By riverflows on Skatehive
Somedays are delightful. Autumn is full of them - it's something to do with the light, or perhaps the hint that the cold weather is coming and we better enjoy the last of the warm days. On Friday, I surfed in the morning - clean, offshore winds, warm water, three foot waves - perfection. It was crowded and there were bigger sets coming through that had me scrambling. Usually I count my strokes as I paddle out the back or across the channel. Twenty four, twenty five - and rest. But on this morning, I had to windmill those arms for a hundred counts to not be smashed by the sets, and employ the inelegant turtle roll, whereby you hope you're as straight on to the breaking water as you can, flip the board and you upside down, hold it close, and let the wave break over you. It's a hard maneovure, but I did it, and felt strong. Texting my bestie in Tassie, we compare notes - the surf, our jelly arms from paddling too much. I tell her I'm trying to take it easy. To know my limits. There's no p