Back in the Saddle

Wow, what happened? Where was I? Has it been a month since my last post? Damn. Work, school, internship, travel, moving, dog, girlfriend, crazy neighbors and not enough surf took over my September. But tomorrow is October, my favorite surf month of all, so the Yacht Club is officially back from its (late) summer vacation.

To kick things off, here are some rando pics from the last few weeks.

Also, I ran into this UC Santa Cruz 100% Slug license plate holder in the El Porto parking lot. I had to snap a picture, not because I am a UCSC alum myself (not something I would ever make known in a lineup, especially in SC itself) but because I think they're retarded/hilarious. I'm thinking of putting one on Kug's Subaru just as a practical joke.

Hurricane Bill: Part II

Here are some photos of Bill courtesy of Joe from Right Side Productions. Hurricane Bill was the start to what many will hope will be an eventful hurricane season this fall on the east coast. I myself being one of them as I am traveling back east in just a couple of weeks, and haven't surfed the Atlantic in years. In the meantime the first N Pacific swell of the season is hitting California this weekend which is kinda like the unofficial start to the season around here. After a dreadful August and a July spent on crutches, things are starting to heat up.

Intervention Time?

Does this....... (Favorite Hobby = Drinking Beer)

Lead to this???

Flipping through my old E.M.T. book, I happened to come across this interesting photo portraying the adverse effects of drinking alcohol. Suffice to say, it wasn't the effects that intrigued me, but rather the uncanny likeliness to one Mr. Dane Reynolds of Ventura, CA.

Is Dane moonlighting as a Delirium Tremen-induced bar fly for some medical book artist? (Art is also another one of his favorite hobbies...) Is my E.M.T. book some grim glimpse into the surfing future a la Biff's sports book in Back to the Future Part II ?

One of the first warning signs perhaps occurred during the 2008 Boost Mobile Pro at Trestles, where according to Surfermag.com, Dane was feeling a bit under the weather.

"My stomach hurt because I ate gas station food before my heat," he replied following an opening round victory.

Uh-oh. Stomach aches? Gas station food? Not a good sign. Nobody eats gas station food unless you are currently drunk, or currently hungover. And that stomach ache, could that be the volatile mixture of Southern Comfort, Coors Light, and Hostess' powdered-sugar mini-donuts? Very suspicious...

Despite being awarded ASP Rookie of the Year in '08, Mr. Reynolds has yet to live up to his mega-hype, posting a season-opening 9th, followed by four straight 33rds. Tales of late-night partying and constant double-fisting were running rampant during the first half of the '09 season. Yes, he did post a career-best 3rd at the hangover-curing cold waters of J-Bay, but what is a man to do during the long gap between South Africa in July and Trestles in September? For a man who lists drinking beer as his favorite hobby, there is little doubt about it. Stay with us Dane! The ASP World Tour needs you!

Hurricane Bill

Hurricane Bill. I like that name. Direct and to the point. That's what this storm should be, too. For all the madness of Sunday, things are looking to wrap up just as quickly as they came in. So get it while the gettin's good, because you won't see the words 'EPIC' too soon again on the Surfline regional forecasts. Oh yeah, that's a 36 -52 foot @ 16 second forecast you're seeing in Nova Scotia. I wanna see some footage of that.

Los Angeles County - reppin'

These photos are from the huge West swell in the first week of December, 2007. You don't see Los Angeles throwing this down too often. Also, the Yacht Club will be keeping an eye on Hurricane Bill as it heads towards the East Coast, with some possible photo evidence to document the madness. Good luck to the boys (and girls) on the Atlantic who deserve this after a long summer.

You Know What I Want!

I heard the great Spinal Tap on the way home last night on 95.5 classic rock (they're good, but where's my Nights with Alice Cooper! Another reason to hate L.A.). In honor, I thought this video was appropriate. Why? Because whenever I'm sitting in the lineup and there is a lull between sets, I have this song stuck in my head. Except, instead of "mo-ney", they say "wa-aaves".

Gimme some waa-aaaaves! Gimme some waa-aaaaves!

PHOTO DISPATCH - SoCal Vol. 3

Props to Jenny Kug from Kugssurfgurnal and Kug Eats for some of the photos. More to come as we finally start to head towards the glory season of fall.

