Spring is in the air...

Spring is in the air, or so it seems...despite snow still being on the ground, and occasional flurries, the days are warming up. We've had highs up around 5 or 6 this week, which feels downright balmy compared to what we were dealing with a few weeks back. And the waves have returned, I've been out 4 times in the last week. The best day was last Saturday at Kako, some really nicely lined up lefts peeling off the tetrapods. Fun stuff, but the low water temps really takes it of out of you...

 

I'm still busy with the board rebuilds, but took the time to build a jig and make a skateboard...the jig worked pretty well and the veneer I used glued up well and the tail kick came out OK. The mahogany strips on the bottom look pretty old school cool, really pleased with how that came out. I've got the hardware on order, and it should  arrive just in time for the snow to melt off the sidewalks.

 

Decent February waves

We've had some decent waves this month, and a couple of huge days as well.. I was out four times last week, which is pretty good for February. The waves at Gyokyo were really fun, not big, but lined up really nice. The dredger was out dredging the entrance to the fishing port. Unfortunately, less sand means less wave action at Gyokyo, and while I got it good on Thursday, the clean left will probably turn to closeouts the more they dredge. Oh well, I still have Kako in Noboribetsu, but I'll miss the "warm" sheltered goodness of Gyokyo as a winter getaway spot. 

  

Speaking of Kako, it was full-on Hawaiian style a couple days last week. Mark took this picture below of huge stand up barrels peeling off the tetrapods; good luck paddling out and dodging the ice chunks flowing out of the river mouth. Yesterday was even bigger. The two low pressure systems that brought Tokyo its most snow in 20 years rolled up to Hokkaido producing unreal short period swell action. Some of the old timers said the conditions were "once in ten years", but they lasted less than a day each, with the waves going from huge to flat in a matter of hours. 

Nice pic Mark

A belated happy New Year

We're into February, so I guess it's time to update the ol' blog. January was busy with a trip to Hawaii (and a crackin new board from the factory on the North Shore), and getting back and finishing up the last month of the academic year. There's been some surf, albeit bitterly cold, but fun nonetheless. And, well, it's been uncrowded, so that's a good thing.

In terms of my board building, I have the one rebuild ready to glass, but I've got to wait for the air temp to go up a before I can glass it. I started what I cleverly call "Rebuild 2"; it was the second board I made, and while it was aesthetically pleasing it was an absolute tank (which is why it sat decorating my office for over a year). Well, the board kept staring at me, begging for a better fate, so I decided to rebuild it into something more ridable. So I sawed the board in half along the rails, ripped out the internal frame, and now have a glassed top and bottom. I'm putting together a new lighter frame, reducing the length and weight, and will build up lighter rails. Hopefully it will come out better this time around.
I'm also trying to make my own fins this year, learning how to make fins is kind of my New Year's resolution. I've got a set of plywood speed dialers ready to glass, and can't wait to see how they turn out. I threw up pictures of the set in their current state.

   

Last session of 2013...?

We're at the end December here, and it's looking like today may have been my last session for 2013. Things have been pretty wind blown for the last few days, but it cleaned up nicely today. It was well under zero, especially with the wind chill, but the sun was out and it actually felt somewhat warm. Beautiful conditions actually with the blue sky and green waves.
It's been a great year, can't wait for the next!
Happy New Year!

Swell December

After a great November, the first half of December was slow. That's usually the case here with winter surf in Hokkaido as the north winds and low pressure systems that track over from Siberia tend to blow things out. The last week, however, has been really good, got in five straight days. Several days we had overhead surf and clean conditions. Below are some picks from this morning; it was small, the swell has dropped quite a bit, but was still clean and fun enough. Cold though...the temp was under zero; you can see that the tetrapods have frozen over with the fresh water flowing out of Horobetsu River. Hopefully we can get in a few more sessions before hitting the warm waves of Hawaii in January... Mele Kalikimaka... 

Tail end of a winter swell at Kako

Frozen terapods

Sweet November

Man, this November has been great. Just day after day of good surf. Today was really fun, the waves would stand up, but then back off a bit down the line...you could make most of them by taking a high line a just racing the lip. Here's a pic of me on a traditional board, my 6'10" McCrystal Discgo; when it reaches head high I tend to leave the wood boards in the car. Only four of us out today, more salmon fishermen than surfers...pretty sketchy avoiding the lines in the water, and even just walking back up the beach, but super good fun...best November ever!

Another nice morning

The first snow of the year fell yesterday morning, but it quickly melted and warmed up to a balmy 4 degrees. I had this point (Pachiura) all to myself before work. Beautiful offshore plumes, and tons of fun. The best season of the year continues...