January Jonezing

[Gazsurf]

Because it's a Mad Men month of chills and spills.

Give us your 20' reports here.

[holddown]

Fun baby sweeper waves this morning at el norte de Poon punto. 20"+

[RXXL]

Walked in solo, went out solo, got a few but it was a constant beating.... Lotsa water going everywhere.... A guy and his dog died in the surf a few days ago around here, be safe...

[Bubalus]

happy to be back from Hawaii, seriously.

guy with the white dog, I'd love to see some of the shots, please, pm me if you got the goods...

[harg]

felt a lot more like september than January on sunday. lots of water moving around and a few too many people gave way to clean HH to OH sets (Oregon scale, measured from the bar) as the tide bottomed, with just a couple guys left on it. wore a few on the head and took off on a few that didn't quite work out, but finished the day with one of the best waves i've caught there in a very long time. went home happy.

[Spent]

Saw a man with a huge lens today- if you know what I mean. Nudge Nudge wink wink Ohhh errr missus... "Put that thing away" I told him. "Don't shoot my spot, you dirty dirty man." But I think he ran a few off anyway. Filthy!

[Doc]

First surf in nearly a month...
Fun chest high peaks...
And plenty of them...
Took out Speelyei's 10'0" Cort...
Wave of the day...
Long right from 3rd creek...
Past 2nd creek...
And all the way to the steps...
Walled up and fast all the way...
Tried to find another like it to no avail...
The lefts were bowly and fun tho too...
Felt good surfing in the sun...
Then drinking a beer as the sun set.

[holddown]

Saw a man with a huge lens today- if you know what I mean. Nudge Nudge wink wink Ohhh errr missus... "Put that thing away" I told him. "Don't shoot my spot, you dirty dirty man." But I think he ran a few off anyway. Filthy!

I saw that guy, too. I heard he went out later and got chased out of the water by some grumpy local.

[intrepid]

I played hookie and cut class to go surf today.

I opted for riding a longboard and sitting outside. Nearly froze waiting for set waves. OH on the drops. It was sunny out. The most memorable part was the sun being out. I probably would have paddled out again on a shortboard if my suit wasn't wet. Not a bad way to start a four day weekend.

[Bubalus]

I saw that guy, too. I heard he went out later and got chased out.

Was it you? I did notice in my extensive historical research numerous pictures you have posted here of your local spot.

[RXXL]

Great last 48 hrs... Get it while you can, sun surf and now maybe snow...

[Spent]

went north today to avoid the PC paparazzi.

took a german surfing. oregon forgive me.

[holddown]

Yesterday's "surf" report:

The surf was onshore slop here and it was snowing on and off. I try to do something on the water every day, so I decided to do a one way run down the little river on my sweeper. I scouted my route on Google Earth and picked out a section about 3.5 miles between county boat ramps. Since the temperature was in the upper 30's, there was potential for wind, and I might need to cross the bay, I decided to take the pfd and wear a leash.

Mrs. HD shuttled me from my truck at the spit boat ramp and dropped me off at the upper boat ramp a little after 3pm. I had about two hours of daylight left, which is more than enough for a 3+ mile paddle. As I unloaded, I realized I had forgotten the leash, but had the pfd, so it wasn’t a big deal. My first glance of the river was unsettling; the onshore wind was blowing from the direction I needed to paddle. I shoved off and started to paddle. The wind was brisk, but I was able to make headway. It was probably going to take longer than I thought. I was wearing a full hooded suit, booties, and 1.5 mil gloves. I was worried about my feet and hands getting cold with the temperature in the thirties and a brisk wind. As I made my way under the highway 101 bridge, I realized that high tide was about 5pm. Since it takes an extra hour or two for the tide to get inland to my location, my “down river” paddle was going to be into both the current and the wind.

I worked my way toward the west across the wildlife refuge and tried to tuck out of the wind anywhere I could get a little protection. My hands were started to get cold since holding the paddle cuts off circulation to your fingers. I tucked away from the wind on the S side of the river at the base of cannery hill. A couple of thoughts crossed my mind; one was that it was going to take forever to get back to the truck and the other is that I wouldn’t be too cold if I stayed dry. About then I lost concentration while changing sides with the paddle and my hand slipped off the handle as I made a stroke. I lost my balance and fell into the cold water. Crap! I never fall while paddling on flat water and I do it on the one day I needed to stay dry. Now my hands and feet were soaked.

As I continued westward toward the confluence of the big & little rivers, a squall blew in and the wind started howling. I still had a little protection, but the wind chop looked formidable around the next point 50 yards or so ahead at the big river. I rounded the point into the wind and dropped to my knees so I could still make forward progress. The wind increased and I started to drift backwards. Looking into the water, it was apparent that the incoming tide was coming around the point, so the current was much stronger on this side of the river. I was on the far side of the Bay from the road and it would be an ugly walk up the hill though thick undergrowth if the weather worsened and I had to abandon the board. I made a quick decision to cross the bay even though the wind was howling. On the N side of the bay, I could stash my board and walk up to the road if I needed to. I angled into the wind and increased my concentration on the crossing though the wind chop. I didn’t want to be in the water again, so I didn’t worry about making forward progress. I just made sure I was slowing reaching the other side and tried not to lose ground. My fingers were numb by the time I completed the crossing, so I stopped on the other side for a while and clenched my hands inside of my gloves to warm up my fingers.

Now at least I knew I was safe and I could work my way down the river into town. I set regular goals for stops where I could take a few minutes to warm up my hands. I could only paddle for about ten minutes at a time before my fingers were so numb I could barely hang onto the paddle. I moved up the big river and crossed to the west side to tuck out of the wind. From there I could see the guard rail boat ramp and I knew it was just a few more minutes from there to my truck.

I made a few more stops to get the feeling back in my fingers before I reached the guard rail. By then, the wind had become calm and my truck was in sight. The latest ordeal would soon be over. It was a bit after 5pm and starting to get dark when I landed. The trip had taken twice as long as I had expected, so Mrs. HD was looking for me by then and not too happy.

[SooLoo]

I know right where you got stuck Scotty the body and I took a beating in the very same spot and had to drag our boards

[Doc]

Let's see...
Where was I on Sunday between 3 and 6pm?
I was in my basement watching football...
I can totally relate though...
Because it can get pretty chilly in the basement...
I think I had to wrap up in a blanket...
Once the game was a blowout...
I went for a soak and a steam...
It really warmed me up....
Glad you survived.

Doc