Forgetfulness

 I forgot that I had surfed everyday up until going to New Zealand.  I need to do this again.

Day 119

Last day in Kauai before we go to New Zealand! I made it! I planned on surfing every day until we went to New Zealand and I have done that. So I'm pretty proud of myself. It wasn't easy, I had illness and injury but somehow just kept going and made it. Now I'm in good shape for New Zealand and looking forward to a nice rest. Last day was just 3 waves at Anini. So 119 days in a row!

Day 26

I've been surfing every day. Haven't logged them all however. Not really sure why. Have had some really good days however. I just got done surfing my Coco's. It was really fun. The waves were pretty good size probably 10 foot faces. Had a blast.

Day 13 - 17

Day 13 - East side was too big north

Day 14 - East side was too big north

Both days were really fun, but a little ego hit to not surf the big perfect stuff.

Day 15 - pretty bad pavilions. Wind turned onshore really hard.

Day 16 - Longboarded the bay. So fun caught a lot of waves.

Day 17 - surfed the bay. Was big. Got drilled, but checked it off.

Day 12

In the books.  Best session yet.  Surfed HWs.  More turtles than people out there today.  I had so much fun.  Rode my skate down there for the first time.  Will likely do it more.  Tomorrow it is supposed to be like 50ft, so I'm not sure where I'll surf to get out of the way of that freight train.

Drive Home

Day 11

Had a good session today by myself. That seems to be more the norm when I surf the beach break. I had a look at trees but it was too big and there was a lot of rip current. There were people out, but it didn't look good so I went down the beach to the Cape. Got a couple a good below sea level waves and rode them pretty far for the conditions. It was really heavy beach break but fun.

Drive home pic

Day 10 - Super Bowl Sunday.

It was horrible out there today! I surfed the Cape. Horrible. I'm glad I got that out-of-the-way today. The funny thing is that I did get one decent left. I was able to pump and pick up speed. Hopefully tomorrow's better!

Day 9

So gnarly today! Waited too long. Now a cold front hit. First one. It got really bad fast. Caught 3 waves. Shore pound, but kept the streak alive!

Day eight

Surfed Coco's today. It was really good. Head high and perfect. Only four guys out. I started to surf really well. Although a little bit inconsistent. So much fun!

Day 7

I surf the bay today and it was really good. It was small enough to be manageable for me. Plus my confidence is getting higher. I swam as well today. I swam 1000 m today. My surfing is coming up to par as well. But my back is bothering me now. I'll work through it.

Day 6

It is a lot easier to always be in trunks.  I admit.  This streak, feels far more doable than previous ones.  Retirement + Paradise = Surfing A lot made easy.  At least that is how it feels today.  Maybe it will be different tomorrow.

Surfed some half-formed sandbars in the bay today.  Pretty walled, but still found a couple good ones.  It blows my mind that what I'm surfing daily is better than a good day in El Porto, where I used to live.  Additionally, there is nobody out except for a few tourists.  I guess that is because there are world-class waves all over the joint.  It is weird surfing solo all the time, but I love it.

Swam 750m today and worked on holding my breath.  I feel like I'm pretty close to getting into some more challenging surf.

I'm looking forward to being in top shape for our trip to New Zealand / Bali?  Or wherever there are some good waves.  I'm starting to get my grom-stoke back!

Day 5 – I feel like the Martian!

I find myself planning everything and advanced making sure that I can make my sessions so I feel like the Martian. OK well it's not really like that, but I feel like I have to plan around my surf sessions now to make sure that I make it a continuous streak prior to going to New Zealand.

This morning, scratch that, today I went to pavilions yet again. The reason why is that it has been big and I'm not really ready to make the paddle into 6-8 foot waves at a legitimately heavy break. Anyway, I had fun and I'm starting to get my groove back so it is really exciting. However, I have a lot to work on in terms of my cardio, strength etc. I just got a membership at the local pool so hopefully that will give me the confidence to get out when it gets big.  Nothing worse then breaking a board/leash when you are way offshore and in a lot of current.

