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Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The swells keep on coming
It’s official: we have broken out of those early January doldrums in a big way.
Usually, getting one swell in a four-day period is enough to get most VB surfers stoked out of their 5-4-3s; but getting two, solid swells – both of very distinct character – made our stretch of coast a playground from Friday through Sunday (Sidebar: Mother Nature’s convenient weekend timing has been a plus for maximizing our in-water time as well!).
Following up MLK Day’s Frisco “so’wester” swell was a strong ENE push for Friday and Saturday, along with appropriately cold winds, cloudy skies and the always ridiculous temperature of the Atlantic, which is still hovering around 40 degrees. Southerly wind flow took over on Sunday as a SE swell built, south winds raged overnight before clocking to the SW for the afternoon cleanup of solid head high barrels as far as the eye could see in Sandbridge. I’m sure the rest of VB was doing its thing as well.
Friday and Saturday were of the bigger-than-it-looks variety, with choppy peaks occasionally opening up into some grinders on the inside. Check out the pics for some of Friday’s action.It was easily head high with some outside bombs keeping us honest. Saturday was a touch smaller, but much more organized. That said, the period still hadn’t lengthened enough to get it right. Got some fun ones with the S&A boys, Brett Carey and Eric Coulson (note the name-dropping) at the Market (everyone’s favorite secret spot).
Sunday was a slopfest, as the ENE swell died behind a building SE push. Again, there were some waves to be had, but I almost didn’t bother, know what I mean?
Monday was the jewel of these days. Heavy wind and rain pounded us overnight and into the morning, setting up a strong south swell (really, really angled) that saw big rights opening up on the outside. The wind continued to lighten and go more westerly until sundown. Another sesh with the S&A crew yielded all the barrels you wanted, big open faces and ripable sections inside. This one really had it all and was the most fun I’ve caught VB since early fall.
Looks like another blow is coming our way this weekend, and you gotta love that. Cross your fingers.
--John CSB
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The random art of scoring
A long time ago, I lost count of how many times I’ve made the commitment to drive all the way to Frisco, N.C., from Virginia Beach and got skunked.
It’s something that happens to anyone who’s willing to hit the road to find better conditions. It’s a relative dice roll; even in the era of the Internet, swell models and specialized wave forecasting.
And trust me; no one’s a bigger Internet swell map nerd than yours truly. But something happened on Monday reaffirming that sometimes you just gotta go for it.
Seemingly out of nowhere – and definitely off the radar for most forecasters – Frisco was doing its best Kirra impression: Overhead, clean, offshore (NNE at about 10-15, which put a chop on Buxton, which was only waist high) and extremely hollow with some heavy ones grinding the sandbar.
Guess what? Only a handful of guys out. Sunny and in mid-50’s water. No gloves. No hood.
The definition of scoring.
But if me and fellow S&A dude Jaush Alley trusted blindly in what several sites’ forecast for Frisco, we may not have even checked it. In fact, our buds Travis and Chase did “the right thing” and made a bee-line to Rodanthe, where it was about head and clean the day before.
After the previous night’s festivities, getting down breakfast was somewhat of a struggle. But we needed no extra motivation when we looked over the dunes to find Raven Lundy and one of his intense buddies towing in to monster outside barrels (which were probably not makeable with paddle power).
The SSW long-period groundswell was working better for paddling nearby, so we made the call to Trav and Chase and told them to turn around and get down here.
Long story short, you almost had to get barreled to make it. We surfed all day until we couldn’t physically do it any longer. The beatings we took on the inside from these freight trains didn’t help the cause much either.
A few factors went in to Frisco being the unexpected honey pot on Monday. Apparently, the low that pulled off of the N.C. coast raced northward as opposed to its forecast of stalling, which created the perfect set-up for Frisco.
The sudden pull-out created a fetch of southerly winds stretched from New England to Puerto Rico: Swell, check.
The further away the low got from N.C., the less windy it got: Perfect offshore wind, check.
The sandbars were holding through all tides: Consistency, check.
