THE Surf Report 4/29/11

Could be better, could be worse. Again.

SURF
Pretty fun surf this week. We had some SW early in the week that was combined with NW windswell midweek and we had peaks all over the place. The NW winds have been blowing the last few days and we’ve had some steady windswell that’s been biggest in south county SD. Last night the NW winds kicked up a notch and we have more NW windswell filling in today. Most spots in northern SD/OC are shoulder to head high. South SD has overhead sets and south OC is chest high. NW winds are continuing to blow today and the NW picks up another foot tonight. Early Saturday morning should pick up another foot in most areas. High pressure is starting to set up so we may have some strong N winds Saturday switching to offshore NE on Sunday. The windswell on Sunday starts to drop and SD has some chest high waves with small waves for the OC. With all the wind unfortunately, the water temps have dropped again and are back in the high 50’s. Time to break out the 4/3 again. Tides the next few days are about 4’ at 9am, 0’ at 2pm and back to 4’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the surf and conditions at Twitter/North County Surf.

FORECAST
The upcoming week isn’t looking all that exciting. Monday is pretty small and Tuesday the NW windswell may pulse up slightly but only chest high waves for SD. The second half of the week looks even smaller. There may be some background SW swell but mainly in the waist high range; hopefully slightly bigger towards Thursday. Kind of a boring week. Except for the weather- more on that below.

WEATHER

Great weather this week was replaced by patchy fog today and cooler temperatures. After temps in the high 70’s Wednesday/Thursday, today we’ll only be in the mid-60’s. More than 10 degrees cooler. The low clouds will be replaced by sun Saturday as high pressure sets up and temperatures rebound slightly. N winds should kick in though around 15 mph. By Sunday the winds turn offshore from the NE and we have plenty of sun and temps in the mid-70’s. Early next week we hit low to mid-80’s at the beaches. Can’t complain. Things cool slightly for the second half of next week but nice weather is still forecasted.

BEST BET
Probably Saturday. We have good head high+ NW windswell in the forecast and the sun should come back out with air temps near 70. Get it early though as the N winds are forecasted to blow. Next Tuesday would be my second pick with a little bit of NW windswell and temps above 80.

NEWS OF THE WEEK

Notice all the pelicans taking flight lately? You’re not the only one. The San Diego Union Tribune newspaper did a little investigating and found… more pelicans. No one’s sure of the reason there’s so many this season but since they were once endangered, no one’s complaining they’ve come back in a big way. Unless of course you own ocean front property and they’re making a mess of your patio furniture. Here’s what the UT newspaper uncovered: “Torrey Pines State Beach lifeguard Ed Vodrazka has never seen anything like it in his 35 years on the job. He’s never seen this many pelicans soaring over San Diego, occasional flocks of more than 100 at a time, smaller flocks every few minutes. “The numbers are incredible,” Vodrazka said. “Literally thousands and thousands of pelicans are off our coast right now. It’s unprecedented.” Up and down the county’s coastline, people shared the same point of view Tuesday. Seabird specialists said if pelicans are more plentiful now — and they lack sure evidence — it may be because of an abundant food supply and adverse breeding conditions in Mexico. For nearly 40 years, from 1970 to 2009, the federal government considered the brown pelican an endangered species. The bird’s population has climbed over the past 25 years to about 190,000 in California as pollutants such as DDT, so dangerous to the species, were phased out and conservation efforts succeeded. Brown pelicans now fly in large numbers from the Columbia River in the north to Mexico. Charles Gailband, director of conservation at the Chula Vista Nature Center, said it’s been “a tremendous recovery in the past decade.” Even so, he and other experts cautioned that the pelican population may only appear to be larger this year, the same way one summer seems warmer than another before a comparison of average temperatures. Yet for many, seeing is believing. Gretchen Sloan, a retired flight attendant who has lived in Solana Beach for six years, said she’s given up cleaning the cushions on her wooden deck furniture. She’s storing them inside the house for the time being. “I am absolutely smothered in bird you know what,” she said. “I’ve been trying to find out over the Internet what’s going on and when these birds are going to be gone because, honestly, you can’t go outside. You can’t have people over. You can’t be on the deck. It’s a shame. It’s just running down my windows.” Rob Hitchcock of Escondido went camping on South Carlsbad State Beach last week with his family and was astonished by all the pelicans along the bluffs. “It was like the Battle of Britain up there,” he said. “We counted up to 50 pelicans in one formation, and boy did they make a mess of our tent and cars, and on a couple occasions hit myself, my wife and my youngest son.” At the Torrey Pines Gliderport, manager Jeremy Bishop is more focused on the birds’ majesty, calling this year’s winged masses “an amazing influx.” “The consensus out here is it’s got to be the food supply,” he said. “It seems like most of them are heading south, especially in the morning. We’re all guessing some type of abundant food supply.” There doesn’t seem to be more fish in San Diego than in years past, said John Hyde, a biologist at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla. But Laird Henkle, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Game, said it may be that sardines and anchovies are in short supply in Mexican waters. “The bottom line is (the birds) go where the food is” — even if that disrupts breeding patterns, Henkle said. Several scientists said the pelicans’ breeding season starts as early as November and runs until June. Many breed in Mexico, then fly north when their young are ready, and one way to guess at whether breeding has a role in any influx is to observe the bird’s bellies and crowns. Young pelicans have brown heads and white bellies, while adults have white heads. A large number of young birds could mean an early successful breeding season, while a large number of adults could mean the opposite. Daniel Anderson, a recently retired professor of avian ecology at the University of California Davis who has specialized in pelicans for four decades, said reports of plentiful pelicans along the state’s shores are plentiful themselves. “If there’s an actual increase in May, it usually indicates some breeding failure somewhere or it means that the birds are following food closer to shore for some reason,” Anderson said. Even if no one knows for sure whether or why there are more pelicans this year, San Diegans may have learned something else, Anderson said. “If they do have some birds around there, feeding and active in that area, they’re lucky,” he said. “Nice to have them around.”

