Saturday, Feb 27, 2016 -
Its been slightly over a year, and with the exception of a maybe 3 months I have gone surfing on the west side of the island at least enough that my misconceptions of how easy(read: difficult )surfing actually is, have been overly tested. The Command (I've no clue what exactly that means, but I've always taken it to mean "the Colonel") at some point last year said no more surfing on the east reef. It looked even sketchier to me than the west reef, cause the winds come from the east (normally). Surfing is one of the few non powered things they let you do out here still ocean side. It makes sense. The ocean is kind of big, the lagoon is too, however the idea is you could get blown into a reef or island before being lost at sea I guess. It turns out they don't want you to die or get lost at sea out here, apparently its kind of expensive the whole search and rescue in an open ocean deal. Spending money on defense justifiable items doesn't seem to have limits. Spending money searching for some idiot who was lacking a bit of common sense seems to press buttons. The point of all this is surfing is the hardest sport this guy has ever tried. Its been a year, and finally things are coming together. It is completely physical, it has been completely mental for me, and then there is the challenge of figuring out the waves. Where to be, how to place yourself exactly where you need to be to catch the damn things, where to be to avoid getting the crap crushed out of you when a big set comes in. Recognizing when a big set is coming in and never forgetting to keep an eye on the ocean is a pretty big deal. Having the brains (read: having the experience of looking at a 10ft wall of water coming at you knowing you've let yourself be where its going to crash on you) to realize your limitations has turned out to be a handy little skill learned thru a completely black and blue ass cheek that lasted a month. Paddling back out after finally riding a wave is another completely brutal part of it. Its just so easy to give up. The white water (the wave crashing in front of you) pushes you back about (insert any number between 40 and 200) feet depending on several criteria. One criteria being luck= how close to the breaking wave were you when it "broke". Second would be your ability to divert the water...and depending on the size of the wave and the power, sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, you're going back to the place where you mentally can't believe you're going to start over from.
I've gotten stronger though, or more correctly "because of". Tonight we paddled a quarter mile ..maybe a third just to get to the spot. The more waves you catch the more you paddle back to get to the "breakers". I'm catching a lot of waves lately, which leaves me paddlng a lot to get back. It finally feels good, no great, to take the beating of getting back out. I went to work at 3am yesterday, worked thru any meals that were served at the cafeteria, and then headed out to go surfing before the last meal would be served. We surfed until dark. 5pm to dark. This morning high tide is at 7am, the sun wakes up at 6:30, looks like another meal will have to go to the wayside.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Feb 22, 2016....I think
Monday here. Normally we (we as in the batch plants 2 guys and James and I at the lab) don't have to work unless one of the contractors orders concrete. They ordered 120 yards starting at 4 am, which left us going into work at 3am to prepare. At the lab, our part ended at a little after 8 am, which left me room to meet up with my kiteboarding friends at 9 am. I didn't make it to the Marina until around fifteen minutes after nine. The Marhallese guy, Gary, who runs the small boat marina sees me with the kite and backpack and says that I "just missed them", "they just turned around the end of the pier". Gary is around 5'6" tall and fairly thick. He has a round face and a bit of a week old beard all the time, and is always smiling. "I can call your friends on the radio and have them come back" he says. I tell him thank you, but no, I was late. We ended up talking for a bit longer and he tells me to come into his office cause he has something for me. I had given him one of my old kites a few weeks ago, and he needed me to fill out the paper work so he could take the kite thru the Harbor patrol security, and back to Ebeye on the ferry, where he lived.