The icing on the cake was the air and water temperatures, which made for a nice vacation from the frigid waters of all points northward. Even Buxton was in the low 40s.
And very few people were on it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to still check the models and forecasts. I wouldn’t have even been in N.C. if not for the potential for fun surf.
But you really have to roll the dice and go searching. You just might find something.
-- John CSB.
It’s something that happens to anyone who’s willing to hit the road to find better conditions. It’s a relative dice roll; even in the era of the Internet, swell models and specialized wave forecasting.
And trust me; no one’s a bigger Internet swell map nerd than yours truly. But something happened on Monday reaffirming that sometimes you just gotta go for it.
Seemingly out of nowhere – and definitely off the radar for most forecasters – Frisco was doing its best Kirra impression: Overhead, clean, offshore (NNE at about 10-15, which put a chop on Buxton, which was only waist high) and extremely hollow with some heavy ones grinding the sandbar.
Guess what? Only a handful of guys out. Sunny and in mid-50’s water. No gloves. No hood.
The definition of scoring.
But if me and fellow S&A dude Jaush Alley trusted blindly in what several sites’ forecast for Frisco, we may not have even checked it. In fact, our buds Travis and Chase did “the right thing” and made a bee-line to Rodanthe, where it was about head and clean the day before.
After the previous night’s festivities, getting down breakfast was somewhat of a struggle. But we needed no extra motivation when we looked over the dunes to find Raven Lundy and one of his intense buddies towing in to monster outside barrels (which were probably not makeable with paddle power).
The SSW long-period groundswell was working better for paddling nearby, so we made the call to Trav and Chase and told them to turn around and get down here.
Long story short, you almost had to get barreled to make it. We surfed all day until we couldn’t physically do it any longer. The beatings we took on the inside from these freight trains didn’t help the cause much either.
A few factors went in to Frisco being the unexpected honey pot on Monday. Apparently, the low that pulled off of the N.C. coast raced northward as opposed to its forecast of stalling, which created the perfect set-up for Frisco.
The sudden pull-out created a fetch of southerly winds stretched from New England to Puerto Rico: Swell, check.
The further away the low got from N.C., the less windy it got: Perfect offshore wind, check.
The sandbars were holding through all tides: Consistency, check.
The icing on the cake was the air and water temperatures, which made for a nice vacation from the frigid waters of all points northward. Even Buxton was in the low 40s.
And very few people were on it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to still check the models and forecasts. I wouldn’t have even been in N.C. if not for the potential for fun surf.
But you really have to roll the dice and go searching. You just might find something.
-- John CSB.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Kite Skating at Little Island Park
1st attempt, wind was fading in and out, still managed to couple of pulls.....
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sweet (choppy) relief on the way?
Well, if you’re going to have a flat spell, it might as well be during the coldest two weeks of the season. But this weekend, it looks like temperatures will be more seasonable, and the possibility of the first truly rideable surf is in the cards.
Earlier this week, swell forecasts and computer model had the Mid-Atlantic in line for a strong ESE blow on Sunday, producing a chest- to head-high windswell. In these parts, a stiff NNW wind would follow on Monday, so depending on the exact angle, the possibility for fun, clean surf existed. The ESE-facing beaches in the Delmarva looked definitely have some clean stuff. Down South looked to be too windy all around, and still does.
But I wake up this morning and all of that has changed. While we are still forecast to receive a chest- to shoulder-high windswell on Sunday, along with air temps in the mid 50s (yes!), it’s going to be choppy and out of the ESE shifting south through the afternoon.
For Sunday, I would try to find shelter on the north sides of any of VB’s structures. First Street will probably be the best call and shouldn’t be too crowded. If it is, I’ll probably either hit 15th Street or Little Island piers.
Monday, the swell looks to drop off dramatically throughout the day with a stiff WNW breeze. The morning session could be really fun if the swell makes it through the night. Those who travel to the OBX may score the early session.
BUT, whenever a forecast gets progressively worse, that’s not a good sign. I got pretty pumped on our prospects earlier this week, but I guess this flat spell has been messing with my head and I got a little too stoked. Weather forecasting of any kind has been shown to be most accurate within three days of the forecast, and even then, the ocean is as unpredictable as any force of nature.
