Add to that: Water, and you have the all the elements you need to describe the PB Surf Club's 10th Annual Summer Longboard Classic held Saturday at Tourmaline. Well, let me add one more ingredient that permeated yesterday's event, the marine layer, which hung on like a stubborn cold throughout the entire day. Let me elaborate a bit on these themes.

Earth: the parking lot. Already full at "dark 30" in the morning and a hub of activity all day long around "tent city" row, stretching from Skeeter's bench in the west, to at least five spaces past the kiosk to the east. If you were one of the early birds, you earned your prized piece of real estate to park your vehicle somewhere in the lot and didn't dare relinquish it until the final trophy was handed out late in the afternoon.

Wind: relentless. From the first heat at 7 am to the final surfboard being raffled off at 5 in the evening, the wind blew and blew and blew some more. Did I mention it was windy?

Fire: the desire to compete and win. A fire in the belly. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, the 107 competitors who showed up this year brought their fire to win and put it on display in styles ranging from old school to progressive.

Water: in this case, the waves. A moderate amount of SW swell provided some workable waves throughout the day, though bumpy and windblown to say the least. Finding the silver lining: the water temp, a mild mid-60s.

Marine Layer: June gloom hugged the coast from sun up to almost sundown. I can report with confidence that the sun did peak through the clouds during the awards ceremony in an apparent attempt to see who would take home the hardware and bragging rights this year.

So the 10th annual edition of this contest is now in the books. Although windy gray skies dominated the proceedings this year, it was the participants from all over San Diego county who once again came out and made the event what it was meant to be: a gathering of talented surfers for some friendly competition. On reflection, it's shots like the one below, which make it worth the effort of putting on each year, through good weather and bad.