Around The World In 80 Waves

I really like Santa Cruz. It is definitely my kind of place. Very chilled out, the weather is lovely and warm with loads of people going for a run or a cycle along the sea front. Epic surf right in front of the town. A big town but still retains a seaside charm.

It is also where they filmed ‘The Lost Boys’ the brat pack vampire film. Do you remember them hanging off this bridge?

It was also where Duke Kahanamoku’s 1st surf was enjoyed on the US mainland in 1910, and it is also where surfing was first seen in the US 25 years earlier when 3 Hawaiian Princes who were studying at a nearby military college decided to fashion some boards and practise their art so far away from home.

It is Surf City USA and there are skateboards everywhere, with all ages cruising down to the beach on them. Just about every surf stereotype you can imagine and then some more people who are all a bit out there. Crowds gather on the cliffs to watch the surfers ride by on the Steamer Lane breaks, and this huge stautue stands watch over the scene. A wonderful spot

My first impression of the hostel is that it is a gorgeous collection of little cottages and everybody I meet in my own cottage. (Stella from Germany, Hannah from the Netherlands, Sam from Reno in Nevada and Sophie from Australia) is up for a drink as soon as I arrive, so we all go out for a burrito and then on to a bar called 99 bottles (www.99bottles.com) where they serve 99 different beers. Drink all 99 and get a Tshirt and a placque on the wall. Ordinarily it would be a challenge I am up for but time is short in town and I don’t think my thirst will stretch that far in my short stay. I score 3/99 on my record card. Very poor!

The next day I visit the surfing museum under the lighthouse at the point which is the first section of Steamers Lanes, Santa Cruz’s most famous break. Inside the museum I am staggered to see that there is a local shaper called Bob Pearson who has shaped Mavericks competition winning boards (under the brand name of Pearson Arrow boards) and has been inducted into the shaping hall of fame. Laird Hamilton, all round board sports legend, is even one of his sponsored riders! Bob was also rated the number 2 pro surfer in the United States back in 1976.

I have to go looking for the bloke and soon find his surf shop but sadly have just missed him. His nephew gets him on the phone but a family function prevents him from joining me and talking to me about boards. He sends his best wishes for my trip and missing him is probably a blessing in disguise, because I would only have wanted to buy a custom Bob Pearson surfboard from him and I dont need two boards for this trip. Instead I treat myself to some Pearson surf merchandise which just has to be done. I do however know where my next board will be shaped! 🙂

I wouldn’t have had room for it anyway because my roof rack issue is still not sorted. It was tiresome in San Francisco now it is just an annoyance because I want to set the bug up for long term travel and I cant do any of that when a board is taking up all the space in the car. Over the phone when I called from San Francisco the hostel said it would be fine to mail something here before I arrived or indeed even before I bought the part I need. I then gave the hostel address that was suggested to me over the phone to the supplier, only to arrive and be told that I should not have been told I could mail stuff and that they are not willing to check their PO Box because I shouldn’t have sent something there even though they are responsible for it being there!! They have one more day to produce the part whereupon they will see what Arsey with a capital A is. I am warming up both barrels. 🙂

I didnt feel like going surfing today but enjoyed watching the locals for hours enjoying the fantastic point break which is Steamer Lane. After a while I went up the coast and stumbled across a marine research institute which has a small aquarium at the front, where I was invited to stroke a couple of Swell Sharks (so called because they suck in water to make themselves swell up and look bigger when threatened.) They are not so tough. I reckon I could easily have them. Quite a busy day in the end and am glad of turning in. Good night folks.

I opt for this very friendly looking wave. which is just down the coast from Mavericks, which you just might be able to make out breaking at the bottom of  the headland in the distance. It is gloriously sunny, uncrowded and the waves are about chest high and super clean because there is no wind. I re-wax my board with the more suitable cold water wax and paddle out.

I have attached the camera again and this is probably the shot of the day. I am quickly on my game today and bag loads chatting to the locals who are very friendly.

I had to post this picture becasue the look on my face is worth a thousand words. I honestly cant tell you what was coming my way but I’m guessing it must have been the set of the day. Very funny!

I head south after a great session thinking that I couldn’t be happier until I discover that the little green surf machine has heated seats and enjoy a toasty derriere on the way south down highway 1.

Mavericks is one of the world’s legendary surf breaks. It breaks off Pillar Point which is a military listening station about 20 miles south of San Francisco.

It is extremely dangerous and will claim the life of anyone who attempts it without the necessary skill level (as Gerard Butler found out recently whilst filming ‘Chasing Mavericks’ which nearly drowned him). It never maxes out, will only break when the waves are 15 feet and upwards and has claimed the lives of more than one legendary surfer because the weight of the water in the waves never lets the surfer back up to the surface for long enouh to fill their lungs with air.

If that isnt bad enough the wave breaks directly in front of these rocks which are the size of houses and are known as the Boneyard. You have to paddle around them to get to the break which takes approximately 40 minutes each way.

The final icing on this particular cake is that it is regularly patrolled by great white sharks looking for lunch and there have been at least two confirmed attacks in recent years (thankfully both were not fatal.)

The wave was first pioneered by Jeff Clark back in the seventies who now runs the local surf shop. He used to paddle out on his own and hang around out there for hours. That he managed that unscathed is testament to both his skill and you also have to say his luck!

It is only just breaking when I get there and I understand that later in the day a few people are surfing 20 foot faces, however I am sure I took the correct decision when I decided to pass on this particular wave. I will push my own luck only so far!

