Home again, home again...chinny chin chin...

Got back from the Noll late last eve after saying cheers to the Oregon crew that had assembled in the dirt along the beach.

Got down there Thursday afternoon, North wind at 30 knots chasing me the whole way...
But I rolled up to 2-4 lowtide beachbreak with slight offshores and was in the water within minutes.
Had what seemed like 50 waves, really clean and lined up nicely, beautiful lefts from just West of the contest site.
Hooked up with Spike and Kendog, had dinner and hit the sack at 2030....zzzzzzzzzzz....
Woke up to junky 3' slop with the first SUP heat scheduled for 1000...but it got better with the tide and by almost heat time, it actually looked good, swell was at shoulder high by then and getting cleaner.
Wind turned a bit, suited up for a quick sesh on the log but after getting only two waves, I saw color in the water...Damn these well organized contests!
I ran in and grabbed the SUP, had a jersey tossed to me and in I went...right behind Noll hisself...lol.
Only had three waves in the heat but in the end, it was good enough for 7th.
But if I enter the SUP part next year, I will ride some bigger waves on my SUP first, it was shoulder high plus and I had never ridden anything on it bigger than waist high at best.

I sat and watched the final with Sean, Ken Wilson was doing a good job and we all thought he pulled it out for 1st...but you know how these things go.
Rhynn won, he did get a bunch of waves but...

The surf got better as the day went on, from 1400 on, it was as good as SH beachbreak gets. The Oregon kids were out till near darkthirty, the lefts were winders, some good for 100 yards. Friday was a great day for surf, best in a few weeks for me.
Went to sleep happy and very salt encrusted.
Yesterday morning was super clean on the rising tide...and even with 200 surfers on the beach, nary 1 in the water till the contest started at 0700.
I had a later heat so I surfed down the beach a bit in some really fun and lined up lefts and rights.
I didn't sign up till late so I was in the last of the cruiser heats...and since they will let any one with 45.00 enter..there was even a soft topper reppin' yo...wow.
A pink one.
I was the first outside and burned two decent waves till...
Yep, after not losing my board in any session over the last three weeks, I found myself on a collision course with a another guy in the heat...who was paddling for the face rather than the whitewater. I tried to flick the board up and out but that didn't work but I did keep the guy safe from 10' of longboard. In his defense, it was easy to get caught inside and get swept eastward, I know because my board ended up 50 yards past the flag.
Oh well, from then on, it was a scramble to get back outside. I got one more wave and my fourth would have been a sweet left but I buried the nose when I turned for the take off and it went by me.
4th in the heat left me free for the day.
Oh well.
And before I get called a dumbass for not wearing a leash, understand, ya gotta surf like ya surf.
And for me, that means leashless and stoned.
(to be truthful though, I bought a leash on the way down...but...)

Overall, it was a good experience. Brought back a lot of memories but I don't remember being so nervous and anxiety prone.
But I did break a streak as SB has always been a drive-by spot, I have never bothered surfing the place till Thursday but it does get good.

Well, that's my wrap up, it was great to see so many Oregonians, Lars (who I bought this house from), his bro Ollie, Spike, Nolan (nuts), Sean and others who get hazy in all of the dope smoke...lol...
And I got a couple of great t shirts...and some really crappy wax.

See ya.

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