Days until New Zealand!

Also days left in streak.

Day 4

The waves picked up today again. I served pavilions again to get out of the way of the bigger sets. I'm still out of shape. I went and checked my Coco's but it wasn't that great because it had some size. So today I had a couple of good turns however. I'm pretty happy with how it's progressing so far. It is really fun to get out the water.

Live Kauai, Vacation California?

That is what we are doing  now.  It is weird.  Being around all these people coming from our new home where there are so few people.  Looking forward to the next stage of our life.  I'd be lying if I said that I'm not anxious and in my head a lot.  Also, looking back at some of the blogs that I have posted, I think I'm going to start blogging again.  It is very therapeutic and I love to write.

Been a while - I think I'll start this up again

In Kauai - amazing place for sure.  Caught a lot of waves the other day, it is amazing that I have purposefully avoided the Hawaiian Islands until now.  I remember my high school friends telling me that some locals hassled them.  I didn't need that, I preferred to go elsewhere.  Interesting that at age 41, I'm not worried about being hassled as much anymore.  The pride is gone, the ego is a shadow of what it was.  Surfing the waves the other day was easy, coming out of deep water.  I have the data to prove it...  Oh and I got partially hassled...

I'm trying so hard to turn that corner!!!

My new board seems ok. Seems like it maybe a bit too much foam, but I don't know yet.

I think I'm ready to just walk away from my job. Not for another job, just walk... That's awesome. The only thing in life that I have never quit is surfing... So why not just stick to that? Everything else will work itself out...

Trying to turn the corner

I've done it a number of times, but never sustainably. Hopefully this time it is. I have a kid on the way and I'm looking forward to that, but I need to get a balanced life going.

But, I'm pretty much depressed otherwise and I need to shake the funk before this whole story ends really bad... Which when I think about that, it may be the best thing and that's kind of funny.

I missed the the WSA in Huntington yesterday. I would have really liked to have been there. I actually went and picked up 2 boards from HSS, I saw the WSA set up, it made me sick to my stomach. Yesterday I pretty much decided that was not going to surf them anymore, but I think that was me just being a little bitch, whining and feeling sorry for myself. That's just lame. I'll do what I do and it is that simple, maybe I will, maybe I wont.

This blog is for nobody, it is for me.

6 Down - Feeling it

New pad is working out well.  Took our dog on a run on my skater this morning while I watched the crowded waves - the spotted dude is so outta shape!  This morning was good and I was on it at 5:30.  Surfed until about 7 when it was completely packed out.  Chest high with really good shape.  I had an 8 point ride this morning.  Massive carve to tail release, full rail cut back off the white water hard, two pumps and then blow the tail.  Surfing really well today.  No leash, lost my board once and didn't hold back.  That has me feeling it.  Looking forward to surfing with homey this weekend, it should be fun.  Maybe Dume.  Maybe somewhere else, I don't know.

Back in the saddle... 6 down

I've been keeping a running total in my head.  Made up some ground in Tavi, lost some recently.  6 down.  Fun this morning.  Had some waist high runners with 2 - 3 snaps felt good on the komp.  So stoked to get back on the contest circuit!  Can't wait until August to fire back up!  New apartment, wife, dog.  Getting settled, so stoked.  Oh and I cannot wait until I have internet and TV tomorrow.  That will be awesome.  You don't know until you don't have it for 2 weeks.

My Day

What is love?

