Lost Boys & Co.

Lost Boys & Co... T he sky was overcast and winds were calm, but the water was at least 70º and the surf was head-high to double overhead.  Hey this is a BOOGIE report!  T here were some standout performances, notably from our junior contestant Lina Catalina.  Late drops and death defying takeoffs in the tube.  A-Aron and Brendan went head to head in the pro division with some great angles, drop knee and alternative equipment.  Likewise, Chocolate Ginny sported a six handled mat and Rocket Miller cruised on his Rocket.  He says he's going to wax it, which might add another dimension to his attack.  Waxing your rocket?  That's definitely a game changer.  Wild-Woman Burns had her game face on and charged some outsides, along with LoLa on the south end of the zone.  Tom Welch mangled a couple of big ones and used those size twelves to his advantage.  As always the crowd erupted as Capt. Donaldo made the scene.  He one paddled ...

Lost Boys & Co... O kay, so If you've been following the report, you know we've been worm-holed to the dark side of Boogie-land.  Like this morning when José Bacallao, Rocket Miller, Burnsy, the Professor and Ronnie hit the overhead grinders, much to their delight.  To top it off Logan Nelson (recently from Colorado) joined us for some tips on improving his surfing.  On the way back to the future who should stop us but the body board, bodysurfing champion of the entire universe (known and unknown) John Shearer!  He quite literally mowed folks down on the Strand to take this shot of Burnsy, Rocket and the Professor (#1).  Apparently he wanted photographic evidence when we deny the whole thing... A sense of impending Fall is in the air, but we're holding on to the last vestiges of summer.  We're good 'til October right?  10 miles visibility under heavy overcast.  Winds dropping out of the south at 1 to 4kts.  The air was 62.1º and the wate...

Lost Boys & Co... Y ou thought that this was just a passing fancy?  How do you explain Johnna, Paul, Georgia and Ringo (#1) crossing Abbey Road to hit the surf?  It was wild!  And being a cool morning, the water 70.3º seemed pretty warm compared to the 64.3º air.  High tide was at 8:30am +4.1' and they didn't wait around for the low at 1:02pm +2.8'.  Breaking feet from shore the action was fierce despite the 2.0' SSW swell and it got better with the tide push.  It was Rocket Miller, Wilder Burnsy and the Professor leading off and then... Y ou're grinding through some zipping lefts, when who shows up with his modified BZ but Hans Geiger!  He's got fins and game and he starts out by doing an "El Rollo" out of the pit.  And if that wasn't enough, Donnie jumps in with his Mach 7.55 ((#2) Donnie with Rocket Miller and Burnsy) and shreds the other end of the peak.  The question is, "Are you ready to Boogie?"  The crew has decided Saturday ...

Lost Boys & Co... I t looked cool and there was the slightest onshore wind, but the water was warm 70.0º compared to the 64.0º air.  High tide was at 8:00 +3.8' and low tide is barely low at 11:55am +3.1'.  But there was a SSW swell out of 193º at 2.3' translating into some little zippers that were 1' to 2'. B ut dude!  If it's 1' it's head high for a boogie boarder.  If it's 2' it's almost double-O!  So for the third day in a row we broke out the sponges and rocked the Pier Bowl.  The crew (#1) over the last few days included José Bacallao, Anupa, Giselle, Chris Miller, the Professor, Capt. Donnie and Kira Lingman.  Felt good in the water out of the wind and the waves were perfect for honing our newfound booger skills.  If it's small mañana, who knows?  Pack the sponge & fins along with your board and hang on!   ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... W e try to do our due diligence, but much to our chagrin we failed to include Mark "Maleko" Cole (#1) and his Catalina Classic Crossing!  This was his 7th classic yesterday, with 6:26 as his personal best time.  Looking rather chipper here after a rather lengthy paddle! T his morning we had sunny skies and 10 miles visibility through the morning haze.  Winds wee light onshore and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temperature was noticeably cooler this morning at 63.0º, but that couldn't mean that fall is around the corner, because the water was 70.2º  High tide was at 7:03am +3.4' and low tide will be at 10:07am +3.1' for a rather wacky tide cycle.  It's a WSW swell out of 257º at 2.3' and it was a solid double overhead for the contestants of the "Sponge-a-Palooza." YES!   Exactly the thing we needed for a small, basically unsurfable day.  The contestants were primed and ready and at the judge's (Burnsy & Scout) s...

