| February Overview | 1998 Overview |
| Date/Time: | Tuesday, February 24th, 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm |
| Location: | Campus Point |
| Weather: | Clear skies and strong cold westerly to southwesterly winds. |
| Conditions: | Offshore and clean at Poles, albeit a bit too strong winds. |
| Swell: | Improved groundswell, building to 15 ft at 17 s on the outer channel by afternoon, with a 10 ft wind wave atop it, combined heights reading 19 ft. |
| Surf: | Strong shoulder high to head high waves with solid overhead sets. Bigger still atop the point. |
| Comments: |
Headed out to Rincon early after having to jump-start the
car; turns out a cheap-assed Sears cruise control that was
put in it when it was first purchased was draining my battery
by leaving the brake lights on. Damn piece of shit never worked
in the first place and it looks ugly on the dash, should have
ripped it out long ago. The point was blown to pieces by the
westerlies filling in after yesterday's storm system and its
festival of mudslides and road closures. Be sure to check with
CalTrans or the CHP before heading this way; yesterday we lost
the main road in or out of town all day, and all the other surface
streets and smaller highways are still shut down now.
Got the call from Surfer Bob at noon; Campus was looking good and he was amped to surf it. After checking a few uncrowded but sideshore lineups along the Gaviota coast, we parked in I.V. over my suggestion of Goleta Beach as a wiser choice and lugged our longboards into the poles lineup. The point was firing! Hollower at poles than I've ever seen it, waves lining up on occasion through the outer lineups at poles from the top of the point, stoked shortboarders driving the sections and getting tube time. On the inside it required a bit more finesse with lots of slow sections that would bog a sub 9' board followed by fun hollow lines just perfect for noseriding. Beyond the stairs, hell, all the way to the parking kiosk, got some of the longest waves of my life if not in distance then in duration ridden. Best waves I've ever longboarded, and set lots of time on the nose, Strauch 5's on the outside to get out of the wind and ten toes over on the inside. Outside the stairs was another section that would break and swing way wide, breaking outside the white buoy and all the way to the beach. I got a few of those by waiting patiently, big overhead bombs and used every inch of planing surface I had to make the sections. Robert and I lost track of each other as we got waves the length of the point then walked back. Eventually I lapped him and we met atop the point, exchanged some brief stoked words, then a set came and I was on it, dropped late and deep on a steep section. Scary; didn't think I'd make it and set hard on the rail and the drop was smooth and glassy. My astonishment must have shown as I blew out onto the shoulder, as I got some grins from the crew. Rode this one from beyond the ordinary poles lineup to the kiosk with the longest noseride I've ever had. Robert followed up on me about a half hour later with a similar wave; I didn't see it but I got the stoke vicariously as we walked back against the bitter cold wind. Of course, he was reminded that if we'd parked at Goleta beach the walk would've been 1/10th as long. At least this way we got to share some good stories. What a day! |