did.  Well not Fransauce, but we both made the decision to leave Monday morning.  Don’t regret anything.  That’s what you always tell yourself.

Finally, I blurt out, “Fransauce, I don’t wanna go to work.”

He hits the power button on the stereo.  “What’s bothering you Klaude?”

“I REALLY don’t wanna go to work.  How about we not go, and just go straight to Matt’s place?”

“You sure?  I don’t mind stopping by your work…”

“No, I’ll play it off.  It’s cool.  Let’s just go to Matt’s house.”

So we head off to Matt’s house instead, and my ditch day is complete.  We catch up with Matt as he feeds us some bomb ass chicken in his “secret” recipe, drink a few beers, and play some MW3. 

So, if there was one word I could describe the NorCal surf, it would be RAW.  Everything up there is RAW.  The weather, the waves, the winds, every thing was RAW.  But make no mistake, you need good rubber to be in those waves!  I was glad I got to experience a full spectrum of surf there, with gloomy skies and non-stop paddling, to sunny skies and unforgiving raw surf, and finally sunny afternoon surf with just a few guys out. 

Mahalos to Fransauce for taking me up there and showing me around.  Mahalos to all his family and friends that showed me a great time.  And always, mahalos to Mother Ocean!