(click
on pics for a larger version)
When:
Where:
Weather:
Surf:
Tides:
Who: |
Sat.,
December 21, 2002 - mid-afternoon
Tres Palmas
Partly Sunny and light
offshores, clear blue water (trunks & long sleeve lycra)
10' with larger sets
and clean conditions, no current
High going low
Alex and myself only
ones out |
Winter
Solstice Day 2002. Slept in today since a cold and sore throat
kept me up most of the night. After a mid-morning breakfast as the
Villa we headed out to check the surf. Maria's was very crowded so
we decided to check out other spots. We cruised by some of our regular
west coast reefs, briefly visited with a friend but couldn't coax him to
join us at a ledgy, cavey reef so after a drink and talkin' story we headed
off to TR. To our dismay the wind had continued to pick up knocking down
the swell there with the high tide no help. We checked Maria's again
but it was still super crowded, but a beautiful tubey 5-8'. My favorite
peak at Maria's, the rock, was loaded with folks so we decided to check
Steps and it's area reefs. Surprisingly, a small Tres Palmas was
breaking with only one person out. He wasn't there for long out on
the northern peak and paddled in. Alex and I started at Steps, caught
a couple of 3 footers, but Tres Palmas was looking oh-so tempting and clean
so we decided to paddle out. This was Alex's first go-out since heaving
on Day One at Brian's Place, so I was a little concerned about his strength
but he reassured me that he felt fine so we paddled out via the channel.
Taking our time on the paddle out we paused a couple of times, watched
the sets roll in, and tried to figure out a good line-up position.
It's a lot different without the familiar three royale palms as line-up
points.
Pictures from December
29th
Looking out to Tres Palmas
from
atop "Steps." |
|
View of Tres Palmas from
the
porch at the Playa
Oeste art gallery. |
Peaking wave ready for takeoff. |
|
Nice feathering long
right
at Tres Palmas.
|
We caught them a
little bigger on Dec 21st but these are plenty good as well.
We were
lined up about 10 minutes before the first set rolled through, but we were
slightly out of position from the peak, not being able to catch the thick
sloping shoulders on our bodyboard and paipo. After paddling north
another 20 yds or so we were in better position for the southern, inside
peak... and just in time for a clean-up set to roll through. Alex
had been playing it more cautiously so was able to punch through the feathering
lip, but no so luck for me as I just rode the soup out and paddled back
via the channel. He looked like a little insect against the translucent
lip and spray. Alex caught his first wave while I was paddling out, a beautiful
10'+ peak with a nice drop and turn, lining up for down the line, did a
5' free fall as the wave jacked up, bottomed turned and kicked out.
I caught my first TP wall about 10 minutes later after two failed attempts.
As the thick peak pitched over about 10 feet to my left, I dropped down
about half way before turning midface as the lip pealed over me, raced
down the line, cranked a hard cutback into the face and chased the bowl
just down the line before the wave died in deep water. We each caught
one more before paddling in as a storm system moved in. A surprising
and pleasant way to ride some swell on the Winter Solstice Day. In honor
of Foon, I even scraped my knee on the reef like a total kook when paddling
out :) Just suffering from a mild case of absent-mindedness. |
