Pranaglider Made Me Lose My Board!

And it was worth it. Yesterday was one of the loosely organized surf sessions a few of us surf bloggers have together a few times a year. It starts with two people meeting up (specifically me meeting Clayfin to pick up a board he'd shaped for me) and eventually morphs into a full-on LGDAS (which meant "Let's Get Drunk and Screw" when I was in college—comes from some country song or something—but for the purposes of this blog it means "Let's Get Down (to Huntington) and Surf"). So, I'm suiting up and I spot a guy walking by with a mat. I was stunned. Who would've thought I'd run into a mat rider? Well, I learned later that it wasn't a coincidence. Clayfin had emailed Pranaglider and told him where we'd be. I didn't know that! I got all excited and lost my mind babbling at him. But I digress.

Anyway, we all paddled out . . . into some pretty sad high-tide-waves-backing-off-and-not-wanting-to-break conditions with what started out as an offshore breeze. Little did Prana know that I was watching him. Remember, I have a mat but before yesterday I'd never seen anyone on a mat. Wherever he was, I was watching. Even when I was watching for a wave I could take, I was watching him. I wasn't on a mat. I was on my longboard and that made it harder to watch as I was farther outside than he was. At some point, we were both lined up together. I saw Prana turn to go. I had a birds-eye view. He jumped on that wave, which had no shape, and did a beautiful bottom turn. It was a sight to behold. I'd finally seen a mat ridden up close. It's truly a sight to behold. And as I beheld him on that bottom turn, the next wave came and smacked me good. No leash. Board gone. Much laughter on my part.

Thanks, Prana. I know it was hardly a good day in the water, but you in particular made my day. I hope to get on my mat this week if the waves permit.