Winter

    
     We have been lucky so far with a mild interlude from fall into winter. Now it is here and it isn't so mild anymore. The recent swell event was dark windy and cold. There were less than 1/2 a dozen surfers at choice spots in the area. The waves were pumping and the offshore wind was gusting up to about 40-50mph. Solid waist-chest+ with a rogue over head 1-2 wave set. SO CLEAN.
     It was empty when I showed up. One soul was looking at the break. It wasn't lining up so well due to tidal factors. This could only make you drive around out of curiosity. I checked a couple other spots and it looked worse. The wind was beating on the solid lines rolling onto various point breaks and sandbars. Not too impressed by the size or cleanliness presented by this swell I put hopes of riding my 6'11 to bed and focused more on my 5'6 LSD twinzer. That shape has proven itself time and time again in a variety of conditions.
     You can imagine it may have been a bit difficult to paddle into these waves. Timing and positioning were everything. Some waves seemed to drift right to you effortlessly holding back JUST enough for you to turn and go. Just 2 strokes and you felt the momentum of the wave pick you up. The wind would send beads of water off the back of the wave so violently that it was literally blinding on a few occasions. "It's like skiing through a snow gun" one surfer remarked. It wasn't exactly a warm paradise out there. In our own silent ways , however, we had found a piece of paradise in New England. Dark and stormy tubes all around. Empty waves up and down the beach and barely a handful of surfers in the water. On face turns were a challenge as was timing the perfectly etched barrel sections reeling through. All in  all I'd say Santa was a little late this year delivering surf but I'm not complaining. Surf on! JB

Strange Waves In Familiar Places

 SECRET SPOT IN MY OWN BACK YARD!

     Nothing is more exciting than finding a new spot. Nothing beats the feeling of discovery. Nothing beats living a mere 1/4 mile from the beach you surf at. Unfortunately I don't. I drive and drive and drive. Burn that petrol! It's only $3.06 / gal. It was a stormy Saturday afternoon. The surf reports were calling for building swell into the evening and peaking out in the morning. I kept a sharp eye on the cams and the wave heights. Nothing enticed me to shove $20 into my gas tank and put on 30lbs of wetsuit.

     I live in a small town with not much else to do but drive around play music and skate. So I got to driving around. Little did I know I should have had my boards and my suit with me. I have always had dreams of surfing my harbor town. I never fathomed it would actually work. I never imagined I would see what I saw.

     There it was! solid waist + high reeling along a man made pier. I was in shock as the sets kept increasing in size and consistency. Incoming tide was forcing lines to pile up perfectly along this stone wall. I watched in awe. I noted the conditions in case it would happen again. I had only seen this spot break during hurricane Bob and a few others. It never lined up like this however. The take off was sketch RIGHT next to the pier. Maybe a 20 yard section. I was satisfied just to watch it work. If I had gone home to grab my things it would have been dark by the time I returned to jump in. It looked like a great time for a long board. I still can't believe it. A bit choppy, not so clean, but RIDE ABLE! Next time.......

This Is Dedication

    An early morning alarm clock sounds. It seems all the rest of the world is fast asleep, all the rest but for a few dedicated souls. Darkness still casts its shadow over the land. Dawn is approaching quickly as is the time to arrive at work. All work and no play will only make matters worse. So you pry yourself from your warm bed. After all, it IS 28 degrees Fahrenheit and it COULD be colder. IT IS colder elsewhere. The water is a brisk 45.8 degrees and is dropping slightly every day. IT COULD BE COLDER. IT WILL BE COLDER. You arrive at an empty beach to find the first hues of pale greys slowly turn to hindered shades of the darkest most gloomy blues. The first signs of daylight. IT LOOKS COLD. Not too far off the beach you begin to notice white walls of water turning end over end. You notice it's lining up. You think it's head high. You won't know until more light finds its way to the horizon. You listen for the larger waves crashing like thunder on the reef. Excitement begins to gnaw at you much like the cold slowly eats away at your finger tips. You stand outside your warm vehicle trying to get an idea of what's going on 100 yards off shore. You've got nothing left to do but wait. Suit up. It's looking fun out there and you are all alone.  This is home. This is what you live for. This is what you love. This is what you need to survive, much like food and water. This is New England. We are a breed of our own. We have hypothermia breathing down our backs. We surf until we lose feeling in our feet and we'll do it all over again tomorrow. Eat Sleep Dream Live & Breathe Surf. JB
 

Bring on the winter days.

