Went to a party last weekend and saw many old friends. "Old," meaning both long time and...well...old! So everyone was talking about the "old days," and how it used to be when you could catch the right swell at the right spot at the right time. You had to know how to read the ocean to get a jump on the crowds.
Then, we did a lot of cruising. You know, driving up and down the coast, checking indicators, wind conditions. You knew if it was blowing south wind that only a few spots would be good. You had secret spots, west swell spots, north wind spots that blew off shore, etc. Well, the lament from the boys around the table last weekend was that is all gone.
Now, you can go to any number of websites and check the conditions before for you ever leave home. Guys in Anaheim have just as much chance of jumping the swell as the guys in Newport. And, everyone knows when a swell is coming, even if it's days away. So much for local knowledge and knowing how to read the ocean. I could add leashes to this story and laments about guys who can't swim, but I'd just sound like an old fart.
Anyway, as my good friend Don Craig says: "Old Guys Rule!" Time to put on the PaddleAir and take a cruise!
-- posted by Herb Torrens
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