BEST OF THE BLOG
Can’t get enough Parko? Check out the Clip of the Day with Joel absolutely tearing it up recently on the Gold Coast. Or if he’s not the one you worship, check out the Holy ‘graffiti’ in Encinitas before the atheists take it down this weekend. That and more in the North County Surf blog below!

PIC OF THE WEEK

Wouldn’t you know one of the coolest Indo shots I’ve seen in a long time came from a surf shop and travel website from the UK's Errant Surf Shop Small world. 20 years ago there weren’t even surf shops in the UK. Ok, maybe 1. But seriously, surfing is everywhere nowadays. 3rd world countries like Brazil are churning out WCT title hopefuls, British Columbia is a surf destination now, and I get my stoke from a shop in the UK. Never would have thunk it in a million years.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Prognosticator
MC MG At Kate and Will’s Reception
2011 XXL Monster Barrel Nominee

Clip of the Day- Joel's No Joke

PARKO_PRE BELLS WIN @ HOME AT SNAPPER.....BAND: BRAD SUCKS.. ALBUM: OUT OF IT.. from dwayne Fetch on Vimeo.

In case you've been living under a rock lately, I'm here to tell you that Joel Parkinson has completely healed from his foot injury as evident by his win at Bell's last week. Is there finally a challenger to Kelly that will end his supremacy? Hard to tell with Parko. You think a world title would have happened for him by now. And deserving. Definitely has the pedigree with wins all over the world from small waves to solid Hawaii. We still have a few more months to find out, so in the meantime, enjoy these sessions from last week at his home near Snapper.

God Loves Encinitas

Now before you get all up in arms about how my blog has turned into some religous soap box, relax. This story from the San Diego Union Tribune is about graffiti- or art- depending on your point of view. Seems as though the Cardiff Kook isn't the only piece of art drawing interest in this funky town. A few brazen fake 'construction workers' last week decided to put up a 10'x10' mosaic of a surfing Our Lady of Guadalupe (wearing booties no less- the water's still kind of cold) under the train trestle at the entrance to downtown Encinitas (where Encinitas Blvd. meets highway 101). Looks kind of cool actually. Unfortunately, it's still 'defacing' public property says Encinitas Planning Director Patrick Murphy, so it will be taken down and the pigeon poop will surface again under the bridge. If you haven't seen it yet, head on down tomorrow before it's gone!

THE Surf Report 4/22/11

Could be better, could be worse.

