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Rod's Report, March 6-21, 2012 |
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Rod's Report, March 6-21, 2012 |
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just a brief synopsis of my trip to Costa Rica Saturday, March 03, 2012 - Anticipation. The forecast shows improving conditions later in the forecasting period with longer period swells moving in. Later in the trip we had a few days of 16 to 18 sec swell periodicity. ---------------------------------------------- Model Cycle: 2012 MAR 03 06Z ---------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) ------- -------- ----- ------ 3/3 6am 1 - 3 SSW 207 2.7 12.1 3/3 12pm 1 - 3 SW 216 2.7 12.3 3/4 6am 2 - 4 SSW 208 2.6 13.9 3/4 12pm 2 - 4 SW 211 2.9 13.6 3/5 6am 3 - 6 SW 211 4.2 12.6 3/5 12pm 3 - 6 SSW 209 4.3 12.2 3/6 6am 1 - 3 NE 33 5.6 4.7 3/6 12pm 1 - 3 NNE 21 5.3 5.0 3/6 6pm 1 - 2 NNE 26 5.0 4.8 3/7 6am 4 - 9 SSW 200 4.9 15.6 3/7 12pm 4 - 8 SSW 202 4.6 15.5 3/7 6pm 4 - 8 SSW 202 4.4 15.3 3/8 6am 4 - 8 SSW 199 4.9 14.6 3/8 12pm 3 - 7 SSW 201 4.5 14.5 3/8 6pm 3 - 7 SSW 193 4.3 15.3 3/9 6am 4 - 9 SSW 194 5.4 14.5 3/9 12pm 4 - 8 SSW 193 5.2 14.2 3/9 6pm 4 - 9 SSW 192 5.0 15.3 3/10 6am 4 - 8 SSW 193 5.0 14.3 3/10 12pm 4 - 8 SSW 194 4.8 14.0 ---------------------------------------------- The Trip Tuesday, March 6, 2012. The phone starts ringing at 2am. I interpret it as the 4am alarm which means get up quickly and hustle for the 6am flight. Roll over, realize what is happening and try to resume from shuteye... It does not happen. It was a call from the airline to tell me everything is on schedule. Can't get back to sleep... Shower at 4:00am and out the door at 4:30am. No need to be 2 to 3 hours early as they suggest since nobody is at the airline check-in counters that early. Everything rolls smoothly -- check-in and security and on-time departure. Charged $30 2nd checked bag fee (no charge for the first bag and no extra charge for the paipo board bag this year, saving me $175 from the year before). Concession finally opens at 5am. I need my expresso fix. Really crappy coffee on Pier C, unlike Piers A & B, the Southwest Airlines terminals. Arrived early enough to grab a media noche and cordito at the Cuban restaurant at the nearby Gate 39 area. Bags arrive quickly at the new terminal in Liberia. Wait a few minutes to catch the shuttle to Dollar Rental Car. End up having to haggle with the Dollar agent about all the insurance and extra fees he wants to extract plus he doesn't have the vehicle I reserved, a large 4WD SUV (he has a 4 door 4x4 pickup truck). The drive to the villa rolls along smoothly as does check-in with the nice Dominicana. Terry greets me, move our gear into the room, rip the board out of the board bag and fin and wax up the new S&S Checkered RPM. to test out the small, 2-foot but steep Inside Wash waves with the new board. S&S passes the initial tests with bright colors! Then it is time for some food and drink. "What!!! No Bavaria Negra???" Special order is placed and this is resolved two days later :) Terry and I begin our 15-day story talking session. xxx Thursday, March 11, 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD WIND WND/DIR (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) (kts) (deg) ------- -------- ----- ------ ------- ------- 3/11 5am 2 - 5 SSW 207 3.7 13.3 5 - 7 N 355 3/11 11am 2 - 5 SSW 205 3.7 13.2 8 - 12 WNW 309 3/11 5pm 3 - 6 SSW 204 4.2 13.1 10 - 14 WNW 306 -------------------------------------------------------------- Overhead at Turtleheads this morning. Wind was on it by mid- to late-morning. Brett owned the session, Paul was still acclimating himself, and I had what was probably one of my most mediocore sessions in CR, topped off by a sandstone reef scrape on my right shin when getting sucked back out to sea in what became six inches of water instead of 3 feet! First blood. We all did ok this afternoon back at The Wash, but it was Paul's breakthrough session. Up until that point he had been very timid. Brett and I talked to him about it at lunch and told him we were watching him and not to worry. Seem to have worked. The "typico" breakfast is the included meal - eggs, gallo pinto and two small tortillas - my choice the past two mornings. The boys had the fruit plate this morning and don't care for papaya and cantelope so I also had some fruit. I had BLTs for lunch both days - stacked with good bacon - yummy. Last night I had the chicken casado but the chicken seemed like parts - not great. The filet mignon the first night was delicious. Tonight's choice is yet to me be made - want something light - the chef's salad is too much. Oh, avocado and hearts of palm salad I split with Paul on our first night - wished I was sharing it with my wife! Friday, March 12, 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD WIND WND/DIR (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) (kts) (deg) ------- -------- ----- ------ ------- ------- 3/12 5am 3 - 6 SSW 194 3.9 14.2 5 - 7 WNW 296 3/12 11am 3 - 6 SSW 194 3.8 14.3 8 - 11 WNW 307 3/12 5pm 2 - 5 SSW 194 3.9 12.9 7 - 9 WNW 287 -------------------------------------------------------------- Fun session at Turtleheads this morning - glassy early and tubey, 3-5'. After the wind picked up it started sectioning more. Great special order of arroz con pollo for lunch, I am ready to take the afternoon and do some reading and napping. The boys liked it so much that we special ordered more for dinner! Saturday, March 13, 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD WIND WND/DIR (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) (kts) (deg) ------- -------- ----- ------ ------- ------- 3/13 5am 2 - 5 SSW 199 3.8 12.5 6 - 8 NW 320 3/13 11am 2 - 5 SSW 194 3.8 12.2 10 - 14 NW 311 3/13 