Seabright Beach Society

Wanna join? All are welcome of course. There are no membership fees or dues. No oaths, promises or prerequisites (although you should commit to packing all your trash each and every time you visit.) You don't even have to visit. Admire from afar if you wish.

During the VIth beach day of the year I had a vision and began furiously scribing notes that detail the 'Anatomy of Leisure Warriorship' (which will eventually be made into a PSA campaign if I can recruit some help from Dabee.) A soldier of slack battles in no war but rather fights the calendar crunch by committing significant portions of his/her time to the sandy soils of their favorite local beach. Being the bum of the beach though involves a protocol I've stumbled through over dozens of sessions. Dare I say I've nearly achieved mastery of the art? A master does not sit on his art though, that just hurts...instead he shares it and this is my intent. Art is free.

Still in brainstorming mode but thus far I've envisioned upwards of seven (2 to 3 minute) PSA's the Society will produce including:

* Anatomy of a Beach Session-detailing the critical gear the leisure hound might need during extended stays

* Etiquette- what does responsible beach citizenship mean to me

* Fuzz Repellent- how to enjoy yourself while avoiding the attention of beach rangers

* Litter- focused look on a tremendous problem which infringes upon the joy and well-being of all beach denizens

* Fire- how to do it right!!

* Sustainable Transportation Tips- Getting there can be half the fun...well maybe 5%-10% of the fun.

Yeah, some of these can be consolidated or expanded upon. The storming and forming will continue.

On the very important topic of logos...after all, if you ever want to have cool shirts and stickers you need to have a kickass logo, I'm honing in on a dandy. The iconic jetty jacks referred by the locals as, "The Jacks" has a steeped local history. Since the inception of the harbor, boats and boards have battled for the coveted space surrounding the man made harbormouth. From what I can discern, when the harbor was dug and dredged in '63 it immediately became a favorable surf break and even more so during weather. I believe the jacks were laid down in '83. These concrete forms are also called 'quadripods' and 'dolos' which is derived from the word 'dolosse' which is a contraction of 'dobbel osse', or 'gambling' (Afrikaans) 'bones' (Latin). This is a completely fitting derivation as any local surfer can attest to the fact that surfing 'The Jacks' is always something of a gamble and often the sanctity of your bones are at risk.

The logo will be a single jack and each of the three prongs will be engraved. "Seabright" "Beach" "Society". It'll be killer and you will want to display it on your massive chest.

I know I said I would never join the cult but in starting one I'm flirting with the idea. I need to publicize...get the word out there. I have a sushi bet on the line that says I don't join Facebook though so I really can't. The Society needs a Facebook Quartermaster. Who will take this on?!?

Postscript: Beach Day V was difficult to achieve. Did you know it took 12 years to conduct the 5th winter olympiad? WW2 shut down the Sapporo and Cortina d'Ampezzo attempts. It was finally staged in St. Moritz on January 30th, 1948. I tried to stage Beach Day V at Seabright. It was one of those days with sunshine and warmth but impending clouds of doom threatened from the Northern skies. Said screw it and jammed anyway. Got to the beach and it was closed!! It was the day after the Chilean Earthquake and tsunami warnings were posted. Said fark it and trucked down to the cool sands anyhow, after all, if it was my day to go I couldn't even dream of a better way out (maybe that's not true.) Not 10 minutes later, as I sat and cracked a cold one, the pitter-patter starts which quickly accelerated into down pour. Retreated to the cliffs and under the trees hoping to wait it out (but couldn't..vertical water did what horizontal threat should've.) I finished my brew and enjoyed a semi-long walk home in the rain. Poseidon's almighty wrath never did hit the shore of SC that day. Not my time.

Beach Day V was finally achieved Saturday March 13th, 2010 on the very public beachfront of Cowell's. The highlight was a gathering of misguided teens that had spiked their cokes from a massive bottle of cheap whiskey. They attempted to toss and then bury the empty bottle but I stopped them and told 'em I would recycle it (which I did). They seemed almost thankful!

Couldn't help but listen into their loud conversation about how they sneak into the pools and hot tubs of the Dream Inn by shouting to the balcony for someone to come let them in because they forgot to bring their door key. I will never try this but I thought it deceptively clever!

They can join but they will need to learn how to pack their trash.