VI S26 – SUP – Cox Bay (2017 Sept 3)Melted away. BWD, Jason, and Udder decided on Cox Bay. I joined in after beachside breakfast at Long Beach and scored second shift rock star parking. I arrived just in time to catch the last of the easier waves at the north end of the beach (seems we had all graduated to the ‘Ivy League’ today). Then spent the rest of the session working my way south searching for steeper faces as the waves seemed to melt away. Fun moments for sure and way less punishing inside then yesterday.
VI S27 – SUP sail – Long Beach (2017 Sept 3)Almost. Watched the wind at South Chesterman tease, but it was too flat to draw me out. Kite out NC and another riding skim board in the trench and his feet on the sand. Finally decided to head to Long Beach for the promise of waves. Scored an open spot in Lot 4 (BWD was down in Lot 2). Wind looked good enough to SUP sail and waves looked gentle. Caught a few one hit rides while there was enough wind. Was surprised by some long period sneakers once out on the water. Then it turned soft. Shaggy rigged, but never got wet. BWD manned mission control from the beach. Showed a lot of promise at times, but never really happened.
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SlideshowVI S28 – SUP – Long Beach (2017 Sept 4)Sea Foam. Earlier start this morning. Quick look-see at Green Point – better than Long Beach last night. Sprint down to Incinerator Rock to grab parking spot with a view by 7:30 am. Looked inviting – glassy faces and shoulders. Housekeeping and breakfast put on hold. Full crew of four headed out including myself, Shaggy, Lisa and BWD. I started just south of Incinerator Rock (short clean faces followed shortly by “KABOOM”) then followed Lisa and BWD past Pete north up to Tiny’s. Long period south swell was wrapping in creating point break-like conditions (gentle getting out and steep clean open faces in). Our foursome had the place to ourselves until ‘the pack’ of eight others joined in (in hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have been yelling “WHOOHOOO” so loud). BWD’s leash broke on a gentle little wave late in the session. Jason Joined in. Everyone scored memorable rides! Then the waves seemed to lull on the rising tide. 5/4 was too hot (had to flush the suit). Time for breakfast!
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SlideshowVI S29 – SUP – Long Beach (2017 Sept 4)Really? BWD mentioned (about four times) that he was really hoping for a repeat of the morning session. I thought it unlikely, but we all waited – hiding from the heat of the sun, glassy mid-day sets and shore pound, gentle SE wind, peak of the high tide and ebbing tide. Then finally around 4 pm my patience were exhausted and I decided to head out as the wave at tiny`s looked to peeling right again even though the waves looked to be smaller now. Much smaller. Paddling out was not what I expected the first two sets were big, maybe even bigger than the morning. One wave took me out – this was not the gentle `cool-down` session I was expecting. But waves settled in and so did myself, BWD and Shaggy (Lisa took the afternoon off to give her shoulder a rest and shot some amazing pictures). There were lots of smiles, lots of banter and a few party waves! There were even a few sets, one in particular that rivalled the Cape on a `good`south swell day. We had the place to ourselves (seems everyone else decided to head home early in time to catch the accident on the Malahat). Saw Shaggy smack the lip like he was on a shortboard on his longboard and BWD was ripping as always! Blasts of late afternoon NW breeze where hot – odd feeling for Long Beach. I stepped away from the wave buffet first and caught a memorable clean right all the way from the crab trap to the beach almost all the way south to the pathway to the washrooms with the roar of the breaking lip chasing me the whole way! That was fun! BWD and Shaggy left it all on the water. Saw Shaggy tuck into the ‘brown room’ and get barreled in the shore pound pound and BWD said he was pleased to get a wave that was walling up ‘to take him all the way to the beach’ until the nose of his board hit the sand in the shallower than expected low tide. Turned out the afternoon was so good some were having trouble remembering details of the morning (too many waves ago). Quick look-see at SC on the way north looked flat and calm. Dinner at Jamie`s to cap it off and BWD broke from tradition and ordered fish tacos! Much talk of sand in strange places courtesy of the shore pound.
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SlideshowVI S30 – SUP – Long Beach (2017 Sept 5) Rounded out. Travel day. Full crew of four again. SW swell was still hanging in – for now. Flat, grey morning light. Glassy swell and super low tide. Stoke seemed a little tempered this morning. Everyone wanted breakfast before taking to the water. Started off good then tide started to flood, swell eased a bit and waves got round and hard to catch. Still some great rides, but expectations are higher now. Strange way to end such a good run of summer swell. See you next time!
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