Nothing felt more familiar than the bite of the cold offshore breeze as I suited up for the final ESA surf contest of the year. Memories of years passed surfaced in my mind as I drove to Narragansett and donned my wintersuit for yet a second time this year. It was as if I were re-playing each of the passed 9 seasons of surf in slow motion. Every wave, every turn, every barrel streaming across my inner vision like a cluttered collage. Honestly, I didn't care who won the contest. I didn't care how the waves were. I just wanted to qualify for the Regional Nationals. Didn't even check the cam before rolling out on an hour trek to Gansett. Just called the hotline to make sure the comp. was still on and it was. I arrived to find SUPER clean knee-waist high peaks strolling across a primed sand bar. To my relief, it was contestable. I found my way over to Pan's truck to see what the deal with the contest was. He and Ron were stoked to see such clean conditions. "Yea, you're the first one here, we're gonna run it reguardless at 10:30am. We'll see how many people show up.", Said Pan.  I was pumped for the small surf. I LOVE SMALL WAVES just as much as I love the gigantic stuff. Small waves take skill and finesse it's SO EASY to over power a wave and get spit off yet the reward for tossing a huge turn and flying down the line of a 2-3 foot face is something only a surfer can tell you.  Everyone was stoked to see waves for the contest and practically everyone was free surfing before the event took place. It was tough not to get in the water before hand. Yea, the surf was a bit weak but it was still playful. We all made the most of it and if there's one thing in surfing that's important it's HAVING FUN. I'm sure we all did. Next up: 43rd Mid Winter Classic in Feb. Hope to see you all there making history for yet another year. Ride or Die! JB

Cape Cod

Nothing beats a summer session anywhere on Cape. "Cod" Island has such a variety of sandbars to choose from. If the variety of waves isn't enough, it's got about 60 miles of shoreline. On top of that, the aquatic life to be seen out there is up close and personal. Whales breaching 1/4 mile off shore can be seen occasionally from the lineup and seals are not shy of surfers what-so-ever. The water is cooler than the usual spots which is nice to feel again. I could not help but to see an empty snow-covered beach with only but a few fresh tracks heading for the water. The restiction of a 6mm suit, the threat of hypothermia, the feeling of being the only person on the planet bearing witness to gargantuan Cape Cod waves heaving into perfectly groomed winter sand bars.  That is a feeling only New England can bring to my soul.  That is my true feeling of being "home".

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

Here it is...the months we've all dreaded. Looks like our flatspell is over with a weak SW flow developing for the next few days or so. Even though the forecasted SW winds are not to exceed 30kts....there is still SOMETHING to stand up on. So yea, I'm taking an early lunch, running home, packing my gear up (including the water housing), and heading back to work with high hopes of a dusk session worthy of at least waist high water shots. Someone has to do it right? You can't really complain about windswell during the summer....but you can go out and destroy mini-peelers!!! My quiver is without my 5'6x20 5/8 fish(turned so hard I busted a fin bite out) so the old 6'0 Webber Taj T-Lite will have to do the job. Getting my gutless summer mush board back on Wed. XB has hooked up yet another FLAWLESS ding repair job. I heard they might be doing SUP tours around local estuaries and rivers (away from surf populated beaches)...anything to beat the flatspell and the heat...right? Oh, the summer crowd waist high windswell will bring....will there be 1 guy out, 5 guys, or 35 guys? This should be interesting.

