“In surfing lingo, this is my quiver,” he said. “My collection.”
“Wow,” she breathed, running her hand along a sleek surfboard with an artistic design. “Very impressive.” But then, he was a professional. Of course, he would be serious about his equipment.
“I had this room specially built to control temperature and humidity.” Sailor gestured to the boards. “Each one is for different conditions. Some boards are good for tricks in smaller surf conditions. Others are for the big waves.”
“How big?” she asked, suddenly curious.
“At least six to seven meters, or about twenty feet.”
She envisioned the height. “That’s as tall as a two-story home.”
His eyes twinkled. “I said,at least. Thirty to eighty feet is more like it.”
She had a hard time imagining that. “On this coastline?”
Smiling, Sailor put his arm around her. “Our waves are pretty chill unless there’s a winter storm. In the Pacific Ocean, waves can swell up to eighty feet.”
Maileah thought about that, slightly alarmed. “And you’ve surfed those?”
“Sure. The waves are awesome at Jaws on Maui’s north coast at Peahi. I’ve also surfed huge open water waves by jet ski or helicopter, like Cortes Bank, a reef about a hundred miles from San Diego. It’s amazing during the winter swells. Up the coast is Mavericks, just north of Half Moon Bay. Storms can send waves to fifty, sixty feet, but they’ve claimed some lives.”
As he spoke, his face became more animated. Maileah realized she had much to learn about the sport he loved, even if it could be deadly. “Do you ever surf outside of the States?”
“There are so many great places.” He ticked off his fingers. “I surfed a gnarly double wave at Shipstern Bluff inTasmania. Teahupo’o in Tahiti has fast barrel waves, although they break over a shallow reef that’s painfully sharp. I’ve also surfed Pico Alto in Peru and places off the coast of Chile and Capetown.”
She grinned at the variety of places he’d traveled. “Any surfing in Europe?”
“Oh, sure. I’ve surfed off the coast of La Côte Basque in France and Donegal Bay in Ireland during the winter storms. Wherever Mother Nature serves up great conditions, I’m there.”
He said all that nonchalantly. Maileah understood that Sailor wasn’t boasting, only stating facts. “So where is the largest, most incredible wave you’ve ever surfed?”
“Nazaré, Portugal, for sure.” He picked up a broken board in the corner. “That one left me with a souvenir. Praia do Norte is known for big waves caused by its unique terrain. An underwater canyon creates converging waves, and then there’s swell refraction and rapid depth reduction. The water is heavy, fast, and potentially deadly. Only the best ride that.”
Sailor’s eyes lit with excitement as he spoke.This is his life,Maileah realized. But for how much longer?
“Tell me more,” she said, appreciating his enthusiasm, though she doubted his pursuits would fit into her four-year plan.
“The record wave ever surfed at Nazaré was a real monster. Almost a hundred feet. A German engineering team developed a way to measure waves using drone technology. The guy reached 100 km/h on his ride. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. It’s one thing to watch it on a screen, but to be there, to feel it, and surf it—that’s an entirely different league.”
Maileah couldn’t imagine surfing a wave that size or at that speed, let alone watching Sailor attempt it. “Could you do that?”
He shrugged. “Not many can, but I’ve ridden my share of big waves that got my attention. You have to understand themechanics of the wave and make sure you’ve got jet skis to tow you out and boats as backups in case you need to get hauled out of there.” Hesitating, he asked, “Does this scare you?”
The magnitude of Mother Nature’s waves was almost unfathomable. She had to answer honestly. “A little.”
“Would you go and watch sometime?” he asked casually.
Although that was an understated question, she saw in his eyes how important this was to him. Her emotional draw to him was as strong as the tides. “I would support you wherever you went,” she said softly.
And she meant that, even if it wrecked her four-year plan.
He seemed to grasp the significance of her agreement. A slow smile touched his face. “Then we’ll do that soon.”
How could Maileah explain this feeling to anyone? Just listening to Sailor was reinvigorating, and a world of possibilities unfolded in her mind. She had visited many places, but this was another level. “The traveling sounds fabulous.”
“You’d go for that?”
“In a heartbeat.” Still, a remnant of her goal remained in her mind. Sailor loved what he did, but she needed more. “What about those with families?”
