Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday
I guess the story really starts on Friday afternoon when I went to Trigger Brothers in St Kilda and finally bought a surfboard. I had my eye on this one for a few months, actually - it's a 7'6" stubby, 3" thick, white, and minimal graphics. It's a nice board and it was going take it's first dip in the ocean on Saturday morning.
I woke up early and went to get some breakfast and a coffee in St Kilda and drove across the bridge to Williamstown to pick up Lincoln and we made the hour drive down to Torquay - Jan Juc to be more precise. The surf was forecasted to be 3ft, which really isn't that bad for beginners.
The water was cold even with a wetsuit but I was able to get used to it pretty quickly. There were a lot of surfers out on the water but the beach was wide and there was a lot of room so you didn't feel crowded. The waves were manageable and there was a bit of a lull right where I got in, which was cool because I could get right over the waves to start up.
When we got to the clinic they wouldn't let him in for at least an hour because he didn't have an appointment. He was bleeding. How can you not let him in? I ended up dropping him off at his parents' house because his mother's a nurse and I went back to St Kilda. He did end up going to the hospital and got stitches - he's not allowed to surf for 10 days.
I went for a bike ride on the road for an hour and then met up with Paul at the Belgian Beer Gardens on St Kilda Rd. The Hoegaarden was flowing - well, at least for a little while until they ran out of kegs and we had to drink from bottles. How do you run out of one of your most popular beers on at Saturday night? It wasn't even night yet. Another 5 or so people joined us a few hours later before I stumbled home 8 hours after getting there. The Belgian Beer Gardens is a 'must go' in Melbourne, especially in summer.
This place gets packed
I woke up early and went to get some breakfast and a coffee in St Kilda and drove across the bridge to Williamstown to pick up Lincoln and we made the hour drive down to Torquay - Jan Juc to be more precise. The surf was forecasted to be 3ft, which really isn't that bad for beginners.
The new board
The beach
Surfers
The water was cold even with a wetsuit but I was able to get used to it pretty quickly. There were a lot of surfers out on the water but the beach was wide and there was a lot of room so you didn't feel crowded. The waves were manageable and there was a bit of a lull right where I got in, which was cool because I could get right over the waves to start up.
Cliffs around the beach
You know what else is really cool? Surfing chicks. You see a few but usually only a couple a day. Oh, but not today - they were everywhere.. Everywhere. There was even a group of them just learning.. The weather was great, the girls, the new board - it was going to be a great day. Right? Well, of course not. Not too long after getting in the water Lincoln said that he thought he cut his foot on his board. When we got to the beach he had a 2 inch gash near his heel and it was bleeding. We wrapped it in a towel and I ran to the Lifesavers to get a bandage, some tape, and directions to the nearest health clinic in Torquay.
When we got to the clinic they wouldn't let him in for at least an hour because he didn't have an appointment. He was bleeding. How can you not let him in? I ended up dropping him off at his parents' house because his mother's a nurse and I went back to St Kilda. He did end up going to the hospital and got stitches - he's not allowed to surf for 10 days.
I went for a bike ride on the road for an hour and then met up with Paul at the Belgian Beer Gardens on St Kilda Rd. The Hoegaarden was flowing - well, at least for a little while until they ran out of kegs and we had to drink from bottles. How do you run out of one of your most popular beers on at Saturday night? It wasn't even night yet. Another 5 or so people joined us a few hours later before I stumbled home 8 hours after getting there. The Belgian Beer Gardens is a 'must go' in Melbourne, especially in summer.
This place gets packed# posted by Keith @ 10:28 PM 
