Summer in the Channel

I slept until 8 and woke up not feeling well. My upper body tight and sore, my stomach sour, my eyes puffy and not knowing what I was going to do with my life. I can barely face today. I looked at the campus surf cam. About three guys in the water and some soft toppers and suppers walking down to the beach. I imagined the Saturday crowd at my break. Summertime water people, blech. Well, I’ll be cool and just paddle to move my body and circulate the blood.

The parking lot was surprisingly empty. I really thought it was going to be a fuckfest of families and other type weekend people. Unfortunately, as I was driving up a gal and guy with surfboards turned around when they saw me, followed me in their car and wanted to know where the break was. I begrudgingly told them half a mile and they had to pay for parking.

Another surprise, no one was out when I got to the cliff and sectiony crystal blue 2-footers steeped all over the place. The sky was gray with the sun slowly conquering the morning marine layer and the water was glass, glass, glass. I wasn’t sure where to sit. I started out in front of jailhouse and slowly moved to the point. The well formed southys near the shore were quick, but I needed to be way outside to successfully catch the close-out larger waves in the sets and I had to catch them late and in the curl. Fun.

The couple finally found the beach so I paddled way far out to the point--far and near the rocks. This is what I call McDonalds-looks better than it tastes. And as I supposed, the man followed me—although there were no other people out and lots of other breaks (rude!). The woman paddled after the man. Finally a wave came and I caught it over the rocks and made it look as good as I could. The couple paddled out to where I had been sitting and I paddled back inside where the waves were more consistent, steeper and better shaped. They never looked back. Be a smart surfer.

A novice supper paddled about, not digging his paddle in properly and unable to catch a wave. A school of about 8 women came out and played in the sandy area in front of jailhouse. Summertime water people.
As the tide changed the steepness increased and the consistency was fabulous. I slid down lefts and rights and got inside tight closeouts at the curl. And the sun was bright and the sky blue and the color and clarity of the water amazing. It’s no winter waves, but when you’re not expecting anything, haven’t had anything, and you’re greeted with color and beauty, then you have everything.

I found a piece of olive green seaglass and a cornflower blue both about the size of dimes and a pretty aqua blue green the size of a quarter. After two hours at the beach, I went home and now I’m writing this.