It has always seemed to me that no matter how long a trip is, it follows a particular cycle. There is the first third that is filled with excitement and energy. One wants to do everything at once. Sleeping seems a waste of time. Your senses are firing on all cylinders. The cerullean blue of the Caribbean water seems magical; the curry smell in a chicken roti makes your mouth water; reggae music sounds just right and you and the trees seem to move effortlessly to its hypnotic beat. The middle of the trip is a blend of ease and anxiety. [View Full Entry]

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A group of surfers sitting on their boards, waiting for waves is called a 'lineup'. This is an odd term to use when you compare it to how it is usually used. The term implies a structure and strict order. The nine players on a baseball team are assigned a position in the field and a place in the batting order. In a mug shot lineup, 7 characters stand in a row, holding a numbered card, with one alleged criminal and the victim tries to identify him. At a music festival, the lineup identifies the musicians and the time at which [View Full Entry]

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You know those commercials that using surfing to sell shit? The most recent one I’ve seen shows four retirees. One is a retired school teacher, another was a CEO. I forgot what the others did. There are three men and one woman, I think. They paddle out on long boards to a spot with no other surfers. The sun is shining, the waves are gentle, there is a slight breeze. They paddle easily into the small curling waves with a big smile as the voice over tells you to trust your money to ING so you too can become a surfer [View Full Entry]

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I can't tell how big waves are anymore. I've seen so many different systems used and frankly, none of them make any sense to me. Some use 'Hawaiian' which basically means waves never get over six feet. There is the system that measures 'the face' of the wave; another measures 'the back' of the wave. Double overhead, triple overhead, knee high, shoulder high. It is all so confusing. I use my own system; small, big, and scary. For the last two days it has been scary. I'm sitting at Sebastian's and when I look at the building to my right, I [View Full Entry]

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“That woman had ashes on her head.” “Oh, that’s right. It is Ash Wednesday.” “I wonder if Gene went to church to get ashes.” “Didn’t he give something up last year for Lent?” “Yeah, I think it was pretzels.” “We should all give something up this year and we will pay a dollar into a kitty each time we break our pledge. Then we will go out to dinner when Lent is over.” And so, despite my experience of Catholic School education with the nuns of Perpetual Suffering, I agreed to take a lental pledge for the first time in 40 [View Full Entry]

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You can feel the anxiety in the air. Lots and lots of new faces in town. Lots of rental cars with boards on top. The taxis queue up in front of Sebastian’s and deposit groups with luggage and surfboards. Some are Twenty- somethings with 28 inch waists, broad shoulders and bleached blonde hair. They have a confidence to their stride that only the young can affect. Not far below the surface though is a self consciousness that makes them feel uncomfortable. How crowded will it be? How will I fare in the lineup? I hope no one drops in on me. [View Full Entry]

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I know this is hard to believe from the Northeast in February, but it can get chilly in the tropics. Seriously. Especially after the sun goes down, the wind is blowing 20 knots, and you are in a small boat completely soaked from the spray coming over the bow, you’ve been drinking and dancing at the Willy T’s off of Norman Island and it is 2:00 AM. I think fear has something to do with the chill too, cuz the seas are running about 6 feet and the boat is slipping sideways in the swells. You can’t hug your sides to [View Full Entry]

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Gene got hit by a car today. Not bad. Well, that is easy for me to say; I didn’t get hit. He got whacked in the knee pretty good and it was starting to swell nicely. Nancy and I were following Gene and Jack down Zion Hill into Apple Bay. Big Sexy and some other locals were setting up the Friday Night Fish Fry. Gene stopped his truck, got out and without looking walked behind his truck to cross and a car coming up the hill ran right into him. Thank goodness the car was going slowly. Very often cars accelerate [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in Tortola on January 31 is very different from arriving on January 1. Both times are warm and sunny of course. And both days offer that distinct ‘smell of the tropics.’ Caribbean colors flood the buildings and the children wear their school uniform regardless of the date. But February is tourist season and the vibe and feel is as different as it is in Misquamicut Beach between June 1 and July 1. I flew from Boston and the plane was full of upwardly mobile professional couples who kept remarking how easy it is to get here while they sippped white [View Full Entry]

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It is 1:30 AM and Gene is in no condition to drive, so he gives the keys to Shockti. Her friend Juan, has gotten into an argument with Mirandi in Bomba’s. It is getting ugly and since she is the only one sober of the four , she makes the executive decisionthat she, Jean, and Juan need to leave. There had been torrential rains for hours and large rocks litter the road. Shockti is angry with both Gene and Juan and tells them both to keep their mouths shut. So when Gene warns her about the large rock in the road, [View Full Entry]

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