sandy wedge

Clean up....

Headed over to the "Rocks" this AM for an impromptu family beach clean up. Managed to gather up two full trash bags and a few other larger items and get them off the shoreline. We stacked up a few piles of various large wood planks and pieces into piles up near the dunes. We'll need a tractor or ATV to get those off the sand.

JB, Barb & LB with their finds. The little swell showing in the background had me thinking about running home and grabbing a log....We did lunch at the Bellevue in CMCH instead. Good Times!

Girls rip!

A great shot of Schuyler McFerran on the tip. Very cool!
Photo: Cameron Oden
Snagged from the Almond Surfboards blog

And I thought it was cold here.....

George Gerlach

Heard the sad news this afternoon that George Gerlach had crossed the bar. If you are a Southern NJ surfer, I am almost sure at some point you have made the trip to 3101 Asbury Ave in Ocean City. While I did not know him socially, anytime I had the chance to chat with him at Surfer's Supplies or in the line-up was always a treat. Mahalo George, and Aloha 'Oe.

Hope everybody got some....

For a morning that started out cold, foggy and overcast, it finished off near perfect. Just a super fun 3' to 4' swell and so clean. Rode my Vaquero for only the third time and what a blast it was. So many fun waves, my only wish was for warmth. After getting flushed a few times the cold got me and after 2 hours I was done. Hated to get out of the water on such a perfect day. Stoked!!!

Chuck D. going left with Greg tucked into the right
click on photos to enlarge

Shawn Garry

Was rolling through the new ESM 20 year anniversary issue when I came across the photo below. Being a former Coastie, the uniform kinda jumped out at me. Q: How many times do you see a uniformed service member in a surfing publication? A: Not very often. So, when I ran into Shawn yesterday morning I asked him about the photo. Since Shawn spent several tours on the OBX and racked up, I don't know how many, ECMSC (east coast military surfing championship) titles, he was a well known rippa down in those parts. Apparently ESM did a piece on his expliots and the article ran in a 2003 issue.
While it has only been 3 years since I first met him in person, I have known "of" him for quite a long time. The USCG surfing corps always seemed pretty small and if someone found out you were a surfer, there was always the question, "Do you know so and so at Station Someplace? He surfs too." Anyway, Shawn worked with a close personal friend of mine and if there was ever a conversation about surfing, he always mentioned his DC1. Over the years I had read about him dominating the military surfing events and even once read his name mentioned in The Surfer's Journal in an article about Alaskan surfing. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in the Nicaraguan jungle last fall with him and some of his friends. It was a real treat to watch him take apart the waves at Colorados and Panga drops. Hands down, the finest surfer I have ever had the fortune to call a friend. An all around great guy and dedicated family man.
Shawn is still wearing the uniform and still ripping up the waves, albeit in SNJ these days. As a Section Commander over at the USCG Training Center, Chief Garry molds the future of the Coast Guard by training recruits at basic training. Sadly, it looks as though he will be leaving our line-up this year as he moves onward and upward. I wish him only the best and look forward to surfing with him as long as the good Lord will allow.

The USCG's finest. L-Greg Shannon, R-Shawn Garry
Greg plays Robin to Shawn's Batman in this Dynamic Duo.... :)

A Fun Sunday Morning...

Yesterday's southwest winds kicked up a little swell for us wave starved surf nuts. Some very clean knee to waist peelers were on the early AM menu. Shawn was ripping with a twin fin set-up on his longboard. Pretty sure he could rip on a barn door if he wanted to. Water was frigid, buoy says 38, but at least the air temp was nice. (33 I think) Light offshores and near perfect sandbars made it a fun Sunday morning...

"Trestles" aka "the rocks" aka "a bunch of other names"

Had some good views of Mitchum on a few nice waves, but the poor cell phone just couldn't capture the moment.

I knew I knew that board..

See my Dec 29th post for the first part of this....

Today OCNJ Heritage - Zeph 7'6"single fin pintail

sorry for the blurred cell phone photos - plastic wrap around tail was holding fin to the underside

utter flatness

Today may be the flatest I have ever seen the ocean. Not even a ripple lapping onto the sand. So far the latest snow storm event is all rain and the forecasted swell for this friday will be served up with wind chills in the teens if not single digits. Went down to the basement to visit my boards. Rubbed a few rails and let them know I had not forgotten about them...

Need something like this to get us out of this funky flat spell
(poverty - Sept/2010)

June 18th, 2011 - mark it on your calendars

Life Rolls On - they will surf again.......Rambler Ave., Wildwood Crest, NJ .........More to follow....

Need to get wet.....

Between the snow and a busy work schedule, I failed to wish those of you that stop by here a Happy 2011. Here's hoping that it is a healthy and happy one for you and yours.

Not much to write about in regard to waves. Last surf was Christmas eve and fortunately it was a fun one... Missed not being able to catch a surf new year's day, had a little streak going.

I really need to remedy this lack of a camera thing I have going on. Not all that fun posting photos on here that aren't mine. Pray'n for some waves...... Aloha!