Surfing without a leash

This morning I dragged myself out of my hot sticky sleep into the stale humid car and arrived at Venice beach before 9am (a nearly impossible feet for the unemployed). There I met my friend BG. A fellow New Yorker, I instantly bonded with her at a music cafe on Cuenga a few weeks ago. She moved to LA (which I refer to as lala land) a month before I did and she lived near my college in the area I liked to shop (SOHO). This girl is amazing and has so many stories to tell. Today I decided that in 5 to ten years, approximately once I have earned success in life of a career, I will through it all away to write a memoir of BG's life. She has already agreed to a 50/50 deal. And now that I have it in writing (my writing of course), I will have to hold her up to her end (i.e. continuing to prosper and have an amazingly interesting life).

I arrived in Venice in a fully caffeinated state and parked my car in the usual spot (I have a friend that lends me his driveway... I usually only take him up on it when he is out of town). I had no idea where I was meeting BG so I started hoofing it in the general direction of where she was staying. A friend of hers is out of town and BG stayed there last night, knowing we were going to hit the waves early in the morning. Ampted up on the pure thrill of battling the big blue, BG and I grabbed her friend's boards (which she had agreed to let us borrow, of course) and made our way across the street to the beach.

The weather was perfect, not too hot with pretty clouds streaking across the sky. The water was warm, warmer than I remember it being all summer. And the tide was coming in and bringing some beautiful 4-foot waves with it. The only problem.. I couldn't strap on the board. BG's friend had lost the leash in Mexico on their last surfing trip and it was a loaner so who was I to complain.

Surfing without a leash is much like going up a creek without a paddle. At first you are optimistic, "It's no big deal...at long as you have something to float on things can't be that bad." Then after your first wave pulls the board from under you, it turns into slight annoyance, "How the he%% am I going to get anything done if I spend most my time in the water". And after running back and forth against the tide as picture perfect waves roll in behind you, you realize the absurdity of the situation, "Some one is going to get hurt. This is a bad idea. And I am way to tired to care anymore."

After the third of fourth game of fetch, I swam out to beyond the break point to find BG. She was sitting on her board, feet dangling into the dark water. I parked myself next to her since there was no risk losing the board in these deeper waters. Trying to not look nearly as annoyed as I was feeling, BG and I chatted about beginner board techniques. Mostly, talking about how do you not go flying onto your face when you are cutting into or out of big waves. When this large man with a hairy back and a major case of plumber's pants (or in his case, shorts) parked his board behind mine. Which would have been fine if he didn't place himself in such a way that if a big set of waves came in....he and his board would land directly on top of me. I learned this in my third day of surfing: Never park directly behind any one because some one will get a board to the face. In fact, I had accidentally smacked BG with my board earlier in the week by unintentionally utilizing this illegal formation.

Brash in demeanor, I felt slightly violated by this man. He harped in on our conversation, with our casual surf banter, and tried to inform us with his unequivocal knowledge. Don't get me wrong, I love expert advice. I am very patient with people and I think that listening to others is such an important tool to learning in life. But there was something about this man that didn't sit right with me. (This man would later be referred to as fat man on a little board.)

BG wasn't ready to go and so I paddled to shore to get the keys so I could get my wallet. Then go to the store and get a leash. A big task, but it was worth all the effort. The waves were just that good. Walking to the board shop, which I'm guessing was about a half a mile away, I wondered if I should have left BG by herself. Personally, I think it's always better to surf in pairs or always at least have some one around just in case...

The moment you have that thought, the "She's a big girl. I'm sure she'll be fine" reassurance, is just when the just in case... actually happens.

To Be Continued...