ALL EYES ON IRENE, PART TWO First Major Hurricane Of 2011 Brings The
Pain, Along With Plenty Of Waves By
Nick McGregor
At this point, everyone from South Florida to Eastern Canada
knows all about the trials and tribulations of Hurricane Irene. Words can’t describe
the destruction endured by residents from the Outer Banks to coastal New Jersey,
Long Island, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine, along with inland Vermont and New
York — homes and businesses and personal property destroyed, historic
buildings flooded, lives forever altered and in some cases lost…
Although many have said that Irene was a weak storm, a tease
at best, one look at the photos coming in from up and down the coast tells us that
the damage done may take months to repair, if it can be fixed at all. Highway
12 probably won’t reconnect the Outer Banks again for at least a month —
which means the iconic ESA Easterns at its Cape Hatteras home base could be in
jeopardy. The city of Long Beach, NY, almost pulled the plug on the entire
Quiksilver Pro New York due to area damage, before agreeing to let the surf
contest go on as planned without all the festival sideshows.
It’s trying times like these that make waveriding seem like
a truly insignificant pursuit, especially when compared with cleaning up the
debris from a lifetime of flooded memories. Or ferrying in supplies to stranded
villagers in North Carolina and Vermont. Or tallying up the economic damage
inflicted by Irene just before summer’s last big hurrah. But as surfers,
paddling out is what gives all that craziness a sense of clarity. No matter
what happens on terra firma, the ocean will always be there — sometimes
providing, and sometimes taking away. As surfers, we’re in tune with those
oscillating rhythms. We know how to take the good with the bad, no matter how
hard the latter may seem.
So have a look at the below photos from Irene, and pray for
our next tropical system — soon-to-be Hurricane Katia — to stay
well out to sea. That way we can enjoy her bounty while still trying to make
sense of our lives on land.
17th Annual Quiksilver King Of The Peak Set
To Go Down In Solid Northeast Swell Conditions On November 6th-7th By
Nick McGregor; Captions by Dick “Mez” Meseroll READ MORE…
TENS ACROSS THE BOARD Blue Skies, Thousands Of Surf Fans, Pumping Head-High Peaks, And Red-Hot Performances All Combine For Spectacular Final Day Of Quiksilver Pro New York
STORMY WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY Cory Robbed, Gabe Bounced, Bobby Suspended, Damien And CJ Out, Kelly Swept Straight Into Round Four… What A Couple Of Days In New York
