east side blog
Sunday, June 26, 2005
South Slide
The south swell that had the first part of the week in waves backed down during the remainder of the week, but if you had the patience, there was still surf to be had. Got to ride the new fish on Wednesday at sharks and got some fun LB waves at sharks Thursday and Friday. Went out Saturday evening at sharks and caught the first dribbles of a new south. The rumor of south swell was raging even before the last one was gone - so, needless to say, Sunday reached critical mass early. The swell appeared to arrive, but the wait was long and only a few two wave sets had decent size. I heard a lot of the crew saying they would wait for Monday - I'm sure the crowd won't be any better than last Monday. Who cares - waves from the south are it! Saw a Gustav brown clip on Saturday night - late - some good views of the crew having fun and a Rocky cameo. I appreciate how brown and company are showing some local business. I spoke about my surftech being thrashed last Monday - by Friday Ralph had it back in great shape. I'm sure many know - Ralph's the best glass craftsman/artisan in town. Also glassed my fish - and it's muy bonito. KB wanted me to post a public service announcement for him. He's involved with raising funds to fight cancer. Here it is - adios.
I am part of an organization called the Ocean of Hope Campaign (O2H) that is supporting The Sarcoma Alliance, a non profit organization (Tax ID 68-0443045). O2H is a Team of paddle boarders who race to raise cancer awareness, and we work hard to raise funds for the Sarcoma Alliance. What is sarcoma? Sarcoma is a rare cancer of the connective tissue that involves soft tissue (e.g. muscle, fat, nerve, blood vessels, and cartilage) and bone. There are over 50 subtypes of sarcoma that have been identified. Approximately 15% of childhood cancers diagnosed each year is sarcoma. What is the Sarcoma Alliance? The Sarcoma Alliance is an organization that works to raise awareness and funds in order to support those whose lives are touched by the disease.
Most of us have been touched by cancer. Whether a friend or family member, many of us have suffered a loss to cancer and understand how important an organization like the Sarcoma Alliance is to those who are fighting cancer.
I would like to solicit each of you into assisting me raise funds for the Sarcoma Alliance. I will be paddling in the Catalina Classic on August 28, 2005, which is the culminating fund raising event for the Sarcoma Alliance this year. Please take the time to go to my personal web page with O2H at
www.active.com/donate/o2h2005
Click on the View Fundraising Pages drop down menu box and select brown, Kelly (that's me!). You can read my story of why I am doing all of this and you can provide a donation to the Sarcoma Alliance (tax deductible) here.
If you don't want to use your credit card and would rather send a check, send it to:
The Sarcoma Alliance775 E. Blithedale #334Mill Valley, CA 94941
Please make sure to include a note to credit Kelly Brown's account with the Ocean of Hope Campaign. Your donation will then be added to my goal total.
I really appreciate the time each of you took to read my message and helping out the Sarcoma Alliance. Kelly (worse than ten Brazilians) Brown
The south swell that had the first part of the week in waves backed down during the remainder of the week, but if you had the patience, there was still surf to be had. Got to ride the new fish on Wednesday at sharks and got some fun LB waves at sharks Thursday and Friday. Went out Saturday evening at sharks and caught the first dribbles of a new south. The rumor of south swell was raging even before the last one was gone - so, needless to say, Sunday reached critical mass early. The swell appeared to arrive, but the wait was long and only a few two wave sets had decent size. I heard a lot of the crew saying they would wait for Monday - I'm sure the crowd won't be any better than last Monday. Who cares - waves from the south are it! Saw a Gustav brown clip on Saturday night - late - some good views of the crew having fun and a Rocky cameo. I appreciate how brown and company are showing some local business. I spoke about my surftech being thrashed last Monday - by Friday Ralph had it back in great shape. I'm sure many know - Ralph's the best glass craftsman/artisan in town. Also glassed my fish - and it's muy bonito. KB wanted me to post a public service announcement for him. He's involved with raising funds to fight cancer. Here it is - adios.
I am part of an organization called the Ocean of Hope Campaign (O2H) that is supporting The Sarcoma Alliance, a non profit organization (Tax ID 68-0443045). O2H is a Team of paddle boarders who race to raise cancer awareness, and we work hard to raise funds for the Sarcoma Alliance. What is sarcoma? Sarcoma is a rare cancer of the connective tissue that involves soft tissue (e.g. muscle, fat, nerve, blood vessels, and cartilage) and bone. There are over 50 subtypes of sarcoma that have been identified. Approximately 15% of childhood cancers diagnosed each year is sarcoma. What is the Sarcoma Alliance? The Sarcoma Alliance is an organization that works to raise awareness and funds in order to support those whose lives are touched by the disease.
