hurricane Ophelia

[offshore1]

OK, heading to south-facing beaches again today. She's getting close, mandatory evacuations will soon be in effect. Not sure we'll be able to slip in. Have things here boarded up and squared away.
Lates.

9/16
Skunked. Blown out mess. Beaches closed. Storm finally passed, surf now pitifully small.

[offshore1]

Ophelia sent up some nice, groomed swell on her approach up from Florida, then just stalled on top of us, got stronger, and beat the shit out of us here for a couple of days. Just a cat 1 tho, so, no biggie.

[offshore1]

thanks, fong, no deaths, not much prop. damage, just heaps of erosion from days of NE winds...south ends of beaches full of sand, tho.

my holiday's comin at prob the worst time of year, from everything I'm readin (Lonely Planet, and, tho I've returned it months ago, I think your own Nick Carrol contributed to a helpful book I read on surfing Aus): everybody else will also be off for summer break with us, so lineups'll likely be insane, and it'll also be the smallest time of year for surf. like I posted earlier, me and me 12 yr old'll be respectful

But, to the good side of the ledger, it'll be frigid in the states, great to see the rellies, and great to take a walkabout with my wifey and boys for three weeks.

ps. no cats

[offshore1]

....and endless perfect point breaks board shorts at dawn and u still too hot....bbqs...one day cricket ( hurry up summer )

p.p.s and mad oz wildlife

Now, that's wat I'm talkin 'bout

my 7 yr old, Will, is mad to see his favorite animal, a koala, and fully plans on moving down when he grows "up in a man."

[offshore1]

http://surferphotos.com/sp/Bank9-12-05.html

I'm kind of a retard when it comes to the web; way behind the curve. But I think this is a workable link to some photos of what Ophelia sent us for a little while, anyways, if ya ever wonder what we get in the way of waves here in N.C.

Cheers

[Jamoe]

check out the colour of that water in those photos! YUK!

[offshore1]

Yep. East coast Atlantic Ocean, full of algae and churned up sand, and, God knows what else. It ain't Indo, that's fer certain.

[Clif]

where u going in oz

[offshore1]

where u going in oz

My wife's aunt and uncle live up near the Blue Mtns., Kurrajong Heights, I think, and her three cousins live in and around Sydney; not sure exactly where yet. Bought the airline tickets last week. ..$$$ ouch! Leaving US Dec. 22, returning something like Jan 12.
Good thing is we'll have places to stay. maybe a car hook-up.

You'll notice I haven't been so indiscreet as to ask for specifics on surf spots. I realize it's pretty much like here, like panning for gold; you find a sweet spot, you don't want a bunch of tinhorns jumpin yer claim.

Would like a sesh w/ the mighty fong, tho

Here's some more pics of Ophelia (I hope, internet spaz that I am)....

http://surfline.com/surfnews/2005_09_15 ... a_bamp.cfm

LIke Jamoe says, the water's a filthy miasma, but it's been the spawning ground for Slater, the Hobgoods, the Lopezes, ...
"what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Thanks for asking, clif.

[Johnno]

where u going in oz

My wife's aunt and uncle live up near the Blue Mtns., Kurrajong Heights, I think, and her three cousins live in and around Sydney; not sure exactly where yet. Bought the airline tickets last week. ..$$$ ouch! .

Think the airfares hurt, wait till you start paying for petrol like around $4.20 US a gallon................and the Blue Mtns are a good 60 Km / 37 miles from the ocean.

[offshore1]

Mebbe their car gets 40+ mpg?
Auntie stayed with us here a couple of weeks ago. She also says they have a cabin on an island north of Sydney where we might stay: "Freedom Island," they call it, used to be "Shark Is.", till the PR people had their way, I reckon.
Don't know where it is , exactly, or if it has surf...
Auntie don't surf.

Just an aside but, it never ceases to amaze me how clueless poeple who don't surf are re. what constitutes rideable waves.

[munch]

I would be suggest that you forget trying to surf around Sydney during summer because there are way to many people and the majority of swells come from the north east which tend not to reach us down here. Your best option (not that Johnno or Fonger will like it ) is to head up the coast to say around Coffs Harbour (~9 hours drive) or Port Macquarie (~5hours drive) plus you get to feel the real oz up there cause it dam hot and there is some great national parks around those areas. Your best bet for accommodation would be caravan parks which you should be able to get fairly cheap and since your travelling around xmas you'll have to book soon.



p.s. Blue Mountains is like a 2 hour drive to surf
p.p.s Freedom Island is also a fair whack from surf also
p.p.p.s you don't have to go that far north around Foster ~3 hours will do
p.p.p.s in some national parks you have to book if your going to camp

[robbieg]

Mate you gotta have a paddle while your here, judging by those photos you posted of a hectic shory, mate the water is blue and the sun is hot...


like Fong said, put on ya boardshorts first thing and its still too hot. I love that weather!!!!

[offshore1]

Thanks kindly for all your help.
I've been lucky enough to travel a fair bit in my long and otherwise pretty uneventful life: Costa Rica a couple of times, have an uncle retired there; Hawaii (Big Island) a couple of times, have a brother there; Bahamas(Eleuthra) a half dozen or so; Barbados... but this is going to be huge for me, again, can't thank you enough for all the good words.

[offshore1]

superhurricane Rita, fong, 1 month after Katrina, headin in a beeline for Bush's home state of Texas. Global warming?,,,...nahhhh, keep drivin yer suv's, boys , stoopid bush.

s'posed to hit sat.
at least this time it appears everybody's gettin the hell outta dodge.

oil platforms and refineries may get worked.

glad I ride me bike to work.