I'm not sure what today was like for Cribby, probably just another day at the office, but for me, it was pretty tough. It started fairly quietly with a very cloudy overcast sky, the sun not even visible, long strings of pelicans making their way along the swell to the island as they must have for thousands of years - the original Ocean Groovers! After the 8 am cooked brekkie (toasted bagels or Yank muffins with fried egg, bacon and cheese), Cribby, Jerry and I went surfing, paddling out a bit to try to catch some waves. Got some tips on paddling which was really helpful - get the board even flatter than I think, it just glides along.
Then it was time for some dry land wave exercises - lots of fussing around getting boards placed on boardbags and rigs set up so we could practise the moves, especially the bottom turn - feet jammed into straps initiating the turn by banking, front hand by the harness line, shoot the rig forward and grab the boom right at the back. Incredibly hot. I thought I was gonna get heatstroke, drank litres of fluid, hoped the suncream was holding up.
Feeling virtuous, it was lunchtime - chicken soup done with rice, salsa and lime, almost Thai in its fresh sharpness with coriander. Lovely. Clark drove a few of us to to the Point to check out the surf there - it looked reasonable, but the tide was coming in so no time to waste! Got back, suited up, more surfing... bigger crowd this time, more wave action but not so you'd think you could get it initially. I was absolutely dying for a leak, not surprisingly, and not wanting to christen the suit, went back to the beach while the others headed out to the island where the waves were breaking big but very complicatedly. I paddled out to the previous spot and sat with a non-Cribbista, trying to catch some and not doing well - they didn't ramp up enough and I was working hard against the current to avoid drifting away from the spot. One of Guy's good (but should have been obvious!) tips was to take a transit in two directions for the location of the wave peak, which helped.
Knackered from all the paddling, arms tired, we headed back. Now it was time to go windsurfing!! In virtually no wind, certainly not planing wind. It took ages to rig, especially as I had to take most of the damn suit off again to take another desperate leak! Eventually I staggered down to the beach, and out, cursing the hidden rocks and uneven surface carrying the kit so as not to dent it on the buggers, rather than trying to float it. The plan was to catch waves and practise getting speed on the wave in light wind by staying near the top...
And that was hard work!! My arms were killing me, and my brain felt like total mush, no reflexes at all or so I thought... But in fact, I've improved hugely, even managed some tacks, and although I couldn't waterstart easily in the very light wind, just uphauled. Cribby was either filming or on the water talking to people. I caught a few waves, but instantly forgot the training and ran off the back! Totally discouraged, made my way back to the beach for a break, hopefully to stop because I was feeling pretty low - my mood wasn't helped by yet more holes in the beach and some very painful encounters with sharp rocks! However, a rest, and I headed back out, determined not to quit - besides, other people were catching waves and I wanted some of that action. This time it was better, and I came out for some mini-rests on the now smoother flatter sandy beach exposed by the falling tide. Still totally knackered though!! Easily got upwind back to base, and derigged. I checked with Cribby on my performance and... he was really pleased with my wave selection!! I got some really good ones, just didn't ride them too well, but as he said, great technique is pointless if you pick crap waves. So that's cool - lots of potential to improve, but a solid base. Dinner, of which I ate a lot, was ribs, baked pots, salad, garlic bread. A couple of beers and time for the sack, along with ibuprofen and paracetamol, my two best friends.
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