Winter

    
     We have been lucky so far with a mild interlude from fall into winter. Now it is here and it isn't so mild anymore. The recent swell event was dark windy and cold. There were less than 1/2 a dozen surfers at choice spots in the area. The waves were pumping and the offshore wind was gusting up to about 40-50mph. Solid waist-chest+ with a rogue over head 1-2 wave set. SO CLEAN.
     It was empty when I showed up. One soul was looking at the break. It wasn't lining up so well due to tidal factors. This could only make you drive around out of curiosity. I checked a couple other spots and it looked worse. The wind was beating on the solid lines rolling onto various point breaks and sandbars. Not too impressed by the size or cleanliness presented by this swell I put hopes of riding my 6'11 to bed and focused more on my 5'6 LSD twinzer. That shape has proven itself time and time again in a variety of conditions.
     You can imagine it may have been a bit difficult to paddle into these waves. Timing and positioning were everything. Some waves seemed to drift right to you effortlessly holding back JUST enough for you to turn and go. Just 2 strokes and you felt the momentum of the wave pick you up. The wind would send beads of water off the back of the wave so violently that it was literally blinding on a few occasions. "It's like skiing through a snow gun" one surfer remarked. It wasn't exactly a warm paradise out there. In our own silent ways , however, we had found a piece of paradise in New England. Dark and stormy tubes all around. Empty waves up and down the beach and barely a handful of surfers in the water. On face turns were a challenge as was timing the perfectly etched barrel sections reeling through. All in  all I'd say Santa was a little late this year delivering surf but I'm not complaining. Surf on! JB