There was just enough swell to make surge in all the fun spots. We did have several swims, but no blood, and the swimmers were in no way deterred from continuing in the fun. Somehow, the swimming seemed to add to the fun - don't ask me to explain.
We only had one event that I would call a "close call". Drew and Victor got caught way inside at Point Vicente on a about a 4 foot curling breaker. Drew got turned ok and made it out, but Victor got violently side surfed over some rocks and ended up perched about 3 feet above the water on one. He did a great job leaning way-way into the wave during all that violence and so avoided a high-side into the rocks - a sure ticket to the emergency room for stitches. Edging only enough to balance the boat in a situation like that will work fine as long as you are floating, but as soon as your boat scrapes over the rocks (or whacks them hard) you'll be kissing the blarney stone. Victor was leaned at roughly a 90 degree angle, but ended up perfectly upright on the rock. Any lesser lean and it would have been bloody.
From the sunshine it seemed more like spring than winter. The hills were green, the sausage seals were lounging lazily on the rocks, fair weather SOT paddlers were puttering about, and even the fishermen were friendly and smiling. What a great day, and what a contrast from last Saturday.
Steve Brown