Friday, July 07, 2006
Team Shredder Book of the Month Club
While sitting on my board, utterly spaced out & tired between sets, two dolphins suddenly arched up out of the water and blew out their blow holes. PHHHHHH! Like 6 feet in front of me. Out of nowhere. Startled the shit out of me, but so worth it because beautiful.My leash got busted, but I decided to paddle all the way far outside, where in a way the stakes are higher without one. Felt naked and nervous without it, because I'm still such a spaz, and there are often situations where I end up relying upon it. My old time surfer friend Sad Bob Schuster told me it's better to surf without one, it makes you a better surfer, and they are a burden anyway. Turns out he was right; I learned a lot yesterday. I actually did become a better surfer in one day. Plus there was nothing to hog tie me or to get tangled in the kelp. So liberating. But you can't be sloppy without a leash, you really have to be heads up and not lose your board. That's the part where becoming a better surfer happens.
The second time I lost my board was a tiny bit harsh. I'd been going for medium & smaller waves so I could get the hang of keeping control of my board when kicking out, etc. at the end of the ride. I started feeling pretty good about things at just around the time when a big & beautiful wave came up, and with no one around me I decided to go for it. It was a right, which is harder for a goofyfoot spaz like me, but I made it and I felt like a tremendous big shot. Right up until halfway down the drop, when at high speed I hit a thick patch of kelp. My fins snagged on it and jerked my board to a bitter halt, catapulting me head first like Greg Louganis but without any of the grace. Sure, I was fine and just dove under, but that big & beautiful wave took my board ALL the way in to the beach. And I was far out there.
After that long & inconvenient swim to shore, at the end of a two hour surf session, I was tired and slightly dizzy. Of course my board had washed up on to the rocky part of the beach. But no dings! What luck. After carefully inspecting the board, I triumphantly and tiredly tucked it under my arm to begin the trudge down the beach, and that's when it slipped and I dropped it, right on to a rock. Significant ding on the rail. Fuck YOU!
Turned out ok though. The wax on my board was old and filthy, and my board pride had been a little in the toilet. I'd been meaning to clean it for quite some time now, anyway. So I made the afternoon all about repairing and rewaxing my beautiful board, and now everyone's a winner.
the dolphin image is dreamy; maybe they were trying to tell you something?
Do you have pics of you surfing? Can we see please? If you rode a 7'0" you must be a real surfer, or at least a real shredder. Whoa.
I feel you with the sand business. Mine had like asphalt and compost and dried kelp, it was bumming my stone. Oh, it had stones, too, gravel.
dubz, are you gonna get a longboard?
: 4:59 AM Links to this post:
9 Comments:
capt'n i must tell you: after reading this i actually had a long and wonderful dream of longboard surfing last night. me, slothy, who has never touched a toe to a board. thanks for that.
the dolphin image is dreamy; maybe they were trying to tell you something?
Sloth, I think the dolphins were trying to tell me that you need to get the Norf*ckineasters up and rolling so as to prepare for a team visit and group surf bonanza with Team Shredder.
By 
The Capt'n, at
8:47 AM
that's a great (sad, troubling, then triumphant) story capt'n. i love the way you told it. bummer about the ding though. my wax always had a bunch of sand in it and would scratch the hell out of me, but i was too lazy to scrape and redo. very cool that you found the energy to do that after such a crazy day. when will you post some pics of you in the waves? can your assistant take some snaps?
dubz, thanks. I'll get on those pics that don't yet exist. My non-existant assistant ran off with my non-existant manager, so the wheels of industry are turning slow here at Team Shredder.
Do you have pics of you surfing? Can we see please? If you rode a 7'0" you must be a real surfer, or at least a real shredder. Whoa.
I feel you with the sand business. Mine had like asphalt and compost and dried kelp, it was bumming my stone. Oh, it had stones, too, gravel.
dubz, are you gonna get a longboard?
By The Capt'n, at
9:03 PM
yeah, but probably not this summer. i'm too broke. that is the sad reality. but we'll see. no pics of me surfing... that i can remember... my riding was super amateur - i hadn't been doing it for very long. but i'm ready to get out there again soon.
By , at
4:59 AM
You wanna talk super amateur, then you wanna talk Team Shredder. You should check out Gree C. Hair of The Gaylord Rehabilitation Center. Her friend Angela is a frequent NY surfer and probably has an extra board laying around...I'm just saying. Plus Gree C. just can't be beat, as a person.
By The Capt'n, at
7:29 AM
i've heard. i have yet to meet her...
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Dagger, again you are living the dream.
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