There was a private boat out in the harbor a few minutes later. It looked at first like it was heading out to the lagoon, but it started turning back to the docks. They must have just taken it off the trailer and were docking it for a later trip. I went down and saw one familiar face Tom. He's a KPD (Kwajalein Policeman) married to Amy who is a nurse or maybe runs the hospital I'm not sure which. One of my kites had a small rip in it so I posted on the local facebook page for someone who might be able to repair it. Amy messaged me back and that's how I met Tom. I wasn't really sure it was him when I approached the boat that had just docked. People out here wear so much sun protection its very hard to see who they are. I asked the "captain" (guy driving the boat) if they were going up the east side of the lagoon, because I just missed my friends heading up to Ebar. Joe and Jobe made up the name Ebar, its a cross between Ebeye, the island most Marshallese live on, and the sandbar just south of it. Its not even much of a sandbar lately, the east winds are pushing it back to where it came from on the other side of the lagoon 2 miles away. The captains and boat owners name was Don. He told me they were heading up to Bigej, but not until noon or so. "Oh, ok, well no big deal, I should probably chill anyhow" I tell him as I turn and walk back up the dock. He says "I can run you up to Big Bustard if that's all you need". I resisted for a bit, not wanting to put the guy out, plus my wallet wasn't with me to pay him gas money. He kept insisting it wasn't a big deal, and I accepted telling him that I will hunt him down to give him gas money and thanking him profusely and he kept insisting that the gas money wasn't necessary. Nice guy. Chief of Police it turns out. His name was Don, and his wife Shmay (that's my phonetic spelling) were both really nice people. Strange way to meet someone, but really really nice people.
At that point it really wasn't that I needed to go kiteboarding that badly, The shock value to the friends out there at Ebar would be great. I grabbed my board, harness and waterflask and jumped on board. The whole shock value worked. They all wondered what this boat was doing heading in to Ebar so closely, then they saw a body jump off. It was quite the swim to get to them cause Don was a little afraid of the shallow water, even if it wasn't as shallow as he thought. I was just happy he took me out there. It was a little over a mile to Big Bustard from the Kwaj small boat marina, and it was completely nice he did that for me. I will chase him down and give him $25 tomorrow. Turns out I could have walked. It would have taken forever walking over the reef from Kwaj to Little Bustard to Big Bustard and then to where their boats were parked. The entertainment value of showing up that way might have been slightly better than showing up in some random boat, because I didn't get to the marina on time.
So kiteboarding ended around 1pm and by the time we got all the kites and Joe's boat all rinsed off and put away it was around 2:00pm. High tide for surfing was around 5, so I told Kristen, who loves to surf, that I would be at Met Rocket at 3:30. "Met Rocket" is a surfspot on the west end of Kwaj about a half mile south of the "Shark Pit", where most of the surfing was done up until bout 4 months ago. For some reason, Met Rocket is the new place to surf. My ultimate Frisbee game on Mondays starts at 5pm, so surfing for me had to end around 4:30. I kind of wondered how not stopping moving from 2:30am until 5pm would affect my Frisbee game. I wasn't tired, but I definitely was not energetic, and my stamina wasn't normal, and my lungs didn't seem to be working as well as they might have.
Its 9 pm now. Lights are going out soon. Unfortunately, I'll probably wake up at 3 am. Sleep is strange for me: when I need it the most that's when I wake up the earliest....
There was a private boat out in the harbor a few minutes later. It looked at first like it was heading out to the lagoon, but it started turning back to the docks. They must have just taken it off the trailer and were docking it for a later trip. I went down and saw one familiar face Tom. He's a KPD (Kwajalein Policeman) married to Amy who is a nurse or maybe runs the hospital I'm not sure which. One of my kites had a small rip in it so I posted on the local facebook page for someone who might be able to repair it. Amy messaged me back and that's how I met Tom. I wasn't really sure it was him when I approached the boat that had just docked. People out here wear so much sun protection its very hard to see who they are. I asked the "captain" (guy driving the boat) if they were going up the east side of the lagoon, because I just missed my friends heading up to Ebar. Joe and Jobe made up the name Ebar, its a cross between Ebeye, the island most Marshallese live on, and the sandbar just south of it. Its not even much of a sandbar lately, the east winds are pushing it back to where it came from on the other side of the lagoon 2 miles away. The captains and boat owners name was Don. He told me they were heading up to Bigej, but not until noon or so. "Oh, ok, well no big deal, I should probably chill anyhow" I tell him as I turn and walk back up the dock. He says "I can run you up to Big Bustard if that's all you need". I resisted for a bit, not wanting to put the guy out, plus my wallet wasn't with me to pay him gas money. He kept insisting it wasn't a big deal, and I accepted telling him that I will hunt him down to give him gas money and thanking him profusely and he kept insisting that the gas money wasn't necessary. Nice guy. Chief of Police it turns out. His name was Don, and his wife Shmay (that's my phonetic spelling) were both really nice people. Strange way to meet someone, but really really nice people.
