Month: January 2016

Memorial Service for Babe Featherman today in Cape Canaveral, Thursday, January 28 2016

by oldwaverider, posted in Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach, Local Events in Canaveral or Cocoa Beach

In Memory of Babe Featherman, who loved Jesus Christ - January 28 2016, Memorial Service, Christ Lutheran Church, Cape Canaveral
In Memory of Babe Featherman, who loved Jesus Christ – January 28 2016, Memorial Service, Christ Lutheran Church, Cape Canaveral

Do you remember that Smiling, Always upbeat face, sitting in her scooter on the crosswalk of Johnson Avenue, at entrance to the beach of Cape Canaveral?

With that Auburn Red hair, and dark almost leather tanned skin, from love of soaking up the Sun’s rays almost every day.

Babe loved Jesus Christ, and always bounced back.  When she broke many bones 3 or 4 years ago putting up Christmas Decorations after falling from a stool or ladder, at around the age of 90, or just shy of, Babe beat all the odds that her Doctors and Therapists said about the likelihood of her recovering 🙂

Babe not only recovered, but in less than 6 months, her friend Dan drove her to the beach each day, and She was back in her motorized chair soaking up the rays, reading her paper and magazines, and always happy to talk to any surfers or beachgoers headed to the sand.  She and her late Husband Paul, owned the bowling alley years ago on SR 520 in Cocoa Beach, for those of you that might remember that.

Babe beat the odds in many ways.  She was once, caught up in a Tornado, and lifted up high into the sky, as I understand it, and she was graciously placed back down.  I may add to this brief story of our friend, should I learn anything new today.

Her husband Paul, passed away in 2010, and Babe decided to embrace life another 5 or 6 years.

Whenever I went for my jog on the beach, or to do a surf session at the end of the street, Babe was always enthusiastic about whatever it was you were doing.  She loved people, and she loved life.  Even amidst the many challenges and tragedies that she faced throughout her life, she was always smiling, and a deep smile, not a quick placed one.

Her funeral is today, at 11 AM at Christ Lutheran Church.  She will be missed here in Cape Canaveral.  She has already been missed at the beach, and at church, as she has been in permanent care this last year, as her body started winding down.

I think it’s kind of awesome, that Babe’s Memorial service is also on the 30 year anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger.  Babe was very loved, and I do wish I had spend time seeing her in therapy, but , her memory will be a nice offset for the Space Shuttle loss.

Pastor Greg said the last words that he heard out of her mouth, was that she loved Jesus, and she did, she made that very clear 🙂

Those words about Christ were I believe, the last words she shared. <><

Oldwaverider

Big Ground Swell is here, but with strange, opposite winds from Sebastian to the Cape. Posted Tuesday 5:45 AM 01/26/2016

by oldwaverider, posted in Brevard Surf Predictions Cape Canaveral, Brevard Surf Predictions Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach

1:20 PM Tuesday update. Ouch, this swell, deceived us all !  My bad !  But it is offshore right now at 2nd light as of the 12:58 PM reading, 4 mph NW winds.   This morning, is was all warbly , variable disjumbled winds that did start out offshore.  Get it now, while it’s chest high down south and offshore 🙂

End of 1:20 PM Update, Tuesday.

At 5 AM and 5:45 AM, Tuesday morning, here is what we have: The Winds are really strange (almost opposite of what weather.com said last night, MSW winds I don’t usually use, the day of) but I think they’re gonna work out.  At Sebastian Inlet buoy, they were SSW at 5 AM and are now SW, so perfect down there.

At the 2nd light wind gage (on the Patrick AFB), the winds show North at 4 mph (at 4:58 AM).

At the Trident Pier (the onshore buoy at the Cape n Jetty Park) shows NNE at 1.9 mph.

