Another Weak South Swell:
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| A warm Canada, in general, means weak south winds and weak south swells. The surf was okaaaayy. |
I miss the old days. It's not that every single day was better, but the days when there were real S swells were. Surfing is a great way to wash away the grime of day to day life- provided there are winds and waves and sets and excitement. Otherwise, as great as it is, and it is still great, it is just not as great and is missing something. The thing that is missing with south swells now is life. When Canada was colder, the S winds would blow steady and over a good fetch making zippy ruler edged rights. The kind of swell that draws your eyes to the right towards the stacked swells. And they'd be clean all day with W wind from a relieving cold front. I miss that stuff.
Two Hit Fishing
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| What's even more amazing is that I could have fit four surfboards and gear on top of him and the ride would have been just as comfortable |
So after some average surfing, I figured let's take it to the next level and see how deep this thing is going to go. In a relaxed state from being in the water all weekend, my emotional edge was subdued, which made it easier to take the hit of the guy before us in the bait store buying out all of the eels. That added about 50 minutes more to the trip, but whatever. The weather was cooler and we had a good crew. The fishing began and that's all it did. Doug dropped out first, smart, knowing every minute he stares at the green light was another minute closer to waking up for work at 7:00am. Will, Al, and I kept going, it was nice out, but the most we could do was two hits from 9:00pm to 1:00am.
Piping Plovers
I decided not to fish the next several nights. My plan was to hit it towards the end of the week, on a day with clear skies and lower humidity. I envisioned myself proudly carrying my gear and lunch cooler filled with six bunkers. I was going to set up, get in the zone, and have the challenge of landing and releasing a shark by myself. What I got was, "Hi. I'm sorry, but you can't fish here until the end of the month. We think there are two nests of piping plovers." Allllrrriigggght. I backed out watching the guided tour trudge through the dunes with their cameras and khaki wear. The soft tone of speech the wildlife guy used appealed to my compassionate side, so I did not resist his request. I looked at the miles and miles of beach closed because of two nests, as I watched the clumsy sightseers trample the area where those nests and eggs could be. So I went to another beach . . .
. . . and had nothing. My confidence was in where I had originally intended to fish. I'm all about being in balance with the earth instead of being an arrogant pig, so I'm not sure where to be with this issue, but it seems like closing miles of coast for a few birds is a little overly enthusiastic.
Tropical Cyclones
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| Tropical Storm Gordon did a 180 in some far south westerlies. |
But at least August is hurricane season. But while there have been an unusually high number of storms so far this year, they have been weak and mostly ineffectual, aside from excess rain. I don't wish the destruction from a hurricane just so I can surf, but I appreciate a strong storm that does a nice arc in the open Atlantic away from land. Tropical Storm Gordon had promise, but it's not going to happen since it's on a definite track to the east now. If it's still a tropical storm near Portugal, that would really be bizarre, but I doubt it will be a 1961 Hurricane Debbie- Europe's worst hurricane on record. With the global heat circulation switching into a n or m GWP, it may be tough to get a hurricane this year, especially if drought takes over Africa, but I wouldn't discount a storm just yet. I will discount Gordon, however.
The Statewide and National Atmosphere
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| The air must have felt a lot less sickening in the 1910s and 1920s summers. The heat this year has been dizzy and nauseating. |
When I was youngest, in the 1990s, I used to look forward to the summer because I hate being cold. Now after the past few summers I almost want to hear it will never be above 85F again. After a hot summer and no fall in 2011, the current January-July period is by far the warmest such period in state history. That includes the year without a winter, the summer in March, and the heat in the other months. All this heat and extra warmth is making me claustrophobic. Aside from a hurricane or thunderstorm, summer is usually a lame season, and now the lameness is worse and lasts longer.
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| The destruction from stagnant weather is not always exciting- it's more like annoying back pain or a growing tumor. It's cumulative, little by little with each day of the same nothing, but it'll get you. |
The vibe of flat-line extends over the rest of the country, or rather the vibe over the rest of the country extends here. Sunny and hazy, sunny and hazy, sunny and hazy, sunny and clear, sunny and hazy . . . While I want things to get moving so I can have some fun, there are people who need the weather to get moving for survival. At least . . . No not at least. The at least sucks. The images above are what you get from that at least crap. You get the least.
So what will it take to turn things around? Maybe the next time I go fishing I'll walk up to the beach backwards and put the glow tip on after it's dark, anything to change it up, do something different, and break the rut. Then I'll catch like 5 sharks, 2 hammerheads, 1 thresher, and 1 great white. Then the atmosphere will cool off, the rain won't be so screwed up anymore, and I'll wake up the next morning surrounded by people who have come out of a coma, and are like whoa I never noticed this stuff before.
