TOTAL COMMITMENT
On this particular day, once you’d picked your wave from the top of the reef, you were basically committed to run the entire length of the wave before it eventually closed-out at the end of the reef know as Boneyards, which is the bottom channel that separates Backyards from Sunset. If you caught the right wave you could get around 3 to 4 solid bottom turns as you maneuvered around each breaking section. Some of the waves are so smooth you can bottom turn as fast as you like and hit the lip with as much speed as the board will handle. When you’re sailing a wave like this you can feel all the spray coming off the rails and fins as you cut back under the lip. By the time you get to the end section, the wave starts to close out and you can either kick out the back of the wave, or straighten out and head for the beach. If you choose to straighten out there’s no way you can get back out. You’re left with the option to either walk along the beach or tack back and forth along the inside shoreline to get back upwind to the Backyards channel.
For all its dangers and fickle behavior, Backyards has a unique quality that is a great asset to surfers and windsurfers. The strong current on the inside reef runs in the opposite direction to the apparent wind. If you’re in the right spot you will simply be transported upwind and spat out in the Backyards channel courtesy of Mother Nature. The trick is to keep tacking back and forth on the inside until you hit the current line and just enjoy the ride upwind.
