Went south

...yesterday and then North.
First up was dropping off ten blanks at S's house and then spending two hours drooling on his quiver of old school, new school surfboards...
What a wealth of history to draw upon.
Hopped back in the van and was going to hit the local spot but went home for breakfast instead.
Ooops.
By the time time I got there, 6 out and two more looking.
Funny thing though and I attribute it to how bad I smell...
Only two out when I paddled to the peak.
It was good and tight, I like the spot when it gets critical like that, every drop over the big rock, wave sucks up tight and heaves you over the edge and into the kelp bed.
Swoop out of the bottom turn, a full out onto the flats roundhouse cutback around the thickest of the kelp as the wave reforms on the inside.
A steep take off with a heavy penalty if you fall or hang up.
Had ten waves in 40 minutes and called it before it shut down completely.

Um...I forgot my leash, didn't notice until I dropped in on my first wave.

Now, that may be considered bragging, like "oh, Mr. Surfer/Shaper dude is too cool for a leash"...no, it's really a matter of pride.
On the one hand, the leash is ancillary to surfing, on the other its a chickenstring.
But to treat it as a tool you can choose to use or not or even better, just forget the fucking thing and not worry about it.
Of course, to lose the board at such a rocky spot would really fuck my day but its not like I cant fix it...
Which brings up this little tid bit:
I have not dinged ONE of the boards I have shaped.
Not one.
I did drop the 10'6" I recently sold and popped the fin box.
The deck of the 10'0" is getting its share of heel dents but it has 40 sessions on it too. The Blue V-Panel has had three sessions at the Spot That Eats Fins, two leashless.
Now, if I had a 900.00 Tyler, you could be sure it would have its share of snackles and dings...


Will be right on time this morning somewhere around here though I hear its better 52 miles south.
Oh well, no time.
I got a new template from S yesterday and I want to shape it out before the idea's get washed away in a flood of common sense.
I talked to DR last evening by email, he related to me the S deck foil he uses on his hulls. I read his post at Sways on the subject and DR is always willing to answer some questions and share his knowledge. He and my Father knew each other back in the day around North County LA, they surfed Zero's and Leo together and competed at a few of the Ventura County contests.
Wish I had been a little older then but then I would be even older now...uh...its early...

Well, thats the news on the retro front. Surf this am and then into the shaping room to recreate one of the boards S shared with me.
Fucking Paradise some days.

See ya.
Oh, the next time I laugh at one of my laps...I will look at this picture and not feel so bad.
The shaper is a Craftsman no doubt about it, I just find it funny that, well, have a look...
It doesn't hurt anything to have laps this uneven, especially free laps.
Pic stolen outright from J. Hall at DB. (who inspired me to do the mini Simmons).