Neal

The time flew by as we traveled in darkness and no traffic.  As the sun rose, we stopped for morning relief and breakfast food.  By 10 am we were pulling into the Rodanthe Pier parking lot.  We literally pulled up on the dune and were dismayed with the wave conditions.  We watch the two surfers that were in the line up.  Finally a set wave came through and one of them took off.  We were surprised to see that it was chest high.  We quickly decided to break out some boards and paddle out.  I placed a quick call to Rod and left a message as to our whereabouts.  We had a good warm up session.  The four of us traded waves and occasionally laughed at each other as we worked out the bugs.  After an hour +, the pier manager came out and started yelling at us.  Yeah we were to close to the pier and decided we had better paddle farther away before lead sinkers were tossed in our direction.  Two hours after our session started we decided to pack it in and head for Avon.  As we dried off in the parking lot, the park ranger approached us.  He advised us that the pier manager reported some surfers “tugging on the fishing lines and swearing at the fishermen.”  We quickly advised the park ranger that the pier manager must be smoking crack cause we had respected his demands to move.

We headed to Avon and met up with Rod and Kirk who were already drinking at the GP house.  Everyone began arriving and we quickly got moved in and settled.  Myron and Dee Dee showed up and everyone got to socializing.  We eventually decided to get our first session in as a group.  Just about everyone came out.  We traded some choppy wind swell with each other and had a good sunset session.  After working up an appetite, we headed in and had Mexican fiesta night.    Good stuff…. and HOT too!

Sunday morning’s surf had little to be desired so we opted for custom omelets and bloody marys.  Then we headed off in search of better waves.  Needless to say we really did not find anything better so we went back to the GP break and declared it a “PARTY SURF SESSION.”  Robb came equipped with an inflatable cooler.  It was quickly loaded with beer and anchored outside the take off zone.  Instant party atmosphere!  Everyone was taking waves, goofing around, and drinking in the line up.  It was a great beach day.  Robb decided to forecast the next  day’s waves as “dog $hit” and made the decision to leave his floating cooler out in the line up.  What he was really doing was playing the part of the high priest and delivering the sacrificial lamb to Huey’s alter.  We hoped it worked.  GP award night began with steak fajitas and fresh guacamole.  The GP awards were a blast.  Each prize was carefully presented and recipient speeches slightly slurred.  I was happy to be the recipient of the Rico and Lynn Bates Shirt award for most enthusiasm and stoke. The evening ended with Cuban cigars and dip in the hot tub. 

On Monday morning I woke up for a pre-dawn check.  The wind was light and the surf looked clean.  There was nothing to compare the size too.  The cooler was upside down in the shore break.  I decided that I was heading out but, I wasn’t sure I was willing to wake up the “near dead” GPers.  I was waxing up in the driveway when Pat came down for a surf check.  We walked together and he watched as I paddled out.  To my surprise, the waves were a shoulder high with an occasional head high set wave.  Many of those were clean and semi glassy.  My first and second waves were awesome.   They were easy drops to the right and then a smoking line to the beach.  Nice shoulders for cutbacks and speed in the pocket.  They could have been a bit hollower, but I ain’t complaining!  The rest of the crew came out and surfed.  Unfortunately, the wind was on it and really decreased the size by 9:30am.  Time for blueberry pancakes.  The midday was filled with a jaunt down the island and stopping at few shops.  I went out for a surf session later that day on one of Rod’s piapo boards.  It was fun session with a couple of head high rollers still making their way in.  I caught a right that lined up and allowed me to carve off the top about four times.  I also caught a head high wave that face planted me hard and bent my back in a direction that it wasn’t meant to go.  The evening was topped off with amazing smoked burgers (1lb each), jerk chicken, and macaroni pie.

On our last morning, the surf was chopped up with a side shore wind and the tide was all wrong.  We went out anyway.  We had a fun session and I used Rods old G&S Hot Curl board.  The board is as old as me.  It was fun and funky.  Dee Dee joined us in the line up that morning as she ventured out on a Bruce Jones longboard she rented from a local shop.  We all caught as many waves as we could and enjoyed the sunrise.  It was one of those sessions you hate to see end.  Not cause the waves were good, but because the GP was over.  We hiked over the dune one last time and headed for the showers.  The ride home was smoother than packing the 10 surfboards and 5 guys into my Suburban.  We were crammed.

Sad to see the GP end but I had a great time.  Although the Annapolis Surf Club was in heavy attendance, it’s always good to see Myron, Steve, Dee Dee, and Ferg again.  They truly represent the best of AS.

Until next year,

Neal