SteveM Swell Forecast for GuidoPalooza 2002

SteveM provides annual wave and swell forecasts for the GuidoPalooza.  Many GPers have been standing by restlessly awaiting this years forecast... finally, SteveM has weighed in. An excerpt of an alt.surfing post of August 28, 2002 follows-

...Thinking of ECSC,* I then thought about the waves.  They were
    awesome (by East Coast standards).  Their presence help to add to
    my theory that the world is in chaos, and is somehow due to me
    treating the Guidopalooza thermos lightly.  Ya see, ECSC has
    been famous for causing the waves to go flat during the contest,
    and be good just before and after.  Well, ever since the thermos
    incident, hurricanes and other swell-generating events have been
    mostly absent, and ECSC has been building a reputation of actually
    having waves.  OK, the first couple of years are somewhat explained
    by the fact that what few tropical systems we had kinda coincided
    with ECSC, but *this* year was just inexplicable:  Waves were
    chest to head high for at least two days, and no less than waist-high
    throughout the contest.  This all occurring without any major system
    off the coast.  Yeah, there was a little frontal system and low that
    pushed off at some point, but the strength was not the type to
    produce as large of a groundswell that we had.  Just strange I tell
    ya.

Anyway, although it was fun to watch the contest for a little
    while, I had to go get some of the action for myself.  I cruised
    up to the northend where the waves turned out to be a little smaller,
    but still definitely fun and less crowded.  Got some sweet,
    long rides, but also got a few of the usual face-plants too.

Having seen the bikes in your video, which made me think of the
    ECSC, which made me think of the waves, which made me think of
    unusual phenomena, which made me think of the thermos and GP,
    I came to think of this year's Guidopalooza and my usual "wave
    guarantee" for said event.  Even though I still see Foon is
    pre-emptively stating I have made such guarantee when I haven't,
    and even though I was witholding my guarantee in protest, and
    even though I don't hold much hope for a tropical system to
    coincide with the event this year, seeing good waves come from
    apparently nowhere at the ECSC has inspired me to think that
    there can be surf without storms.  Ya just gotta *believe.*
    So, for that reason, and for the reason of not wanting to
    penalize the guiltless along with the guilty (the
    blasphemous-two who shall remain nameless even though I named
    them in some other post), I hereby guarantee there will be,
    at minimum, decent surfable waves at this year's GP.


* The East Coast Surfing Championships, the longest running surfing contest event, held annually in Virginia Beach.

From: Steve M (steve.marsh@verizon.net)
Subject: Re: Grösser ist besser (vid)
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Date: 2002-08-27 22:21:58 PST
All contents of this site ©1999-2002 GuidoPalooza 2002.
Read the entire thread here.