ATTN: 8 foot baby Great White just got picked up by a dragger no more than 2 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. There's this certain spot....near this certain break where they have been consistently pulling baby greats out of the water for 3-4 years now....less that 1 mile crows eye from spots I surf.... What is this Africa? What's next?....Tiger sharks? Peace. Live to Ride. JB

Make Something From Nothing

       It's not quite summer yet. It's not quite flat yet. It's not quite tourist season yet. It's not that crowded YET. The coming weeks are truly the calm before the storm of tourist season. Shortly our early morning dawn patrol drives will be swarmed by shoobs from the greatest reaches of our globe. Our 1 hour 15 minute commute to Cape Cod surf will soon turn into 3-10 mile back ups that will put even the MOST core surfers ' patience to the test. If the traffic isn't enough NOW is the time of year we have to pay $15 to park at VARIOUS locations around the area. Of course (if you know the right people) there are many ways around closed lots and beach parking fees. Get creative....go meet some locals....get to know the right people. It's the only way you will survive another summer in New England. Nova Scotia is looking very temping right now with the brunt of this past S/SW wind field driving surf far into the northern reaches. Not too many crowds up that way. Stay warm, keep the sun block on, don't drink too much in the sun, and try to keep your composure no matter how hectic these summer crowds are about to get!! We'll see if they're still around come November. Peace. JB.

Loads of thanks to Joey Jones for shooting photos.
More to come.
Can you say Cannon with water housing?
Hope for surf! G'day

WAVES!

Hey ! It feels like summer out there. Yesterday I paddled out in a WEST 3/2 with NO BOOTIES & NO GLOVES! It was f*cking perfect!! Putting aside the side shore semi-blown out (not really lining up) conditions I had a blast! My 5'6 fish saved the day again. Turned some mediocre waves into rippable sloppy mushy fun. I LOVE TAILSLIDES. Some how that 5'6 gets in the air every time I ride it.....someone told me pigs would fly if I landed an air on that thing (hence the flying pig on the bottom) well this 5'6 pig nosed fish has been getting more than enough flight time under its' belt. Yet another victory over doubtful minds. You gotta believe to achieve!

The Flatspell

Oh man, it's here. We're used to active weather patterns throughout the winter and then all of a sudden WHAM! Like a ton of bricks all momentum carried through the cold months either gets amplified for an EPIC spring or...well...let's face it.....it gets flat as a lake(right now). Our only hope of a ripple is weeks away.....well folks, all I can do is pick up my skateboard, ditch the skate shoes, don' the Chuck Taylors and improve my balance 10-fold. You see...skate shoes increase your balance...and we all know Chuck Taylors are the equivilent to putting condoms on your feet....so hell why not add a little extra consiquence to the joy of flying around on pavement. Consequence..yes....something surfers HATE dealing with...how many of you shred the gnar get scraped up and then put your bacteria infested wetsuit on with open wounds? It's not JUST about surfing..it's about riding in general...If you can find a way to ride without waves...well you've got it made through these long heartless flatspells....I'm gonna go do some 360 to fakie Indy grabs now and play some crazy jammed out punk funk jazz whatever you wanna call it. We're under ground, we never have a plan but it all comes together. Pray that oil slick out there in the gulf gets resolved! It is predicted to drift around the East Coast of Florida after all...... : /

Small Wave Scientists Unite!

