Hurricane Bill Spawns Epic Swells in New York

The 2009 hurricane season exploded with triple overhead swells pounding the New York coast. After being lulled to sleep by a relatively uneventful summer, the big wave surfers of the Eastern United States awoke from their hibernation to charge what will inevitably be some of the best waves of the year. Below are some photos from Turtle Cove at Montauk, NY – one of the better surf spots on Long Island.

Massive Wave Dwarfs a Coast Guard Cutter

Surfer Set to Get Shacked

Wave of the Day?

The False Promise of Hope

Dreams and aspirations are the motivating force that drives man to reach for the seemingly unattainable. Industrious souls call upon their inner will to persevere through the trials and tribulations that deny them their prize. For some, this pursuit has led to the accumulation of vast riches or the development of innovative technologies, ultimately benefiting both themselves and society as a whole. The majority of people, however, fail to distinguish unbridled hope from realistic goals. In the words of Jon Bon Jovi, they are “Livin’ on a Prayer”.

In periods of economic hardship, people often resort to “hope” to see them through the trying times. It was this wave of desperation that lifted President Obama, the most effective purveyor of hope in a generation, from the Illinois General Assembly to the most powerful political position in the world in a few short years. Similar to the charlatans that peddled medicinal snake oils, those that disseminate wanton hope often find they leave a trail of dismay and resentment.

While the inspirational speeches of an aspiring politico have given way to the emergence of economic “green shoots” and predictions of a swift recovery, the challenges facing the working man remain plentiful. The lucky few that remain employed, often desperately clinging to unfulfilling and unrewarding jobs, aspire to ascend the socio-economic ladder through career advancement and competitive compensation. Those bold enough to pursue these dreams confront an innate impulse towards self-preservation by threatened managers fearing the tenuous state of their own position and an ethnocentric bias that ensures those with unique backgrounds and diverse experiences have little chance for success. With companies choosing to sacrifice their human capital to bolster the bottom line, the alternatives for even the truly gifted remain scarce.

The indentured will undoubtedly find the pervasive optimism and promulgation of hope to be little consolation as they toil tirelessly in pursuit of fleeting dreams. The “Audacity of Hope” pales in comparison to the harshness of reality.

Sediment in Wine: Potassium Bitartrate ("Tartrate") Crystals

Sediments in wine are a rather unsettling, yet harmless, manifestation of natural grape elements. Tartaric acid occurs naturally in grapes and is an essential chemical to the winemaking process. By increasing the acidity of the fermenting must, tartaric acid prevents bacterial spoilage and, as an antioxidant, it naturally preserves wine. Most often, tartaric acid and potassium will combine under cool storage conditions to form potassium bitartrate (also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate) crystals. The resulting substance, often assumed to be shards of glass by the unsuspecting neophyte, is frequently removed by American winemakers through cold stabilization, a process by which crystal formation is induced prior to bottling through chilling the wine to near freezing temperatures. Some winemakers, especially traditional European wineries, believe that cold stabilization threatens subtle flavors and mutes the unique characteristics of the wine.



Tartrate crystal precipitate is often found adhered to the inside of ageing barrels or affixed to the cork or neck of the bottle. Allowing the bottle to sit upright prior to opening may allow most of the crystals to settle in the bottom of the bottle, enabling easier separation through decanting. Recently I purchased a quality Napa Valley Zinfandel from a reputable Orange County, CA vendor that stored it in a climate controlled environment. Upon purchase, I transferred the bottle to my wine cellar, which is maintained at a stable 55 degrees Fahrenheit, where it was stored for a couple of months. When the bottle was opened, tartrate crystals were prominently affixed to the bottom of the cork (see photos) signaling that sedimentation had occurred during storage. Some crystals had settled to the bottom of the bottle, but there was substantial precipitate that settled on the neck of the bottle just above the wine level and below the former position of the cork. After removing the sediment on the neck of the bottle, the wine was carefully decanted directly into wine glasses which largely prevented the transfer of any of the tartrate crystals. While I did not have an unadulterated reference bottle for comparison, there appeared to be no noticeable impairment of flavor of the wine.

Surfers Guide to New Jersey: Ocean City Surfing

Overview
Thoughts of New Jersey often conjure images of dirty industrial plants, pollution, and corruption, but the Jersey shore comprises an extensive coastline of barrier islands and quaint beach communities, which host throngs of tourists in the warm summer months. Ocean City, New Jersey, a popular vacation spot with families from the Philadelphia region and less scenic North Jersey, has a surprisingly active group of surfers that scour the lengthy stretch of coastline for the most desirable beach break peaks. The sandbars create various pop-up peaks up and down the coast leaving the line-up seldom crowded and presenting lots of choices to the adventuresome surfer. The crowds of tourists, however, lead to an overly vigilant crew of lifeguards that substantially limit the surf zones.

As a popular tourist destination with a much smaller permanent resident base, many of these beach cities have resorted to “beach tags” as a way of generating revenue to fund basic services. Roaming armies of enforcers periodically patrol the beach to ensure compliance. Unless you are spending the entire day on the beach, however, you can easily go surfing without purchasing a tag.