Love is one of those things that is hard to define, like the meaning of life, there is no simple way to describe it. So the description takes many forms, sometimes in art, sometimes in music and even sometimes in form of harsh words as a parent tries to protect his offspring from the youthful stupidity of "learning the hard way". So, I will try to describe it to you in my own way. Of course, for me, since I lack that innate ability of artistic expression that is so often associated with effective emotional communication on the topic, I must then take the boring approach of defining it and giving examples of it. Through my trials and tribulations, I have observed that for love to sustain, there are certain things that have to exist. These are Trust, Friendship and Respect. I have also noted that the web that holds these things together is a solid base of consistent Communication. This is what is needed to find a partner that is compatible with you for the long run. It is much beyond the simple visual that you have of walking down the trail with her under your arm and feeling proud that other guys are checking her out. Showing off her curves, being proud of her size the way she looks. Because, you will have some bad times with her, and she'll need to stand by your side when you do. Picturing yourself growing old together is nice, but not a requirement. Yes, I've experimented over the last few years, I tried the alternative types, bigger ones, the sleeker ones, but as I drift in search of the meaning of each relationship, I somehow lost sight of the fundamentals of any relationship. Trust: This has been lacking, that solid feeling off the bottom, that positive feeling when you take a cutback off the whitewater, the ability to release her tail and show it to the guys out the back, yet not be jealous if they want to ride her. Then there is Friendship: Those days when it is windy and there is nobody else around, you have to have that connection to just have fun with her no matter what the conditions are. To enjoy each others presence, to be able to reach down and feel her rail and know that she is meant for you. Respect: She stands on her own merit, she makes you proud. Communication: Transferring your desire through your feet, giving each other positive feedback. What does this equal? You see I have found love again, she is shorter by an inch, a little skinner, but just a tad thicker, she has traditional values as I'm done experimenting with the alternative types and yes, we have a connection. Yes, I love my new Rusty Redline.

What is love, baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more...

34/32 - Contest Overview

Got out there today. Too much party yesterday - so tired...

Tough day for me. I surfed on the wrong board, but that wasn't the problem. I just surfed really shitty, on edge, sketchy and not a lot to offer. Yeah, I'd like to make excuses… The truth is that I don't know why I surfed like that, I have no excuses. It was still a super fun day with probably the best waves that we saw all year on our little gimmick tour. My 5th versus Jay's 3rd are not representative of how we surfed. Jay surfed very solid but, but in the end I think he was handicapped by his 2.5 move repertoire as it seemed the judges eventually got tired of seeing the same moves out of him. I know he is confident and hopefully, this lights a bit of a fire under his ass to figure out how to add a variation or two to his portfolio. He has consistency but not enough variation and function to his surfing to really compete against Yari and as such he'll be relegated to slug it out for second place as long as YV is in the game.

In the end, Jay pushed Yari to the repo, where I struggled to get through with a 3rd in that heat, just outdoing some very nervous newcomer. But Yari? He knew it all along. He'd win. He always does. He can surf within himself and almost guarantee a win; he varies his surfing, both on the forehand and backhand enough to take down anyone. His surfing is functional, stylish and powerful. Even when he picked off the small insiders, when it seemed like he was panicking because he hadn't caught a wave with only 5 minutes left in the heat (Jay's heat), be he wasn't panicking, he knew that he'd do enough. That quick bottom-turn, that tail release, that snap. He's too good, he stands alone. Can he be beat? Certainly, they are 15 minute heats so anything can happen. Jay beat him in that heat with a close decision (1 judge had Yari winning), but is anyone better than him in our division? Absolutely not. Jay was excited after our finals heat, I did not see his waves, but I saw 2 of Yari's and from the back and I knew the competition was for 2nd place. At one point a right was coming for us (me and Yari) and he calmly asked if I wanted it, probably knowing that it did not matter. I was beaten; I had nothing left, so I just said "No" and watched him dismantle it. He was in the right spot but was willing to give it to me. Knowing that it was rightfully his, I could not say, "Yeah, I'll take that from you." I just couldn't and I didn't have anything left anyway. I'm surprised I got 5th to be honest. I'm very happy with my result to be certain.

