Washerwoman's Sprain

I guess this will work...

It's been almost three months since my right wrist started being a pain and was shortly thereafter declared a sprain by my GP. It still hasn't fully recovered, despite my best hope-orientated attempts and positive thoughts. So today I followed up on my doctor's referral and saw an orthopedist. She was quick to diagnose me with de Quervain's tenosynovitis (aka gamer's thumb, washerwoman's sprain, and mommy thumb), hopefully because it was blindingly obvious and not because she was in an HMO rush. After a cortisone injection into the offending tendon and application of a humongous splint, I was out the door, with instructions to pop high-dose Aleve twice daily and wear the sprint at all times except while bathing for the next month.

Unlike the wrist brace I wore earlier, the new splint wraps over my thumb, making common movements difficult and popping up again a challenge. Still, the doctor put no restrictions on surfing, swimming or other activities, except that I have to wear this darn thing, so I can't complain! I'll do what it takes to get past this and back on track toward my goal of being a decent shortboarder.

Dancing & Dynamite (Miramar)

Since the Jetty was next to flat this morning, I drove back south a bit to the general vicinity of a new and more exposed spot in Half Moon Bay favorited by my buddy Manabu. No one was out and the waves were mixed up, but I could see a few possibilities. And having read this Old Guy Sage Advice just yesterday, I was going to surf, regardless.

Getting down the bluff to the beach was tricky; the nearest choices were a sort of stair/ladder/slide made of driftwood or a dirt path with a rope to get over the steepest bit. I went for the former, thinking it looked more manageable with a 7'0" surfboard.

Made it down!

The journey to the lineup was no easier once I got to the sand. I couldn't see a rip current, which left me relying on luck and fast paddling, and hoping for a lull. 

I persevered to the outside, where the waist- to chest-high waves were often doubling and tripling up, with a few shoulders here and there, and larger closeouts rolling through periodically.

Since I was alone, it was good practice in wave-reading, trying to paddle to the shifting peak position, letting the poorly-formed swells pass by, and paddling out to avoid closeout sets exploding on my head. After my share of misses, deliberate and otherwise, and a few mild beatings on the inside, I unproudly rode some whitewater. At last I caught a right and then a left, but couldn't keep my nose in the air on the drops. The waves were pitching, and I wished I'd brought my 6'2" instead.

Taking a clue from a triangular bubble pattern that seemed to form more consistently a bit north, I moved to a peak in front of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society. There I caught and rode a nice right, dancing over the bumps all the way to the shallows. It was even sweeter and stokier since I'd had to work so hard for it. Then the mad dash back to the lineup, where I searched for another such nugget. It took a while, but I found another fun right. Old Guy was right; I'm glad I paddled out. Stoked!

Made it back up!

Awesome name!

Surfline: Mainly NW windswell and some leftover SW groundswell continue this morning as we pass high tide. Surf for most better breaks is running waist-chest-head high, with a few slightly larger peaks for top windswell exposures. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 4.9 ft at 8.3 s WNW 44 / WIND WAVE: 6.2 ft at 5.9 s WNW / WVHT: 7.9 ft / APD: 6.3 s / MWD: 297° (Met) WSPD: 16 kn / GST: 19 kn / WVHT: 7.9 ft / DPD: 8.0 s / WDIR: 320° / ATMP: 53° F / WTMP: 52° F. Tide: 3.5' high, dropping slightly.

Reward and Risk (HMB Jetty)

Baby picture; she's 2 now

Saturday I'd planned to make the long journey north to Bolinas in Marin County for a ladies longboarding day with Perrin, Caro, Heather and some of her surf girl friends. A serious medical crisis with our youngest cat, Zoe, scratched that plan. Before we visited her in the hospital this morning, I was able to surf closer to home and give thanks in the Church of Surf that she is out of danger. And that the wind was calm, letting waist- to chest-high+ waves roll in unmolested at my home break. I'd thought the surf would be smaller and didn't want to work too hard for my wave fix, so I'd brought my 7'0" Emm. After a disappointing last session and the stress of the last few days, I badly needed to ride some waves.

Christian came over in the parking lot to say hi, and I crossed the street with him, Vanessa and her buddy Bob. Early last week there was an alert for elevated levels of indicator bacteria at Surfer's Beach (only called that by non-surfers; it's the Jetty to us). Sure enough, there was a single warning sign, which the others missed because they took a different path down the low bluff. I didn't mention it, nor did I heed it. When the water was tested six days ago, who's to say if it's still contaminated or not?

Christian, Vanessa, and Bob hit the beach

I paddled out nearer the main break than my longboarding acquaintances, but found no joy there. The current pulled me southward to a better peak and I caught a handful of fun rights and lefts on the inconsistent sets. I was stoked to make a tricky drop and ride out a left, and had my longest green ride in a long time on a right that reformed several times. Yeah!

Vanessa sported a white Gath helmet, and when I drifted near, asked why I wasn't wearing mine. I explained that a couple bad hits of wipeout whiplash last year were almost certainly made worse by the helmet, so now I reserve it for special situations where head-whacking seems more likely (longboarding at a crowded spot over shallow reef, for example). She told me she'd left hers off for a while but hit her head on two occasions, on her longboard and on the bottom, so went back to wearing the helmet. It's a balancing of risks, and thus far, my calculation has been correct.

The tide was dropping and the wind was picking up a bit. As I awaited my last wave in, J-Bird paddled out with dry hair, wearing gloves against the chilly water. A lull ensured, and then we caught one together. As I passed laggard Jacob warming up on the beach, I offered the surfers' adage with a smile: "You should've been here earlier." Although I couldn't feel my toes at the end, it was a fun session.