At that point it really wasn't that I needed to go kiteboarding that badly, The shock value to the friends out there at Ebar would be great. I grabbed my board, harness and waterflask and jumped on board. The whole shock value worked. They all wondered what this boat was doing heading in to Ebar so closely, then they saw a body jump off. It was quite the swim to get to them cause Don was a little afraid of the shallow water, even if it wasn't as shallow as he thought. I was just happy he took me out there. It was a little over a mile to Big Bustard from the Kwaj small boat marina, and it was completely nice he did that for me. I will chase him down and give him $25 tomorrow. Turns out I could have walked. It would have taken forever walking over the reef from Kwaj to Little Bustard to Big Bustard and then to where their boats were parked. The entertainment value of showing up that way might have been slightly better than showing up in some random boat, because I didn't get to the marina on time.
So kiteboarding ended around 1pm and by the time we got all the kites and Joe's boat all rinsed off and put away it was around 2:00pm. High tide for surfing was around 5, so I told Kristen, who loves to surf, that I would be at Met Rocket at 3:30. "Met Rocket" is a surfspot on the west end of Kwaj about a half mile south of the "Shark Pit", where most of the surfing was done up until bout 4 months ago. For some reason, Met Rocket is the new place to surf. My ultimate Frisbee game on Mondays starts at 5pm, so surfing for me had to end around 4:30. I kind of wondered how not stopping moving from 2:30am until 5pm would affect my Frisbee game. I wasn't tired, but I definitely was not energetic, and my stamina wasn't normal, and my lungs didn't seem to be working as well as they might have.
Its 9 pm now. Lights are going out soon. Unfortunately, I'll probably wake up at 3 am. Sleep is strange for me: when I need it the most that's when I wake up the earliest....
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Jan 31, 2016
I got lucky....really lucky this time. I mean I know I've been very lucky my whole life, and I like to think I've never taken that for granted. This time, this place, this job, and the great people I've met out here is something completely off the wall different. It's a completely life changing deal this turn I took. I don't deserve it anymore than many people I know, including you. I just plain got lucky....may I never forget that.
This is a note I sent back to a friend of mine in response to something he/she sent me. Z. He is transgendered. Born female, but feels better as a male (my wording). Extremely great person in all regards. Well, except the smoking thing. I don't understand, well, I don't understand completely not being comfortable with the gender you were born into. All that really doesn't matter. It doesn't change the completely cool person Z is, and in many ways he leads me to be. This is all beside the point of why I started typing here tonight. I got interrupted reading a facebook post from Z.
I went to bed early last night. It was our Friday night, but I have not gone to either bar out here since Halloween. I'm not sure why. Tonight, though, I kind of wanted to, but changed my mind. Weird, cause I like people and beer.
The wind was light, so I assumed it would be light on Sunday (dammit..read Saturday) morning. High tide was at 8 am. At North point you have to go kiteboarding at high tide. Also , at the other end of the island you have to go surfing at high tide. None of it worked out, but I put 12 mile on my bike before 9 am figuring it all out, and doing nothing.
I wish I could just somehow transmit "this day" into words for this journal/blog....because I don't have the patience to explain it all, not that there is anything extraordinary to explain. It's just a great day, looking back. Let me try....although it will get cut short. 8 am at North Point kiteboarding, but the wind is too strong for me, however I launch Jobe. I refuse to try his kite in the winds so we land his kite and I take off to the other side (4 miles away) of the island to try and catch the surfers. I get there at 8:30 and no one is there, at least not at the "shark pit". So I go home, watch some Netflix for a few then peek my head out and............well anyhow....I ended up going snorkeling in the "American pools, and the Japanese Pools" with Corey,then playing volleyball for a few, then going to Jobe's .....then going to dinner at Joe and Kristens...
This is a note I sent back to a friend of mine in response to something he/she sent me. Z. He is transgendered. Born female, but feels better as a male (my wording). Extremely great person in all regards. Well, except the smoking thing. I don't understand, well, I don't understand completely not being comfortable with the gender you were born into. All that really doesn't matter. It doesn't change the completely cool person Z is, and in many ways he leads me to be. This is all beside the point of why I started typing here tonight. I got interrupted reading a facebook post from Z.
I went to bed early last night. It was our Friday night, but I have not gone to either bar out here since Halloween. I'm not sure why. Tonight, though, I kind of wanted to, but changed my mind. Weird, cause I like people and beer.
