So I went non-Best Coast (aka East Coast) surfing for the first time this weekend, at Nauset Beach, near Orleans, which is a few miles from Hyannis.
I got into surfing last year after my initial crash diet down from being fat Jon, as part of Brave New Jon. My ex-girlfriend happens to come from a quiet beach town filled with surfing types (San Buenaventura – more popularly known as “Ventura”), and so whenever I would go there to make myself miserable (rather a lot, as it happens), I’d try distraction in the form of surfing. I’m not a good surfer (I can barely do very much yet at all), but I understand the mechanics, have been a few times, and know enough to be dangerous on my own. And practice makes perfect.
Fast forward to this weekend. A mutual friend had decided to throw a random party down on the Cape, which conveniently coincided with me wanting to try proper non-Best Coast (East Coast) surfing for the first time, which is useful. I stayed over Friday night, hung out and drank the Raspberry wine that Andrew and Emilie had given me the week before, and then drove from Brewster over to the Pump House Surf Shop on 6A in time for 10am(ish).
Photo: Soft top rack
Pump House Surf Shop is actually pretty cool, if not a little annoying several miles from the actual beach. But they do great board rentals ($20 per day), and the guy who owns the shop is friendly enough. They also rented me a soft top rack for my MX5, which allowed me to strap a short board to the roof (I won’t really be able to use a long board and transport it with my car, but I can live with that), and drive down to the beach. I wouldn’t want to drive any further than that with a surf board strapped to the roof – one hears rumbling the whole time, and I’m not entirely convinced the soft top would enjoy the experience at 65mph.
Photo: Jon Masters, as “surfing dude”
Having proven that the concept is possible – driving from Cambridge down to the Cape, renting a board, physically attaching it to my car, and actually getting out into the ocean, the waves weren’t particularly great. But that’s ok, since I wasn’t expecting wonders this particular weekend. It was more about proof of concept, testing water temperature (you don’t want to go out into the Atlantic ocean without a 5mm wetsuit like mine, and be careful about getting cold – I managed a couple hours), this kind of thing. I shall endeavor to go more often this summer.
Jon.
Tags: Brave New Jon