or alternatively " Where is the surf?"
Stevie send out an email trying to organize a paddle out to Breezy Point in the middle of last week. I did not reply to his email saying I would go. I like to hedge my option. Going out to Breezy is not a relaxing paddle. The water from Blum Beach to the sand bar at Breezy Point get very tricky in the best of time. The people of come out for these Breezy Point paddle tend to be more experiences and are looking for big waves to play in. I can deal with big waves when I have to but I don't go around looking for them. I was not sure I want to commit to going out.
I wake up at 9:00AM. I need to get to the club at 9:30 to pickup my kayak if I want to do the Breezy Point trip. It is doable if I don't have to to stop by and pickup grocery for my sister. I picked up the grocery and stop by my parent's place to drop it off by which time its was 9:40AM. I continued to the club anyway, hoping I can do some solo kayaking, and working on my kayak. When I get to the club, I was surprise to see Stevie's car with his kayak. I learned from Stevie that he have to push the launch time till 10:30. Stevie asked me if I want to go, of course I say yes. I put my kayak on Stevie's car instead of taking my car.
I meet Marcus and Jeff at Plum Beach. I have not paddle with them before. Marcus and Jeff apparently are very famous in the kayaking cycle. They have been waiting for quite a while so we hurry up and get our boats down and change in paddling clothing. I just wear my dry-suit over my street cloths so change was not a hassle. Marcus and Jeff were already in the water and waiting for us by the time we get out stuff together. I have to drag my boat out 50 feet to find enough water to launch. I have to get out of my kayak after paddle a couple of foot because I end up on a send bar so drag it over the send bar into a couple of extra inches of water. I was tire by the time I find enough water to paddle.
Marcus is a fast paddle. I find it hard to keep up with him. I manage to keep with the rest of the group. I was using Stevie's spare gloves because I did not remember to bring mine. It fit nicely but slippery. I can't get any gripe to control the paddle. I end up having to gripe the drip rings to have enough control so that the paddle do not rotate the wrong was as I pulled the blade through the water. I was surprise that I was able to keep up without too much problem. We get Breezy Point in good order. I handle the waves much better then the first time.
We scanned the horizon ahead of us for surfs that for off the underwater sandbar at Breezy Point. We did not see anything that stand out. There are a lot of whitecap, but no traveling breaker that kayak surfers looked for. Stevie need to land on the beach to recover from a bit of sea sickness, and I just need a rest so I went with him to be beach. Marcus and Jeff went to look for good surf. We were on the beach for no more then 15 minutes when Marcus and Jeff joined us. No surfable breaker. We decided to go around the point in search for surf-able breaker.
I get to learn to launch from beach with more grace and less water in my kayak. I end up with more then 3 inches of water in my kayak when a wave hit my boat as I try to launch. The paddle around Breezy was hair rising. I followed Marcus out to the buoy that mark the point then turn north to round the point. I ride up and down 4 feet waves, smashing my boat bottom into the water as i crested the wave and come down on the other end. It was amazing that I did not capsize. Capsizing is just one wrong move always as I round the jetty and see for the first time the ocean facing shores of the Rockaway.
There were good size waves hitting the shore every which way. I paddled as far away from the jetty as I can before turning to shore. This will be my first surf landing. I mean real surf landing not just 1 foot waves. I decided to paddle as far in as I can and hope that when I finally capsize, it would be close enough to shores to walk my way in. I was doing find running perpendicular to the shores till the wave I was ridning break and the one behind me overtake my kayak. Before I know what happen I was upside down with wave rushing over the boat. I did not thought to even rolling back upright, pop the sprayskirt as soon as I realize I was underwater. I straighten out and find my feet touching bottom. My boat is full of water as I drag it onto the beach. I dumped half of it out before I was able to drag it beyond the waterline.
We had a quick lunch. Actually just a snap for me and just seat around listening the guys talk about how unpredictable the surf condition around the NY coast is. The lack of big waves condition for surfing was a disappointment to some of the guys. As for me, I have just about enough wave for a while.
Launching from the beach in surf condition as not as bad as I fear. I actually get in, manage to get my sprayskirt on and paddle out without any mishap. It was fun to break through the first wave and slammed the bow down the other side. It was a long none spot paddle back to Blum Beach. Luckily for me Stevie was as tire as I am so I have company on the way back as Marcus and Jeff race ahead.
I was glad to be back to the car and out of my drysuit.
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