Surf’s Up…
What does one do in January, albeit the end of the month, and one’s eyes are tired from writing and the weather is disastrous, cold and so very NOT summer?
One hops in the car and heads up the coast to wave-watch…
The southerly buster was powering up The Passage and every surfer who can still squeeze into a wetsuit was out in it.
Wherever we stopped, cars were parked – utes, 4-wheel drives, All wheel drives, combi’s and Mum’s old sedan. And dogs. Everywhere. Kelpies, labs, border collies, huskies and malamutes. Waiting patiently for the surfers to return.
These chaps would park the cars, hop into their wetties, pick up their boards, trudge 2 km through bush and paddock to a really topnotch point break, surf for a couple of hours, trudge back through the paddocks and bush for 2 km, haul off the wettie, hop into the car and drive on to the next break. High marks for energy and persistence.
What struck us was the age of the surfers. All 30+ and many our own age which made us laugh. They are either stupid, courageous or realising that life is there to be lived to the full. But such a noticeable lack of young kids – either young enough to be escorted by their parents (as used to be the case in my son’s era) or even the 18 +’s. We decided they may well have been enjoying the city life or their computers.
Sad…
Sure, we didn’t surf either. But we had been body surfing last Friday in waves half the size of today and were rolled heavily and this rather put us breathlessly off. So we watched the chaps today – in awe and loving an afternoon in wind, rain and with the roar of the ocean.
And then we retired to a little place right up the coast for coffee and the most delicious walnut and coffee brownies where I decided that this little boat was more my thing:
More rain, wind and swell is forecast tomorrow but I shall be doing the final read through of Gisborne: Book of Pawns for print and my husband will be moving sheep so a day off today was perfect.
Looks pretty chilly but souds like fun x
Was very chilly, Libby and super to watch. But seriously, you wouldn’t get me in it for quids!
Maybe the young surfers were all being towed out to Shipsterns?
Do you know, my husband and I mused about Shippies. Not so much the ‘young’ surfer thing but that the surf must have been incredible as it was more southerly than southeasterly. We also wondered what it was like at Pedra!