Started writing 17 February 2024

I’m writing this in real-time again from Coffee Surf Co. in Belmar. My younger daughter is at Irish Dance so I’m clicking keys and killing time. I’m not writing about this joint today but try the Dawn Patrol roast. It’s another perfect coffee for another snowy day. Trust me.

I’m writing about my past few sessions and about a couple of inevitables that I’m learning come with this sport. Inevitability one – you will get hurt. Fins will slice you. Sandbars will bruise you. Boards will bash you. There’s no way out of it. You can mitigate some of it by choosing waves wisely, kicking out of waves before you’re in the shallows, and opting to stay on the beach when the peaks are just too big. But I’ll write about the pain next week.

Inevitability number two – you will have good days and bad days. This second inevitability snuck up and bit me the last three sessions. I had a good run over the past few weeks, all on longboards. Some days, my wave count was high. I’d grab a shoulder, kickout, paddle to the lineup, and get another. Like being on a conveyor belt. A couple of days in Manasquan at the Inlet and Riddle, I caught waves that I normally have no business grabbing. They were steeper and sketchier than I’d probably ever ridden before. Maybe I’m lucky. Maybe I’m getting better. Probably I’m lucky.

My confidence on overdrive, each day had a sense of accomplishment. Then, over the course of the next three sessions, bad day realities set in. I’d paddle for a wave, but the swell would roll under my board and leave me behind. Paddle. Miss. Paddle. Miss. I’d paddle back to the beach with a big ole goose egg wave count. Day one – goose egg. Day two – goose egg. Day three – goose egg. On the second day, a friend and I were sitting on our boards, and he sensed my frustration. And then he reminded me of why we do this. ‘You feel better when you’re out here, no matter what. And somewhere out there, thousands of miles away, a wave is forming that has your name on it.’

He was spot on. I do surf because jumping in the ocean is as close to nature as it gets. On that same frustrating day, a common Loon popped up right next to me, not realizing we were there. These birds only show up on our coast during the winter, and then have a habit of diving and floating near the lineup.

FAST FORWARD ONE DAY

Finished writing 18 February 2024

This morning, the same friend and I met at the inlet ready to paddle the mile and change from the Inlet jetty to the Sea Watch jetty and back. The waves were barely there, instead a mostly flat, freezing cold day. The coldest I’ve been in yet. We paddled. We chatted. On our way back into the beach at the Inlet, a few shin-sized rollers popped up. Nothing close to epic. But I grabbed one, the face just big enough to make a turn across the face. It had my name on it.

WHAT ABOUT THE BREW?

So, you’re wondering, where’s the brew in this Triple-B installment? In between those days of self-reflection, my family and I went to Beach Haus – a long-running brewery in Belmar. To be honest – I’d tried their beer a few years back and remember it being unimpressive. So, I was apprehensive when we decided to try the brewery on February 9^th. 

 

Mind changed.

 

Not only was the beer great, but the food was equally impressive. I bucket breweries into three categories for food. One – no food. Two – basic bar food. I love this one. Three – fancified bar food. The line between two and three is easy. Look for the word aioli. You’re in category two if the brewery’s menu has burger and fries. You’re immediately in category three if the brewery’s menu has burger and fries with aioli. What makes aioli fancy? The definition is a cold sauce consisting of an emulsion. Your food is fancy if it gets emulsed. And mind you, these categories aren’t good, better, best. Just depends on your mood.

For the beer, I went with a flight that hit the range of brews I like – black lager, IPA, Pilsner and winter ale. All were brimming with flavor, but I always find the dark lagers to be my favorite – especially this time of year.

So yes, my sessions were challenging. But as I’m learning, being in is always the first step to catching the next wave. That’s an impossible feat if I’m on the couch. And yes, spending time with the family and rediscovering a good brew is always worth it.