Most of us have been touched by cancer. Whether a friend or family member, many of us have suffered a loss to cancer and understand how important an organization like the Sarcoma Alliance is to those who are fighting cancer.
I would like to solicit each of you into assisting me raise funds for the Sarcoma Alliance. I will be paddling in the Catalina Classic on August 28, 2005, which is the culminating fund raising event for the Sarcoma Alliance this year. Please take the time to go to my personal web page with O2H at
www.active.com/donate/o2h2005
Click on the View Fundraising Pages drop down menu box and select brown, Kelly (that's me!). You can read my story of why I am doing all of this and you can provide a donation to the Sarcoma Alliance (tax deductible) here.
If you don't want to use your credit card and would rather send a check, send it to:
The Sarcoma Alliance775 E. Blithedale #334Mill Valley, CA 94941
Please make sure to include a note to credit Kelly Brown's account with the Ocean of Hope Campaign. Your donation will then be added to my goal total.
I really appreciate the time each of you took to read my message and helping out the Sarcoma Alliance. Kelly (worse than ten Brazilians) Brown
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Solid
Starting Sunday, a solid south began to fill in - lighting up the east side. Second peak and 38th have been on - but first bowl has been firing with pros ripping and sharks - sharks has been sharks. As MJ said - the best 100 yards in SC. Tracking the swell, it started out at about 2 feet from 180 at 17 seconds. Monday afternoon the swell was 3.2 feet from 200 at 17 seconds, and Monday night the swell was 4.2 feet from 205 at 14 seconds. Tuesday broke with the swell at 3.2 feet from 195 at 14 seconds, and tonight the swell is still holding at 3 feet from 190 at 14 seconds. Solid. Well, the pack of rats have been hungry and the kookfest is all time. Trying to save my new board - I took it out when the swell was building and the pack was out to lunch. It worked great - can't wait to get the courage up to see it get trashed by some kook - and use it more often. Took the plastic fantastic tech out on Monday and some kook initiated it righteously. I was flyyyyying down the line, when out of the ether some idiot pitched his board over the falls. I tried emergency maneuvers, but to no avail. Lost a fin and split both FCS plugs in half. I chased the idiot in - he acted stupid, stated it was only his third day surfing, and explained he was broke. fuck it. Today was worse. First handful of waves, I stared at someone's ass, then experienced the sharks section effect - very few waves at sharks have room for two. Even breath on it, and 20 yards cranks off. My cord broke, but Shane saved me a full swim. I would like to recognize some of those whose ass I last saw before getting blasted: Cal - more than once? double your fun, craig - in the doubles club - no worries, MJ - as usual, Arnie Jr. - you're just a dickhead, surf school - what can I say, all the others I know not - fuck you. It's all good fun. I'm sure I'm on someone else's list too. He who feels it knows it. My last rant left the US in charge of California - the Mexicans lost out. The Americans swiftly took their land, citizenship, and began racial discrimination. Next comes the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. See your ass in the surf!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Summer Time and the Surfing's Not Easy
Yes - summer has arrived and the swell has disappeared. There have been "windows", but for the most part it has been small south with wind swell mix. I have been using the LB and SB in a daily tag team format. Both Sharks and First/Second Bowl have been fun, but watch out for flying debris. I've been hit several times, and my SB has been a magnet for every straight-off Adolph in the water. Still great to be in the water and hanging with the boyz. I've seen one installment of goose brown's local celluloid stoke fest - it was fun to see the idiots on-screen ( www.gosurfdvd.com gives show time). Gary also has some footage showing on Saturday night at 9:00. Well, the rumors of south swell are making the rounds, but the rumor mill typically ignores the fact that most of these swells are too steep to hit us very well. Still, small south bending in from 180 is better than nothing. It's best to keep checking and hopefully score a "window" opportunity. Today I was surfing small second bowl - leftovers on the inside - while watching Hunter and Rat paddle into some fun shoulder-high sets. On one wave I saw Rat square off the bottom, leave the wave face on the top, go sideways, land in the soup, and square off another turn without missing a beat. The speed vector remained true throughout. I told him the incredible thing was he makes it look like I can do it - fucking sure! A quick note on my border rant. My last blog entry ended with the US declaring war on Mexico - around 1846. The US army was winning battles regularly in the Rio Grande area and pushing into northern Mexico. Meanwhile americans were land grabbing at a fast pace in California. Soon, a rebellion against Mexican rule was underway in California. By mid-1846, the Bear-Flag Republic was born and died within 19 days. The US military occupied the Los Angeles area and declared authority over the entire republic. Check this one out - control of California was at the heart of President Polk's Manifest Destiny doctrine - yes, the belief that providence willed (God) the americans a moral mission (God) to conquer adjacent lands. Does this sound familiar? A common theme in american land (economic, resources) grab policy - even today. It is america's manifest destiny to drive SUV's and use up resources many times faster than anyone else on the globe - ask pat robertson. Fortunately, pat won't be out in the water and won't be interested in the fine picture below - big wednesday as seen by penguin.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