So I think, that at surf time, daybreak, winds will be NW and turn more West by 9 am, at the North end of county, and 2nd light I think will come around NW, so at very light 2-5 mph, so we could have our epic surf this morning 🙂

If it does go offshore as I believe, we should have waist to maybe, chest high with bigger sets at the Pier, and Shoulder high to 1 foot overhead plus sets in Satellite Beach.  High tide at 9:13 Am in Satellite, but with a 4 foot at 12-14 second period swell, I think the swell will break right thru high tide wherever you surf.

It will be cloudy, so skinning it may be chilly 🙂  Water temp is 62.6 and will hit 63 today.  Air temp is 57 at 5:45 but will hit 64 by 10 am.

The waves will only be offshore till 10 am I believe, so get it early !

Oldwaverider 🙂

A Powerful ground swell coming ? , posted 8:50 PM January 24 2016

by oldwaverider, posted in Brevard Surf Predictions Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach

Monday night update at 8:50 PM:  I believe we will have offshore winds down south (Patrick and Satellite and further south), in the 3 to 6 mph range, SSW turning SW and maybe more west up until 9 or 10 am.  Size, shoulder to 1 foot plus overhead, with a few bigger sets.

End, Monday night update 🙂

Yes, we do have a powerful, long period ground swell coming.  And yes, the swell starts to come in Monday, and it appears that we will have offshore winds Monday morning.  But your excitement is better focused for Tuesday or Wednesday 🙂

The offshore winds Monday morning, will be blowing the leaving swell glassy, but will not be offshore for the new swell, not really.

Wednesday morning looks like a chance of some SSW offshore winds, with some chest high stuff.  Tuesday, we need to watch closely, because if the wind models do change, Tuesday is the big day.  Playalinda and Sebastian could be awesome.  Why?  Because the winds , as it stands now, appear to be SSE to South on Tuesday.  And Playalinda and Sebastian shorelines face totally different direction than CCB or Satellite, and way off base for the Cape.

Playalinda is 32 degrees offshore when the winds are direct south.  Sebastian, 26 degrees.  Otherwise, tomorrow, we will check the models to see if they swing around for us.

If it blew offshore Tuesday, we would have some nice 2-3 foot overhead waves.  Say a prayer, and lets hope for the winds to change for us Tuesday 🙂

Big Glassy surf, maybe Thursday, maybe yes for Friday and Bethany Hamilton on huge wave at Peahi Challenge, posted 5:00 PM January 06 2016

by oldwaverider, posted in Big Wave Video & Photo Locations, Brevard Surf Predictions Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach, Hawaii - Jaws, Maui ; Pipeline

Remember Bethany Hamilton, the one arm Gutsy Surf Warrior?  She’s a new Mom this year, and she hit her dream of surfing 40-50 foot (faces) Jaws, Peahi. The video has privacy settings, so you’ll have to click Bethany’s name, just under the video message below, so you can watch it on Vimeo.

 the Surf big and glassy for Thursday morning?  Maybe.  The winds are still NNE,  so I believe we will have some NNW winds before 9 am, turning North pretty strong Thursday morning. Down south may not be so hot, since that’s side shore to almost offshore winds.  But up North here that is offshore.  Should be head high and glassy to semi-glassy at the Pier with some texture on it, due to strong offshore NNW winds.  Down south should be a lot bigger, but not so hot on wind.  It’s high tide early, like 5:40 am in Satellite, or a little earlier at the Pier.  So it maybe be smokin early, or with the heavy sand deposits on the bottom, it could have problems.  Let’s hope the heavy sand bottom has cleared out some !  🙂

Friday looks big and just barely glassy, as it now looks to be SSW, but pretty light, like 6-8 mph light.  If the period of the swell was a little more consistent, I be saying almost double overhead waves.  But with the fetch a little inconsistent, I believe it will be 2-4 foot overhead on the bigger sets down south, and 1-2 overhead at the Pier on the bigger sets.

Saturday will still be some head high size, but the winds are iffy right now.

Bethany Hamilton Tows Jaws from STAB on Vimeo.