Safetosea

It had to come sometime.

Last Wednesday, a quiet work day (again) and the report of some good waves prompted me to nip down for an early. Got to the place most likely with hopes that the crowd might be reasonable. It was, but though delightful to look at, the swell was sporadic.

Opting to go out anyway very early in the session, having decided perhaps wrongly to go Bells instead of Winki, I had the misfortune to overhear a conversation abut a wave I had paddled for and backed out of somewhat ungracefully on seeing a guy coming through on the inside.

Apparently the question to the offending answer was "who nearly took off in front of me?"

The answer, etched now on my hearing neurons...forever.

"The old guy"

Ouch...

The chap who said it spotted that I'd overheard, smiled, and then said " I suppose I shouldn't throw stones.. I'm no spring chicken myself." I laughed and commented that I still think I had twenty years on him.

Whatever, the tone was set, and for that session, or at least most of it, slow and less than spring loaded was how I felt.

The session was rescued later by a good run through Rincon before getting dropped in on, and a pretty fair wave with a nice slice off the top, that gave me that shooshy sound as I swung around.

As they say, one good turn deserves another but my follow up turn coming off the next bottom turn ended in near disaster as the wave suddenly flattened and I hit a bump. Went for about five feet balanced on one leg doing a reasonable impression of a statue of someone running, 'cept I was doing it on a surfboard.

Went in after too long, woke up with a cold.

Hastily snapped pics... Winki, and Bells.