If your home doesn't have any leaks, congratulations! You've won a year's supply of Rice-A-Roni!
Only a surfer knows the feeling. And I'm not talking about riding waves- I'm talking about owning a surfboard. Or multiple boards known as a quiver. Surfboards are more than just fiberglass and foam. They hold a special connection with the people who ride them. On big days they save you from life and death. And on small days, they make dog s#!t taste like pumpkin pie (with apologies to Samuel L. Jackson). Ask a surfer what it's like to walk into a surf shop and see a row of boards lined up against a wall. I guarantee their mind starts racing. How big is that board? What are the dimensions? Who shaped it? What kind of waves can I ride that in? Sure I already have one like that but can I afford another? Will my wife find out? You really want me to sell one of my old boards to make room for this one? Are you crazy?! The point is, surfboards are like family and each one is unique. My theory is, there are no bad boards. There are so many variables to what makes a board go- rocker, fin placement, wide point, thickness, fin type, outline, concaves, wave size, etc. etc. etc.- that maybe surfers just ride the wrong board for the conditions. Case in point- I wouldn't ride my 5'4" 28L high tech epoxy JS at 20' mushy La Jolla Cove- but my 6'8" McCoy from 1978 that's over 40L thick would be a blast out there. Or maybe a board wasn't meant for a particular surfer- one man's trash is another man's treasure. That's why we love this marriage of fiberglass and foam- from the first board we owned to the last, they all have stories to tell.
As we wait out the quarantine and aren't allowed to leave our neighborhood (except for essentials such as toilet paper, milk, Funyons, and Preparation H), I thought it was the perfect time to have the boards tell a story in their own words- or at least from the people that ride them in my neighborhood. So when this whole virus thing is over, we'll be stoked as ever to get back in the water with our trusty companions.
SURF:
My rant the past few weeks was that I was getting a little freaked out about the surf being bad and at the same time our beaches being closed due to the virus. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing they're coinciding, but I really think that once the ban is lifted, it really will start firing. Some sort of weird karma. But even before all of that, I've been saying for years that as the earth heats up from global warming, the experts have said that our weather will become more extreme. This winter in Southern California is a perfect example. It's all or nothing when it comes to rain. The months of January, February, and part of March were abnormally dry, and now... 4" of rain (when it's all said and done tonight) that's occurring all at once! Wouldn't it have been nice it if was spaced out a little bit the past few months? Just saying. Anyway, it's odd when these things come to fruition after years of discussing one or the other- maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket?
But enough of my odd prognostications, this is called THE Surf Report, right? Right. So let's get down to business. We had a new SW swell fill in late Wednesday- the best of the year so far- show up just in time for authorities to close Trestles. Good call. Could you imagine everyone from ALL the closed beaches in Southern California showing up to surf there this week? We easily would have had 1,000 new coronavirus cases. Not good. In addition to the 4" of rain, you also could have counted on 500 new Hepatitis cases, 250 sinus infections, and 250 diseases that our scientists haven't named yet. So there is a silver lining to the beaches being closed. As the storm exits the region this weekend, the surf will depart too. So just soak in the sunshine next week, order something online from your local surf shop or restaurant, and enjoy the peace and quiet. And if you're interested, here's some numbers to crunch on:
Tides and sun this weekend are:
- Sunrise and sunset are:
- 6:23 AM sunrise
- 7:16 PM sunset
- Water temps are high 50's due to the cold weather and rain (too cold and dirty to get in the ocean anyway)
- And tides are.. forget the tides- beaches are closed
FORECAST:
Good news- nice weather is on tap next week so if you're family is driving you batty from being stuck indoors the past few days, now's your time to escape. Bad news- the surf will be small again. Which I guess is good news for being quarantined.
There was a storm due east of Peru last week that shot some small S our way, but it's pretty far shadowed under Central America, so we won't really see much from it. Now if you're a surfer who happens to be lucky enough to live in Huntington Beach (I guess lucky is a pretty loose term since Huntington is just one big close out), you should see some S swell creep up late in the day on Monday and last through Thursday (along with some W swell). Look for chest high+ surf up there and waist high+ surf here.