SURF

Kind of a fun week of surf. Some fun SW swell showed up Tuesday and was crossed up by small NW windswell. By Wednesday morning, best spots in far north county SD and the OC had head high+ sets. The weather was a little cool and gloomy- typical of spring- but it couldn’t put a damper on my amp for the surf. Today we have new SW groundswell filling in along with new NW windswell filling in again. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Waves are running waist to chest high and unfortunately there is 5mph W wind on it already due to a passing weak front. Looks like the swells will peak tomorrow with head high+ sets in the OC. Sunday will have dropping SW and not much NW. Weather all weekend unfortunately will be cool and mostly cloudy. Nothing spectacular on the wave or weather front this weekend but it will be worth it to go to the beach and get some turns in. Water temps thankfully are in the low 60’s finally and tides the next few days are about -1’ at breakfast, 3’ at 3pm and 2’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the surf and conditions at North County Surf/Twitter.

FORECAST

After the SW starts to fade by Monday, looks like NW windswell picks up fairly strong by Tuesday and holds into Wednesday. Best spots in south county SD may have some head high+ waves. Nothing really exciting except maybe some more NW windswell on the models for late next week. When the heck are we going to get a solid southern hemi swell?!

WEATHER

Here’s a riddle: What do you get when you cross a cloudy, wet, cold winter with a sunny, dry, warm summer? Wummer? Sinter? No, it’s Spring! It’s what we have on tap this weekend. Not exactly warm and sunny. Not exactly cold and stormy. Low clouds today should break up for a sunny and mostly cool and breezy day. Saturday the clouds should hang around all day and SW winds will prevail. Saturday night and Sunday morning we’re in store for deeper cloudy and cool conditions and light rain or drizzle on your Easter Eggs. Sorry kids. Luckily that exits the area by Monday and a warm up kicks in by mid-week. By Wednesday, we hit the high 70’s at the beaches and sunny conditions.

BEST BET

Tough one here. Either some fun SW/NW combo surf for Saturday but gloomy conditions. Or fun NW windswell on Wednesday and sunny conditions. I’ll work on my tan and go for Wednesday.

NEWS OF THE WEEK

Summer's almost here and it’s time for girls in bikinis, backyard bbq’s, and lounging by the wave pool. Wave pool?! If you’ve got a huge wad of cash and hate waiting around for inconsistent southern hemi swells, then having your own wave pool is the answer. Our friends at Science Daily shed some light on the technologies. There’s a lot out there, but the original and most popular (i.e. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, the late great Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, and a dark moment in ASP history- Allentown) are made by a huge compressor. The compressor is fired up and feeds four gigantic air blowers. Then a computer controls chambers that generate the waves. When the chamber lids are closed, air from the blowers pushes the water out and makes a wave. When the valve is open, the balance tank fills with water, getting ready to make the next wave. It works just like a toddler pushing a cup upside-down onto water in a bathtub. There’s a lot of mechanics but it’s really just simple physics. At the big wave capital of the world- Wisconsin- more than one million gallons of water constantly run through the Big Kahuna wave pool, and 30,000 gallons of water travel in and out of the chambers every few seconds. But enough of the fluff. Here’s some details on how we’re going to solve the problem of overcrowding at your local break in the 22nd century…

Background: Outdoor and indoor wave pools and water theme parks are hugely popular in the US. These are sanitized, man-made versions of God’s gift to surfers. In wave pools, the water is chlorinated, the beach is concrete, and the waves arrive like clockwork once every few minutes. The densest collection of wave pools can be found in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin (weird name for a town, I know) home to 18 water parks. Such parks are good when the real waves are flat, but they also illustrate some fascinating basic science about waves.

Making Waves:  Waves are the result of wind traveling over water. Imagine a breeze blowing gently across the surface of a flat ocean, creating small waves. The waves arise from the surface tension of water. The molecules on the water's surface hold together and form a sort of 'skin', which makes the surface stretchy, and therefore 'sticky.' As more air passes over that sticky surface, it grabs some molecules and pushes them into molecules ahead, which push on other molecules, and so on, so that the wave travels to the opposite end of the shore. The water mostly stays in place; it's the disturbance caused by the wind that is moving across the water. In strong wind, the waves become choppy. The stronger the wind, the larger the waves, because as the waves move, they run into each other and merge adding their energy together to become bigger and move faster.