The wind was light, so I assumed it would be light on Sunday (dammit..read Saturday) morning. High tide was at 8 am. At North point you have to go kiteboarding at high tide. Also , at the other end of the island you have to go surfing at high tide. None of it worked out, but I put 12 mile on my bike before 9 am figuring it all out, and doing nothing.
I wish I could just somehow transmit "this day" into words for this journal/blog....because I don't have the patience to explain it all, not that there is anything extraordinary to explain. It's just a great day, looking back. Let me try....although it will get cut short. 8 am at North Point kiteboarding, but the wind is too strong for me, however I launch Jobe. I refuse to try his kite in the winds so we land his kite and I take off to the other side (4 miles away) of the island to try and catch the surfers. I get there at 8:30 and no one is there, at least not at the "shark pit". So I go home, watch some Netflix for a few then peek my head out and............well anyhow....I ended up going snorkeling in the "American pools, and the Japanese Pools" with Corey,then playing volleyball for a few, then going to Jobe's .....then going to dinner at Joe and Kristens...
Friday, January 29, 2016
January 30, 2016
I feel the Bern, but people tell me he's not going to win. Its OK...I've had no children, and he was pretty much the last best hope for some sanity.
I've kind of sunk a bit into a bit of ..not depression...but dissatisfaction maybe. I need a few moments to recover. I probably need to start being a little more social out here. Everything is very physical, but not so social for me since Halloween. I've not been to a bar since then. I only surf, or kiteboard, or sail, or play ultimate, or go to the gym, or..well I guess that's it.
They had a Veterans Day out here. They brought two guys who fought for this island back in the day. I read that 300 American soldiers died, but somewhere around (a lot) like 4000 Japanese soldiers died when the US took this island back in the day. My friend Ted did some rudimentary calculations. Enough steel was sent to this island before the Marines landed (steel being bombs and bullets) to cover this whole six mile island (90 acres I think I read) 1/8" thick. Very few trees survived (like 9). Unexlploded ordinance is still being found. A nine hundred pound bomb that had not detonated was discovered some time ago by someone mowing grass. The blades of the riding lawn mower apparently were "hitting something". At the time, I hear, the US needed a "concise" victory.
That was 60 years ago. Humanity has not made much progess in "getting along" since then. We've made progress in many great ways, but in the areas of "earth citizenry" and "earth stewardship" we've made not an ounce of progress.
I've kind of sunk a bit into a bit of ..not depression...but dissatisfaction maybe. I need a few moments to recover. I probably need to start being a little more social out here. Everything is very physical, but not so social for me since Halloween. I've not been to a bar since then. I only surf, or kiteboard, or sail, or play ultimate, or go to the gym, or..well I guess that's it.
They had a Veterans Day out here. They brought two guys who fought for this island back in the day. I read that 300 American soldiers died, but somewhere around (a lot) like 4000 Japanese soldiers died when the US took this island back in the day. My friend Ted did some rudimentary calculations. Enough steel was sent to this island before the Marines landed (steel being bombs and bullets) to cover this whole six mile island (90 acres I think I read) 1/8" thick. Very few trees survived (like 9). Unexlploded ordinance is still being found. A nine hundred pound bomb that had not detonated was discovered some time ago by someone mowing grass. The blades of the riding lawn mower apparently were "hitting something". At the time, I hear, the US needed a "concise" victory.
That was 60 years ago. Humanity has not made much progess in "getting along" since then. We've made progress in many great ways, but in the areas of "earth citizenry" and "earth stewardship" we've made not an ounce of progress.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
January 22, 2016
Just some vacation pics...and a video with new gopro
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| I forget the name of this Hike/Hill near Honolulu that Debbie took us on. Us being her friends from San Fransisco Chris and Kylie and I. |
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| Just some lady paddleboarding with her dog in the Waikiki Harbor as we headed out for the Friday night races, something Debbie has able to get me on since the first time I went to visit her. |
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| Debbie working the Genoa on Krazan. |
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| We won the Friday night races. This was taken on our return (this is the finish line) |
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| Another hike along the North Shore Oahu |
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| A very big expensive cruiser in the Viaduct - Auckland New Zealand |
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| and another |
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| one more |
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| more |
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| Piha, a surfspot about an hour from Auckland New Zealand |
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| This taken from Davenport, a burb of Auckland. My hotel was right next to the needle deal |
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