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January 17, 2005
Thrills and Spills Towsurfing Adventure
I'm sorry this is so long, just out of the water still buzzing and I wanted to get it on down on paper, er computer?
Bruce and I dawn patrol towed this morning, last night the buoys were reading between 20-25 feet and 14-20 second periods......Figured we would go out on another "exploratory" mission.
We got to the harbor about 20 minutes before it was even light out, I could see all the other cars with skis in the parking lot for the Tow In world championships.
We dropped out ski and this surge came that was making the water level range from 3 feet below the dock to about 2-3 inches above the edge of the dock at times. I had laid my board down on the edge of the dock and when this one big surge came it floated about 4 feet into the parking lot! This same surge must have hit the Tow contest admistrators stuff, because we saw this waterproof box with all the contest papers in it floating in the darkness and returned it to them...(we saved the contest!! ha!...)
Anyways as we motored out it was just beginning to get light. There were clouds in the sky and a light sideshore bump on the water... It was a witches's brew of rip currents hitting waves in the channel was even bigger than the Eddie day I thought....
Avalanche looked pretty crappy, so we kept going. Ended up at this left, where we were all alone except this one other team who watched us for a while then left. Waves were in the 8-12 range with some 15? foot sets. Most waves were breking by the peak but the big ones would swing wide and break more in the middle.....
We watched 2-3 sets go by, and then rode all the way in and back out around through the channel that is on the opposite side of the wave. It was nice because you could see there was deeper water on the inside to run to if caught inside.
I towed Bruce into his first wave, then actually saw him smile. This is a big deal because he has surfed so many good waves, and he was actually stoked, yes! Got him 2 good ones including a super long one, then it was my turn.
Got my 2 waves, nice 10 footers or so, long rides. Super stoked to ride those so we agreed I would tow him into one more. By this time then the winds were side onshore and really beginning to blow.
While trying to get that last big set wave (Brude wanted the biggest one he said) he let go, but missed the wave a few times. After he missed that last one, I went back real quick and picked him up onto the sled, and right then probaly one of the biggest sets of the day came.
I started racing for the shoulder, but then I realized I wasn't going to make it at the last second so I turned in towards shore and the the ski just slid out!! The weight from having someone on the sled made it happen I suppose.... also I think Bruce thought the wave was going to hit us so he fell/jumped off the back and I raced in. I looked back I just in time to see him and the board going over the falls on like a 12 footer (at least).....what an image!
More waves came so I was forced to go around to the channel, when I get back he has this 3 inch gash in his foot, the board had hit him going over the falls.....
But he was stoked on the session anyways! He told me the wave after the first one, the next one held him down the longest he has ever been held down for.....nice!
Even with his injury he was stoked as hell on the session, and so was I except for I am worried about his foot. There is a nice crush in the rail with some skin and hair....
On the way in it had gotten much more choppy, and as we passed the contest at avalanche it looked really bumpy and not to good at all. There were a bunch of boats and skis cruising. I said what's up to my friend Todd Robertson who was sitting in the channel. We were back at the harbor by 9:30..
Posted by hawaiisurf at January 17, 2005 09:57 AM