Mother Ocean

demo.7.21.11 from Frank Messina on Vimeo.

 

There have been several times in my life when I was not close to the Ocean. Once or twice I’ve tried to describe to people how much I miss being away from it. How I feel like I am missing a part of me, somehow.

Most; just don’t get it. After all, I don’t live on the Ocean. I live on a Bay; a saltwater bay.  And that helps to keep my OK. Because there is a difference.

I know it sounds unreasonable; But there is a great difference between fresh water and saltwater. And there is an ocean of difference between any other body of water and well… the Ocean.  Yes, I know the Great Lakes are huge. But they are not connected closely enough to the ocean. Their water is fresh.

I just can’t put into words what I mean: how I feel. I’ve tried, and failed too many times. You either are: or you’re not.

Thursday July 21^st was special for a lot of reasons. It was the second warm and windy day we’ve had this week. A rare treat this time of year.  And the tide that afternoon was right for Demo; outgoing all afternoon with a South West breeze.

I was lucky just to be breathing. I was lucky to be on the exact same set up;[6.3, 110ltr board, & and a 9” wave/weed fin] as I was on Sunday. I was grateful to be back in the arms of Mother Ocean.

Heckscher July 17, 2011

heckscher.7.17.11 from Frank Messina on Vimeo.


 We say a lot of things about Heckscher.
We complain about the weeds, the bone jarring chop that will knock the fillings out of your teeth.
It's the Great South Bay; we complain about the water quality, we sometimes refer to it as the "sewer".
The water can smell in the summer. It's not the clear beautiful water we get in the ocean.
There is no wave sailing or windSURFing at Heckscher.

But there is chop. The kind of chop that made Mike Burns and Jon Sassone into world class freestylers.

So why do we still sail there?  It's the thermalls.
It can be a miserable windless, 90 degree day on the island...but if it's gonna' blow,
it will blow at Heckscher.
Enjoy the ride!

I feel like I just woke up

So here we are. It’s the middle of the summer. How did that happen so fast?

I missed those magic weeks this season. The ones where the air is still in the 70’s, the water is in the 60’s, it’s light until 9pm or more, and the water is un-crowded. I love those weeks.

I went straight from 4/3’s and a hood to sweating like a pig. Granted, a great deal of the fault lies with me. If I hadn’t fallen and injured myself, I would likely have been in the water instead of a hospital bed.

So I spent some time on Seque; the warmer water has really contributed to its marine growth. It had choked her engine intake and fouled her bottom, and she has a brown mustache above the waterline. I am not even going to get into how neglected the teak is.

The 4^th of July weekend was a zoo as usual. Some giant tennis sneaker was blaring Alicia Keys’ New York at 500 decibels. The wind was light, so LL and I sailed out of the mooring area, found a nice quiet spot, and I took a nap. [Of course when I woke up I waxed some of the coach roof].  

I guess the silver lining is that it will be Labor Day soon enough, and our access issues wane, as the wind and waves gain in strength. Hopefully my body will gain in strength as well.

I did sail yesterday [shuuuuush; I’m not supposed to, for a few more weeks. But I was pretty bummed that I couldn’t summon the strength to surf this weekend. I went to Heckscher; which is very shallow and flat. It felt great to be back at home, in the water. Where I belong.

Injured again.

It's just a part of life.

As you get older it takes longer each time to come back from injuries. My 50 year old body heals slower than it did, even 10 years ago.
I some respects; because I have more knowledge: I tend not to get hurt as much.
Experience has taught me how far I can push things, before they push back. [Not that I always listen.]

And sometimes...shit just happens. I'm trying to come back. Maybe too soon.
Anyway; I woke up at 5:30 to try and catch the 6:30 swell this morning. [Before the beaches are crowded, and the wind gets on a perfectly beautiful 3 foot swell with an 8 second period.]...

But I am just not ready. My body is still feeling the effects of being locked away for two weeks. I guess this is going to take longer than I thought.

Until then; thank god I have Segue. Sailing doesn't fill me the way surfing or windsurfing the ocean does... but she is a close second. And while I may be pushing the envelope as far as surfing goes...I will surely be able to sail for the rest of my life. And I fully intend to do so.