Further out, there's a couple storms on the charts that may shoot us good SW swell around the 19-22nd along with more W swell. We could possibly see shoulder high+ surf the 3rd week of April. Let's just hope the beach restrictions start to ease by then.
BEST BET:
- #supportyourlocalsurfshop
- #supportyourlocalrestaurant
WEATHER:
As mentioned above, this rain is impressive. It's one thing to get a couple inches in January; it's another thing to get double that in April. Remember the saying April showers bring May flowers? What does 'April dumping' bring? 'Surf in May that's thumping'? Or how about 'April flood brings May mud'? (Call me if you need some lyrics for your next rap single). This large low pressure system that's been overhead the past few days has been slow moving to say the least. As of this morning, rain/snow totals from this storm are:
- 4" at the beach (that's a 1/3 of our yearly total)
- 9" in the San Bernardino Mountains
- 36" of snow at Wrightwood! (that's Mammoth Mountain type numbers)
And it's not done yet. Look for possibly 1/2" more of rain today before it leaves tonight. Saturday/Sunday look to be clear and cool with next week sunny and warmer in the mid-60's. Finally. Make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf if anything changes between now and then.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
The record breaking rain the past few days deserves to go along with these April 10-12 weather records:
- 2016: A funnel cloud was reported northwest of the Perris Airport.
- 2007: A man and woman were killed when a large wave swept them off a Newport Beach jetty. Surf to nine feet was occurring in the area at the time.
- 1999: A funnel cloud was observed northeast of Temecula.
- 1991: Strong winds raked the Southwest as an intense area of low pressure and associated cold front swept across the region. Winds of 25-45 mph and gusts to 70 mph were common in the deserts. Widespread blowing dust and sand were reported.
- 1965: A cold late-season storm that started on 4/7 and ended on 4/11 brought heavy rainfall and snowfall to the region. Over the period 7.66 inches of precipitation fell in Lake Arrowhead (with nearly 50 inches of new snow). 5.44 inches fell in Palomar Mountain (with 13 inches of snow), 4.36 inches in Big Bear Lake, 4.25 inches at Cuyamaca, and 3.14 inches in Idyllwild (with 24 inches of snow). 1.5 to 2 inches of rain fell across the coastal basin. Mountain roads were closed.
- 1967: 2.18 inches of precipitation fell in Big Bear Lake, the greatest daily amount on record for April. Ten inches of snow fell in Palomar Mountain, the greatest daily snowfall on record for April. This also occurred on 4/17/1963. (These will probably be broken once this weekend is over...)
- 1953: It was 31° in Santa Ana, the lowest temperature on record for April.
- 1941: It snowed three inches in Victorville, the greatest daily snowfall on record for April and the latest measurable snowfall of the season.
- 1922: It was 30° in Escondido, the lowest temperature on record for April.
BEST OF THE BLOG:
As we wait out the quarantine and aren't allowed to leave our neighborhood (except for essentials such as toilet paper, milk, Funyons, and Preparation H), I thought it was the perfect time to have the boards tell a story in their own words- or at least from the people that ride them in my neighborhood. So when this whole virus thing is over, we'll be stoked as ever to get back in the water with our trusty companions.
Welcome to Boardz N The Hood; a collection of boards in my neighborhood and the surfers who ride them. The first episode stars your truly- Michael Glenn- talking about the dozen boards in my garage and what each one is capable of. During the quarantine, I'll be posting stories almost daily of what we ride and why each one is so important to us. You may know a shredder or two in the videos and heck- may even learn a thing or two. Make sure to check it out daily at here.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
You may not know this but I won a pretty big lottery about 8 years ago and I can't seem to spend it quick enough. I bought 12 acres in Rancho Santa Fe and always had a dream about building a wavepool on the property- you know- for when the waves are blown out in North County, the water is too dirty for my Louis Vuitton wetsuit, or when there are too many peasants in the water getting in my way. Luckily for me, I just installed a Wavegarden about 6 months ago, and as I wait out the quarantine, I'm getting barreled off my arse, 3 times a day, all by myself. In between mimosas of course.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
The Future
'Cause The Boardz N The Hood Are Always Hard (To Ride)
Surfing Easter Island This Sunday With Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew On A Hand Shaped Egg
