The Secret Spot

Recently on this blog, and on Face Book, there has been some dialogue as to whether or not we should keep clandestine our favorite, less well known sailing venues, versus complete transparency and freedom of information. A couple of you have come out and expressed yourselves. Frankly, a vote on the issue would be 50/50, advocating both sides.

Getting to the Secret Spot often takes effort!

To be clear, my position is as follows: I believe that to grow our awesome sport, no spot should be kept “secret”. Yes, I often refer to my sessions at the “Secret Spot”, but all my friends here in Delaware and Maryland know the exact location. The spot is hardly a secret anymore. That being said, we continue to give it the moniker of the “Secret Spot” out of reverence to the often epic conditions experienced there. There simply isn’t another name that can be given that extends the deserved machismo that is due the spot. So “Secret” is the name, and that aint changing son. So you guys that are offended (on either side of the argument), take it easy. Its frankly just more fun, and sexier, to refer to the place as “The Secret Spot”, as opposed to say 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue. Come on, it’s a lot more fun to say “meet me at the secret spot”. Plus, we’ve referred to the spot as “the secret spot” for so long now, it would be darn near impossible to call it by any other name. It’s become part of popular culture around these parts. Do you get it? For those of you who resent the lack of clarity, perhaps we should announce latitude and longitude coordinates out akin to freedom of information? And for those that wish to keep their spots secret, well then why not usher in another death cry for our sport, akin to that experienced in the ‘90s? Look dude, can we all just get along?

In addition, it’s not like there are hoards of sailors chomping at the bit, banging on the door, ready to inundate your beach the moment you disclose the location of that coveted spot. I frankly would welcome that scenario (with certain caveats as it pertains to skill level). It’s just WAY more fun to sail with lots of people, no matter the skill level. For me personally, that is a lot of the appeal of The Hatteras Wave Jam and the American Windsurfing Tour, sailing with lots of new people, learning new spots to sail, stepping outside your comfort zone. Most of the venues for the Jam are so obscure that they might otherwise have been thought of as secret, certainly obscure to the uninitiated. To grow the sport, we have to have an open beach policy...Look at what the Jam has done for sailing here on the East Coast! Heck, every September we have a pro-level event in Hatteras, complete with pro-level talent making the trip to sail our waves! 

 At a recent epic session in Lewes, there was quite a bit of consternation about all of the new sailors who showed up out of thin air. But after the day was done and the gear was unrigged, and were all basking in the after-glow of that epic day, I think we all realized what an extraordinary session it was, and I submit almost completely due to the presence of new sailors that showed up that day. New faces, new styles, more energy, more STOKE. Give me more of that…

Windsurfing is making a comeback, so let’s each do our part to spread the stoke, offer encouragement, and welcome newcomers to our beaches, even the clandestine ones. Welcoming new sailors will go a long way toward promoting the sport, and bolstering the resurgence we are seeing in windsurfing, especially here on the Delmarva. That’s what live2sail is all about, spreading the stoke.

Delmarva Board Sport Adventures…..spreading the stoke, and leading the way for windsurfing and standup paddling here on the Delmarva. Email me if you have any questions about windsurfing or standup paddle boarding here in Delaware or Maryland. I’d be stoked to hook you up..

Live2sail