How Wave Pools Work: There are a number of ways to recreate wave action with just a basin of water and a means of creating a periodic disturbance: a strong blast of air, perhaps, or a rotating paddle wheel. In one such approach, there is a pump room below the pool, which causes a high-speed fan to blow air into a wide metal pipe, leading to an exhaust port. In the middle of the pipe is a butterfly valve, a wide disc with a swiveling metal axis rod. When the rod swivels so the disc rests horizontally in the pipe, it blocks the air flow, while swiveling the rod the other way moves the disc to a vertical position, allowing air to flow. A hydraulic piston swivels the rod back and forth at regular intervals, causing short burst of pressurized air to flow up the exhaust port and blow on the surface of the water causing an artificial wind. This creates small waves across the water pool's surface.

Bigger is Better: A large wave pool doesn't push on the water with air or a paddle; instead, the wave machine dumps a large volume of water into the deep end of the pool. The surge in water travels all the way to the artificial 'breach', so that the water level in the pool once again balances out. Dumping more water into the pool increases the size and strength of the wave. There are five basic components to such a system: a water pumping system, a water collection reservoir, a series of release valves at the bottom of the reservoir, a giant slanted swimming pool, and a return canal, leading from the breach area back to the pumping system. In this scenario, the water is constantly circulating, moving from the deep end of the pool, out to the canal, around to the pumping system, and back into the deep end of the pool.

Now that you’re an expert on wave pool mechanics, all you need now is a sugar daddy like Bill Gates to build you one so you can have rideable surf 24/7, 365 days a year.

BEST OF THE BLOG

Mid-week surf reports, wave and weather forecasts, and a sneak peak at the watering holes of all watering holes- Union. Beer and barrels. What could be better? Make sure to check out the rest of the blog below!

PIC OF THE WEEK

If you’ve been reading THE Surf Report over the years, then you know I like waves in the little tucked away corners of the world. You can have the well known crowded spots- I’ll be surfing the little wedge down the beach by myself. Today’s pic is from ESPN’s website of all places. I guess it stands for Empty Surf Possible Nowadays. Didn’t know that, did ya?

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn

Pundit

The Real Easter Bunny

Endless Summer III Star

Join the Union.

Last week I reported on a new restaurant and bar about to open called Union. It's on the corner of J Street and Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas; where the old When In Rome establishment resided (across the street from Hansen's Surfboards). Definitely doesn't look like the old When In Rome- proprietor Eric Leitstein wanted something unique in Encinitas and he started from the ground up. I was invited this week for a sneak peek and met up with marketing guru Justin Brown who gave me the finer points of the next big hot spot in north county. First and foremost, Justin wanted to say that using local craftsman for the fixtures was an important part of Union's DNA. If you want to have a spot where locals will hang, start with local craftsmanship. The fixtures in the main hall are definitely not from Ikea and have a chunky wood and iron look and feel. Even the name Union was well thought out- it represents the working man, pride, craftsmanship; basically a place you can get a great meal, a cold beer, and a good class of wine. The food will be 'Coastal New American' where you'll get classic fare with a twist. Prices will be in the $10-$20 range (food that is- not a glass of beer- go to Vegas or a Charger game for a $20 beer).

The restaurant has 5 distinct areas. As you walk into the front door, you'll hit the Main Room where the bar holds 28 taps and roll up 'garage door' style windows so you can experience the hustle of downtown Encinitas.

If you want a more civilized dining experience, head over to the Oak Room where you can enjoy a glass of fine wine and eat in a quieter setting. Or if you're like me, I'll be eating in the Tap Room where my kids will be making a mess (sorry Eric) and I'll be downing a pint.

And if your group really wants to live it up, head outside to the patio for dining where a kid's play area, the sun, herb gardens, ocean breeze, and bocce ball courts are in session.

And for the pub aficionado, play some darts in the dart room. Long story short, if you can't find a reason to visit Union, then you probably don't like a good time. Opening in early May, make sure to get there early as there will definitely be a line out the door.

