It’s Christmas evening and I can’t help but share a little of the cheer I’m feeling about this forecast. It is giving me goosebumps and shivers, but in a good nervous anticipation kind of way.

BARREN ISLANDS AND KAMISHAK BAY WATERS
945 PM AKST THU DEC 25 2008

...STORM WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...
...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...
.TONIGHT...WEST OF THE BARREN ISLANDS...NW WIND 55 KT. SEAS 8 FT
BUILDING TO 15 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY. EAST OF
THE BARREN ISLANDS...NW WIND 35 KT INCREASING TO 55 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. SEAS 18 FT. GUSTS TO 70 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY.
.FRI...NW WIND 55 KT. SEAS 24 FT. GUSTS TO 70 KT. HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY.
.FRI NIGHT...NW WIND 50 KT. SEAS 24 FT. GUSTS TO 65 KT IN THE
EVENING. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY.
.SAT...NW WIND 45 KT. SEAS 17 FT.
.SAT NIGHT...NW WIND 35 KT. SEAS 11 FT.
.SUN THROUGH TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 9 FT.

There is a Homer surf forecast if I’ve ever seen one. It looks like we have a chance at decent wind conditions on the Homer beaches as well. Though I won’t be expecting clean lines with offshore breezes, it’s not predicting the straight onshore gales we’ve seen lately.

Picturesque winter storm waves on Kachemak Bay, Alaska.

What I remember most about the 23rd surf session was the sound of wind blown water hitting the 6mm neoprence hood. It was loud. I would probably remember more if I could have opened my eyes, but that was like looking into your shower head with 35 degree saltwater on the massage setting.  Ok, maybe not that bad, but it was really windy.  Walking back up the snow covered boulders to the car with a 7ft surfboard/sail was challenging.

Really, considering the conditions it was actually a pretty good surf session. The swell was growing fast and by the time darkness settled in around 4:30pm the sets were at least head high and Jake Bell and I managed some pretty good rides considering. And don’t forget the stunning scenery.

Christmas Eve was a big improvement. The swell was still strong, but the wind had settled down. With the waves forming so close to our beaches in Homer the interval was very tight and the swell disorganized but if you were in the right spot at the right time, it was a good drop and maybe a few quick turns.

Jake Beaudoin and Jake Bell getting ready for a winter surf in Homer, Alaska.

Jake Beaudoin heading out for winter surf session in Homer, Alaska.

The Jakes sneaking through the rocks on their way out for an Alaskan winter surf session.

A Yakutat local surfer surveys Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska.

This is the fourth post reporting on a surfing trip to Yakutat from the fall of 2008.
It’s the last couple days, by now we were actually getting pretty used to squirming into that cold wet and smoky wetsuit each morning. The 15 minute walk in the surf booties down to our regular break (Pt Carrew) was pretty familiar, and so was the pain in the toes. I don’t think they had hiking in mind when they designed surfing booties. The last couple days of our stay were pretty average, each day seemed to offer a few good waves one way or another. The real highlight however was the last surf session of the trip. We packed up and went the airport in the morning only to find out that we were too late to get on our flight. Remember this if you visit Yakutat – the airport may be small and, yes they could easily scan your bags and put them on the jet in about 3 minutes, but you must check in your bags at least 50 minutues prior to departure.  Well, it seemed like a bummer, but when we got back out to Snappers surf break with four hours to spare it was clear we were not going to be bored waiting for the next flight.

Glassy surf dream emerging out of the flat light in Yakutat, Alaska after our last session.

Jake Beaudoin and I, the only two remaining surfers, had one of our best sessions of the trip. It was glassy glassy, about head high, hollow and fast.  One after another, after another, drop in, turn turn turn, to the lip, to the bottom, watch it jack up, point it and hold on.  Oohh wave sliding at its prime. Certainly if I had the skills there would have been a fair share of tubes.  Maybe next year I’ll do them justice.

Jake performs the morning ritual of gasps and moans as he crawls into his cold damp wetsuit.

peaks

Jake Beaudoin ripping Yakutat, Alaska on the 'taxi cab'.

Alex Wilson trying to ruin a photo with a cheesy hang loose. This might cure him.

Surf and the St Elias Range, Yakutat, Alaska.

Alex Wilson on the walk back to camp at sunset, Yakutat, Alaska.