Surfline: NW windswell drops but still offers chest-head high+ waves for exposed areas. SW (205-220) groundswell eventually tops out today with occasional 4'+ sets at select summer standouts. Light wind early, and the tide hits a 0.3' low around 10am. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 9.5 ft at 10.8 s NW 43 / WIND WAVE: 4.9 ft at 6.2 s NW / WVHT: 10.5 ft / APD: 7.6 s / MWD: 313° (Met) WSPD: 16 kn / GST: 17 kn / WVHT: 10.5 ft / DPD: 11.0 s / WDIR: 320° / ATMP: 52° F / WTMP: 50° F. Tide: 2' falling below 1'.

2 For 2 (Hook/Sharks)

I drove for two hours to surf two decent waves.

 And that's all I have to say about that.

Surfline: Fun size SSW-S groundswell continues to offer up 3-4'+ surf at better exposed spots this afternoon while some minor NW windswell mixes in. Town spots remain mostly clean with WNW winds but the surf is a little on the inconsistent side. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 3.3 ft at 14.8 s SSW 42 / 3.3 ft at 10.0 s NW / WIND WAVE: 6.6 ft at 7.1 s WNW / WVHT: 7.2 ft / APD: 5.6 s / MWD: 296° (Met) WSPD: 23 kn / GST: 29 kn / WVHT: 7.2 ft / DPD: 7.0 s / WDIR: 310° / ATMP: 54° F / WTMP: 54° F. Tide: 2' low rising near 3'.

Let's Go Night Surfing

Moon over the SC Wharf

Night surfing is something I've wanted to try for a long time, especially after reading Mark's description in Surfing by Feel. So far, the closest I've come is staying out a bit past sunset at Cowells. Last night as we drove home from the City, the full moon glistening on the quiet water in San Francisco Bay, I thought about it again. If that were the ocean, there would be just enough light to see the waves. I'd hoped to try in the warm, less-toothed seas off Nicaragua, and even brought glowsticks on the trip for such an event, but packed them home again when I couldn't find company. In cold NorCal, however, a few buddies want to join me, so let's do it!

Here's the upcoming full moon schedule:

• 03 July
• 01 August
• 31 August
• 29 September

Keep an eye out around those dates for a confluence of suitable swell, tide, wind and clear night skies in San Mateo County, maybe at the Jetty or Linda Mar. And let's go niiiight suuuurfiiiing!

Update 29 September: Fog happens. Every darn full moon. Maybe someday...

Wave Quest (Montara & Casi Miramar)

Church of Surf this Sunday was tentative planned for the Jetty, with potentially Manabu, Perrin, and J-Bird, Jacob, and Chris meeting me there. I left early to beat the MAMIL (middle-aged men in lycra) heading over the hill in a cycling race, and found the Jetty clean with a sideshore breeze, although small and inconsistent. Since I had a little time, I surf-checked Dunes as well; it was bigger there but marginally-shaped with a steady onshore wind, and the weather forecast suggested it would soon be blown out. I drove back to the Jetty, where half-suited Manabu thought Miramar might offer a middle compromise. While he checked it, I suited up. He reported it was better but someone there had suggested a check of Montara. So I phoned J-Bird, who gave an on-the-spot report that Montara looked good and we should drive up there.

Chris, Jacob and J-Bird, with Manabu suggesting "Over there?"

By some bizarre twist of weather and topology, winds at Montara were light. The waves were much bigger, and Chris and I watched as J-Bird, Jacob and Manabu attempted to paddle out through the whitewater. After a few minutes of watching them struggle, I realized I would never make it out that way. Using my brain instead of brawn I don't possess, I used a nearby rip to get outside. Jacob joined via the same path a little later, reporting that they'd been denied at their first entry spot.

Montara, looking easier than it was

The waves were bigger than the estimate J-Bird had proffered in the parking lot, and as I reached the lineup, I saw one of the few other guys out make a nice overhead drop on a right. Beginner Perrin was running late, and I sincerely hoped she wouldn't attempt to come out. I tried for a few waves, but wasn't in the right spot to get into them. Then I got caught inside on a set, ditching my board and diving deep, only to be dragged and spun shoreward by two waves. My wrist, elbows, and out-of-condition-due-to-injury body aren't up to such a bigger-wave thrashing, so when the third one broke outside of me, I rode the whitewater near shore, paddling over the trench to set my feet on the steep beach. Perrin was there, having already prudently decided to stay dry, and sand-encrusted J-Bird said she wanted to go somewhere else after being thoroughly worked on both the outside and inside.

Almost Miramar

So, back to Miramar. Or what we though was Miramar, in front of the beachside restaurant by the same name. Manabu had told me about it, but none of the rest of us had actually surfed there, and he arrived after us to surf the actual Miramar while we made the best of Casi (almost) Miramar.

The waves still packed some power but were under head high. There was a good deal of chop and many closeouts, but I got a few fun lefts on Rocket.

J-Bird and Perrin waiting for waves

The sermon at the Church of Surf was better last Sunday (although Jacob said he liked today's "fire and brimstone" beginning), but it was still fun to surf with my friends and good to be back on my shortboard.

Surfline: NW wind/groundswell mix gradually fades as new South-SSW(175-190) starts to move in late. Onshore Westerly wind prevails with bumpy/crumbly conditions for most areas as surf runs chest-head high+. The tide hit a -1.6' low around 4:30am and climbs to a 4.9' high at 11:30am. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 5.3 ft at 12.1 s WNW 41 / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 4.2 s NW 40 / WVHT: 5.6 ft / APD: 7.3 s / MWD: 286° (Met) WSPD: 10 kn / GST: 12 kn / WVHT: 5.6 ft / DPD: 12.0 s / WDIR: 310° / ATMP: 54° F / WTMP: 53° F. Tide: 3' rising to 4.5' high.