That said, I’ll be keeping an eye on this swell we seem to have coming our way. Trying to ride a wave in 2010…
Another unfortunate side effect of this two- to three-week stretch of offshore wind, brutal cold and flatness has been the dramatic drop in water temperatures.
It went from the low 50s, upper 40s during the post-Christmas swell all the way down to the upper 30s. Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and Chesapeake Light Tower – our best indicators – are showing 39 degrees. All hands on deck with the rubber, because it hasn’t been this cold in a couple of years.
Fortunately, some of this has to do with upwelling since the wind has been blowing so hard for so long offshore, so the ESE blow on Saturday night/Sunday should take the edge off a little bit.
Alright, I’ll check back in if this forecast changes dramatically. Otherwise, hopefully the next post will be about actual surfing…
-- John CSB
Monday, January 11, 2010
John Streit on Quads and Thrusters
Trends and styles always seem to repeat themselves every 10- to 20-years or so.
The late 90s and early 00s saw the 80s make a strong comeback (all of
you who may -- still -- frequent 80s night at the Wave know what I
mean), and now we seem to have returned to the early 90s' flannels and
neon craziness.
But one of the latest -- and greatest -- revivals in the surfing world
harks back to the late 70s and early 80s, when shapers were still
ironing out the tri-fin thrusters set-up and experimenting with
twinzers and... quads.
Yep, one step into your local shop reveals that four-bangers have made
a triumphant return. But unlike disco, Flock of Seagulls haircuts and
8-tracks; this flashback is here to stay.
The quad set-up, which fell victim to archaic design flaws in it's
early years, is back with the full monty of surfing R&D making it the
first viable high-performance challenger to the trusty thruster set-up
we've come to love. With drastic advances in concave and fin foil
design, it seems many are bidding their middle fins adieu for good.
Legend Tom Carroll is at the forefront, as he's told industry sources
that he only rides quads and isn't looking back. Slater uses the
option in certain conditions as well. Even Gorkin was throwing out an
extra fin during the finals of last years' ECSC.
So what does four side fins do that three can't? It all boils down to
preference.
When I first experimented with quads about 3 years ago, I, like most,
was skeptical to it's ability to hold on heavy turns or in pumping
surf. Turns out, quads are reliable as any tri-finner from pit to lip,
holding steady in the pocket through barrells.
I also find they release off the top with much more ease than
thrusters, which fits my preference for board/tailslides through lip
hits and snaps. Sans the trailer fin, quads also eliminate a certain
amount of drag and tend to glide fast and effortlessly down wave
faces. Pumping a face for speed becomes less utilitarian and more
stylish and powerful as going rail-to-rail is smooth as butter.
Sounds like a surfing revolution, doesn't it? Well, it is... to a
certain degree.
You see, I'm not one to forget my roots. As sure as I still rock
Nirvana's "Nevermind," I've kept a thruster in my heavy rotation.
In my eyes, there's still an element of speed and drive that thrusters
deliver that quads seem to lack just a tad bit. I've yet to try the
quad on any other design other than fish or fat battail, so when it's
firing, I grab the 6'3 tri. The benefits: it's 100 percent through
on-dime cutbacks, tight top turns and full-rail gouges. I still use it
when it's time to onion-up.
Also, tris have less tail weight without the extra futures/fcs insets and fin.
I think there will always be those who feel comfy with three fins
underfoot, but quads are definitely here to stay. Heck, nearly every
board company has five-fin set ups to make the board interchangeable
between the two sets, allowing surfers to experiement in different
conditions or try new manuevers or styles.
That's what's beautiful about our sport: each rider makes it her or
his own according to their skill level, desire, style and local
conditions.
My next experiment will be a high-performance 6'4 thumbtail quad... Or
maybe I'll throw the trailer plugs in just in case.
