Frustration, hope, frustration, frustration, hope, success...

My new board
The title of this blog pretty much sums up my morning surfing. I haven't gotten much surfing time in since last fall. My buddy Steve at the Pit Surf Shop had ordered me up a new higher performing epoxy long board with a 2-1 fin set-up. The new board is designed to turn more traditionally like a skateboard, like a carve board, like a lot of boards. My other longboard is a 'noserider' with a single fin set up. It takes a different turning style. I was wanting to carve, so Steve and I (along with some advice of friend Todd Hammond) decided on a new McTavish 'Original' board. Steve ordered me up a 9'1" model. I picked it up in late May, then went promptly to work for almost a solid month. Then the surf was flat. Then we took another trip to the OBX and the surf was flat except on one day - when I tried out the board. I liked it - but didn't have any long rides.

About 2 weeks ago, I went out for a 'dawn patrol' session here at the inlet and the waves were only so-so.

This morning, Jan went to work at her new job and so I checked the surf report and it sounded decent. I let a few things slow me down getting out to the inlet and when I arrived around 9:15am, the place was packed. (I found out later while talking to another surfer that it was packed from 6am.)

The best surfing is within 100 yards of the inlet and then the surfing gets less desireable the further you go north from that. Since it was so crowded, I surfed pretty far to the north - because when it's really crowded, it's easy to get run over by another surfer or to get in someone's way. I don't mind 'mixing it up' with a few in the line-up, but I'm talkin' crowded here.

The waves were pretty good even that far north, and even though I didn't get consistently good rides - I got one of the best rides I've ever had - where I'm carving back up the face of a 'still building' (not yet crested) wave. A ride like that really sets the 'stoke' and has you paddling back out looking for more.

I've never participated in anything that I wanted to achieve at with more frustration than surfing. It's a physical sport - which puts me down the totem pole a bit - plus it takes a lot of practice and that's where I need to step up to the plate more. I'll head back out on a more regular basis here in the near future.

Thanks to Steve for hooking me up with my new board. I'm really liking it.