Munsterman, Penning and Mezak are probably in the second tier. Wolfe is a wild card for certain. He could be at the bottom or the #2 guy on any given day. His surfing is powerful and probably more functional than anyone else's (he can make it around sections and link turns better than anyone). He saved Jason from getting a 6th place finish in the Open Men's with a nuclear meltdown. I don't know if it was drugs or what, but he just started snaking people. It made it entertaining to be sure! I'm down in the next tier, probably just me and Salick. My surfing is too erratic too all over the place to truly contend. Can I get lucky? Of course, I ride big gnarly as well as anyone out there, but that is not what wins these contests. Maybe a lucky heat with a barrel or something, I can win. That won't stop me from trying!!! I'll keep getting better, certainly I will, I'd like to be in the 2nd tier. Jay probably needs add a tailslide and a functional cutback to his bottom turn and blast / floater bag of tricks to get out of the second tier. The judges made it clear that 2 moves are not enough… Maybe Yari will lose interest. Maybe we'll get better when we are 40 and seniors. We are still kids, we are still dreaming, that keeps us young certainly… I almost certainly have to go to Morro Bay now. Suddenly, I cannot wait!

Oh yeah.

Jason versus the volcano 28/29 - down 1

No surf today, I have to focus. I have to be in the right frame of mind for an epic showdown at Salt Creek. It is reading like a movie script, with the protagonist being the against-all-odds alcoholic making a surfing comeback. I, the antagonist have to do everything in my power to try and undermine the improbable comeback of our hero. I'm the spoiler. I'm underhanded and backstabbing. Crude, rude, tough and mean. None of the other peripheral characters know this, but you do, the movie goer, the reader, the hopeful onlooker. Even our hero takes me at face value, but then again, he can only see the good in people. He is completely blind to the underhanded tactics that the enemy is employing, it is just his personality, and it is the reason why you root for him. In the shadows, I lurk, doing everything I can to keep the unlikely from happening. It is up to me, to keep the alcoholic from making his heroic and historic run to the top of the leader board, stopping him dead in his tracks from doing something that will be passed down in surfing lore or in an against-all-odds sequel. That is why I won't surf today. To let my body rest, to be fit and ready for tomorrow, to do whatever it takes to stand in his way. I want to be Butler's Duke, the one that capsizes this Cinderella story. The big stage is set for what could be the final act in this epic drama. You see it is against all odds that our hero put down the bottle, that he stood up out of the gutter, dusted off and reconnected himself to his surfboard. Misstep after painful misstep, he somehow still sits within striking distance, and this is the hook, the drama that gets the viewer attached to the outcome of the story. It would be too easy if he were to exploit his talent from day 1 and dominate the scene like he should. He is our Tom Cruise, he should be at the top, but he'll have to get there by overcoming adversity. Were he secure in his dominance, the audience would lose the will to root for him. Missing the final by 1 wave because he didn't have a watch, forgetting to sign up for San Clemente, the nervous starts that garnered 2 last place finishes, if this was not enough, the story teller unleashes another curveball. It is the India subplot which is never really explained to the audience but looms large as an unsurpassable challenge making the reader want to concede; giving up on our hero is less painful than seeing him through to certain failure. Yes, it is almost certain that he will miss Salt Creek, he will not get the girl at the end of this feel good story. The writer wrestles with the script and struggles with scenarios that will keep him in the game. He smoked a little too much sticky green one night and he thought he had it! It would be, James Bondesque, he would charge to the planes emergency exit after it had already taken off and just as it passes over Salt Creek he would pop the emergency exit jumping out with his board and air surfing all the way down to the water just in time to make the contest. Realizing that this was a chemically induced lack of judgment, he had to go back to the drawing board. It has to be improbable, but believable. The simple randomness of the event has to be such that it creates this believability, falling under the "who could make that shit up" umbrella. Ready to go, ticketed, he is walking down the jetway to his plane, all is lost. But no! What's that? Muffled over the loud speaker, "…delayed…" Flights to Europe are delayed? What? Why? The transatlantic crossing that the Spirt of St. Louis is known for has been shut down due to Dante's Inferno rearing his ugly head on that frosty little island of Iceland! It is fitting that hell's wraith as Dante describes it is the representation. For it is the last of his nine circles of hell, that our hero will have to overcome to triumph. Yes, betrayal, the ninth, the worst of Dantes circles of hell; it is here, the symbolism that is being put forth to satisfy the writers desire for meaning over entertainment. This is the place where we lose most of the audience, but for the astute, the ones that want to get into to the mind of the storyteller, they do research and it is his hope that they realize depth of the symbolism that has been embraced to make a point. It is with these gimmicks that the writer hopes to catch a reviewers eye, and to make it a classic. It is his hope that this drama will not be forgotten, but be used to teach fundamental truths of good versus evil for generations to come. Our antagonist, the betrayer, has first been foiled by the angry Icelandic inferno and now he must create bolder more devious plans. This is where we are now. How will the next chapter play out? Will our hero win? Will the villain's tactics prevail?

