Last Sunday I returned from a month-long sojourn in Pacific Beach, California. This was the final chapter in 2025 for my Nuclear Surfing plan. On my drive west to California, I stopped in Yuma, Arizona for gas and Dutch Bros. The broistas moved the long line of cars through with insane speed and friendliness, and I got back on the highway with a Lonely Ghost Chai to head toward Stewart Surfboards in San Clemente, California.
At Stewart Surfboards, I bought a poly Redline 11, 23.75 inches wide and 3.5 inches thick for myself. As a surprise for my son, I bought an EPS Redline 11, 24.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches thick. The boards turned out to be amazing for both of us!
My first week in PB, I didn’t see the sun rise or set from land. Every morning, I surfed dawn patrol, and every night, I surfed until after the sun went down. As the weeks went by, I worked my way from the south side of Tourmaline, which is sandy and variable toward the north side, which has reef and point break elements for more consistency. On the afternoon of November 7th, I had my best session. The tide was low, and the sizeable waves were breaking slowly, far out. Thus, I was able to catch long rides and really work on maneuvering the board.
The Stewart Redline 11 proved to be the perfect step-up board for me from an 8 foot foamie. The dimensions I chose for my Stewart provided me extra grace for paddling out and for popping up and positioning on the board. And yet, the level of responsiveness of the board compared to that of my foamie was in another league.
Now both of our boards sit in their bags in my office as a reminder of pleasant memories and a harbinger of what is to come!
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present