No Clouds, Big Crowds…

 

The weather has certainly cooperated for an absolutely amazing Memorial Day Weekend at the Jersey Shore.  As the clouds parted and summer wafted in the air, people lined up to get a spot on the sand.  The beaches were crowded by 9 a.m. and continued to swell as the heat rose. 

As most people know, a day at the beach is about simplicity; a warm peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a tube of sunblock and an old pair of flip-flops magically become the “finer things in life.”  In essence, it is about getting to the edge of the ocean and leaving it all behind. 

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As is typical of Memorial Weekends past, the ocean did not produce for the surfers.  The waves laid flat, except for the Saturday morning wave that came up between 6 and 10 a.m.  I was able to get a session with 20 of my closest friends (more on crowds another time). 

 

The good news is that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a very active tropical season.  They are calling for as many as 23 named storms with anywhere between 8 and 14 hurricanes.  By my very unscientific account we have a chance to see waves every week and maybe even some very good ones at that. 

This could be great for us, terrible for the folks in the Gulf States.  The oil still flows unabated.  However, Kevin Costner may have a solution.  I cannot believe that I just wrote that, but you can see the video here.  You just have to forget that Costner starred in The Bodyguard and then it is utterly believable. 

Thanks for checking in and enjoy your Monday BBQs!

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Memorial Weekend Waves

 

There is a good chance that we will have a small wave in the water tomorrow morning. I have packed my 7s Superfish in the trunk of my car and I will get a look at it with my morning coffee.  After surfing I intend on bringing the 6’4” Local Motion to the board swap taking place at the Brave New World over Memorial Weekend.    

The shop is generally overpriced, but they have the best selection of gear and clothing in the area.  Check their website out.  The trick is to look for the deals.  I did get my Xcel wetsuit there last summer for 99 bucks.  It was hidden in the back of the racks, so it cannot be all bad. 

The Spring Lake 5 is tomorrow morning too.  I will not be running but it is a great scene.  It always feels like that is the start of summer!

BP Doesn’t Have Tiger Woods Balls (and there were waves too)

Face it, if you have checked in to Sea Sand Surf before you know that I have to start this post discussing the worst environmental disaster facing our planet in a long time.  I will try not to bore you with the details other than to say that this “spill” is currently estimated to be 2 to 3 times larger than the Valdez disaster.  Of course no one is really sure how much oil is leaking, so I will suffice it to say that it is “a lot.” 

British Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward has been working diligently to think of creative ways to stop the leak with no end in sight.  Today he was overheard saying to President Obama that “Bounty is the quicker picker upper.”  I guess that sure beats stuffing the hole with golf balls.  However, if they used that method Tiger Woods might become relevant again, and Hayward is apparently leveraged heavily in Nike stock, so for him the golf ball method would be a “win-win.” 

Thankfully, President Obama has declared a 6 month moratorium on offshore drilling which is just enough time for everyone to forget this ever happened.  Coincidently the end of the moratorium will come as a new season of American Idol begins.  The hope is that this will stop anyone from actually formulating an opinion in their free time.

This is not to hint that the news is all bad.  Today, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez came out and said that a moratorium is insufficient, and that a ban on offshore drilling is the only acceptable decision.  Send him an email and tell him to keep fighting for our ocean and our beaches.

As a final note on the topic, you know it must be bad when it is all I want to write about after coming off of 2 days of very good surf.  I will leave Localswell to chronicle the events for you as Tom Spader has amassed a collection of awesome photos that detail the excellent south east swell that just passed through.

If you are looking for a board this weekend get on over to Brave New World in Point Pleasant.  I just got off the phone with Ryan and he told me they have a board swap starting Friday at 10:00 am and it runs through Memorial Day Monday.  Get your board over early before the sale starts as lots of folks will be cruising down to the beach for sure.

Thanks for checking in!