Well folks, the North Shore still is what it has always been, a surfers paradise. Plenty of waves, many WAY TOO BIG, but more than enough to wear my ass out every time. Only missed 4 days in the water in 3 weeks. Had SARS for 2 days and saw one truely flat day. Of my 6 boards, I only rode 4. Those being the 9’7" gun and a 7’9" retro late 60’s round pin. My 9’6" “Hawaii” longboard, at last christened in Hawaii, tasted its first salt water at Makaha. Nice size, but most waves were lacking in much punch. 2 days in a row at West side and my board has shown a like for steep faces. The next morning Pupukea and Gas Chambers are 6-8 foot A frames with 4 guys at a peak at a time. I get 2 stand ups and while paddling back out, one of the local boys says " nice pullin". I got caught by a scary 8’+, turned turtle and felt the lip “touch” the tail of my board. Later on the beach, while taking the fin out, to my suprise was the crack across the front of my fin box. 7 stringers and it still tried to snap my tail! I rode it at small Sunset and again at Makaha and didn’t break the tail. My 9’6" swallow tail gun rode really loose, if there was only a way to surf big waves without paddling into the pit! I got picked off at Sunset with it breaking on the outer reef first, it wasn’t really crowded, but when there are 3 or 4 guys sitting staggered infront of you in 10-12 foot surf, you gotta be at the top of the food chain. I felt like an snack for the surf gods. I rode it again the next day at Sunset, in dinky waves and could turn the crap out of it, even snap it off the top on a 2 foot wave. It stayed too huge to try it more. My multi fin box 7’0" single wing swallow board got waxed up early in the morning on an up coming swell (I paddled in about 15 minutes later). The 2 single fins, close to the center worked OK in hollow waves, but in larger Makaha, when I cut back, stuck to the soup like glue. I couldn’t see the deck of the board, I was immersed im white water. A few days later I put the 3 FCS fins in it and had Sunset for 5 hours on it. I got exhauset and started shaking from the epic session. Some how earlier, in haste to grab my rails and get to my feet, my index finger on my left hand didn’t get under the rail and was wedged under the palm of my hand. When I went to stand, I put my full weight on it, it didn’t break, but damn close. My knuckle turned a nice purple/green color for a fews days and hurt like hell, a small price to pay for paradise
When you say SARS, you don’t mean severe acute respiratory syndrome do you?
great to have you back Jim. i hope to get some travel time soon. any more stories from the islands??
I went to the DHX ocean freight terminal in Honolulu on Monday 2 weeks ago to pick up boards. Here were all these shipments from Hong Cong surrounding my box of boards. Before I got to Wahiawa I had a scratchy throat, by Halewiwa the cough had started and my throat was really sore. For the next two days it was fear and loathing being the next victim to come down with SARS. I lived, false alarm.
Allright Jim…sounds like you were stoked.Next time you an me gotta go an visit our old stomping grounds.R.B.