HURRICANE REPORT:East Coast Swell Run Down, Fall 2006

Nick Piette

Long Island:

I checked in with Strong Island legend Charlie Bunger, but his season was interrupted; the old dog got married. So we got the lowdown from one of his team riders, Alex Fawess. Apparently the best sessions were at Long Beach, where roaring currents pushed the sand bars south, making for some noteworthy conditions during Helene. Rockaway Renaissance man Pat Conlon rated the Queens’ season a 7 out of 10, complaining that it couldn’t compare to the previous year. But he was stoked about an end of the season session calling it “the rock of ages.” “It was like 1989, all of the old dudes were out, and the Williamsburg rats were no where to be found.”

New England:

Chowder heads up north definitely got the short end of the stick when it came to consistency, but they struck gold with the late arrival of Helene. Dave Cropper, the boss over at Cinnamon Rainbows in Hampton, New Hampshire touted the conditions as close to the best New England can get, with Maine benefiting from behemoth swells. Chris at NEsurf.com heard rumors of a couple 18 foot rogues rolling in. Yeah right. As for new spots, the boys on Nantucket Island lucked out at the expense of a local writer whose beachfront home was getting eaten up by erosion. “He kept putting sand bags in front of his house and it created a perfect left peeler,” Islander Ben Mitchell said.

Overall an "average plus plus" East coast hurricane swell year. The last month was relatively consisent. Like all hurricane seasons, if you had the ability to make hit the road, you probably scored.