PHOTO DISPATCH - SoCal Vol. 2

PHOTO DISPATCH - SoCal Vol. 1

Just some photos taken over the 2 years I've been in L.A. now. Most of these I think tend to show L.A. in a favorable light. It helps to deal with living here while you're dreaming of some far off locale, like the Mentawais or 4 mile.

A Morning with Merrick

The Yacht Club spent this last Saturday morning hitting up the Channel Islands Board Demo at El Porto. While the waves were not epic, they did prove to be rideable, even with a few fun sets rolling in. A combo S swell / NW windswell helped cross things up a bit, making for some shoulders to play around on, and the calm morning winds kept things relatively smooth.

Because I went with Kug, we got to demo two different boards and switch off in the water (score). Here's what we rode.

The Pod: 5'10" x 20 1/4" x 2 1/2"

"A requirement in Dane and Kelly's board bags, the Pod is built to fly. It will position itself into the smallest ramp and allow for a technical launch. Deep concaves with a foiled nose and a swallowtail keep the Pod lively and maintains its high performance. The 'snub' nose puts volume forward, allowing for maximum plaining and wave catching."

The Biscuit: 5'4" x 19 7/8" x 2 3/4"

"A short and stubby tri-fin; the Biscuit was developed with Rob Machado. Like Rob, the Biscuit rides free and easy in the smallest surf and catched waves like a board a foot longer... Everyone should ride this board at least twice."

Wow, that's a lotta name-dropping. Aside from that, these boards were pretty fun, however the Pod stood out for me. It was very fast and responsive, and the extra rocker on the nose allowed for some steeper take-offs. I would have loved to ride this board as a quad just to really step up the speed factor. Overall it got into a lot of waves and was a blast to ride.

The Biscuit was fun too, but almost more as a novelty than an actual performance shortboard. Like something you take out with your friends to goof around on. Yes, you can get good rides with it, but I'm not Machado and I don't spend most of my surfing time in Indo (yet), so the Biscuit isn't something I would drop $700 on. Ironically, this was the board I thought I would love the most, and I just didn't turn out to be true. That's were the magic of the demo day comes in. The Biscuit had almost no room for error, and seemed to bog down on turns. Hmmm, maybe if it had been a 5'6"......

In an attempt at journalistic integrity, I offer a quick Q and A with Kug regarding these boards. I do this because I am a strapping 6'3" 180 lbs, and not all of you out there might fit this description. Therefore, my experience on these boards might not speak to you more condensed-types. Here's what Kug (5'6" 120 lbs) had to say......

The Yacht Club: So Kug, what did you think of the boards today?

Jenny Kug: It was definitely really fun to try different boards, but overall I liked the Pod a lot better. And it was good to just get an opportunity to ride a board I normally wouldn't.

YC: What do you normally ride, and how did these boards compare?

JK: I ride a 6'0" x 16 1/2" x 2 1/4" Rusty Redline, it's my magic board. I love it. The Biscuit was weird, it was really hard to paddle and really hard to figure out where you should be lying on it because it was so short! It was pretty fun but I would like more rocker in it as I could get nervous taking off on bigger waves. I really liked the Pod, it was really fast...it almost slipped out from under my feet! But I could tell the 5'10" was too big for me. I would have to ride something at least a couple inches shorter than that in real life. I felt like a lot of board because it was really wide, so it was harder to turn quickly, but I could tell it had the potential to.

YC: Did you learn anything about what kind of board you might want to get in the future from this experience?

JK: I wish I could say I was super board-savvy. I like the fatter rail, but skinnier all together, with a little bit of rocker but not a ridiculous amount. Basically, I want a board that generates its own speed really well.

YC: Which board dealt better with the shit show that is El Porto on a Saturday morning?

JK: I'm gonna go with the Pod because it was way easier to duck-dive and maneuver. The Biscuit was so thick it took all of my being to push it underneath waves. I felt a lot more in control with the Pod, easier to do everything.

YC: What did you like about the Biscuit?

JK: It was just a fun, kooky board that was a challenge, something new. It would be really fun if the waves are shit and you're just fuckin' around.

YC: Any parting words of wisdom that you gained from this experience?

JK: It's good for your surfing to try new boards and to feel like an idiot for a little bit. Struggling is not necessarily a bad thing, it reminds you where you came from and teaches you where you want to go.

