Spot Rides Again

In transit from the tropical north to join Moose (OFSC No. 5) and his fan base in Canada, Spot (OFSC No. 6), has dropped in on The Mexican (OFSC No. 4) for some lessons on how to ride Sammy the 9'6" McTavish SUP.  "Its part of my goal of being an all round waterman" said the enthusiastic student, "plus my Canuck fan base really want to see me pushing boundaries".

(Spot makes his first tentative foray into wave SUP riding in small surf)

"Most riders try flat water to get a feel for Sammy before taking him in the surf" said Mex.  "However, Spot was pretty keen to get started so we put him in the surf from the start and he handled the small stuff pretty well for a beginner"

(Mex demonstrates timing his run for the wave)

 The  next day the swell picked up and Spot was hungry to try some big surf on Sammy.  "The Mex gave me a demonstration of how it was done first" said Spot.  "He showed how it was all about timing and positioning your run for the wave and then using your footwork on the Board so it wouldn't catch an edge or nose dive"

(Mex's footwork on the board, note the considerable weight on the back foot)

After the brief demonstration by the Mex, Spot got out there for a crack at some of the bigger waves.  "Initially Spot had a bit of trouble with his timing" said Mex, "He had a tendency to paddle too early and the waves broke on the back of his board, knocking him off"

(One of Spots early attempts, getting the timing wrong)

Regarding the student's progress, Mex commented "Once Spot started timing his run for the wave he got the opportunity to understand how footwork was needed to find the sweet spot in the face of the wave to get speed, and once you have speed the wave is your oyster"

(Spot gets his timing right and takes off on a big wave)

 "After a few nose dives and then catching the outside edge of the board I think I started to understand the finer art of SUP riding" said Spot, "I've got a couple more weeks to practice before I head to Tofino to show my Canuck fan base my extended repertoire."

(Spot using good footwork to pull off this massive bottom turn)

News from Canada is that that Spot will get a warm welcome and that officials are concerned that the associated  rise in temperature could ruin the rest of the ski season.
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