     If there's one thing I enjoy about summer it is definitely the small SW swells that we get down here! Nothing beats pulling up to the beach to see waves! Yes!! It's not lake flat! Often times it goes flat as a lake....cross your fingers and hope that we are in for an active summer! This spring has been active so far with barely a week long flat spell (knock on wood!!!) The main thing to remember when you do get the first sight of knee-waist high slop is BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU GET!!!! Many times New Englanders call it being 'skunked' truth is...you're not! Drive! Explore! See where the swell is going to wrap in the best. Cape Cod is a fail safe in the summer. She picks up a multitude of swells and yes, holds some serious size and barrels like you wouldn't believe!!! You won't believe it until you see it. So instead of complaining about how Rhody is flat or how Horseneck Beach is overcrowded and surrounded by hounding life guards who won't let you surf....EXPLORE! Get pumped on waist high surf.
     The thing about small wave surfing is it it so sensitive to every motion your body makes. Surfing small waves can be an amazing time with the right board. Not only that but it hones your wave riding ability in larger surf. Believe it or not, a small wave is MUCH more difficult to ride than a larger chest+ wave. Momentum generation skills are finely tuned on knee-waist+ surf. So don't complain! Rise to the challenge! Learn to fly on small surf and you will soar on larger surf. One thing to remember is board selection. With the arrival of new fish shapes at XB constantly, there's all ways something new to get your feet under. The guys at the shop will take care of you ESPECIALLY if you tell them Joe Booth sent you!!!  They all ride what they sell and they certainly are not out to rip you off like larger corporate shops. Heck, they can even line up a custom shape for you!
      Oh yea! For those of you who follow this blog..in the past week I have been picked up by Solid Surf Co. http://www.solidsurfco.com/ pretty pumped! Getting a 6'2 in about a month or so. I'll have a review posted as soon as I get that new piece of foam under my feet. Stay tuned!! Thanks for reading. Peace!

Old Navy Coupons

Fuel To Burn

If there was one thing every surfer needed at the 42nd Mid-Winter Classic surf competition over the weekend it was fuel to burn. The weather wasn't too brisk but it was cold enough to feel the chill. Intermittent Snow showers blanketed spectators as the contest progressed. Home town heros Ray Jarvis and Joe Booth took Narragansett surfers by storm. Ray with a 1st in Master Shortboard and a 2nd in the Men's Shortboard Open and Joseph, despite lack of time for recovery between heats, managed to take a 1st place finish in the Men's Shortboard and fought through two consecutive heats back to back to manage a 4th place finish in the Men's Open Shortboard. Lesson Learned. Don't surf a heavy session the day before a contest. You will be drained. It was worth it! I have only one picture to prove it. Best left hand point break in Southern New England without a doubt in my mind. Hopefully it'll break again soon!!! Washed my board over the rocks and I'm still smiling when I picture the heaving vertical late drops that were required to make the sets on the outside.

Easter Surfing Associations' 42nd Mid Winter Classic Surf Competition

There's a little under a week left to pack as much protien and carbos into my system as possible. Yes, I will be attending ESA's Mid Winter surf contest this year. Surfers from all over the east coast are rumored to drive up this Friday in the hope of pursuing glory in 30lbs of wetsuit rubber(neoprene). Only the strong will survive. If there's one thing about a winter suit, it is the resistance training it is capable of producing. Suit up and try running a 1/2 mile, even 100yards. You could try running with a 30lb weight dragging behind you too.... One thing is eveident about this Saturday's event; I feel like a locomotive on a colision course. When I think about my first competition it fuels the fire I have had since day one of my addiction to surfing year round in New England. Yea, it's cold in Jersey, Freezing in Montauk, but Rhode Island? How could could Rhode Island be?

Isolated!

You can't really say much more about finding a new spot than it is AWESOME. The thrill of the hunt will freshen any NE surfer's perspective of paddling out during the freezing months of winter. Long story short we drove North and SCORED. Got two small wave sessions in and plenty of water shots. All alone.

Sunday, Feb. 08th, 20:10

Frigid morning session. Surfed with 3 plus including Xtremely board's own Hottel and assist. manager. Not too consistent but it was fairly fun on the occasional chest high set that would sweep the middle of our oh-soo dependent (in 11+sec swell intervals) point break. Rode my new LSD 5'6 fish you can view at xbboardshop.blogspot.com you'll have to dig through the older posts. Locked into one barrel and had a couple of fun turns. Wind was cold and offshore at about 20+mph. Juuuusst enough to tear a few waves open enough to claim a legit cover up or two. no pictures. Sorry folks...maybe next time Ray and myself will get the water camera out. Pray for surf!