Nautical Adventures In the Midwest

Matt forwarded these pictures and the following description of his recent adventures bringing a new sailboat to StL from Chicago... Thanks Matt!













Photo Matt F.

Here's a fun picture of Gibson and I on day 4 delivering my new boat from Chicago to STL. Great trip, on my "new to me" boat a 30' Seidelman. Gretchen and I are excited about next season. Learned alot about river travel fast. Cold, Coal and Corn everywhere. Two really nice days the rest were very cold, total trip of 6 days 335 miles. Until Gibson joined me near Peoria on day 4, It was around 50 miles a day, with his help up to 80 miles a day. Giving me time to cook better food and have a drink.
















Photo- Matt F.
Second is a guy we stopped and talked to while waiting for a lock to open. He almost went over a dam in that little rig and was so close an Army Core tug retrieved him, escaping total boat loss and possible death. He was fun to talk with and was so shook up he dropped his phone in the water. He said he was better off with out it anyway. We think he was pretty fatigued and made an slight oversight. It did kinda look like a way through but, you just couldn't miss all the lights and signs of the lock. Barges were filled to the brim with scrape metal, maybe waiting for a better price?

Two Big Days At Mavs

View from the Cliff ( 800mm) Photo Credit Agrinberg














Sunday's Action at Mavericks - more the view I had-( Frank Quirarte Photo)

"We are the luckiest organisms in the history of the universe."
Grant Baker after surfing Mavericks last weekend.
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A big swell came in Thanksgiving weekend. I managed to paddle out and witness the action as well as catch a few mackin' wild rides (kayak surfing) about midway between Mushroom Rock and the Mav's peak. I found out my adrenal glands are still working, if not my prefrontal cortex.
Some, including Jeff Clark said Sunday was the best day ever for Mavericks.

Saturday night the sound of the ocean was strong,even at up at my house. B and I went out to Montara beach and watched the massive breakers and rips, roaring like freight trains and looking more mysterious and awesome than ever by starlight.

The big news of the weekend was the Robert heroically paddled out into the maelstrom for a first time ever kayak adventure. The picture below shows us getting into the water with Sail Rock beckoning in the background. Even the protected waters of the lagoon were pretty crazy. WAY 2 GO ROBERT!

He's Baaack! (Yet another trip to a mysterious and remote N CA surf spot )

PICTURES

















(Roark Photo)

The Man himself!
Not seen for months due to fearsome surfing injuries, King Neptune Jordan has surfaced and made the scene for Novembers' Bsecret spot trip. Not yet cleared to surf he nonetheless made the hike in fine form and was probably a stabilizing presence in camp when confrontation with locals loomed. (He knows that headlocks [see Jordan bio] aren't the solution to everything, but aggro moves in your repertoire creates some room for diplomacy. Nixon opened China, right?) Looking good, dude!!




















(Roark Photo)

Roark - full combat load, ready for anything, belly pack full of Fosters Ale - outside now, inside soon!

It looks to have been a fabulous trip catching the weather and waves just right. Way to go boys! Roark's pictures HERE




Beautiful glow and impressive swell - not sure who is on the wave



Roark on this one?? ( Still goin', still goin', still goin'.....)

Galapagos Adventures Continued

Mike and Dan swimming with the iguanas

Elizabeth -thoughtful girl that she is- forwarded an updated set of pictures from the Galapagos Isles. featuring more big reptiles (All right!!) and their friend Mike who recently visited.
Thanks!. Check them out Here.










In other Galapagos related news: evolutionists have been flocking to a Charles Darwin image that has appeared on a wall - a miracle! Being in its presence gives one an overwhelming feeling of logic.

