Solo Slide at Oceanside

The Model T does not disappoint Today, as is most Sunday's the last few months, was a solo slide day again. Trace couldn't make the trip, Kevin works Sundays as a golf pro, the busiest day of the week for him, and Takayama, well, Michael is Michael, hard to get out of bed, waiting three hours for the tide to change, or whatever, I went solo again to OceanSlide, a 50 plus mile slog through the concrete jungle of the OC to surf the South Jetty. Because the forecast called for a fat tide coupled with a dying south swell, I rode the Model T. Was it worth the drive? Absolutely. Do I thouroughly love the Model T? ABSOLUTELY. For those who don't know, the Model T was created in the late 80s early 90s for a certain surfer named Joel Tudor. Single fin square tail, 60/40 rails with heavy glass. It seems to be a more modern version of the Nuuhiwa Noserider, a board Donald designed and created while Donald was shaping for Bing. While HPD claims the board is more ideal for "shoulder high to ankle small" I've ridden it in more punchy conditions, and it still holds well in the pocket. It is just a fun board to ride. Today I explored the capabilities of the board in what started out looking like a swampy session, at least from the initial look while putting on my wetsuit. Paddling out, the winds were offshore, causing the seemingly anemic waves to stand up a bit. It wasn't howling offshore, you know, those devil winds that cause the waves to barrel, but rather, it was just enough wind to pick the waves up a bit, give them a slightly more hollow feel than if no winds were blowing. The first several waves were a bit swamply, but then a few sets rolled in, and I dropped in on a few fade left then crank the board right waves for some pure funness. Once you get the hang, the 10 footer turns with authority, and I love the butter smooth, almost effortless bottom turns I was doing with the board. After the turn on several waves, I crossed stepped up to the nose and planted five in the pink, keeping my back foot behind for stability. The Model T just screamed down the line and I got a mini coverup, then got spit out. Not too bad for a day that called for ankle to waist high surf elsewhere. I knew the call going down was the Model T and the waves cooperated. While the rest of the guys in the water were struggling on their shortboards, I picked off wave after wave with the 10 footer, a few that took more to get into (and waiting for the wave to gain speed, which shortened the ride considerably), but the other few where the fade left crank right was employed I was loving it. With the early morning offshores, changing into the suit was a reminder of the upcoming winter, the water though is still not yet freezing. I did look for my hood though, to no avail. Overall, the two hour session was worth the trip, especially given my sessions have been cut from 3-4 days a week to a single Sunday surf surfari. Gotta make the most with what is thrown at you, and today, I did.