Brian Plays Hooky
Well, I wasn’t the Wind-Skunkie on April 30th, 2004. I really hadn’t given much thought to sailing yesterday as I didn’t think that much wind was in the forecast. Perhaps that’s why I should’ve known that good wind was a sure thing at Leo Carillo. I just happened to check the morning conditions on iWindsurf and was shocked to see that the wind was already averaging 14mph out of the West at 11:00 AM, with the lulls coming in approaching the magic 10mph rate. I called a friend and informed him of the surprise development. Like most of us, he knew that he should be spending the day working on something important, other than his jibes. That thought was fleeting and was soon displaced with the realities of the atmospheric conditions at Leo. Mitchell, like a good husband, got his wife’s blessing. Me, well…I won’t go into my position on the “good husband” meter.
I told Mitchell that if the lulls hit 10mph I was heading down. The next report showed the lulls at 10mph with the average at 17mph. When I first saw the ocean, I noticed a little low cloud condition way off of the beach and there were whitecaps a plenty. After pulling into a sweet parking spot on PCH [Pacific Coast Highway], I got out of the car and knew that it was going to be a good day. There were still some set waves in the 5’+(face height) range coming in occasionally and the tide was extremely low. The wind was filled in to the beach. I quickly rigged (Well maybe not by most people’s standards, but quick for me.) my 5.0 North XXX. It was the right choice for about the first 40 minutes, but then the wind started looking a bit shifty and was getting a few large holes. I sacrificed my daily pound of flesh on the Leo C. rocks as I decided to wait out what looked like a bit of a drop.
On the beach I saw the notorious wind junkie, Spencer, who promptly asked what I was thinking, getting out, as the wind was great. I told him that it was backing off, which it was, albeit slightly. The drop-off didn’t last long as the inside was getting a little “whiter” and was filling in again. After being promoted to wind junkie, and receiving my very own Wind Junkie sticker [which he promptly gave away to fix a guy’s board –ST], I was re-energized to get out and show the stuff that allowed me to attain my new status.
Between 2:30 and 4:00 the wind actually hit averages of over 20mph. You had your choice of blazing speed runs by the kelp or picking off waves, which were getting better with an incoming tide. The 5.0 was a good call but at times it was getting a bit heavy when the gusts were hitting near 30. I didn’t have the energy for a re-rig so I just gutted it out for a bit. I don’t think that I’ve ever pulled off as many clean jibes as I did yesterday (I must’ve been ill.). Spencer must have seen my huge untapped potential when he bestowed me with that world-coveted Wind Junkie status.
Anyway, I capped off the day with a very nice, and one of the steepest, Leo Carrillo waves I’ve ridden. I was on a smaller swell from the outside when a larger one behind it seemed to catch up with the one I was on. I stalled a little bit, not wanting to outrun it. I was enjoying the lift while I was still 50yds outside the middle reefs. I looked upwind at the wave and it was hooking, like a real bowl! I was purposely hesitating when I suddenly found myself up at the lip and looking down at a much steeper drop than I’d anticipated, or had experienced at Leo C. I thought to myself that I’d stalled long enough, I had to drop soon or I was going to get launched. I pumped the sail once and made the drop. What a great way to end the day, with a half-mast high wave, in 20mph conditions. Sweet. I just got to get me some more of that, once my arms shorten back to their normal length. It can be hell on your knuckles.
--Brian