Excerpt: "I brought my baby to touch the wall, so that the power of Darwin can purify her genetic makeup of undesirable inherited traits," said Darlene Freiberg, one among a growing crowd assembled here to see the mysterious stain, which appeared last Monday on one side of the Rhea County Courthouse. The building was also the location of the famed "Scopes Monkey Trial" and is widely considered one of Darwinism's holiest sites. "Forgive me, O Charles, for ever doubting your Divine Evolution. After seeing this miracle of limestone pigmentation with my own eyes, my faith in empirical reasoning will never again be tested." Read the article HERE
(Courtesy "The Onion")

Sunday Solarity Sears Sunbathers &Surfers

Bob finds the Lagrange point, unaware his high albedo noggin is causing retina damage to children on the beach. MORE PICS
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We now know why the Hawaiian tourist economy is suffering - no one from N CA needs to go because we've got their weather!

The same high pressure system over the Great Basin driving the firestorm winds burning up Southern California created a warm offshore flow for us resulting in killer beach weather. Glassy waves and a small, clean swell made for sweet surf conditions. A few pictures of the beautiful beach afternoon on Sunday HERE. Nice!

Storm Paddle

The first big storm of the season came through yesterday.
And of course my phone was ringing -why not take this wonderful opportunity for a delightful paddle? Why not indeed. This photo shows Marty trying to get past the shore break near the jetty. The specks in the sky are kite surfers on the other side of the break water in the calm harbor. Some of them were catching 30 feet plus of air in the high wind of the storm.
Our plan was to paddle around the breakwater and out to Mushroom rock. We spent a crazy 90 minutes trying to battle our way out, but there was no way, the wind waves were stacked one on the other with no intervals and there was a tremendously strong littoral current washing us toward the breakwater. But we did get to work the paddling muscles,
practice combat rolls, swallow some sea water and enjoy some nice sideways rain.

Marty seemed happy...

Big Boys at Secret Spot

One for the ladies

Bob, Roark & Eric: The Masters of Big Surf

I don't have any details except Roarks's pictures, but it looks like another successful expedition to a Secret Spot on the North Coast. The adventurers appear to have survived the long, low-tide, in the dark, hike-in and were rewarded with both weather and waves. Way to go! Roark's expedition pictures HERE

Science in Action

The harsh realities of the global financial crisis is hitting hard in the Galapagos Islands, but trooper that he is, Dan carries on in the cause of science. Whatever it takes! More pictures HERE

Something Willie This Way Comes

Willie off the hook at 'The Hook' in Santa Cruz
OK Half Moon Bay Surf Club- here is who is coming up the line to compete in the coming years. Willie Eagleton 8th grader in Santa Cruz, has the aloha spirit and kills the competition with his athletic surf style. Word has it his mom, (Beverly's pal Ellen), is talkin' trash about Half Moon Bay, so get ready!
Click Willie's name for more pictures of him on Surfline.

UPDATE: The ISF junior surfers are arriving from Santa Cruz to take on HMB Dec 21st at the Jetty. Be there...

Fine Dawn at 'Africa'

Marty Studies His Immediate Future















Steve Goes Left


Last weekend Bob,Roark,Marty and Steve were accompanied by Oscar, Cindy and Sarah P. on a dawn patrol outing at Redondo Beach. (Poor Tim remains on injured reserve, at home nursing two broken ribs.) Cindy took these great pictures. See more of her shots of the morning session HERE

Girl In the Curl

Sarah came back from two weeks on NJ shore having adjusted to the watery surf world. We took advantage of her new gills and spent a few hours kayaking off Pillar Point. A foggy, but warm afternoon, with a beautiful feel. We paddled past mushroom rock to the outer buoy and across the Maverick's break zone. On the way back in, we stopped to play in the breakers a hundred yards off shore, inside Mushroom. Here are two water blurred shots: one of her paddling up and over, the second taken moments after punching through a wave that broke over her head. An aquacandy rinse. Yeah! She paddled into several of nice curls and surfed beautifully -once showing off some trick rodeo moves, side surfing, 360s etc. Wow. And a couple of swells caught her, providing an opportunity for open ocean swim practice. Doesn't get any better than that!
A few more pictures HERE
(Question: are sharks really attracted by mammal urine?)