-- John CSB
The late 90s and early 00s saw the 80s make a strong comeback (all of
you who may -- still -- frequent 80s night at the Wave know what I
mean), and now we seem to have returned to the early 90s' flannels and
neon craziness.
But one of the latest -- and greatest -- revivals in the surfing world
harks back to the late 70s and early 80s, when shapers were still
ironing out the tri-fin thrusters set-up and experimenting with
twinzers and... quads.
Yep, one step into your local shop reveals that four-bangers have made
a triumphant return. But unlike disco, Flock of Seagulls haircuts and
8-tracks; this flashback is here to stay.
The quad set-up, which fell victim to archaic design flaws in it's
early years, is back with the full monty of surfing R&D making it the
first viable high-performance challenger to the trusty thruster set-up
we've come to love. With drastic advances in concave and fin foil
design, it seems many are bidding their middle fins adieu for good.
Legend Tom Carroll is at the forefront, as he's told industry sources
that he only rides quads and isn't looking back. Slater uses the
option in certain conditions as well. Even Gorkin was throwing out an
extra fin during the finals of last years' ECSC.
So what does four side fins do that three can't? It all boils down to
preference.
When I first experimented with quads about 3 years ago, I, like most,
was skeptical to it's ability to hold on heavy turns or in pumping
surf. Turns out, quads are reliable as any tri-finner from pit to lip,
holding steady in the pocket through barrells.
I also find they release off the top with much more ease than
thrusters, which fits my preference for board/tailslides through lip
hits and snaps. Sans the trailer fin, quads also eliminate a certain
amount of drag and tend to glide fast and effortlessly down wave
faces. Pumping a face for speed becomes less utilitarian and more
stylish and powerful as going rail-to-rail is smooth as butter.
Sounds like a surfing revolution, doesn't it? Well, it is... to a
certain degree.
You see, I'm not one to forget my roots. As sure as I still rock
Nirvana's "Nevermind," I've kept a thruster in my heavy rotation.
In my eyes, there's still an element of speed and drive that thrusters
deliver that quads seem to lack just a tad bit. I've yet to try the
quad on any other design other than fish or fat battail, so when it's
firing, I grab the 6'3 tri. The benefits: it's 100 percent through
on-dime cutbacks, tight top turns and full-rail gouges. I still use it
when it's time to onion-up.
Also, tris have less tail weight without the extra futures/fcs insets and fin.
I think there will always be those who feel comfy with three fins
underfoot, but quads are definitely here to stay. Heck, nearly every
board company has five-fin set ups to make the board interchangeable
between the two sets, allowing surfers to experiement in different
conditions or try new manuevers or styles.
That's what's beautiful about our sport: each rider makes it her or
his own according to their skill level, desire, style and local
conditions.
My next experiment will be a high-performance 6'4 thumbtail quad... Or
maybe I'll throw the trailer plugs in just in case.
-- John CSB
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
1/6 Update
Just gonna keep it in the body of this email since it's short:
Was cruisin Surfline.com yesterday and saw they posted this
super-gnarly vid of these two dudes charging a sub-sea level slab
monster. One of the guys, Ed Guzman, is 52. Unreal.
This wave looks like the entire ocean, all the way to the horizon, pushes
forward and drops about 15 feet below sea level and hurls. So intense.
Gnarlier than Teauhpoo or Shipstearns? You be the judge:
http://www.surfline.com/video/
ps: feel free to comment on these postings. Let's get some sweet convos goin.
-- John CSB
Was cruisin Surfline.com yesterday and saw they posted this
super-gnarly vid of these two dudes charging a sub-sea level slab
monster. One of the guys, Ed Guzman, is 52. Unreal.
This wave looks like the entire ocean, all the way to the horizon, pushes
forward and drops about 15 feet below sea level and hurls. So intense.
Gnarlier than Teauhpoo or Shipstearns? You be the judge:
http://www.surfline.com/video/
ps: feel free to comment on these postings. Let's get some sweet convos goin.
