I have a question. How many waves that a surfer catches at a crowded surf spot, are considered too many?? As far as I know, there are no rules, as to how many waves one is allowed to catch during any given session. Yet in a contest, there are rules. For instance, in the ESA contests, some heats you are allowed to catch 10 waves in
a 20 minute heat. Any more than 10, and you lose points. And that's with only 5 others out surfing with you. Double that number, no scratch that. Triple that number in a free surf session. Same conditions. How many waves are too many? 10? 15? 20? Think about it. If you're out surfing with 20 guys sitting on the same couple of peaks,
should you take 20 waves in 20 minutes?

Even if you could, would you? Should you? After all, there are no rules.

But wait a minute. There are rules. Albeit unwritten rules, but rules none the less.
It's called Wave Hogging. Do you know any Wave Hogs? Sure you do, hell we all
do. Maybe you're one of them. Maybe, you're one of them and don't even know it. But most Wave Hogs know who they are. Most just pretend not to acknowledge
what they're doing. But that does not mean what they are doing, is not wrong.
Or at least, morally wrong. It's wrong. Plain and simple. It's wrong.

And most Wave Hogs are marginal surfers. In other words, they are typically not the best surfers out on any given day. They can surf. But they are not the best surfers. They may catch the best waves. But they are NOT the best surfers. They just catch more waves than anyone else. And they do this time after time. Swell after swell. Wave after wave. It is frustrating to say the least, to be out in a crowded line-up with a Wave Hog of any skill level. It does not bode well on the overall vibe.

Another trait of the Wave Hog is they are usually on a Longboard. Hence the ability to catch more waves than anyone else, but not necessarily surf better than the crowd. Now-a-days there are SUP'rs to deal with, in addition to the Long Board
wave Hog. And of course, there's the Yakkers. SUP'rs and Yakkers make for a miserable session for any shortboarders at any break. But I am not really talking about those two groups.

I'm talking about the Long Board wave Hog. And less anyone out there thinks that there are no shortboarders who fit this bill, guess again. A Wave Hog is a Wave Hog is a Wave Hog. It makes no difference what you're riding. It's the quantity not the quality of what you're riding. So...by now, you must all be wondering why the hell am I bringing all of this up this week? After all, didn't I just write a touchy feely, feel good column last week, where I renewed my faith in my fellow surfer? Yes I did. And, I meant every single word of it. In fact, that enthusiasm from surfing IGOR last week, and making new friends was still fresh in my mind as I paddled out this morning at the Wall.

It was 8:00AM on Saturday, and the remnants of TS Nicole were hitting the Jetties at around waist to chest high. Not nearly as big as we thought it would be, or rather as big as the Forecasts and buoys were reporting. But it was clearly surfable. So much so that I opted for my 6'8" Merrick. I know that is not a shortboard for most of you young rippers, but for me? It's short. Look I've been surfing for 46 years. Do the
math. Yes, I ride a Longboard most small days. But when the surf is chest high or bigger, I prefer a shortboard. Or rather, shorter board. Today I had the Merrick.

The session started out great. I had been shooting with Ed O'Connell for the first hour and then decided it was time to get my daily Wave for Molly. I was wearing only my 3/2 with NO boots or gloves. I paddled out and caught a couple of waves right off the bat. These were waves that came to me. I did not steal them, or jockey for position for them. They came to me. And I gladly took them. At one point, I was paddling for a wave when some young kid with a hood called me off a wave. I backed out, because he was deeper. He did not make the section and I felt like saying something, but I bit my tongue and said nothing.

Then, there was this one guy on a longboard, catching most of the set waves.

Now you have a feeling of where this story is going huh? At any rate, he was a marginal surfer at best, who just so happened to have a longboard that could catch most of the waves before any of us on shorter board could get one. It was getting just a little frustrating. OK, it was getting on my nerves. I admit, I was letting it get
to me. But I kept my mouth shut. For the time being. I watched as this guy took off
on 3 sets waves in a row. His last wave left me the furthest outside. A decent sized set was approaching and I was in position. I swung my board around and paddled deep and hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the guy on the Longboard paddling back out.

I caught the wave and hit my bottom turn and much to my surprise and dismay, the Longboarder swung his board around and paddled for the shoulder of where I was driving for. His action caused the wave to break in front of me and I had to straighten out. I yelled "Are you kidding me?" And then to add insult to injury, I got worked on this chest high wave. And to really grind salt into my wound, I ended up getting caught inside by these relentless 3' sets.

It was embarrassing, and I was fit to be tied. At that point, I had forgotten everything I had written last week. All that feel good, love thy neighbor bullshit went flying out the window. It was out in the trash, waiting for pick-up. I was mad. I was boiling mad. I saw the guy sitting on his board looking at me.

Like a Buzz saw, I paddled straight for him. Nostrils flaring. Breathing fire.

I'm not sure of the exact words I used, but I know they were loud and full of conviction. But they went something like this. "I watched you take 3 set waves in a row and never said a word. And I finally get one to myself, and you have to Drop in on me? WTF???" His excuse was, "I didn't see you!" And my comeback was "And why is that?" He looked at me with a look of utmost incredulous..."Why? I don't know why I didn't see you!" But before he could say another word I let him know. "You didn't see me because you didn't look!" Just then another surfer paddled up behind me and started yelling at me.

"Hey Kook shut the F- -k up!" He yells. I turned in disbelief. "Are you talking to me?" I asked. "Yes I'm talking to you. Leave him alone. You sound like a kook!" I turned my board around to face this new problem. Now, I know I said some things that are not suitable for young children. Hell, it's not suitable for most adults I know. But suffice it say...I tore him a new butt hole with some of my rapid fire obscenities. I was lighting him up in a verbal assault. But this guy was not quitting. He even said at one point "So what am I going to get beat up by a 50 year old kook?" " I was astonished. I could NOT believe all of what was happening in this short amount of time.