Gone Fishin'

Cuz there ain't no surf in the southbay. Channel Islands Demo Day coming to the El Porto car park tomorrow. The Yacht Club will be there, so stay tuned for a full report!

Artwork by The Cap'n

What I Rode Today

Dan C. swallowtail thruster. 5'10" x 18 3/4" 2 1/4". This is one of Kug's boards, originally bought as a backup stick for El Salvador. It's a little small for me (I am about 6'3" 180 lbs), or I should say it's a little too thin on the rails for me, but with a stronger wave it rips. While it may not float me as efficiently as it should, this board still rips as you can snap turns like a whip. Always good to ride different things now and then.

Fun Things to do with a Surfboard

Floatable Beer-Dice Table

Leo Carillo During the July '09 Big South Swell

These are just a couple of photos from Satuday, July 2009 when the big Southern Hemi swell was just peaking. They are from Leo Carillo State Beach at the western most tip of Los Angeles County, where you don't feel like you're in Los Angeles County at all. Leo Carillo was an actor who was most famous for playing Pancho, the sidekick to the Cisco Kid on that old TV show which was huge in the 1950's. Leo was also a conservationist who served on the California Beaches and Parks Commission for eighteen years, and his friendship with the Hearst family led to the state's acquisition of Hearst Castle at San Simeon. Governor Edmund G. Brown called Leo "Mr. California" and the state showed him their California love by naming the first beach in northern L.A. County in his honor. Mr. Carillo (as Pancho) is the tough-looking guy on the right of the photo. Yeah, that's how you regulate a lineup!

Viva Mexico!

I know the Hobgoods' had this up on their blog first but fuck em', they're pro surfers and got free Mac Powerbooks just for showing up at the US Open. Oh yeah and countless free boards, that's cool too. Check out Greg Long PADDLING into some bombs near the 2:00 mark. New favorite surfer for sure.

Get to Know Your Broken Bones

Yeah so you know that amazing southern hemi swell that lit up all of Cali and beyond this past week? Couldn't tell you much about it as I was (almost) staying home nursing a fucked up ankle. Tried to go on Saturday because it looked just too good to pass up, but my first pop-up shot pain up my leg like you wouldn't believe. Okay, nothing a couple of beers wouldn't fix.

Rest up those injuries while you can kids, you never know when that once-a-season swell is gonna hit.

Artwork by The Cap'n.

El Salvador, Part IV

If you've ever surfed Trestles on a good day, then that's what the majority of the waves are like in El Salvador, but often with only a handful of guys out.  Suffice to say it can be pretty damn fun. You're not really gonna get barreled, but you'll do the kind of hacks you only dream about 'till the sun goes down. Facing directly south, El Salvador picks up only swells from the south, which means spring and summer are the glory seasons.  However, if you can get it in late March or early April, the first swells of the season start to roll in like clockwork, and the water is still nice and clean from the last 6 months of the dry season.  Get on it before El Salvador gets too blown up.  The first major hotels were starting to be built along the beach, so the clock is ticking.

El Salvador, Part III

Alot of times when driving through El Salvador, you'll see an old tiny pickup with two dudes in the front and 20 odd family members in the back.  They all stand up while the driver does about 60 mph around hairpin turns with hundred-foot drop-offs to the ocean, and pass big trucks around blind turns like there's no tomorrow.  Some friends we met on the trip got flagged down by the local policia.  Thinking they were in for a shakedown, they were pretty stoked when they realized the bunch of 'em just wanted a ride in the back of their truck.  You can't say no to a man with a loaded AK-47.

El Salvador, Part II

The surf in El Salvador is very good.  Mostly right-hand point breaks, there's a rare left or two thrown in for good measure, blah blah you can find that info anwhere.  Other stuff you learn only on arrival.  The water is very clear during the winter months, but dirty when the heavy tropical storms cause major run-off from the mountains.  It has beautiful countryside but people leave trash all over the beach.  Everyone is really friendly just like the guide books say. Unlike Cali, the guy-to-girl ratio in the lineup was about 3:1, and the girls are good.  Also, if there were ever a sport which involved surfing a boogie-board, the Salvadorians would dominate.  And wait for the late afternoon glass-off.  No sunset glare in your eyes and no need for the SPF 50.