The end of another great Alaskan surf adventure - cold ones on the beach and getting flipped off by friend as he picks his nose.

Jake Beaudoin walking into a timeless surfing scene, Yakutat, Alaska.

As you probably figured out, this is the third post reporting on a 7 day surfing trip to Yakutat, Alaska. Part 2 was the story for Sept 28th. Something happened between that day and October 1st. Or, what I mean is nothing happened, with the camera that is. I know there was plenty of surfing, and along with it plenty of rain– so the photographer left his camera in the tent and caught up on some surf.  This was good, because on the first morning in October we were excited to see our first and only sunrise for the week. The six days of waiting for a glimpse of the mountains and a chance at some classic Yakutat surf photos finally paid off. No complaints though, waiting out the rain clouds is not bad when it means surfing for 6hrs a day, and when the pay off looks like this.

So, we started this day off with a hike to our regular spot – Pt Carrew. The waves were decent and glassy with a stunning backdrop of the Saint Elias Range. Later in the day we bumped into some visiting California shredders in Yakuat with the good folks from Alaska Brewing and the Coastal Code program. Growing up and learning to surf in Alaska exclusively I honestly was pretty impressed. I didn’t realize shoulder high beach break had so much potential.  To finish the day off there was a very sweet surf session at Snappers. I showed up a bit late with the camera, but judging by the grins on the boys’ faces it was pretty good.

Keith Bell and Dan Stafford starting their day off right with a sunrise surf at Pt Carrew, Yakutat, Alaska.

Glassy morning surf at Pt Carrew with the Saint Elias Range backdrop, Yakutat, Alaska.

Jake Beaudoin surfing Pt Carrew, Yakutat, Alaska.

Clear skies, sunshine, snow covered mountains, and the call of some lonely surf, Yakutat, Alaska.

A lull in the surf, but the scenery was going off- 12,000ft glacier encrusted faces.

California surfer Chris Del Moro doing his thing beneath Mt St Elias, Yakutat, Alaska.

Chris Del Moro surfing Yakutat, Alaska.

Matt Kinney displaying his 'This is surf stoke' billboard after a dreamy session at Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska.

Rainbow at Snappers surf beach. Yakutat, Alaska

Day 2: Looking back through the photo files from 9/28/08 there’s nothing for the morning session, must have been rainy and the camera was left behind.  I think we surfed Pt Carrew at first light. Back to camp for a tanner crab lunch, cheers Iceman! It’s not so bad camping in the rainforest when you’ve got all you can eat crab legs after a long morning surf session.

The schedule for our Yakutat surfing trip was pretty strict, rarely in the seven days did we waiver from the following routine:  Wake up at 7am, crawl out of the tents into a drizzle and light the fire. Eat breakfast while stoking up the fire. Moan about crawling into a cold wet wetsuit so early, get over it because the surf is firing, grab your board and hike/run the beach to Pt Carrew for the morning session. Three to four hours later back at camp for lunch and maybe a short nap. Around 3 or 4pm back to the water for the evening session until dark. Once it was too dark to surf, it was time to eat again. Get that fire stoked high and try and forget about the rain till an early bed time around 9pm.  Replay, replay, replay.

Below are some photos from our first full day which gave us a rare and precious glimpse of the sun during the evening session at Snappers. The pot of gold was all you can surf glassy sucking up head high washing machines. Everyone got their share.

Matt Kinney putting away the crab legs in a craze between surf sessions.

Keith Bell navigates the driftwood approach at Snappers. Surfing Yakutat, Alaska.

Iceman applies the wax before surfing at Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska.

Mike McCune dropping into a glassy backlit beach break barrel while surfing Yakutat, Alaska.

Iceman on the nose surfing Yakutat, Alaska.

Mike McCune riding between the lines, Yakutat, Alaska.

Iceman scoring another glassy face at Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska.

Rainbow just before sunrise at Snappers surf beach, Yakutat, Alaska.

Matt Kinney heading back out for another surf session at Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska.

Iceman walking out of the sunset after surfing Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska

Iceman and his reflection go for a walk with their surfboard on the beach. Yakutat, Alaska.

Jake Beaudoin shares a little moment of surf stoke after a great session at Snappers, Yakutat, Alaska.

Back at the campfire Jake begins the long wait for dawn patrol. Yakutat, Alaska.