Wet Assed Wednesday Surf & Culture Report
Our first photo is courtesy of Mike McKinney who writes:
Hi Professor,
I promised to send you a photo from our big win in Hawaii. The Molokai Hoe, considered the World Championship long distance outrigger canoe race, was held on 10/10/10. I raced with a 12 man crew of California all-stars, all 55 years old plus. (At 56 I was the youngest) The race starts at Molokai and finishes in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. We were fortunate to have, "Hawaiian conditions", meaning 25 knot trade winds and huge following seas. What that really means is a nice trade wind at your back to keep you cooled off and swells that surf a 45 foot canoe like a rocket. There was also a swell coming from starboard and we were occasionally completely covered by crashing waves. The Hawaiian's pride themselves for being able to compete handily in these conditions as opposed to our docile California waters. After 6 hours and 5 minutes of racing we came across the finish line, 20 seconds ahead of the previously undefeated Hawaiian team.
I attached a picture of our team that I created using our medal as a background. (We'll run that tomorrow... Ed.) The other picture is the start of the race with Molokai in the background. Our canoe is second from the bottom and I am sitting seat one. You can really see the swell in front of the canoes. Once past the protection of the island it really got wild.
That's one down from my Bucket List.
Have a wonderful Christmas and hopefully we'll see you at Kincaid's for the last sunset of the year.
Poseur
(Congratulations from all the Lost Boys! You represented us big time! You didn't happen to go to Redondo High did you?... Ed.)
All kinds of weather today, but mostly rainy and wild. Visibility at checkout was 2 miles with rainy cloudy skies. Things actually cleared for a while and then as the arm of the storm swept around the rain started pelting again. Winds have been predominantly out of the south at 12 to 14kts. The sea surface has been smooth to chopped and are best described as "variable." The air temperature was 57.3° and the water was 57.9°. High tide was at 8:58am +6.6' and low tide is at 4:18pm -1.2'. The buoy is reading a confused swell out of 167° SSE true at 5.2'. We're calling it 3' to 5', with the tide floating everything in the am and draining out the bay later in the pm. The wind is controlling everything the tide doesn't touch.
Photo 2 features four of the finest watermen you'll find anywhere. Clockwise from the top left: Ned McIlroy, Fred Tisue, Ted Claire and Don Souther. Between them you have two Olympians, one of the finest blue water sailors in the world, surf team legends from the Vardemann and Greg Noll Teams and over 5,000 combined ocean rescues on southern California beaches. Lots of folks literally owe their lives to these guys. Considering the renown, they are the most hilarious bunch of guys you've ever met. They've got the best stories you've ever heard, considering a bit of hyperbole here and there... They made for a rather memorable morning...