Lost Boys & Co... I t's 32 miles from the Isthmus of Catalina to the south side of the Manhattan Pier.  It takes almost an hour by a fast  boat.  You probably can only see Catalina Island 50% of the time from our spot on the mainland.  There are people who have lived all their lives in Southern California and have never been to Catalina.  We have been a number of times, but we have never had the overwhelming compulsion to leave in such a hurry that we'd paddle across the channel.  Oh yeah, the channel.  To cross the channel you must also cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.  Some of the tankers that ply the channel are over 1,000 feet long.  They don't stop and they can't turn.  The channel is home to the full spectrum of sharks from Blue to White, Bull to Black Tip.  Most of the time they don't present a problem, when they do, it can be ugly.  Oh yeah, there are jellyfish that bloom like Venus Flytr...

Lost Boys & Co... D oc had us all in stitches this morning recounting his adventure dumpster diving behind Brothers looking for his Invisalign™ retainers.  He takes them out to have brekky, puts them in a cup of water, then puts them back in when he's through.  It seems that in his haste to leave yesterday, he forgot about them and tossed all of the cups and breakfast detritus into the trash can.  He came back at 2pm and as luck would have it, Yoshi was still there!  Yoshi took him around back to the dumpster, looked in and said, "See that bag?  That was the outside trash from this morning."  So Doc started to jump into the dumpster, Yoshi stopped him and got him a pair of gloves.  After some quality dumpster diving (noticing in the process just how much food people waste, "That's an untouched bowl!"  "Lookit those burritos!"  "Whoa a head of lettuce!") He amazingly surfaced with the upper retainer, the lower unit somehow getting deto...

Lost Boys & Co... F uture bus drivers get pushed around (#1)... H azy sun and 10 miles visibility.  Winds are slightly offshore and the sea surface was a bit tacked.  The air temperature is 74.1º and the water is 70.3º.  Low tide was at 5:03am -0.7' and high tide will be at 11:21am +5.3'.  It was a weest swell out of 263º at 3.0' and it was 3' to almost 4' with some possibilities... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... T here must be some warp in the transcendent sphere that lead us to this photo of Danger Boy (#1) at Knob Hill, Tres Palmas.  It was an overcast day, windless and 3' to 5'.  The takeoffs were fast and you had to decide early on the line you were going to take.  When you got to the inside it bombed over the sand bar and you had to make the best of a hard landing.  This was Danger Boy before the curtain fell down...   F og bank hanging outside this morning chasing the rising sun.  Winds came up early and there was a definite tack on the water.  The air temperature was 68.3º and the water is 70.3º.  High tide was at 10:48am +5.0' and low tide will be at 4:13pm +1.2'.  It's a 3.3' west swell out of 262º and it was 3' to 4' and a bit wonky, but still some good ones. W e've been talking about it for months, but today Doc passed up the Professor in the race to geezerhood.  Yep, the good Doctor is 75 today and looks pretty ...

Lost Boys & Co... A beautiful day in the Southland with sunny skies and calm winds.  The air temperature at checkout was 65.5º and the water is currently 70.2º.  High tide is at 10:16am +4.6' and low tide will be at 3:25pm +1.5'.  Starting Wednesday there will be some major tide shifts, so you have something to look forward to.  There's a SSW swell out of 207º at 3.3' and it was a solid 3' today with some mellow waves to amuse the crew. T hey were in force Sunday as eight of them hit the water at once.  If there isn't a crowd, make one!  When the "Burrito Wind" kicked up they adjourned to Brothers to compare wave stories and spin tall tales.  Was good to see Miloe and everyone wished him well as he heads to get even more squamous cells removed.  Also Tarsan got a bon voyage as he heads for Paris to get Fiona settled in her semester abroad.  Folks get kinda hectic as the summer begins to wind down... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it...

Lost Boys & Co... Y ou know when people say "they don't mean to complain", you know they damned well do.  So we have been lucky enough to suffer with a bout of sciatica, which has rendered us, appropriately "pained," grouchy, short tempered, ugly and unreasonable.  It kept us up most of last night and then continued to annoy our ass all through the morning and now into the afternoon.  We have taken, in no particular order Motrin™, Naproxyn, Advil™, Aspirin and two things that Miloe gave us that we refuse to take again, unless we're cleared for takeoff at Zamperini Field.  We write this to say that we often make light of people who are obviously suffering, suggesting that they "suck it up."  Well, we'll guess that we still think that, except we're adding ourselves to the mix... A beautiful morning, sunny and clear.  Winds were offshore and the sea surface was smooth.  The air was 65.5º and the water is nice at 71.6º .  High tide was at ...

