Surfing

[snowmonster]

Surfed Marconi Beach today. Went in at 1030. Water was cold and I only had trunks and a rash guard. No swimmers in the water so the lifeguards let us ride anywhere we wanted. Decent waves and good rides. Took a break at 1230 because my back started hurting from the cold. Got back in the water at 230 for low tide. Waves improved, water was warmer but there were so many people in the lineup -- including SUPers and ocean kayakers! Had to keep pushing away to avoid them. Called it a day at 5. 'twas a great session!

[Bumpsis]

Congrats on catching a nice session. Decent wave conditions have been rather scarce this summer. Lately, I'd just look at the wave forecast and find it difficult to get motivated to face the Cape traffic, especially on Labor Day!
Well, summer crush on the Cape is over and maybe the tropics will finally start sending some swell our way. I miss being in the water. Looks like Saturday may have some clean knee - waist on the Cape. Good enough for me. I'll most likely hit Marconi - lots of space to spread out, although lately, I have been recognizing the protective element of the herd (sharks ).

[snowmonster]

^ Bumpsis, were you at Marconi on Saturday? I was there too -- and at Coast Guard on Friday. They let you park in the upper parking lot at CG during the weekdays now. Forecasts said that Sunday was the day to be on the Cape but I had to be back in Boston. As for the conditions, let's just say that Friday was better than Saturday. Except for a small window between 330 and 4 at the rightmost part of Marconi, it was pretty much flat. If you saw a kook in a black rash guard, red trunks and a green surfboard last Saturday at Marconi, you had a snowmonster sighting!

[Bumpsis]

Alas, there was no possibilty for snowmonster sighting for me this past Saturday. When I got up that morning, I took one look at the CoastGuard cam and it looked pretty flat, so bagged that plan. For flat water paddling, I can hit Nantasket with much less driving, so that's what I did.
I would sure like to meet the legend of Alpine Zone before you take off for better surf - anyone who's willing to hike in June (?) into Tuckermans just to ski the remaining bit of dirty snow is a OK in my book For that matter, the same holds for getting out to the Cape just for a chance of a knee high wave.

Swellinfo and Magicseaweed are both sowing some seeds of hope that this weekend may see a 3 feet pulse of energy on the Cape.
It's good to know that CG now allows for paking close to the waves. I'm sure this still requires an early showing. It's a small lot. But I like that beach a lot. Lots of sandbars.

[Bumpsis]

Gabrielle brought some nice wave action to the Cape. I was at Marconi today, but did not manage to get in until about 1 PM. Waves were a bit bigger in the morning (so I was told), but still, the afternoon was fun. Mostly waist size, a bit higher on some sets. The waves had good power but a lot of fast closeouts. Still, fun time in relatively warm water and sunny weather.

The waves may persist through Sunday. There is a good chance that Humberto's pulse may actually result in some decent groundswell later on this week.
Marconi's selection of sand bars can easily accommodate a good crowd. When I got out of the water, I counted about 30 some people in the water, all spread out, left, center and right when looking from the stairs. I'm happy I could "steal" another day of wave riding from summer.

[snowmonster]

Thanks for the report. Glad you got time good rides. I'm actually in Chatham now but it's not a surfing weekend for me. I'm so jealous of you actually.

I might scoot to the Cape this week if the waves are good. Call it the last hurrah!

[twinplanx]

Decent swell filled in the East End of Long Island on Friday, but was pretty much gone by Saturday. Gabrielle seemed to be on the West side of Bermuda. We seem to get the real juicy swell when a storm threads the needle between Hatteras &Bermuda. Land falling hurricanes/tropical storms suck. The best scenario is when storms just sit & spin with no threat to land

[snowmonster]

I think my days surfing the North Atlantic are over for now. I don't see any surf days in the near future. Ride those waves for me, boys!

By the way, last week at Chatham, I took a boat across the harbor and walked to the ocean side on North Island. It was an amazing sight. Clean wave after clean wave. Chest high. Long rides with no closeouts. I wish I had my board. However, there were an amazing number of seals out. And when there are seals, this being Chatham, there may be men in gray suits. I was just content to watch the waves roll in on this perfect day.

[justaddwater]

You should definitely try winter surfing. Empty line-ups and surfing in the snow is so enjoyable. So quiet.

[bigbog]

This week should just be awesome hanging near Higgins or OO....