Surfing Waves

Here's the Ghost 12 on a couple of waves yesterday, it's quite a big change from the Earl with an extra foot and a half in length, three inches less in width, three quarters of an inch less in thickness, 3 pounds less in weight and 35 litres less in volume.

I'm going to stay on this board for a while in the hope of some cyclone swell size over the next two months.

http://olosurfer-woodensurfboardsatpipeline.blogspot.com/2012/01/wolf-in-pink-clothing-ghost-12.html

http://youtu.be/iUmEBYqKXMs

Let's see the pictures when you get that cyclonic swell quite a few people on a lot of the forum you post on are looking to see how you and the ghost handle size

All waves have size.

I'm posting each session as it happens, training is going well but I'll take it steadily thanks after 5 years basically out of the water and half a century on earth I'll go at my own pace.

Small waves are just as challenging as large ones and are in some ways harder to ride, as i'm sure you know.

Currently we are about to receive a good sized swell but it's coming with heavy rain every day so we are watching like hawks for a window of clear weather.

Accepting the correction, and like all surfers of sense I'm glad to see you are taking a measured approach, as no matter what sort of board you ride heading out into the surf beyond a level that you can reasonably challenge is not recommended, I imagine there are some advantages with the paddle power and the lines the board can take too, I know I have to take more care as I surf bigger stuff.
I am also wondering what new insights of hydrodynamics will feature in your boards after you have a few bigger surfs.
Go well Roy.

For your information I've had hundreds of sessions in bigger surf on the Ghost 12 boards ( i've had three of this shape and destroyed the first two, surfed them to death) in waves up to 4x overhead but more typically 2 to 3 times overhead, it's just that i haven't been there for a while and am working my way back into it.

In big waves the Ghost 12 is superb and is absolutely viceless, it makes mal riders head ashore to weep into their beer.


.

Not huge by any means but here is some action on the second Ghost 12 from the year 2000.



Two days before I had the same spot at nearly twice the size out on my own, after a three hour session in the rising swell I blew a roll under (exhausted) and got a mighty whack on the head ( saved by the helmet ) and had to swim in 600 metres on dusk. Next morning was way too big to get out and the harbour entrance was closed. I still had a big lump on the head in the photo above.

The session above was a good one, only two of us out while the car park was packed with surfers... a weird high tide backwash and almost too fast to make waves put people off I think.

Roy Stewart wrote:Not huge by any means but here is some action on the second Ghost 12 from the year 2000.

That's a good photo. You should show it to the guys over at MSW.

Hi Ricky, thankyou for the compliment, my partner worked hard to get pictures back in the chemical film and manual focus days.

The MSW guys have seen it before, and were not impressed.

Here's one taken a second or two before:

Roy Stewart wrote:Not huge by any means but here is some action on the second Ghost 12 from the year 2000.



.

Sweet looking lefts. Did ya get inside?

Yes on one of them.

That's a really cool pic!

Thanks

The Mount's Main Beach this morning on the Ghost 12.

Main Beach today

Roy's blog

Can I ask a silly question Roy. Your stance. Your feet are nearly parallel. Is it the way you usually ride, or is it a stance that proves the best way to ride these type of boards?
Cheers
Craig

Howzit Craig, my feet are at about 45 degrees, sometimes I adopt a more sideways stance as below. Having a narrow and/or more parallel stance is great for subtle trimming and balance, it's nice to use if the board has a sweet spot but with regular longboards not so much.

So yes it is partly a stance suitable for my boards.

Roy I know from my own experiences that still photos stop the action and can misrepresent a surf situation , but these do you and your boards a lot more credit than any of the videos I've seen.
Looking forward to seeing the next round of current bigger cyclone shots.

Roy Stewart wrote:Howzit Craig, my feet are at about 45 degrees, sometimes I adopt a more sideways stance as below. Having a narrow and/or more parallel stance is great for subtle trimming and balance, it's nice to use if the board has a sweet spot but with regular longboards not so much.

So yes it is partly a stance suitable for my boards.

Damn Roy you have some nice wave in your neck of the woods. Nice stand up barrel.

jaffa1949 wrote:
Roy I know from my own experiences that still photos stop the action and can misrepresent a surf situation , but these do you and your boards a lot more credit than any of the videos I've seen.

Not sure that I agree with you there, but for your information those last two shots are of me riding the 70 pound 13'9" Dragon board.

hunsta wrote:

Roy Stewart wrote:Howzit Craig, my feet are at about 45 degrees, sometimes I adopt a more sideways stance as below. Having a narrow and/or more parallel stance is great for subtle trimming and balance, it's nice to use if the board has a sweet spot but with regular longboards not so much.

So yes it is partly a stance suitable for my boards.

Damn Roy you have some nice wave in your neck of the woods. Nice stand up barrel.

Thanks, the bigger wave was blasted by a 30 knot offshore.

I slept in nad missed the offshore yesterday morning, but got a couple of lefts in a sheltered spot nearby.

http://youtu.be/LI-FbfUeD6A




http://olosurfer-woodensurfboardsatpipeline.blogspot.com/2012/01/grace-avenue-on-ghost-12.html