Surf Check 4/20/11

Must be spring- low clouds hanging around and southern hemi swells marching up the coast. Today we have leftover SW swell that peaked last night. Sets are head high in far north county and the OC. Tide was pretty low this morning, around -1' at 5:30 am and it's hitting a high around lunch of 5'. It was pretty walled for the dawn patrol session so the incoming tide should help the shape.

Weather unfortunately is a little gloomy with the low clouds and it's going to stay that way through the weekend as we have a couple week fronts moving through the area tomorrow and Saturday. It will be cool and cloudy for the Easter weekend.

Further out we have another SW headed our way for Friday. This looks to be the same size as the swell today. There will also be a little bump from the NW generated by the weak fronts moving through area. That should help peak up the SW swell at the beach breaks. Water temps have warmed up slightly to 62. If the air was warmer and the sun was out, you probably could wear a springsuit finally. Looks like some more NW windswell for early next week and the air temps and sun should finally come out.

THE Surf Report 4/15/11

I pine for the days of storms, tow-ins, and barrels you can drive a Mac Truck through.

SURF:

Nothing too exciting this past week. Just some small NW windswell and SW groundswell as well as nice weather. Total opposite of our big stormy winter. Today we have more of the same SW groundswell and NW windswell for waves in the waist to chest high range with maybe a shoulder high set at the best spots. That will hold into the weekend. Tomorrow the weather should be nice so with the high tides in the morning and little combo swells, the beach breaks should have some fun peaks. Look for typical 10mph afternoon sea breezes from the W. Nothing to really get excited about this weekend but you should find some fun rideable waves in the morning if you get up early enough. Tides the next few days are around 5' at breakfast, -1’ mid-afternoon, and back up to 5’ at sunset. Water temps are finally holding at 60.  And as always, keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 

FORECAST:

After a little weekend of surf, we get a slight bump from the SW for Monday/Tuesday while the background NW hangs on. Look for best SW spots (mainly the OC) to have shoulder high sets. Both swells back down mid week and charts show more SW for next weekend- hopefully it will be bigger than these meager SW swells we’ve had lately. Aren’t we due for some solid overhead southern hemi lines soon?

WEATHER:

Finally nice to get some good weather around here. Looks like the rain has stopped until November (hopefully) and we’ve got beach temps in the high 70’s today and tomorrow. There’s even a little surf, the water is finally 60, and it’s the weekend! Stoke! Nothing lasts forever unfortunately (well, fortunately I guess- I couldn’t stand a year-round American Idol). Looks like the return of low clouds and fog as well as cooler temps are in store starting Sunday. We have a series of weak fronts moving through the northern part of the state and that’s going to kick up our morning low clouds and fog as well as bring our air temps back to reality- a cool 65 degrees. Nothing out of the ordinary next week in regards to spring weather but it would have been nice to hang on to ‘summer’ a little longer. Guess it’s time to go back to the tanning salon.

BEST BET:

Maybe Monday. Looks like a slight bump from the NW and a slight bump from the SW. Nothing big but maybe some shoulder high waves for most everywhere. Can’t believe I’m getting excited for shoulder high waves.  

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

As usual, nothing is usual with our weather. Last month, temperatures and precipitation in the contiguous United States averaged above normal, according to NOAA scientists. The average temperature in March was 44.0 degrees F, which is 1.4 degrees F above the long-term (1901-2000) average. March precipitation, while record dry in areas like Texas, was overall 0.22 inch above the long-term average.

U.S. climate highlights – March 

·         Above-normal warmth dominated much of the southern U.S. and Rocky Mountains. The largest temperature departures were in Western Texas and New Mexico.

·         Cooler-than-normal temperatures were present in the northern and western areas of the country. Conditions were especially cool from southwestern Minnesota across the Dakotas into eastern Montana. Within this belt, March temperatures were as much as 6 degrees below the 20th Century average.

·         Precipitation varied across the country, as the west and east coasts received above normal amounts, while the central and southern United States was largely dry. Texas had its driest March on record.

·         Record warm maximum temperatures exceeded record cold minimum temperatures by a 5-to-1 ratio.

·         Washington, Oregon and California had their second, fifth, and ninth wettest March on record, respectively. Regionally, it was the second wettest March on record for the Northwest.

