March
20th, 2005
Hard
to believe there's no surf today. Seemed like we were getting waves every
week there for a while. Most weeks it was that Monday swell that kicked
off the whole week. Last Sunday was the last decent day of waves for
this winter. Today is the First Day of Spring. I may be going out on
a limb here when I claim this but...' I think the winter of 2005 will go
down in the Surf History books as one of the all time best winters we've ever
had. Maybe the best ever.' I mean was that one hell of a Winter we just
had or what? So... ' What say you, my 6mil brothers and sisters?'
Spring time brings many things, but one of the few things it does bring
that we could definitely do without is, onshore winds. I know we get our fair
share of clean Spring Swells every now and then, but this is the start
of the onshore wind season. It's all downhill from here kids.
I'm already missing those weekly monster swells.
Last week I mentioned that I wanted to take on the subject of Discovery.
Now Discovery is nothing new in the eyes of anyone who's been doing
this for sometime. I mean, if you really surf and you have traveled
both here and abroad then discovery is something you live with. Now
for the sake of argument, 'Surf Discovery' does not necessarily
mean you have to board a ship and travel to some Third World Country.
Hardly. You can make discoveries right here in America. Or, to be more
specific, the East Coast. Or, dare I say...you can make discoveries
right here in New England!
All you gotta do is open your eyes.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Albert Einstein.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge".
One of my own (original quotes) and I use this one all the time.
"If you can drive by it...it ain't a secret."
Think
about that one. Raise your hand if you've ever driven by a break that looks
inviting but, you never bothered to surf it because of a number of reasons.
You know dam well you've done that. I'm guilty of it myself. Look, we live
in a time of ultimate convenience.
If you
got good surf pics send em off to me directly.
Just make sure they're NOT huge files. In fact if you have any questions about
the size, email me first and I'll write back. Start shooting crackie!!
Ralph Pic Of The Week
Yesterday
1966. Peter Stokes Discovery.
This photograph reminds me so much of a photo from the 60's that ran in SURFER.
It was a photo of a couple of guys eating Vanilla Wafers while watching the
surf at the Ranch. Once again, a mirror image of what East Coast Surfers were
doing while the West Coast Surfers got all the fame and glory. Somewhere in
Massachusetts.
photo
courtesy of Peter Stokes
Yesterday
1967. Peter Stokes Discovers That You Don't Have To Be
In California to Get a wave like this.
East Coast Surfer Peter Stokes gliding down the face of a wave that could
be anywhere in the world.
But it was here in New England in 1967.
photo
courtesy of Peter Stokes
Everything we do, is geared to keeping us from doing less. Nothing's fast
enough for us. Gotta have Internet access and it's gotta be quick. Don't have
time for dial up anymore. I CAN'T WAIT 30 SECONDS!
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT 30 LONG SECONDS. There's a whole generation
of surfers who have grown up with this kind of
' I need it now ' attitude. There's no imagination left because we've
all been robbed of it. And that my friends, is the true essence of Discovery.
IMAGINATION.
I don't think I've ever been anywhere in this great big world and not looked
around the corner ' just to see what's there.' Hell, I've made more surf discoveries
right under the noses of so called "Locals" only because they couldn't
be bothered. I've got friends who to this day, are constantly on the hunt
for more discoveries. My friend Jeff Chamberlain who heads up a hearty
crew of Surf Adventurer's in California scour the coast in their
little boats looking at every cove and hidden point and reef. And you know
what? They find new spots all the time. IMAGINATION. Lenny Nichols
found spots on Oahu in his craft.Yes I said OAHU, HAWAII. I
know he did, because Kevin Grondin and I surfed there with him. IMAGINATION.
I've been part of discovery crews who have surfed and named so many different
breaks in so many places from right here in New England to the Last
Frontier of Novi Scotia.
I've personally found spots in New England as recent as last year.
And all because of a little IMAGINATION. You just have to open your
eyes and see. There are so many more places just waiting to be discovered
by those who are willing to work at using their... imagination.
The next time we have a big swell, instead of gathering like sheep to slaughter,
all sitting on a single peak watching boards and bodies collide, step out
of the box. Walk away from the light. Yes, you may get a lesser quality wave,
but, you may get MORE waves and have MORE fun.
Like my Westie friend Jeff says; "We Know It's Out There and We
Want Some". That just about sums it all up.
Have
a Blessed Palm Sunday to all my Religious friends.
Get strong and healthy RICK EVANS! We all can't wait to see you back
in the line-up. It's been a longtime brother. And you can have any wave you
want when I'm out there.
Oh and Happy Birthday Gale!
As
always my friends...Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.
Ralph
