So how does a surfer kid end up falling in love with the Caribbean?
I arrived in Redondo Beach at a young age – 4 months old in 1948, and didn’t stray often from the beach for 21 years! As a kid you don’t have a clue that there is anywhere else to grow up, so I thought living a block from the Redondo Pier was normal. I thought all things connected to the Pacific Ocean were normal – sailing, surfing, diving, beach volleyball, pier fishing, boat deliveries to Mexico, and a hundred more activities. So, in hindsight I realize that I was one of the luckiest kids I know because of growing up with amazing experiences everyday, with each of them connected to the Pacific Ocean. I had no idea that my love for the ocean would end up helping me fall in love with the Caribbean Islands.
During my surfing days, Dewey Weber was the one leading the surfing parade in SoCal. Even though he died in 1993 his family business is still producing surf boards and surfing accessories. The long board was the only choice in the 50’s and 60’s. I never thought it was odd that in my 8th grade woodshop class the first project was to build a surfboard trailer that would hook up to your beach bike seat post so you could tow your 11’ 75 pound balsa wood board instead of carrying to the beach on your head. Looking back on those long board surfing days it was a much slower ride than the short boards of today, and you had so much room to walk around. “Hang’n Ten” was a daily occurrence.
Even before I discovered Old Guys Rule I always felt as if that was true for me. Other than death, I was not going to stop discovering the world. One of those life changing discoveries happened for me in the mid-1970s while on my first sailing adventure in the Caribbean. I had only sailed in the Pacific and Mexico so it was like my second home because of the surfing and sailing trips down Baja. My Caribbean sailing trips began in the BVI, and then broaden out over the years to sailing the entire chain of the Caribbean – from the BVI to Santa Margarita Island off Venezuela – that was the voyage where I qualified to get my “shellback” earring. ( I didn’t realize that when you bought an earring you had to get a pair. So I have one, and my wife, Ann Marie, got a second hole in her ear so she could wear the other one.) Discovering the Caribbean also caused Ann Marie and I to live there and start a real estate company.
But, back to surfing. Did you know there are a bunch of great surfing spots in the Caribbean? They are also on some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see, and the local scenery is pretty nice, too. No joke! I first discovered this while visiting the surf shop, Totem, on St. Barths. I could not believe there was a surf shop to visit on this island, so I was intrigued. I still have a Totem decal on the back window of my SUV. The staff at Totem opened up a whole new world to explore – Caribbean surfing.
After St. Barths’ discovery I began my Caribbean detective work and found that the best surfing in the Caribbean appears to be in Barbados. Melanie Pitcher runs one of the best surfing schools in the Caribbean – Surf Barbados. And, boy can she surf. There is even a surf camp in the BVI on Tortola. I just discovered that one last week! So, if you think I have the Caribbean scene wired after all these years of detective work you are mistaken.
So, is this old guy back to the long boards? The answer is no – not because of my lack of desire, but because of the multiple surgeries repairing all of the damage to my body over the last 55+ years of worldwide adventures. ( The list of them is too long to get into at this time.) But, if you want to watch a killer demonstration of body surfing with my Viper Fins on, I am the one to join with on any wave!
Check out the Top 10 List of why old guys keep surfing.
I am exhausted from reliving all of these surfing memories of the past 55+ years, so your Caribbean lifestyle/Realtor detective is going to have to find an ice cold Red Stripe and regroup. Contact me about some of your favorite surf spots. I look forward to adding them to my list.