July 4

Some of the July 4th goings on: Half Moon Bay parade ( the Library Drill team spinning their reshelving carts shown) Wonderful dinner on Ferdinand St. with the jordans and Phelps, fireworks though the fog at the HMB Harbor, Poplar St. surf session (Marty taking off) and a long hike with B around the harbor to Fitzgerald Marine Sanctuary. Nice vacation in place! Now off for a Sunday afternoon bike ride to the library on the Coastside Trail. and later dinner with Sarah. (Click on links for more pictures.)

The Day the Contest Was Called Because it was TOO BIG

Michael Charging a Huge Wave (Middle Peak?) Jan 13 2008
Click for large view

The Cougars Surf team showed up at Santa Cruz, Steamer Lane for the contest (the day after Mavericks) and the contest was called off- just too darn big! So what does the team do? Surf all day of course, charging huge waves, and getting swept by an intense current almost to the pier after each ride, fighting to paddle to the steps and walking all the way back to try again and generally having a blast all day long. Check here for more pictures of the team on this and other days.

Dan's Stand Up Move!

You've gotta love the 'Give Blood' tee shirt. Thats the spirit. On his recent visit to Half Moon Bay, Dan insisted upon a surf session. Here is a clip of Dan battling the waves and winning! His first stand up move- Africa Beach, August '07.
Way to go,dude! And I hope that rib heals up real soon, bro.
Come vist again before too long.

Abalone Rockefellar?

Click to enlarge this photo

Bounty of the sea! Sarah and I had the great good fortune to camp with friends at the mouth of the Albion river near Mendicino this past weekend. Much paddling, diving, fishing and eating.Here fresh caught abalone and sea urchin are viewed with interest & some skepticism as to edibility. All doubts were put to rest later that night at a great sea food feast.

View trip album HERE

Participants included:

Tony, Kay, Paul, Rob, Ralph, Debbie, Daphne, Rorke, Erin, Magnus, Piper, Kit, Marty, Cindy, Sarah P. Sarah K, Mike, Bob, Holly, Heather, Patrick, Adam and many others. What a crew!

Blow Up Blow out

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Is this an example

of spooky pre-halloween

synchronistic connections?

Or just random coincidence

You decide.

In June I took photos of an open water swim session for people new to the experience. Some were anxious, needing encouragment by the coaches to enter the water. It was not until several days later that I examined the photos closely and noticed that one swimmer had been encouraged rather strongly by the application of a surf board to her bottom. Accident? I don't think so, but we will never know for sure. My discovery of the crime 'hidden' in the unmagnified photo made me think of the film 'Blow Up.' In it a photographer sees evidence of a murder in enlargements of photos he has taken. As in my photo only the crime is clearly seen, not the criminal's identity. ( Who was wielding the surfboard?) I saw the film at the Shady Oak Theatre, I think in 1966 or 67.. Black and white and strange! Not your average fare. It made an impression. A few days before the open water swim episode I had also seen "Blow Out' on cable- a take off on the 'Blow Up idea.' In it John Travolta's character discovers evidence of a murder in a sound recording he has made. The surf board crime caught on film set me to thinking of these earlier movies.

Now here is the spooky part. Ready?... OK. The very next day after noticing the photos and thinking back on the movies, who dies but Michaelangelo Antonioni director of 'Blow Up'. What do you think? Time to found a religion?

Locals Only!

A Classic Pose: Sarah and Mac with the Haumersen Surf Team. Long Beach Island, New Jersey at the foot of 34th St.
Check out the photo album HERE

Paddling out to the Line Up

SURF NEW JERSEY!!

0 Dark:30. Dawn patrol prep at Miramar Beach

Bronco with boards pointing to the moon.


Gettin ready: Marty& Rork

Bad Ass Bob