·         Drought conditions continued to intensify across much of the nation in March. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the overall footprint of drought did not increase, holding fairly steady at about 24 percent of the country. However, the area covered by the “Severe” and “Intense” drought categories almost doubled, from about 12 percent early in the month, to more than 20 percent at month’s end.

·         Dry conditions across the Southern Plains contributed to above average wildfire activity during March. Across the U.S., approximately 385,000 acres burned, marking the second most active March in terms of wildfires on record, behind March 2006.

·         Tornado activity was above average, with 115 preliminary tornado reports.  Most of the tornado activity was confined to the Southeast and Gulf Coast, which is typical of early spring. 

U.S. climate highlights – first quarter of 2011, rolling six- and 12-month periods

·         It was the tenth driest first quarter (January to March) for both the South and Southwest climate regions.  

·         Both the rolling six-month and 12-month periods generally show that the northern United States has been generally wet, while the South has been dry.

·         On the six-month timescale, October 2010 through March 2011, above-average precipitation occurred across much of the West, the Northern Plains and the Northeast. Nevada and Vermont each had its third-wettest such period.

·         Over the past 12 months, April 2010 – March 2011, a belt of abnormal wetness stretched from the western Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest. Wisconsin had its wettest such period. Its precipitation average of 41.52 inches was more than 10 inches above its 20th century average. Additionally, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota experienced their second wettest such period. Precipitation was below normal in the South during this period. It was the fourth driest in Louisiana, fifth driest in Arkansas, ninth driest in Florida, and 10th driest in Mississippi.

The good news is that we have summer like weather today and tomorrow; get it while you can of course as next week looks like typical gloomy spring conditions.

BEST OF THE BLOG:

All kinds of stuff going on this past week in north county- Five Guys vs. In N Out Burger battles, off-price department store Kohls vs. Big Lots fight to the death (I hope), deals on Sanuk footwear, and your soon to be new favorite watering hole called Union. The best way to defeat a recession is to spend, spend, spend. Check out  my blog below to find out where you can part ways with your hard earned cash.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

There’s a spot called ‘Pasta Point’ in the Maldives which offers a firing left to guests at the exclusive Indian Ocean resort. Personally, I like my pasta from the source- Italy- and my Pasta Point isn’t just for the snooty well-to-do. So head on over to Sicily where you can feast on these empty lefts on just dollars a day. Only problem is I’m not exactly sure where this wave is in Italy and it’s probably fickle as hell. Most likely I’ll be sitting around all day eating calzone, drinking wine, and chatting it up with Sophia Loren. No downside to that I guess. For more pics on Italian surf, check out The Stormrider Guide Europe.  

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn

Shifty

Trump/Glenn ‘12

The Sultan of Slow

North County New Business News

There's been a lot of retail activity lately and hopefully that's a sign the recession is over. If you'll remember my post a few weeks ago about Pacific Station, it's the new mixed use project in downtown Encinitas that features a Whole Foods Market, Solace Restaurant (both opening towards June), condos, and retail clothing and furniture stores. On it's heels in downtown Encinitas is a new restaurant and bar called Union. It's in the old When In Rome restaurant location of J Street and Highway 101. I was lucky to run into the owner Eric Leitstein today and he gave me an impromptu tour. The place is going to set the bar for gathering holes in north county or southern California for that matter; fixtures created by local artisans, private dining areas, outdoor bocce ball court, a kids play area by the herb garden, you name it. Basically Eric built a new establishment from the ground up with aesthetics in mind and it will entertain kids and adults alike with his upscale establishment combining relaxed indoor and outdoor eating areas. Opening day is set for early May; make sure to check back on this blog for a more in depth report. For all you shopaholics, coming soon is the Urban Outfitters and H&M stores hitting the Forum shopping center this summer (it was in the old Borders Books building- but you already knew that). On the radar rumor is a Kohls department store in the old Albertson's building on El Camino (and if that Wal Mart shows up in the old Home Expo building next to the Forum, then I'm definitely moving to greener pastures).

For you food fanatics, looks like a Five Guys Burgers (made popular by local hero Phil Mickelson) is going in the same Encinitas Marketplace strip mall as well as a Chick Fil A (where the old Baja Fresh used to be). And if your arteries weren't clogged already, make sure to check out the upcoming In N Out Burger joint supposedly headed to the former golf store at the old Circuit City shopping center on El Camino.