5pm 2 - 5 SSW 194 4.0 12.1 8 - 11 WNW 287 -------------------------------------------------------------- Small and windy this morning - may hit The Wash on high tide. Tomorrow the SW swell is forecast to arrive. Sunday, March 14, 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD WIND WND/DIR (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) (kts) (deg) ------- -------- ----- ------ ------- ------- 3/14 5am 3 - 7 SW 214 3.7 15.9 10 - 13 ENE 56 3/14 11am 3 - 7 SW 215 3.8 15.8 5 - 6 NNE 22 3/14 5pm 3 - 7 SW 214 3.8 15.4 1 - 2 NE 30 -------------------------------------------------------------- Still a very low tide at 9:30am. Swell is not showing yet - winds are light offshores. Monday, March 15, 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD WIND WND/DIR (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) (kts) (deg) ------- -------- ----- ------ ------- ------- 3/15 5am 3 - 6 SW 214 3.8 14.5 8 - 10 ENE 69 3/15 11am 3 - 6 SW 214 3.8 14.5 1 - 2 NNE 18 3/15 5pm 3 - 6 SW 214 3.6 14.4 5 - 6 WSW 240 -------------------------------------------------------------- Surf Report from the Southern Latitudes. Winds held up and the swell picked up with the incoming tide for avery fun session today, one of the better of the trip according to theboys. Waves were 4 to 6 foot. Tuesday, March 16, 2010. -------------------------------------------------------------- SURF SURF DIR SWELL PERIOD WIND WND/DIR (ft) (deg) (ft) (sec) (kts) (deg) ------- -------- ----- ------ ------- ------- 3/16 11am 2 - 5 SW 215 3.7 13.3 5 - 8 NE 32 3/16 5pm 3 - 7 SSW 196 3.6 16.1 1 - 2 SW 218 -------------------------------------------------------------- Look similar to yesterday as the tide drains out. High tide is late in the afternoon so it looks like a noon or 1pm paddleout (posted at 10:20am). Later... Today, our finale, turned out to be the best of all. Surf was running in the 4-7 foot range and very clean with the papagayo winds blowing. We started out at The Wash, I rode a few from the southside of the Rock, and then as the tide filled in big we rode the clean, steep Inside Wash. All Good. Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Yesterday we spent about an hour charting the drive home via the new Amistad Bridge and the new Autopista de Sol that runs from Puntarenas to San Jose. Vague directions. Too many questions, and the boys are not much with the maps, so we decided to leave yet earlier in the morning and drive back along the Pan American Hwy (via Nicoya & the Armistad Bridge). The alarm bell rang at 4am (the night watchman knocking on our doors) and we hit the road by 4:45am. It was dark for the first hour or so, but the roads were relatively empty compared to the people, dogs and vehicles on the drive down. Our timing must have been good since we only found ourselves behind slow trucks twice and not for very long in either instance - believe most of the truckers were taking a breakfast break. Also noticed about 3 police check points but we were not flagged. We made it to the Alejuela in about 3-1/2 hours. Directions to the car rental return were a little sketchy - we did well until our last turn when we found ourselves driving down a 2-way, barely 1.5 lane street. After reversing direction we found the car rental return. Processing out took about a half hour. Airport in San Jose: Buying the exit stamps at San Jose was a breeze - quick and smooth. Our check-in line was another matter as that process took more than an hour (probably because of an earlier 4 hr ppd flight that forced many people to reschedule?). I really like American Airline's checked baggage rules in Central America - two checked bags for free. No extra fees for my bodyboard/paipo. We had several hours to kill so I sampled the Britt coffee and later bought a couple of espressos to tide me over until a cubano sandwich in MIA. The boys killed time playing scrabble (their nightly pasttime in CR). Flight was on-schedule. Airport in Miami: Clearing immigration didn't go too bad - maybe 15 minutes. Picking up our bags/boards and clearing customs and re-checking our bags took another half-hour or more. The boards eventually arrived and we proceeded through the "line" at Customs. Then we had to re-check our bags following the Yellow Dot line; whoops, now follow the Orange Dot line; whoops, after waiting in the que they accepted our normal luggage but told us to go upstairs to Area 4 to process the boards (bigger screening machine). Then it was on to security for our gate and walking to another terminal. We had plenty of time with a 3-hr layover. Paul and I dined at the Cuban Restaurant inside Terminal 4 - nice and large space. Flight home was on-schedule. General Comments: We had a k*** SUP dude there for about 3 to 4 days. Thankfully he was a total **** and was never out when we were out. His ass would have been handed to him during the last two days swell. Met an interesting woman from Palo Alto, Calif. She and her husband spend several months a year (spread out over multiple trips) in Costa Rica - she is able to work if she has a decent Internet connection. After a few days chatting in the main Internet station, the coffee/dining area, I come to learn that she used to ride a paipo board in Santa Cruz. Small world!  DuCharme's only picture circa 1970's - the paipo is not visible. Location is probably in the Santa Cruz area. She says, "I am amazed to see me in a wetsuit (makes me think this is 1972 or so...)." Tide Table for This Year's Spring Trip  |
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| Some
Photos I Shot During the Windiest, Trashiest Small Day. You
guessed correctly: I took the day off from waxing the board and
paddling out to the line-up. Here is a link
to the photo dump. |
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