GP2K5 Surfing Short Story - Ophelia Strikes!
by PaipoJim (Oregon)
Got
down to the house at 4:00 PM on Monday with my daughter and found the
guys all loaded up and ready to hit it. Ali hit the sack for about 4
hours and we guys went to a spot just under the Hook and were
confronted with crisp well-formed lines with a light side to offshore
wind. Rod and Giles thought it looked better at a spot about a quarter
mile down the beach from us but those that went out did so right where
we parked. The swell was running at a real consistent ten seconds and
it took me over 20 minutes to get outside as there was absolutely no
let up in the waves. When I got outside the only one else around was Da
Griz and we had to swim constantly to keep positioned in front of the
trucks due to a steady sideshore drift current down the beach.
The bigger sets were coming through every 10 to 12 minutes and I caught
my first one outside but didn't quite make the shoulder after I dropped
in. Rod showed up about that time and he seemed to get more waves by
staying a little further in and not neccesarily waiting for the largest
sets. I saw Griz take off on a big one and
I took the next wave left and then didn't see him for awhile until I
noticed him a little further up towards the Hook with Rod and now Neal
on a longboard.
The waves in front of the trucks had what seemed to me fairly flat
shoulders so I drifted down to where Rod & Giles had first
suggested cuz it looked to me as those waves were throwing their lips
out a little more. When I got down there it the edge of the sandbar
seemed to be a few yards closer to shore and the bigger sets were
definitely forming more vertical walls. It was also easier to maintain
a consistent line-up position and I got a good short right and another
three screaming lefts where I could set the edge of the paipo in the
face. The surf was really terrific and despite some loose talk about
what might have been the height of the uppermost droplet of spray on
the feathering peak of the set wave of the day, the surf would best be
described as a good, solid, legitimate five feet.
As the sun got closer to setting almost in the water I couldn't see
anyone else out anymore so I came in despite the fact that there was a
good hour of surfable light left. I met up with Jeff, Tom, and Griz in
Jeff's truck as I was walking back up the beach. Back to the house for
a congenial dinner with all and then watched a surf movie with Giles
and Rod while others hot-tubbed and/or went off to smoke cigars.
It rained during the night and I went for a little exploratory drive
down to Frisco at 6:30 AM on Tuesday morning. It was blown out pretty
bad and there were intermittent squalls coming on-shore from the upper
reaches of Ophelia. Got back to the Avon house a little before eight to
see a couple of loaded four-wheel drive trucks ready
to get out to the vicinity of the Hook again. My duaghter wanted to
wait and go out with Svetlana later and that's too bad because it
resulted in her missing it entirely. We went out further up into the
Hook this time but conditions were not nearly as good as the evening
before. Although the sun was still out up here, the tide was higher,
the wind was definitely worse, and the downshore current was stronger.
On top of that the waves were at least a foot lower; call it a sloppier
3 to 4.
I took some pictures before I went out and got some passable ones of
Tom and Neal. (Sorry Jeff and Giles, I didn't find any of you when I
went through them.) I posted some of them here in the Guido pix section and have some more and also those in original 2500x1900 format if anyone wants them:
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/guidopalooza/lst
You can get them from Rod as he has copies too.
Getting out was a lot easier in the small surf but the waves were
increasingly crumby. After seeing KC, Rod, Neal and others float off
down the beach I walked back to the truck in the pouring rain to news
we were to evacuate the island. Left at 1:00 PM Tuesday for a total
stay of 21 hours.
Two surf sessions in less than one day isn't bad though, and Monday
evening was what it is all about. Jeff, thanks for your invitation and
also for the rides to and from the surf in your 4-wheeler.
Maybe I'll see you all next year.
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