"50? I'm freaking 60!" (In hindsight, I should of thanked him for the compliment)

Then he says..."Why don't you take out your earplugs and go surf down the beach away from us! You kook!" That's when I lost it. Look, call me any name in the book. But when you call someone a Kook, you better be able to back it up. And you really better be able to back it up with me. I paddled up to him and gave him the full on splash of water in the face treatment. I admit that was wrong. But dammit. If someone called you a kook after saying all of that, what would you do?
I splashed his ass. Not once, but twice.

It was my way of washing his mouth out with soap for saying such terrible things.

And at that point, I was ready for anything. And keep in mind...this all stemmed from the act of Wave Hogging. He kept calling me "Kook" and "Dude." And for the record. I hate being called Dude. Don't ever call me Dude. I splashed him again for calling me dude, and this time, I thought I drowned him. Then he said to me..."They all think you're a kook. They are all laughing at you!" He was referring to a group of surfers who were sitting nearby and behind me. I knew half of them. The other half
I had seen before.

"They are not laughing at me." I said without looking back at the group. "I know for a fact, they are Not laughing at me. They are laughing at you, and what's about to happen to you. " He laughed nervously. And then I pulled the trump card. "If either one of you say another word, I will alert the troops, and I will make sure that everyone knows what you guys did, and you will never be able to surf here again!"
I was fed up with this BS.

Turns out, they were both roommates. Maybe they were College students. Or maybe they were just a couple of Surfers, who lived together. But that last statement of mine seemed to stem the tide of insanity. The guy who butted in and called me all the names, caught a wave and stopped to talk to the group of surfers on the way back out. He then paddled straight over to me and said in a very quiet and sincere voice. "Ralph, I'm sorry for saying all those things. I didn't mean it." In fact, they both said they were sorry. He even said "I would never disrespect a Marine. I'm sorry."

"Those are the two magic words that work every time. If you had said you were sorry from the get go, none of this would of ever have happened." I said. I then accepted their apologies and shook their hands. But it still bothered me. It bothered me that they said what they said, and it bothered me, that I said, what I said. It was a no win situation. But I wondered later, if once they knew that I was "Ralph" from Ralph's Pic Of The Week, was that when they decided to say they were sorry?
Maybe. But I hope not.

They should of been remorseful, no matter who I was.

The truth is, Wave Hogging is not conducive to a fun surf session. Especially for those who have to sit around and jockey for position to catch a wave, while the Wave Hog gets all the waves. It's no fun. And you Wave Hogs will get what's coming to you someday. There's always a bigger and uglier Wave Hog around the corner.

Wave Hogging is a Crime. Stop it, before it leads to other addictions.


Now for some of my Weekly Global Observances:
So was that the most disturbing shootings you have ever heard of locally? Talking about the Mattapan Massacre last week in Boston with 5 people being gunned
down. Including an innocent 3 year old boy. It made me sick to watch that. It also made me ill when I read that those murders were the latest in 53 murders in
Boston in the last year?

53??? Where is the OUTRAGE for that?

Why is the President and his cronies not doing something about the crime in America? I mean we've had 49 service members killed in the Global War on Terrorism from the State of New Hampshire since September 11th, 2001. That's 49
in 9 years in a war. But 53 in Boston in less than a year? I bet the figures are insane across the nation. New York, Chicago, LA, Miami...I bet you anything, we've had more people murdered right here in the USA in the last year, than we have killed
in the GWOT since 9-11-01.

Anyone care to bet me? I didn't think so.

So they banned texting while driving in Massachusetts. Thank God. I hope they ban it Nationwide. It's absurd to think that people are driving around, typing shit into tiny phones while they are driving. That's crazy. And now, teens can't use the cellphone while driving in Mass either. Yea! Make it a Nationwide law. Why the hell not? Cellphones and teens, while they are driving is just asking for trouble. Big trouble.

"Don't Text Me Bro..."

OK, so I was a bit premature in my 2010 assessment of the New England Patriots. They beat the Bills last. It wasn't easy or pretty. But it was a win. Although, this Monday night game against the Dolphins is HUGE. Both teams are 2-1. And this
game will weigh in as a major factor in our conference run for the Play-Offs. The New England Patriots need this win. As do the Dolphins.

Divisional games are costly. They have both lost to a division team. And that team happens to be the JETS. Damn those Jets.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Steve Rafferty October 5th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Erica Nardone October 6th!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kim Bohenko October 8th!
Congrats to the Fighting Gulls of ENDICOTT COLLEGE in Beverly for the come from behind win against Number 1 ranked CURRY College!
Check out the PIPING MAD Plover story down in Hatteras. Just Google PIPING MAD.
REST IN PEACE NFL great George Blanda.
REST IN PEACE Actor Tony Curtis.
BELATED CONGRATS to Bryan from PIONEERS who recently got married! Best of luck to you and your bride Bryan we all wish you the best.
New Christian Surf Club starting up. Look for ad in right hand column.
Don't forget to Check the DAILY BLOG on My CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY. (Click
On the Banner on this page.) Started on July 26, 2010 ENDS July 26, 2011. A Wave
a day for 365 consecutive days. Just click on the banner ads on this page.

CHECK OUT THE NEW/Old YESTERDAY PAGE! ALL OLD New England and
beyond Surf Pics! *NEW PICS added each week!

*Check out the NEW updated DROPPING IN ON RALPH blog Section.
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good and bad. You just have to be yourself.

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on RPOTW as a GREAT Gift Idea. A nice framed photo of your favorite Surfer!

Remember my friends...Surfing Heals All Wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph