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September
3rd, 2006
I
feel guilty again. Why? Hell, last week I wrote that the kids will be
back in school, and the tourists will be gone, and the tropics will be
lighting up. Then, lo and behold...bam! It all comes together. TS Debbie
(that storm that almost everyone forgot about) shot us a 3-4 day
ground swell. The kids started school and the Tourists headed back home
before the first wave hit the beach. The locals were all treated to a
early to mid week swell, that left most of us forgetting about how bad
of a Summer 06 truly was. It's almost as if, the Surf Gods
wanted one last shot at redemption, before closing the books on the SUMMER
of 06.
Was it enough to salvage this summer?
Well,
that all depends on who you ask. The Cape Boys have been claiming
surf all Summer long. While the Southern NE and Northern NE
crews have been hit or miss all summer. One thing's for sure. This last
week of August and first week of September couldn't have
happened at a better time. Thank you Lord.
On
Monday, when the first signs of TS Debbie hit the beach,
I was standing in my usual spot at 10th Street shooting the local
crew, when the Eerie boys showed up. This one dude walked by me
sporting a radical looking "Mohawk". I remember thinking to
myself, "Man, you better know how to surf with a haircut like that,
cuz if you don't...those boys out there are going to unleash a merciless
stream of BS on your ass." Then, he did something before he even
hit the water, that let me know immediately, that he knew what he was
doing.
What
did he do?
He
took the time to stretch. And not just stretch, but really stretch. Later
he told me that stretching allows him to surf longer. I already knew that.
But I know that most of you young surfers NEVER stretch. You're all WAY
too amped to stretch.
After this guy's ritual stretching, he proceeded to absolutely KILL IT
out there. He did more than just turn heads. He took his session to the
HNL (HOLE NUTHA LEVEL!). He was quickly followed by a crew of rippers
that put on a display of southern style Surfing that left a lot of the
local boys scratching their heads. One in particular, was this little
Goofy footer who was slaying it on every wave he took off on. These guys
knew how to surf. I mean, they had contemporary surfing down.
Not to say, that our boys couldn't surf at their level, but, they just
seemed to raise the bar. Which in turn, made our kids turn it up a notch.
It was good healthy competition, without the colored jerseys and contest
horns. No, it was good to see, and even better to video tape. I personally
like it, when outsiders who can really surf, come into town for a short
visit, and they actually get waves. It makes for interesting situations
every time.
Those guys have a band called REFORM (Cool name) and they have
some sampling of their music on www.myspace.com/reform
Go check em out.
Well,
our boys are ALL out surfing RIGHT now as I write this. Compliments of
ERNESTO. Talk about wacky storms that can't make up their minds.
This dam thing was all over the map. In fact, there maybe surf in the
Great Lakes from this bad dog. Can you imagine? Those Great
lakes locals must of been jumping out of their skins! I mean, if we
had a bad summer, what kind of summer did those boys have? In any event,
ERNESTO is here and he's throwing up some decent size surf for
anyone who wants a piece of his Spanish Might.
It may not be clean, but it sure is fun. And besides, if you remember
what kind of a summer we all just went through, you should be waxing your
board right now and paddling your ass out there, even if you only have
a few minutes of light left. GET ON IT!
If you wait until tomorrow, you may miss it. This is New England
kids. You have to be able to adapt to what the Ocean throws at you every
time or you will not be surfing as much.
Don't be a culture FOOL! It's SURFTASTIC!
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The other day, my wife and I were headed out to a local Surf barbecue.
I was going to wear my new REEF sandals when I noticed my wife
giving me a quizzical look? "What?" I asked. "Nothing"
she said. But clearly, that look was not favorable. "What's wrong
with these?" I asked again frustrated. "Nothing's wrong with
the Sandals...it's just that..." "What?" "It's your
feet!" she finally blurted out. "What? My feet? What's wrong
with my feet?" "They're kind of funky looking." she said.
"Funky looking? Are you kidding me?" I looked down at my feet.
Those poor tired dogs. Those feet have been through a lot with me. Trudging
through the jungles of Southeast Asia, stepping over painful sea urchins
in the tropics, climbing steep hills looking for surf in the least likely
of places. Stepping on broken glass on local beaches. Having wild reptiles
grab onto them in Central America. Walking through dangerous
neighborhoods in South America. Surfing from Nova Scotia
to Florida on the East Coast. All throughout the Caribbean.
Surfing Central America and South America. Most of California.
Mexico. Surfing throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Funky
feet? I don't think so. These dogs maybe tired looking and a little
beat up, but these are my feet and I'm proud of these puppies. My wife
just looked at me with a smile on her face.
I left the house wearing shoes and socks.
That's
terrible news about the Red Sox. So sad really. Young Jon
Lester at 22 yrs of age having to deal with a bigger game
than baseball. May he have a quick recovery. And the other injuries...with
Ortiz and now Schilling? Bad timing. As far as the Patriots
go. I don't know what's going on there. I do wish that Branch
and the owners can get it together soon. Although, it does appear that
Brady and Company can get the job done without him. But dam, ya
hate to see someone of his talent catching for another team. Just like
Givens, Vinaterieri, McGinnist and others. You have to
follow the belief of IN Bill We Trust. I hope.
Hey good news. The second ESA-NNE contest is on for tomorrow
Monday Labor Day. Sept. 4th, 2006. York Beach York, Maine.
Sign ups are at 7:00AM. Everyone is invited. All ages can compete and
or just hang out. Should be a good day too. The surf should be good.
The sun should be shining. It should be good all around.
This year was the 15th Anniversary of our annual Beach party
called Surf Family Robinson. It's a party started back in 1992
by a bunch of local surfers who have kids, and who wanted to spend the
last weekend of the Summer together. It's been fun for everyone. Mostly
for the young surfers. Every Labor Day Weekend since 1992
we've run this thing. If you were one of the brave 50 to 75 kids
who came to this thing on Saturday you should feel proud of yourselves.
You came despite the howling winds of Eneresto and the threatening
dark skies! It was an easy call for me to run it. All I had to do was
imagine what a young grom would feel. Does a Grom care if the sun is
shining? Does a Grom care if the wind is howling? Does a Grom care if
it's overcast? Hell NO! So, I ran it. And the kids that came had a blast
as did the parents. If you missed it...well, like they say in surfing,
YOU REALLY DID MISS IT.
Those that were there can visit John Carden's Gallery.
http://johncarden.smugmug.com/gallery/1845325
One last thing. I had several surf friends of mine send me this link.
I'm going to suggest that each and every one of you take the time to
read this story. It is one of the most heartfelt surf stories you will
ever read. When we start to take Surfing for granted, all you have to
do is remember this story. Please take the time to read it.
Veteran Amputee Surfers
SUMMER
05 The movie's still in the Shops and available at my other
site www.surffreeordie.com
Getting ready for my latest surf flick...due out in the FALL of 06.
Remember
my friends...Surfing heals all wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace.
Surf For Fun.
Ralph
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