Board swaps

Conditions were not good today, choppy and small, which cut down the lineup a little---to only about fifteen at peak, not much for a sunny 90 degree Sunday in August. T. very graciously offered to let me borrow one of his boards, which I took as a compliment. It's 9 foot 8 and very thick, much more stable than my board which is 8 foot 6. I took it out and tried valiantly. If conditions were better I could have made more of it. As it was, even the good surfers who were out, like S., weren't doing very well. I could not find a balance point on the board, so that when I took off I found my nose going under, and if I managed to take off and stand up my nose also went under. So I didn't really get any rides. I felt bad about that, after borrowing the board, but T. and his wife were really nice about it.

I took a break for a good long time, hanging out on the beach, and then took out I.'s board. That one is 9 foot 4, the same as W.'s. By this time even though the waves were no better the lineup had thickened and included a lot of bodyboarders who somehow do not get out of the way even when you are heading straight for them. Why is that?

Even though there were not really waves, only choppy sections, I was determined to stay out until I got my ride of the day, and I did! I got up and went left, which is the way most people go on these waves although I've never really managed it before, and I rode it all the way in. The bodyboarders were hooting and cheering---for me!
And when I got back on the beach I got compliments from people who'd seen me, even E. who I've never been that friendly with. Yay for me!

After that, I hounded our downstairs neighbor, who'd been keen on trying to surf but had been wavering after a disappointing first couple of tries, into picking up the surfboard he'd ordered. It is a 9 foot 8 Matador. Of course, I can't wait to try it. It didn't get wet today because it was too late by the time he picked it up. But I will be on it soon. I'm thinking, though, that maybe 9 foot 4 rather than 9 foot 8 is optimum for me.