After the disaster at Ocean Beach I stock up on supplies and now have a wax for all seasons. I am a big fan of Mr Zogs work and will always look for sex wax in the shop first.

From left to right cold water, cool water, warm water, warm to tropical and the one I’m most looking forward to using tropical.

They also come in different flavours with strawberry being one my favourite smells in the world.

No more excuses. 🙂

In some kind of preemptive ‘hair of the dog that bit me’ effort I have been drinking Great White beer for the last few days, which I am hoping will be enough innoculation against the Men in Grey Suits. I set off driving south with my new learn to speak Spanish CDs blaring on stereo. I have a month to progress beyond the current extent of my Spanish – ‘cerveza por favor’

Kevin’s local break is Ocean Beach where the city meets the sea. While I decide how keen I am on being shark bait I watch the locals catching some awesome rides.

I have to get in and am encouraged by the dolphins or porpoises which are hanging around just outside of the break. They know much better than I do what is under the water so if they are comfortable then so am I (he lied!) It is quite a tough paddle out and I really notice my winter suit compared with surfing in shorts in Hawaii, but I get out despite having made the schoolboy error of not changing the wax on my board from warm to tropical water to the cold water wax needed here. However the wrong wax hardens in the water and the top of my board is like greased glass. I really have a nightmare and the thought of the angry fish that are about is doing nothing to settle my mind. Loads of pelicans fly through the break inches above the wave which is very mellow, unlike my surfing. I am slipping off the board every time I take off and then am getting whumped by the masive surf. Time and time again it happens until I have had enough.

It is my first blank of the trip and I get out when the sun goes down conscious that it is when the fish are feeding. The gorgeous sunset isn’t enough to lift my spirits so after buying some cold water wax I head for the British pub a little further down the coast. Five pints of Boddingtons later all is good with the world.

If you are thinking of sending stuff home, DON’T unless you are willing to be financially raped! $50 to send a flag a couple of books and some paperwork home.

There are many ways to order eggs in the US. Aparently ‘Not Snotty’ is not one of them.

This gives a shark’s eye view of how things look on the surface of the water when the big fish are feeling hungry. It isn’t altogether surprising that occasionally they decide to have a nibble on a human popsicle to see what they taste like.

I am more than a little bit nervous of such things in this area, a situation which is not aided by my surf guide saying (and I’m quoting directly) that getting in the water here represents a “very real prospect of becoming a great white shark’s evening meal.” Hmmmm!!!! Apparantly it is even worse if you cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head north into Marin County and beyond. However the chances are incredibly slim of anything actually happening. Thousands and thousands of surfers get in the water every day here without incident, so it is highly unlikely anything will happen to me. But…

I found this online but am not sure it helps at all. Thankfully the further south I travel the less likely I am to see one of these. However once I get a roof rack swerving Northern California altogether may well be on the cards. The ‘Red Triangle’ as the area immediately south of San Francisco is rather worryingly known is not something I am finding at all appealing if I am honest.

The Aussies used to have a shark repellant surf wax which was guaranteed against shark attack or your money back, which was clearly of no use at all but it might have settled my mind a little.

It is New Year’s Day and I cant sort out most of the things I need to because it is a public holiday so I go for a ride in the Little Green Surf Machine up to the wine growing region of Napa Valley and Sonoma which are north of San Francisco. You are never too far from the Earth’s core in this part of the world and there is a Geyser at the top of the valley called ‘Old Faithful’ It isn’t the massive one you may have heard of in Yellowstone National Park, but it is impressive none the less even if it does smell of rotten eggs.

The valley is beautiful and I cant resist buying a case of its finer produce. Cynthia at Dean & Deluca has the easiest sale in the world persuading me to part with far too much money for 2 x Longboard Merlot (for obvious reasons), 2 x HDV Belle Cousine (I’m no slave to the works of Bacchus but I believe this is quite a nice drop), 2 x Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (famous for being the first Californian wine to beat the French in a taste test – immortalisd in the charming movie Bottle Shock http://www.bottleshockmovie.com/), as well as a few more to make up a case to enjoy on my travels. 

It has been a great day and I attach my Go Pro to the dashboard for the journey back to San Francisco. It is really too dark because the sun was going down by the time I left the Napa Valley but I got this funky shot as I crossed the Golden Gate bridge.

Happy New Year everyone. Hope 2013 is a good one for you.

I spent the turning of the New Year last night in the Balboa Bar and Grill which is one of San Francisco’s famous boozers, however as with home New Year is overpriced, overcrowded and underwhelming, even if the local tottie was looking magnificient in all their finery.  

Hope it is great year for you all. As you know I have one or two things planned myself.

🙂

The car I have bought is great but I need to get the board on the roof if only to create space for me to sleep in it from time to time. It would also be good to have some company at various stages of the journey so I MUST sort out a roof rack. However it is turning into a Grail Quest, and a painful one at that. Everywhere says they are open online but I drive halfway across the city to each vendor who is either closed, hostile, locking up having sent the staff home early, but most importantly for all of them unable to sell me the final piece of a three piece jigsaw which I must collect before departing. Sadly I will now have to wait two days until people start answering phones and I can even get an ETA on when I can lay my hands on the last bit of kit.

Having all that grief and having to do other very boring stuff like walking for an hour to find a post office which closed 10 minutes before I got there, printing off and finalising my limited company’s accounts for last year, etc means this is a really frustrating day. It is New Year’s Eve so I will have to go out and raise a glass to sooth my furrowed brow.