It's Windy
The sun has been shining, but the wind has been blowing and blowing and blowing. The hook and sharks have been fun at the knee to waist high level with wind swell and south flurries if you're lucky. The LB session is in - although I did try to SB a few today. Needless to say, with the wind blowing - the water is freeeeezing. On the bright side, the upwelling has brought in the bait fish and I've seen some rad bait ball/bird feeding frenzies. I'm sure the stripers, hallees, rock fish, and sea bass are on a tare - but I haven't heard about any inshore catches. Back to the waves - I'm afraid the small stuff has been around for so long, that when something bigger comes in, the masses will be unleashed. It's already incredibly crowded for what's showing. Is school out (or surf school in)? The small stuff does allow time to discover just how fun the LB glide is. On to another subject - New Boards. The waves are small to barely, the crowds are thick, and six months into the year the savings account looks like the swell. Time for a new board! Jones while you're waiting for it, scrape to pay for it, and someone is bound to straight-off Adolph right into it on a small I can't wait to get it in the water day. Can't wait for my new board. Next subject - in my border blast, I left with US immigrants taking over Mexico at Texas. That was between 1835 and 1836. In 1846, the US could not decide whether or not to grant the Texas Republic statehood, and the Mexican government viewed Texas as a rebellious territory they would eventually recapture. President Polk - yes looking to Polk someone - offered to buy New Mexico, California, and establish the Rio Grande River as the border (i.e., get Texas) for just over $3 million - what a deal. The Mexicans wanted to keep their virginity and refused the Polk. Undaunted, Polk continued with the typical land grab strategy. He sent military forces to the Rio Grande River - remember, an area taken over by US immigrants who declared they were independent of the country whose land they occupied. Well, as military forces do - mano y mano - fighting broke out. One battle took place north of the Rio Grande - in occupied Mexico. Polk recognized the US immigrant claim - not the fact that the area north of the Rio Grande was occupied Mexico and got pissed. In fact, he recognized a perfect opportunity to go to war with Mexico and get what the States wanted - regardless. Kinda like a WMD opportunity. Polk convinced the Congress to declare war on Mexico - sound familiar - and Congress boogied. What do you think happened next? - US vs Mexico. Meanwhile, in California US immigrants continued to pour into Mexifornia. I'll let you ponder this while you check the surf and wait for the south flurry.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Gliding
Surf has been small at second bowl and sharks, but not too small. I've had the LB out and it has been a blast. Put it in groove mode and hang on - just glide. Last two days saw sunshine and no wind. Crowds are starting to pick up, but he who knows it scores it. The boyz have been enjoying the weather - oil cans and Rick's nuts at bar-b-que rock. And the girlz. The Mayor's getting real dark. Yout' basball is drawing to a close for me, and it has been a rough season. Looking good and winning until the last inning; then the wheels jump off the cart. One game saw 5 errors in the top of the last inning with two outs that allowed the vistors to take the lead and win. G-babe's soccer scene has righted the wrongs I incured in baseball (see the link "boyz on da ball"). I had to go to smeLA during the Memorial day weekend for a soccer tournament. The boyz played teams from SoCal, texas, and nevada. They came away with two wins and two draws. On the way down I checked SB, ventura, malibu, and points in between - all flat. I heard the surf was similar on the point. Also checked in on KB - lost from the point and groveling in the SoCal arm pit. In my last log I mentioned that I would provide some history on the border between the US and Mexico. I got my information at http://www.pbs.org/kpbs/theborder/history/. Between 1835 and 1836, the relationship between the US and Mexico tensed as the US land grab began to take hold. During this period, US settlers were pouring into Texas (Mexico at the time). President Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana attempted to slow US immigration by abolishing slavery and enforcing customs duties (what comes around goes around - a theme revisited over and over in our history - are we not trying to halt immigration from Mexico?). In response, the settlers revolted - remember the Alamo. War between Mexico and Texas - the Texas Republic - was declared March 2, 1836. More land grab adventures to come - now a surf shot of Big Wednesday from Penguin.