This story and "In God’s Hands" are the best evidence for surfers to stay away from trying to be intellectual. This could easily contend for the title of worst production of all time, which “In God’s Hands” currently owns… At least this one is non-fiction.

Anyway, I'm ready to surf tomorrow, I feel pretty good, I'll pick Jay up at 5:30. Even without any drama, well have a fun day of surfing since at Salt Creek! That is why I'm not surfing today. Rest for multiple sessions tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it!

25/25 - got it done and it was fun...

Got a lot done this morning, including a surf.  Big windswell peaks, out of control and ended in the rain.  Not a person in the water except me.  I actually caught some fun ones, I think that is because I'm used to surfing shitty waves, which in this case, it wasn't that bad.  I would've stayed out if I didn't have to go to work.There was a rainbow out at sea for my whole 45 min session.

More like a truth cookie.

Never seen a fortune like this.

24/24 - so shitty today.

From the best day in the last 6 months to the worst.  Weather was cloudy and there was some wind on it.  I was a little hungover to boot.  I caught 6 waves though, it was still fun.  Nap now.

23/23 Lowers - so good.

Surfed Trestles with Jay, but for some reason he decided to surf san'o instead of uncrowded lowers - I posted up... So good. Surfed for 4 hours until I buckled the nose of my board. The 3 buckle or major board trauma in 2 months...

My favorite surfer and the best of all time, but… 22/22

it still needs to be said. Yeah we know you dinged up your foot. Yeah, I'm sure you felt it, I'm sure it hurt. Dude, don't be a drama queen! You don't need to limp down the beach and then pull massive turn after massive turn and then limp back onto the sand to demonstrate how heroic you are. "I don't care if my foot falls off I'm still surfing, haha (smile)" ? You are not pulling some dude out of a trench in Afghanistan and saving his life, you are surfing. One time I put duct tape over my stitches on my stomach so that I could surf, I think I should've gotten a medal for that one, especially because I wasn't getting paid to surf…

Maybe people like these "overcoming the odds" stories, but I'm over it. Parko jacked his ankle last year and it cost him the world title, I didn't hear shit out of him. Maybe he was saying it, but I just didn't hear him making excuses. Kelly, you won the f'ing contest dude...

By-the-way, I had a good surf this morning. Wind swell, so fun.

Hot air cold water

Damn it looks good out there.

I'll be even after this sesh... I can wait to take apart some
springtime wedges!

Buy American... Mazda

15/15 - Good Friday - so good!

Last years post:

http://portosurf.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-23-good-friday-and-i-mean-good.html

It was really good today.  The only problem is that it was so consistent once you caught a wave it was a fight to get back out.  Anyway, I surfed for a long time on this Good Friday like last year.  I got thumped over and over for sure.  I was thrown to the bottom multiple times, most of which included me holding onto my board as a result of a duck dive.  But the payoff was a barrel fest.  I got tons of barrels but only came out of 2.  So fun, so good.

Yesterday was 14/14

It was out of control.  I was the only one out.  I made it outside somehow and then got stuck in a rip that sent me out to sea.  I was able to paddle out of that back into the line up to immediately get cleaned up by a bomb set.  Some how I got 3 waves in about 45 minutes, but it was not easy.  Glad I did it though.

The next time I think it's hard to surf...

I'll look at this photo.  Tom sent it yesterday.  It is from Tahoe on Monday.  You have to be pretty hardcore...

I cannot begin to explain...

To you how bad this is going to suck. Super consistent, windy, big and
cold. My back hurts and i'm tired. Play a violin for me please.