Let's Talk Story

crashman · Joined: 15 Jul 2002 Posts: 83

In the fall it always blows decently a few days on Lake Tahoe. Those of us that live around here and sail it get many 6.0+ days on the Lake, which makes up for the lighter winds with clear water and beautiful scenery. However on these days the Lake is a different experience offering nice swell and in the right spot, breaking waves. Last fall I was lit on a 4.7 and my favorite wave board. The wind started to clock from the south to the west, and actually allowed for legit down-the-line sailing. My best wave let me milk 3 bottom-top combos even with a little air on the last one. Perfect waste/shoulder waves. Let's go with nipple-high. We joke about how the spot we sail needs a low tide (lean water year) and a south swell. After a bit the wind died, and it got waay colder and started to flurry. Shlogged in and grabbed my longboard out of the car and paddled out for mushy crumbly rides-in the snow!! Only needed the 4/3 though as it was Sept. Funniest part of surfing on Lake Tahoe is how you still pick up your feet when waiting for waves to keep 'em from getting nibbled on. Well I guess a Mackinaw could do a little nibblin'.

Spoiled rotten, by the way... Miss the coast, but the mountains are a-ok too!

dabull1 · Joined: 19 Mar 1997 Posts: 556

clifford · Joined: 02 Apr 2000 Posts: 10

DonORiordan · Joined: 06 Feb 2001 Posts: 146

Sanding on the cliff one fine April morning in San Carlos, watching whales on the horizon, Pelicans surfing the wind being pushed by a wave, trying to determine whether it was more important to go surf or start breakfast when a dolphin makes its own decision and starts to surf the wave down at the Chili bowl...waay cool. Don't know if I ever got in the water that day, but I was stoked to see the dolphin do its thing.

My other strange nature story happened at San Luis Reservoir one nice spring evening...sailing-shlogging along, light wind, birds going nuts around me on an insect-fest, when I noted a periscope. Small periscope, about 4 inches. Got closer, and I kid you not, even though I was a good 400 yards from shore, it was a frickin' snake swimming along, cool as a cucumber.

I never knew snakes could swim. Or would be interested in a joust a quarter mile from land....

stilladdicted · Joined: 18 May 1999 Posts: 30

Great idea and great stories....

Ah, another whale tale....

I was a fairly novice sailer, and a brand new wave sailer, so what do I do? Head down for a solo trip to punta san carlos. I'm down there and see a grey whale out in the distance. Cool. So I launch and make it out past the waves, do a couple of there and backs, Linked recoveries, you know.

It was blowing 25 knots, the water was a washing machine, then all of a sudden I go through a 30' circle of absolutely flat water...I look back at it and 10' behind me a whale breeches the surface. One of those things I'll never forget.

Oyster point - Between Jets and Pelican's you can almost count on something being over your shoulder, pretty cool experience.

Mike

spennie · Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

U2U2U2 · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject:

I have seen seals several times at Rio Vista, this summer one surfaced closeby and did a look see, I yelled out " Hey what are you doin' here ?" He went under then followed for a long time, making long graceful arcs alongside........
BUT this year in Maine, Meddybemps Lake, I pointed towards a loon pair
, normally they fly off when say 50 yards off, this pair didn't, but proceeded slowly, getting close enough I saw the Mom had a chick on her back. Next day I saw them again and they were teaching the baby to dive. Same lake watching a Osprey dive from the sky like a F18 and swoop down on a bass, dinner for the whole family.

Nice thread !! Mr. Green

246 · Joined: 14 Mar 1994 Posts: 34

Always wanted to sail with dolphins, you know, cruise with them, not just watch them go by....

So then I'm in Baja, in a race at La Ventana, in second place trying hard for first and, you guessed it, a huge pod of dolpins crossed my path, seemed like a hundred of them just kept coming and coming. All I needed to do was round up and I could have been in the middle of the pod for miles, I would have followed them forever and....well it couldn't possibly have been as good as I imagine when I wonder if I should have finished the race.

MalibuGuru · Joined: 11 Nov 1993 Posts: 9300

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Sept. 25) -- A battery charge has been dropped against a West Virginia man who had been accused of passing gas and fanning it toward a South Charleston patrolman.
The Kanawha County prosecutor's office requested that the charge be dropped against 34-year-old Jose Cruz of Clarksburg. Mary Frampton, an assistant to Magistrate Jack Pauley, said Thursday the magistrate signed a motion to dismiss the charge.