Here they Come

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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.

Middle aged guys with beer bellies walk by contemplating their own demons. ‘Why didn’t I spend more fucking time at the gym? I feel like a walrus.’ Dad looks a little uneasy carrying his 8 foot board. He probably ripped a bit in his day, but that was a long, long time ago.
Wives walk a few feet behind them. Some of them did spend enough time at the gym and they are ready to show off in their new suit. Children skip ahead, anxious to get into the water. They are the happiest. Only thoughts of warm water fill their heads.

The groups circle one another on Sebastian’s patio, eyeing each other trying to assess the lineup threat level. Who rips? Who has been here the longest? They don’t realize yet that anyone who is anyone is not here; not today or any day. They don’t know yet that they can be the hottest thing at home and they are still not going to wrest any set waves away from JC or Matt. They don’t know yet that when Crispen comes in the water he is going to tell everyone, “This is my fucking wave and don’t you dare take off.” and the terror one can feel has he drops in on his ten foot board completely out of control right in front of you.

There are no waves today so that complicates things. People haven’t met in the lineup so they don’t know one another. The pecking order has not been established with the new arrivals so no one is comfortable talking yet. They don’t want to say the wrong thing and sound stupid so they say nothing.

Me? I’m wearing eyeglasses, have that sort of perpetual sunburn I delude myself into thinking looks almost tan in the right light and I am working at a computer. I don’t even register on their screen as a surfer which is fine by me. They glance my way but walk by without smiling. Anyway, I’m tired of answering the same questions over and over. “How long have you been here?” “How have the waves been?” “How’s the crowd?” Have you ridden Cane yet? I hear the bottom there is pretty gnarly” I’ve grown to hate the word ‘gnarly’. Is it a real word anyway?

A swell is forcast for Wednesday so the
‘swell conversation’ is relentless. Some think the waves will come Tuesday night; others think there is too much East in the swell; still others ponder the effects of an East versus a southeast wind. I duck my head and look at the computer when a glance comes my way from one of the newcomers engaged in this conversation.

Whenever the waves come, I’ll be there. So will everyone else.
It will be a nuthouse the first morning of the swell. We haven’t had waves in a week. Everyone is wave hungry. The smart play would be to take it easy and surf later, but I’ll be jumping on with everyone else. I’m thinking though a ride to a lesser known break might be a good call. I’ll discuss it later with ‘the team’. They are boating today. I needed a break. We went to Jost earlier this week.


Okay there is more to tell but I’ll save it for another day.

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Comments

[buck]

is there room at the inn?
So good to see you! How are the waves? I must admit.................... GV will be missed. see you soon.