Hi Tom,

Nice to talk to you again this morning.

I'm definitely interested in that longboard that your friend Eddie may have available for $150...

If it is a reasonable board in as good condition as you mentioned this morning, please let me know (either by email or the next time you see me on the cliff) and I'll grab the cash and buy it.

I caught a few fun rides today out in front of the yellow house - fun, even though it was smaller than yesterday.

Take care! Drop by my website sometime and have a look! (website address below).

1-26-01

In other news, I'm still surfing every day... my friend Cal surprised me yesterday with a gift - an new longboard! It is a 9-0 single fin board. Cal did some work for a local surfboard manufacturer (http://www.teassurfboards.com ) and received a board in exchange. He called me up yesterday out of the blue and invited me to go to the surfboard maker's shop and take my pick of boards! I haven't used it yet - I must buy a fin and a leash for it and wax it up good.

2-2-01

Hi Cal,

I'm copying Bill on this. I've been out half a dozen times so far on the new board, and I'm having fun.

My first time out I was very uncomfortable at first, kind of like getting out of a Toyota compact car and into a Ryder rent-a-truck. The first wave I got was a little mushy, a right out in front of the power plant at low tide - but still I went a good distance. That first day was good for about a half dozen waves, some pretty fair size (maybe shoulder high), and I started getting the feel of the board.My last couple of waves were excellent fast lefts from the flagpole to the beach.

Of course, you were there on Tuesday? was it? or Monday? and you saw me catch several waves at warmwater jetty. The day before or after that I was in front of the power plant and had a good session.

I went out one day down the steps and paddled up to Terramar - it wasn't very big that day, but I got some rides.

The surf has been falling off pretty badly the rest of the week. Thursday was not much, I went to the notch just south of Palomar Airport Road and just north of the campground, and caught some modest rides. Today was even worse - I think it would have been better if it had been totally flat today, because then there would have been no pretensions about surfing... as it was, there were lots of "small walls" - ripples that would leap up and break all at once all down the line, and choppy to boot. I got dumped three or four times just because they were breaking all at once and quite suddenly.

In any case, the summary is that I'm getting used to the board, I'm enjoying it, and I'm looking forward to using it in some better surf. I suspect I'll switch off between it and my short board so I keep a hand in using both of them.

As to a sunrise session - have fun! I don't do sunrise. Let me know if you get delayed and go later, I might join you. :)

2-7-01

Here's the latest surf saga...

The good news is that I can still ride a short board.... :)

The other good news is that all last week (starting a week ago Saturday) I spent riding a new 9'0" longboard. My friend Cal gave it to me. He did some web design work for a friend who makes surfboards (http://www.teassurfboards.com ) and Bill Teas gave him a surfboard in exchange. Cal doesn't want to learn how to surf, so he gave me the board.

The new board is very interesting, very uncomfortable at first -but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Then yesterday was so flat and ratty I didn't even go out, which is very unusual for me. But today, by contrast, was big and wild!

I rode the current out between the jettys at warmwater three times today. Out of three times, I only made it to the outside once. The current was running strongly south, and each time I would get out almost to the houses past the power plant. I was on my 6'9".

The one time I did make it outside, I caught a big, sweet, hollow right. I was a little late, and took off in the whitewater, but I made it to the shoulder and was standing in the palm of a really fine overhead curl. It started closing in front of me, and by the time I got in front of the section, the whole thing closed down the line and so I just rode it in.

See what you've been missing? :)

I think the water temp was about 63 - at least in front of the jetty... :)