‘Best day ever at Mavericks’

25 miles south of San Francisco, Mavericks, the mecca for big-wave surfers since 1992, had its "best day ever" on Tuesday.

Word spread quickly in the big-wave surfing community when it was learned that Kai Lenny was coming to Mavericks. He’s the best in the world, deeply respected and admired by all, and the 28-year-old Hawaiian savored the notion of surfing Tuesday’s big swell.

Lenny’s appearance was brilliant, but by day’s end, there was much more to the story. “All things considered,” said San Francisco’s Grant Washburn, “I think this was the best day we’ve ever had at Mavericks.”

That’s a voice of authority. Washburn has surfed and documented every significant Mavericks swell since January 1992, when the surfing world became aware of the once-secret spot off the coast of Half Moon Bay. His claim is certainly debatable in the wake of so much history, but this was a day when all of the crucial elements reached optimum level. “Definitely all-time top three, for sure,” said longtime photographer and water safety expert Frank Quirarte.

The best surfers in the world fly to Mavericks during the winter to take advantage of

the combination of ideal weather, favorable wind, swell direction, [and] wave faces of 50-plus feet.

After a year of COVID-19, contentious politics, and economic hardship it's nice to talk about something that's beautiful, inspiring, and dangerous (where no one got hurt).

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Sleeping with the fishes? Fred Wilson and his
tuna caught off Half Moon Bay (Chron photo)

Giant bluefin tuna prefer warmer waters, but they have arrived in force this week, with local fisherman landing 30 to 35:

In the past 50 years, anglers have caught Pacific bluefin tuna in a handful of encounters out of Bay Area harbors. These were often aberrations where the tuna were mixed in with schools of albacore in the fall, often at distances 30 to 100 miles offshore.

The bluefin tuna arrived late last week near the Deep Reef, 10 miles out in Half Moon Bay, where anglers told stories of enormous fish, long fights and even losing 600 yards of line...

Pacific bluefin are not endangered, but NOAA recognizes them as a species that has been overfished by commercial interests, and their stock assessment shows a slight improvement in recent years.

Most believe the tuna have been drawn in by vast schools of juvenile anchovies that have also attracted large numbers of humpback whales and shorebirds to the area, said Tom Mattusch, captain of the Huli Cat, a sport fishing charter boat operating out of Pillar Point Harbor.

Global warming may pose an existential threat, but if we're going to die we may as well enjoy some of its benefits. I hope some of the tuna finds its way to local markets.

Cool Coast

Surfer's Beach, Half Moon Bay

Deciding to go for an early dinner on the coast, we drove west on Hwy 92 to Half Moon Bay. Traffic in the commute direction was already slowing at 3 o'clock.

As advertised, the chowder at Sam's Chowder House was light on the cream and rich with clam flavor. The kitchen deftly crisped the deep-fried shrimp and calamari appetizers, and the pasta was neither too chewy or soft.

After dinner we walked on the path to the beach. Surfers in wetsuits waited vainly for a large swell but had to settle for moderate waves that they could ride for a few seconds.

It had been over a year since our last visit to Half Moon Bay, only 20 miles away. We'll be back sooner.

Traffic Avoided

Beach next to the restaurant

Six months after our first visit, we drove to Half Moon Bay for lunch at Barbara's Fishtrap. We refused to be misdirected by Apple Maps, which kept insisting that the restaurant was east of Highway 1 next to a school; we switched to Google Maps, which placed our destination accurately along the beach.

At 1:30 p.m. on Friday the wait for a table was only ten minutes. (It's best to avoid Half Moon Bay on October weekends when the hordes descend on pumpkin farms; congestion peaks during the Pumpkin Festival on October 19-20.)

Calamari and chips

The fish and chips were as good as we remembered---hot, moist, and crunchy. The calamari was prepared in similar fashion and did not disappoint.

A fall afternoon, pleasant company and lunch by the seaside.  Life is good.

Afternoon at Half Moon Bay

Fish and chips (Flickr, lfstewart)

We pointed the car west to Half Moon Bay. The first stop was Barbara's Fish Trap, a very popular seafood house in Princeton-by-the-Sea. Barbara's Fish Trap has the no-frills ambience of the fishmonger's restaurant. It doesn't accept credit cards, the fish is very fresh, and there's a wait for a table even at 2 p.m. on a weekday. The fellow in front of us said that he always comes to Barbara's when he visits from Riverside, 434 miles to the south.

Yes, the price of the saddle is $3,000.

We ordered the fish- or calamari-and-chips, and the food tasted as good as it looked. The hot, crunchy crust married with a moist, tender interior rivaled the best Japanese tempura. We shared an appetizer of clam chowder in a bread bowl. Dipping chunks of sourdough into a thick mixture of clams, spices, and celery (but no cream, the chowder is ideal for the lactose intolerant) is the quintessential experience on the Northern California coast. Four fish entrees, clam chowder, three soft drinks, tax, and a 16% tip cost an even $100.

Our next stop was the Half Moon Bay Feed and Fuel store on Main Street. Live chickens were on display in coops close to the sign "The Best Place to Pick Up Chicks."

On the front door was a Romney-Ryan sticker. Inside, scattered among the feed and livestock paraphernalia, were politically incorrect signs and cards. A moosehead was mounted over the front door. The sensibility of the store in these parts is, to say the least, unique.

Prices, except for a few outliers like a $3,000 "show saddle," compared very favorably to those in the closer-in suburbs. We picked up some supplies for our guinea pigs. A large bag of grass was $5, a fraction of the cost online or at PetSmart. When we complained to the owner that alfalfa was mixed in with the grass (calcium in alfalfa can cause bladder stones in small animals), she promptly instructed the workers to fill a new bag from the pristine bales outside.

Half Moon Bay Feed and Fuel is on historic Main Street.

Our final stop was the New Leaf Community Market, an organic-food chain that is slowly expanding into the Bay Area, though it's unlikely that we'll have one on the Peninsula any time soon. The prices were equal to or less (in some cases much less) than Whole Foods, so we bought three shopping bags (recyclable, of course) full of groceries.

I was in Half Moon Bay just over a year ago for a charity function. We won't wait as long for our next visit. © 2013 Stephen Yuen