Lost Boys & Co... A cash-crop patch of bamboo with our own Azorean farmer tending the west forty.  This spear came through the bricks that were supposed to be containing it.  So when it first poked up, how long do you think it took to grow to this size?  Yep, you nailed it, 2 weeks!  If you were wondering if bamboo is sustainable, we're saying "yes" to that... S o we're out there swimming, because it really didn't look that good, when Hans "Lego-man" paddles out and proceeds to rip the shit out of some little grinders.  It was sunny, winds were calm and the tide had just crested at 8:44am +3.5'.  It was a 3.0' swell and even though it was barely bigger than 2', he made it look like too much fun.  Meanwhile, we're waiting for mañana... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... S ometimes you just have to wait for the tide to go out.  From this photo out of the dim dark past we have from L. to R.:  The Late Great Don Swift, Sandy Malpee (while she was still stand up surfing, before her numerous back surgeries), Mark "Poolman" Janicich, Fat Scott, Tommy Horrigan, the Professor ( I still have that flannel shirt) and Kevin "Buffalo" Holmes.  The hand on the right belongs to either Keith Bogart or Danger Boy... T oday we have 10 miles visibility under hazy skies.  Winds were calm and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temperature was 63.9º and the water is 70.7º.  One high tide at 5:35pm +5.2'.  It's a SSW swell out of 193º at 3.3' and it was 2'+ with some fat little gushers.  Possibility of a contest looms tomorrow... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... T he rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845, by Stephen Perry.   Maybe that's all you need to know, maybe it isn't.  But what you need to know is that the F. Bain Rubber Band Co. of Silverlake, California is no longer in business.  A landmark for years we can only hope they'll bounce back, but of course that's a stretch.  Recognized as the premier slingshot for paper clips, we can only hope that some of the polymer replacements will have the same resilience that the F. Bain "Amber 3" X ¼" Wizard-Flex" had... H azy sun this morning with 7 miles visibility.  Winds were light onshore and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temperature was 63.9º and the water was 70.5º at checkout.  One high tide today at 4:24pm +4.9'.  Records will show it was a SSW swell out of 210º at 2.6', but if you were on the beach it was .5'. H ead Judge, Capt. Donald Souther, put the "Galactic Small Wave Championships"...

Lost Boys & Co... L et's start out with our own Tom Welch (#1) who got 4th Place in the Hermosa Triathlon this last Sunday at the Hermosa Pier.  While the rest of us were trying to find parking, Tom was biking, swimming and running and doing it better than all but three of his fellow competitors.  Congrats to Tom and we imagine next year will find him on top of the podium... H azy sun and barely 6 miles visibility this morning.  Winds wee light onshore, 1 to 2kts and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temperature was 65.7º and the water has jumped to a fine 70.2º.  Low tide was at 7:11am +2.5' and high tide will be at 3:11pm +4.7'.  It's a SSW swell out of 207º at 2.3' and it was 1' to 2' and perfect for today's start of the Galactic Small Wave Championships. T he Galactic Small Wave Championships (GSWC) take place whenever we say they will.  You will recall two years ago when they were held in the Chacahua Laguna Estuary and Captain Donnie South...

Lost Boys & Co... T his (#1) is the Battery Point Lighthouse.  One of the oldest on the coast.  It can only be accessed several hours every day when the tide is low enough to let you walk across the causeway.  Next time you're in Crescent City it's a great spot to take a tour.  Also the Historical Society in town has a great (although funky) museum filled with artifacts of Crescent City's early days (including the original Tolowa indians) and some great shots of the 1964 tsunami that wiped out a huge swath of the town. W e promised you some empirical observations this morning and managed to get in the water this just after low tide and get a few 2' to 3' waves.  The water was as clear as we've seen it this summer, so clear we could have seen the stingrays that were supposed to be there.  They had it posted at 68º, but we're calling it 67, even though Ginny bikinied it.   Joey Lombardo says that earlier the south swell was bending around and there w...

Lost Boys & Co... Yes!  Jah Morgan and Baron Von Stutzcanhang have surfed the Icelandic bombora.  The word is that they found the water temp to be better than Crescent City in the winter!  We are not surprised.  The North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre flows right past Iceland.  And what is a component of that gyre?  Bingo!  THE GULF STREAM!  So although by the time it gets to Iceland it's not exactly warm, it's better than it would be if the Gulf Stream weren't part of it.  Unfortunately, California has no similar warm water gyre… Hazy sun this morning with 10 miles visibility.  Winds are variable 1 to 3kts and the sea surface is smooth.  The air is 66 degrees and the water is 69.8!  Low tide was at 6:11am +0.6' and high tide follows at 12:42pm +4.4'.  It's a SSW swell out of 205 degrees at 2.0' and that's just about the size of it.  Some wally ankle slippers for your skimming enjoyment… Back mañana for an empirical l...