Early Morning Low Tide Swell at 53rd Street in Ocean City, NJ

Lifeguards
The long stretches of coast are littered with public access points and an abundance of free parking. Crowds are rather limited and tend to be concentrated around city centers and the lifeguard towers. A convoluted system of flags ambiguously designates swimming and surfing zones, with unenlightened visitors sure to elicit the piercing shrill of lifeguard whistles as they encroach upon the confusing boundaries. A basic rundown is as follows. Lifeguard towers are regularly distributed along the beach, often close to public access points. Green flags will designate a very small swim zone of approximately 100 feet which is actively monitored by the lifeguards. A larger expanse of beach is demarcated by a red flag on either side of the green flags. This strange region, designated the “dead zone”, is prohibited to board surfers, but will also induce excessive lifeguard attention if an unsuspecting swimmer ventures out of the green flag preserve. Another red flag follows on either side of the lifeguard tower denoting the surf zone.

Windy or stormy conditions often result in a roving patrol by a lifeguard on a personal watercraft, which often speeds by dangerously close to the lineup. Ultimately the extent of lifeguard coverage of the surf zone is in question, but there are usually two to three people monitoring the small green flag swim zones and often are eager to inform surfers that they are outside of the approved area. One upside is that the overzealous lifeguards are only on duty from about 10am to 5:30PM leaving the entire coastline open to surfers during other hours.

Surfer Paddling for a Summer Wave in Ocean City, NJ

Shops & Rentals
There are a couple of prominent surf shops in the Ocean City area, but both are notably lacking in the availability of quality rentals. 7th Street Surf Shop is located on the tourist infested boardwalk in the north part of the city. They offer lessons and foam board rentals, but seem to cater to beginners with little to no prior surfing experience. All said, the 7th Street Surf Shop would not appeal to experienced surfers and has little to offer.

Alternatively, Surfer Supplies at 3101 Asbury occupies a quaint two story storefront that could easily be confused with a residential property. Their rental stock only slightly improves upon that of 7th Street with heavy Bic long boards available for use in addition to the ubiquitous foam board. Surfer Supplies, however, generally has a helpful staff and a number of used short boards at reasonable prices. For extended visits, it would likely be more affordable to purchase one of these boards rather than rent a substandard board or pay usurious fees to transport your board(s) across the country. The owner won’t buy the shorter boards for cash, but may offer store credit if you are inclined to expand your wardrobe or buy other accessories. The younger employees at the shop seem to be more straightforward and can offer good advice.

Additional Information
There are limited hotels in Ocean City with the majority of visitors renting condos or private residences. The peak tourist season is obviously the summer when kids are out of school and the air and water are warmer, but the surf in the region will really pick up when hurricanes generate more sizeable swells. It may be possible to find more affordable options during the off-season, but be prepared for water temperatures that fall into the 50s during the fall and freezing temps through the winter and spring.

Ocean City, New Jersey and the other beach communities to the south are within a short drive to Atlantic City, home to a range of casinos, entertainment, and dining options. The Borgata is the newest casino in the area and rivals most Las Vegas strip casinos in terms of size and quality.

Also of Interest: Surfers Guide to Baja California: Cabo San Lucas

Big Swells Attract the Masses to the 2009 Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing

The 2009 U.S. Open of Surfing was destined to be big. Nike and its portfolio of brands (Hurley, Nike 6.0, and Converse) became the official sponsor for this year’s six star World Qualifying Series (WQS) event and upped the ante by raising the men’s purse to $100k and the women’s to $10k. If that wasn’t enough to attract some of the bigger names in surfing, they scheduled “WPS All-Stars” expression sessions where some of the best of the ASP World Tour would put their skills on display.

The early heats were off to a slow start with small swells typical of lazy Huntington Beach summers, but almost as if ordered by Hurley themselves, a substantial southern hemisphere storm system kicked up a south swell which began to build the Thursday night before the finals. Friday and Saturday were truly ones to remember with Kelly Slater scoring a perfect 10 on a massive barrel and later shooting the pier on a triple overhead bomb that he paddled into just south of the pier.


Kelly Slater’s Perfect 10 at the 2009 Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing


“WPS All-Stars” Expression Session – Slater Shoots the Pier

Despite the exceptional surf displayed at this year’s U.S. Open, one couldn’t help but feel that the event has become much more commercialized with Nike’s entrance as the title sponsor. The “village” was dominated by a large Hurley U.S. Open retail shop (in partnership with Huntington Surf and Sport), a building displaying Hurley board shorts in glass cases, and a Nike 6.0 building with gratuitous product placements. The smaller sponsors seemed less visible as the layout of the village channeled visitors to commercialized Nike venues. While the Nike 6.0 building was occasionally popping when they were handing out neon orange hats or when the BMX stars were signing autographs, the Red Bull tent seemed to be the center of excitement. Red Bull had endless free samples, a hip lounge like atmosphere, and various points of interest.

As the Huntington Beach U.S. Open of Surfing continues to evolve into what is one of the largest surfing and action sports events worldwide (the larger ESPN X-Games noticeably lacks a surf competition), fans everywhere hope that the soul of surfing is not replaced with too much focus on product placement and commercialization. Past events focused on free samples and a light community atmosphere that celebrated the sport of surfing, a stark contrast to this year’s event which was characterized by shameless branding and corporate dominance. Let’s hope that future events straddle the happy medium between commercial promotion and the purity of surfing.