9/11 Has Been Seared Into Our Souls Forever

Ninety percent of you reading this blog know, that this is first and foremost, a surf blog. It's basically about surfing. And more specifically, it's about surfing here in Northern New England. So having said that, can we (surfers) just give it up for TS Leslie? I mean come on people. That was classic.

From September 4th through September 11th, we had a solid ground swell of chest to head high, with the peak of the swell capping off on 9-11-12. And the irony of that last day, certainly did not escape any of us who were around on 9-11-01. The similarities were eerily identical. Not a cloud in the sky. A perfect ground swell from a tropical storm. Just good vibes everywhere.

Except on 9-11-01, the world changed forever at 8:46 a.m.

No need to rehash the events of that terrible day again. Suffice it to say, it has been seared into our souls forever. But the surf and the weather on Tuesday morning September 11, 2012 was so much like 9-11-01 that we all commented on it.

Every 9-11, there's a handful of us surfers who meet at the same spot we were all surfing that morning, to reflect and remember that day and the friends we lost. It has become a ritual. A new tradition. And the funny thing is, it all came about naturally. 

On the first anniversary of 9-11 terrorist attacks we all showed up at that spot. By instinct. As if we had some secret message or code sent to our brains. We just showed up.

And each year we continue to show. It's amazing to me to think that we have continued this trend. We are after all, just 
a bunch of "loser surfers."

Speaking of surfers. The day after 9-11, the surf, skate, and snow world lost a true pioneer. Tom Sims. Sims died of a heart attack on September 12, 2012. He was 62 years old.

I got to surf with Tom back in the mid-70s here in New Hampshire. My late friend Joe Somogyi was good friends with Sims. Tom became like a cult hero to many of us here in the 70's. From Jay Hammer to Stevie O'Hara. Make no mistake about it, Sims was the man.

He was the man responsible for many local surfers getting into longboards (skate) and he was the MAN when it came to snowboarding. I had just reconnected with Sims this past year on Facebook. It's hard to fathom that Sims is gone. I guess the reality of someone so close in age passing away is always a bit unsettling. It brings to mind our own mortality and how close we all are to leaving this planet without notice. 

We all think we will be 21 years old forever.

Rest in peace Tom... please say hello to Joe for me.

If any of you missed the Leslie Swell, fret not. There's a new swell filling in as I write this from TS Nadine... I just left the Wall and saw chest high sets on this day 9-16-2012. Though it looks like it will be smaller than Leslie, it does have a long interval swell line to it. Look for a solid waist to chest high ground swell today and into tomorrow.

Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances:

• The absolute insanity of the Middle East has erupted again on the anniversary of 9-11. All over some ridiculous cheap bogus video that depicts the prophet Mohammed in a less than flattering way. The stupid mobs that attacked the embassies are so freaking moronic, that they actually attacked the German embassy as well. These clowns are so blind that they can't even figure out which embassy to burn. Hello? I was standing at the podium on 9-11-12 speaking about two Navy Seals who gave their lives at the exact moment that two former Navy Seals were dying for our country trying to protect Ambassador Chris Stevens at the Libyan embassy in Benghazi. And yes Al Qaeda had their hands all over this ordeal. Ambassador Stevens, who helped the Libyan people break free of the ruthless dictator Momar Khaddaffi, lost his life to a mob of Islamic Extremists hell bent on causing unrest.
• So poor Kate Middleton got photographed by the evil paparazzi while standing topless on top of a building overlooking the public street below. And the Royal family is outraged! Hey Kate? How about keeping your freaking top on in public? That ever occur to you? Are you kidding me? This is a bunch of Royal BS! 
• Week Two of the NFL is upon us and our NE Patriots are looking at their home opener against the Arizona Cardinals today. I'm hoping for Steve Ridley to have another 100 plus day... man won't that be something? Tis the season my friends...
• Another stolen board to report. If anyone knows the whereabouts of a Brand New 5'7" Byrne with a Black and Red tail band on top of the image. PLEASE CONTACT Ross at Cinnamon Rainbows.

Remember my friends... Surfing Heals All Wounds... Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.