-- John CSB
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
An Audit of fall/early winter
First, let me introduce myself since it’s my first post. I’m John Streit, S&A’s summer surf instructor extraordinaire, full-time bro discount vulture and Crucial Surf Brigade repper. I’ve been known to do a little writing for a few local publications, but never had the appropriate outlet to let loose and write about my first and best love – surfing… until now! So check back for updates as I muse about surfing in this lovely Mid-Atlantic region most folks who will be reading this call home.
Figured a good place to start would be to review the SICK fall/early winter we’ve been enjoying in these parts.
Things really got started with hurricanes Bill and Danny producing a couple of consecutive weeks of awesome swell in the late summer. Though those were the only true tropical pulses we saw all year, fall’s parade of cold-core lows picked up what the tropics left off.
Didn’t it seem like it was a swell-a-week there for awhile, even pre-Nor’Ida? One crisp afternoon in Croatan sometime during October stands out the most to me from this period, with gaping, hallow barrels opening up left and right.
No name for the swell, no date to attach it to, no Federal disaster areas: Just another awesome fall surge.
We all know that Nor’Ida did her thing, especially in the Bridge, where the Sanctuary’s ocean view got swapped for the side of a massive cargo barge (that crap was wild for real). Again, lots of solid swell, as demonstrated by our very own Tyler Balak [check out Tyler's pics HERE -tfs]. Some serious drainers goin’ off there!
Those who traveled for better swell/wind matchups definitely scored. Here’s a shot of my favorite mysto Delmarva spot (somewhere between Delaware and Fisherman’s Island), going all the way off. Just a random, windy Sunday (A week before, when VB was waist high, sideshore chop, this same spot was reeling clean stomach high peelers. Get out there and find something sweet!)
A few more sizable swells swept through between Nor’Ida and the Christmas nor’easter, but that latest push delivered some of the best VB I’ve seen in a long time. Just ask S&A staffer Josh Alley about the ledges we were pullin in to at Little Island Pier. Straight eight-foot walls, wide open barrels and a right that cruised straight into the pier. Looking back, probably not the best idea, but the reward far outweighed the risk, at least with a belly full o’ adrenaline.
Seems we’ve it a little lull at the moment with nothing terribly serious looming on the horizon. Let’s hope the dead of winter gives us something to warm up our spirits.
- John CSB.
Figured a good place to start would be to review the SICK fall/early winter we’ve been enjoying in these parts.
Things really got started with hurricanes Bill and Danny producing a couple of consecutive weeks of awesome swell in the late summer. Though those were the only true tropical pulses we saw all year, fall’s parade of cold-core lows picked up what the tropics left off.
Didn’t it seem like it was a swell-a-week there for awhile, even pre-Nor’Ida? One crisp afternoon in Croatan sometime during October stands out the most to me from this period, with gaping, hallow barrels opening up left and right.
No name for the swell, no date to attach it to, no Federal disaster areas: Just another awesome fall surge.
We all know that Nor’Ida did her thing, especially in the Bridge, where the Sanctuary’s ocean view got swapped for the side of a massive cargo barge (that crap was wild for real). Again, lots of solid swell, as demonstrated by our very own Tyler Balak [check out Tyler's pics HERE -tfs]. Some serious drainers goin’ off there!
Those who traveled for better swell/wind matchups definitely scored. Here’s a shot of my favorite mysto Delmarva spot (somewhere between Delaware and Fisherman’s Island), going all the way off. Just a random, windy Sunday (A week before, when VB was waist high, sideshore chop, this same spot was reeling clean stomach high peelers. Get out there and find something sweet!)
A few more sizable swells swept through between Nor’Ida and the Christmas nor’easter, but that latest push delivered some of the best VB I’ve seen in a long time. Just ask S&A staffer Josh Alley about the ledges we were pullin in to at Little Island Pier. Straight eight-foot walls, wide open barrels and a right that cruised straight into the pier. Looking back, probably not the best idea, but the reward far outweighed the risk, at least with a belly full o’ adrenaline.
Seems we’ve it a little lull at the moment with nothing terribly serious looming on the horizon. Let’s hope the dead of winter gives us something to warm up our spirits.
- John CSB.
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