Speaking of the old Circuit City building, looks like Big Lots! moved in. Big Lots! of course is the off-price department store chain where I get all my Chia Pets and L.A. Gear footwear. That's all I know for now- make sure to check back in a few weeks on a Union update as well as some info on the Ponto master plan...

Deal Alert! Kicks for Summer!

Seems like summer is finally here and the boys at Seshday are handing out deals on footwear this week. And it's the good stuff too- Sanuk is on board with their 'It's a Sandal Not A Shoe' program. Basically it's a shoe that's as comfortable as a sandal and all the cool kids are wearing them this spring. For $34.99 it's a steal- whether it's a shoe or not.

Or maybe your lady wants to get into the act, then check out the sandals for her- ranging in prices from $8.99 or $18.99.

And if it's my household, my groms will be begging for some kicks, so I'll have to throw down $19.99 for the 'Lumberjack'. Of course the name Lumberjack doesn't guarantee my groms will help out their old man and chop up some firewood or do yardwork but at least I can dream. Make sure to check out Seshday asap as when they're gone, they're gone...

THE Surf Report 4/8/11

Windy, cold, rainy. Must be spring.

SURF:

Another fun week of surf was ruined by a winter type storm yesterday. What should have been a good SW and NW combo Thursday was destroyed by 25mph W winds. On the brightside, I guess there were waves?! Today there is plenty of head high+ NW/SW waves but the wind hasn’t stopped blowing from the W yet. If you really had to surf, you might be able to get some high tide reforms later. If you’re from the East Coast, this is heaven. Tomorrow the wind and NW/SW starts to back off. Looks like shoulder high waves most everywhere from the combo swells again and sunny skies. Sunday there isn’t much SW left but we do have a slight shoulder high bump again from the NW and good conditions. Tides the next few days are around 0' at breakfast, 3' after lunch, and down slightly to 2’ sunset. Water temps are almost 60 but will drop a couple degrees due to all the W wind- make sure to get that new $79 fullsuit from Seshday (more on that below). And as always, keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 

FORECAST:

After the swells drop this weekend and conditions clean up, we’re left with dropping chest high NW on Monday. Tuesday looks small but we may start to have some waist to chest SW show on Wednesday. Hopefully the southern hemisphere comes to life so we’ll get some solid SW in the near future; tired of this NW windswell/groundswell junk! Further out, we may have some more NW towards next weekend and maybe some more fun SW if the models hold up. Nothing too exciting next week- typical spring weather and small but fun rideable surf…

WEATHER:

This low pressure system above us doesn’t want to go away. We started to get some clouds and S wind last Wednesday which turned into clouds, showers, and lots of W wind yesterday, and it looks like more of the same today. For Saturday the storm exits for sunny skies and NW winds. Sunday we get back on track with nice cool sunny weather. Next week looks to be typical springtime weather- low clouds and fog in the morning breaking up to sunny skies and temps in the low to mid 60’s. Hopefully by Thursday we get more sun and temps in the high 60’s.

BEST BET:

It’s a tossup- should be some leftover NW/SW tomorrow for shoulder high waves but NW winds from the exiting cold front. Or wait until Sunday when the NW is dominant for shoulder high waves and cleaner conditions. Or if you’re a south swell guy, wait until Wednesday for smaller chest high surf and sunny skies with light winds. Nothing all-time but at least you have choices.  

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

The travel website Trip Advisor just listed their top 10 beaches to visit. They are:

1.       Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

2.       Cape May, New Jersey

3.       Panama City Beach, Florida

4.       Miami Beach, Florida

5.       Sanibel Island, Florida

6.       Clearwater, Florida

7.       Honolulu, Hawaii

8.       Captiva Island, Florida

9.       Poipu, Hawaii

10.    Siesta Key, Florida

Obviously these people don’t surf. Seriously- Myrtle Beach is the best beach in America? Have they never been to Hanalei in Kauai? Home to a world famous right, empty beaches, and palms swaying in the sun! Obviously they need to travel more. Guess they’re into rollerblading, overweight tourists with bad tans, and cruising the boardwalk in Camaros. Super fun. If they really want to know what the top 10 best beaches are, they should have asked me. I would have told them:

1.       Hanalei, Kauai. Point break surf, beach break surf, warm water, and scenery that’s unparalleled.

2.       Tavarua, Fiji. Where else can you get world class surf AND find a spot where your girl is more than happy to park it poolside with a mai tai in hand and a good book to read for 6 hours?