Lost Boys & Co... Out here in the far reaches of California is one of the oldest lighthouses in the state.  It's the Battery Point Lighthouse (#1)  right outside of Crescent City.  It was a beautiful day here on the northern coast and we enjoyed some spectacular views from the lighthouse.  A beacon spot shows every 30 seconds so you know you're in Crescent City and not King Harbor! Looking a bit hazy this morning in Hermosa with 6 miles visibility.  Winds are light offshore 1 to 3kts. And the sea surface is smooth.  Low tide is at 5:48am +0.2' and high tide will be at 12:15pm +4.4'.  The water temperature is holding at 68.5 for the second day in a row!  It's a SSW swell out of 212degrees at 2.3' and it's almost 2' and great for biting those ankles! "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... Here we are on the edge of the Crescent City harbor.  Not only are you in danger if you're in the water, it's not quite safe to walk on the damned jetty (which we think is in reality a groin, but we're not arguing here!). There is actually a young woman out there if you zoom into the photo (#1) braving the small but frigid surf.  We'e elected to record the session and stay warm… The South Bay is looking more like summer all the time.  Hazy sun this morning with 10 miles visibility.  Winds were light onshore and the sea surface was lightly textured.  Low tide was early at 5:23am -0.1' and high tide wil be at 11:51am +4.3'.  The good news is that the water at the buoy is 68.5degrees and that can only mean that we should expect some warming!  It's a 2.6' SSW swell out of 212 degrees and there are some little biters swinging through the surf zone.  "Make yourself smaller!" As Don Swift used to say… "When the surf breaks, ...

Lost Boys & Co... Up in Crescent City at the Chateau Sliff-Stutzcanhang.  A bit cool and gray to make everyone in So.Cal. Glad they're where they are this mid-summer morning! (#1) 10 miles visibility under hazy skies, but looking mostly sunny from our vantage point hundreds of miles away.  Winds are light onshore 1 to 3kts and the sea surface is smooth.  High tide is late at 11:27am +4.2' and ow tide will be at 4:28pm +2.0'.  It's a predominantly west swell out of 264degrees at 3.3' and there looks like some little ones to whet your appetite. Of course if you were on your honeymoon, in say Copenhagen, you might see this send up to Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid (#2).  Every girl we know who sits on a rock mimicks this pose! Looks amazingly like Jan Morgan!  "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... S o when the going gets tough, the tough go to the track!  Celebrating Ronnie's birthday (which is really today, we think) the crew headed down to Del Mar and instead of taking a right turn and going to the beach, they made a left and went to watch the ponies.  Everyone looks happy (#1), but we couldn't take our eyes off of Clarke and his very stylish stingy-brim. W hile here in the So. Bay we're getting ready for the International Surf Festival (starts tonight at 7:30pm under the lights) and trying to make things out in the fog.  Sometimes less than 200yds visibility, the fog horn let us know where to find the end of the pier.  Winds were light onshore and the sea surface was lightly textured.  The air and the water were both 63.0º.  High tide is at 10:00am +4.0' and low tide follows at 2:28pm +2.5'.  It's a WSW swell out of 241º at 2.3' and it was 2' with a bit of a push.  O f course the big news was that after more than a ...

Lost Boys & Co... W ell here we are, the first of Fogust.  Someday we'd like to be on the Firth of Forth on the First of Fogust.  An alliterative dream of ours.  And not only is it overcast, but it's not warm at all.  Let's look at the stats... W e'll give it 10 miles visibility even though it's pretty hazy and overcast.  Winds are onshore 1 to 3kts and the sea surface is slightly textured.  The air was 61.1º and the water is a chilly 63.5º.  On the cusp of sleeves or shorty.  High tide was at 9:26am +3.9' and low tide will follow at 1:41pm +2.6'.  It's a SSW swell out of 193º at 2.3' and it was a rolling 2' with some almost corners. W e had a great conversation with S.J. Bacallao this morning about the local surf scene.  She's writing a piece for "Hermosa Magazine" (honestly we didn't know Hermosa HAD a magazine, but we're glad they do.)  She was asking "What do you think about when you're in the water?"  ...