3.       Lahinch, Ireland. If you can work off that Guinness hangover, then you’ll wake up to empty pointbreak after pointbreak after pointbreak.

4.       North Shore, Oahu. No explanation needed.

5.       Hossegor, France. You may need to mortgage your house to afford the plane ticket, but the beachbreaks are unsurpassed and the food isn’t too shabby either.

6.       Maldives, Indian Ocean. Literally, it’s on the exact opposite side of the world so the plane ride as well as the airfare will kill you. And I haven’t even talked about the cost of your chartered boat yet. But waves and scenery are worth cashing in that 401k.  

7.       Chicama, Peru. Check out the Pic of the Week and then you’ll realize.

8.       Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Heaps of big empty beach break surf and big city action. Sure the water’s cold, but that’s what fullsuits are for.

9.       Gold Coast, Australia. This was tough to put on my list due to the crowds. But with all the legendary warm water barrels in the area and partying with Mick and the boys at night, it’s too good to pass up.

10.    Santa Barbara, California. There’s a reason the two best surfers of all time (Slater and Curren- but you knew that) spend a good portion of the year here. If you don’t know by now, go find out before the NW swells are over this year.

BEST OF THE BLOG:

With all the cold water, winds, and rainy conditions, it’s amazing the wetsuit companies want to put their fullsuits on sale already. You can actually get a high end NEW 4/3 for just $99. Don’t believe me? Then check out the rest of my blog below! And before I forget, there’s some amazing footage of Dane Reynolds to get you amped for the weekend.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Considering how many Brazilians have made the tour in the last 10 years, it’s only time before the rest of South America gets on board. Like Peru. With waves like this, how come no one from Peru is world champ yet?! If you want to see more loooooooooong lefts, make sure to check out Inka Natura Travel.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn

Authoritarian

Harvard Dropout

Paddling to Cortes Bank  For A Quick Sesh

Deal Alert! It's Raining Fullsuits Again!

It's amazing all the wetsuit brands that have deals right now considering the water is still a frigid 58, the air temps are mid-50's, and and it's windy as heck outside. If you ever wanted a deal on a fullsuit, now's the time. Our friends at Seshday are helping us out this week with ridiculously low prices on Hyperflex fullsuits. The kind former world tour hellman and legend Dean Randazzo rocks.

Right now they have 4/3's as low as $99.99. Yes, NEW fullsuits, warm stretchy 4/3's for just $99.99. That's less than a tank of gas. Seriously. The one I have my eye on is the Amp.

It's the perfect combination of high end materials at a terrific pricepoint. This is the best wetsuit in the Hyperflex lineup. It's the warmest, lightest, stretchiest high end wetsuit you'll find. Features include:
• 100% Hyperflex AMPstretch 6-WAY superstretch neoprene on entire wetsuit
• 100% sealed glued, blindstitched and fusion heat sealed rubber taped interior seams
• Hyperflex Exclusive HoneyComb HollowFiber poly fleece interior lining on chest and back
• Diagonal waterproof G-Lock front zipper
• Double weld shoulder entry lockdown

Or if you're manly and don't mind wearing a 3/2 when there's icebergs in the water, then rock the Cyclone.

Skip dinner tonight for you and the lady (she'll understand) and throw down $79.99 for warmth, flexibilty, performance and value. You will be hard pressed to find another 3/2mm fullsuit in this price range that offers features such as 100% stretch construction, spot taping for extra reinforcement at high stress points, YKK Metal zipper heads, glued and double blind-stitched seams and chill breaker mesh skin chest and back panels. Simply put, this is the best value for a 100% stretch wetsuit on the market. Key Features:
• 100% 4-Way superstretch construction
• glued and double blindstitched seams
• Duratex kneepads
• mesh skin chest/back
• Water resistant #10 YKK zipper with metal slider
• Designed for warm to cool water use

And remember, Seshday has limited stock- that's why it's dirt cheap- so order your suit now before your bro buys the last one!