Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2011 - (Page 68)

sports strength or grace of the tawny Adonises I’d fallen for on the movie screen, but maybe three days of lessons could at least set me straight, so to speak? I grew up on the rocky coast of Massachusetts, and I like to think that because of this I am well acquainted with the sea. But on my first morning, as I took in a brief filmstrip about wave formation at the hotel’s Jean-Michel Cousteau Ambassadors of the Environment center, a primer intended for children no less, I realized I’d forgotten everything I’d learned in middle school. I was seated on a tiny upholstered stool beside my fellow student, 14-year-old Dominique, as our two Ambassadors, both professional naturalists, walked us through the slides. All these years I’d lazily regarded waves as beautiful profusions that surged and crashed according to some mystical inner logic. This vague admiration, I could now see, was not nearly as useful to me as being aware of a wave’s actual physics when trying to ride it with a board. Lesson over, we each picked up a bodyboard and set off on foot on the long path wending down to Salt Creek Beach. I’d always dismissed these quasi-surfboards as kid stuff; they’re half to a third the size of a standard surfboard, and one merely leaps into a wave while lying prostrate on it, rather than standing — hardly an “Endless Summer”-style vision. But as Dominique and I dove into the oncoming waves, fearless as porpoises, I grasped the importance of feeling comfortable in the water before trying to do something as preposterous as ride atop it. I can now recommend that all beginners start by brushing up on their wave knowledge — a few minutes of idle Googling will do — and then hit the beach with a bodyboard before advancing to the real deal. The next morning, I was whisked off to a less challenging beach by Mac, my handsome, 21-year-old instructor, who has been surfing the Laguna coast from the age of 7. I’d be starting with a Doyle — a soft surfboard with forgiving fins that is more buoyant and easier to paddle than the fiberglass-wrapped polyurethane versions. The key to surfing, Mac told me, is at base a matter of attitude: “Be up for anything and willing to go with it, and no matter what you’ll have fun.” Given that Mac himself is as buoyant and bright as a puppy, I figured I was in good hands. We parked, suited up — I’d never tried on a wetsuit before, and loved how the dense, stretchy neoprene made me feel halfsuperhero, half-seal — toted our boards to the ocean, and joined the countless others out there waiting for their ride back to shore. We surfed for two solid hours, and even so I didn’t make much progress. I did manage to stand again a couple of times, only to tumble right back in. But it didn’t even matter. The sensation of floating on a board waiting languidly for the next wave is in itself deeply pleasurable, and when a viable candidate swells ever nearer, and your heart starts to speed up with anticipation, you realize how this sport T I Tlle goes here From top TheNa commodo lorpero odionsed tat. Ud dunt ulput lore consectem dunt autpat luptat. Molore duis nullam ipsum nonsed ting ero ex ero euis dolorperiure feum vendiat ad dolore se A sChool From top: Ritz-Carlton guests get some lastminute bodyboarding instruction; riding into shore; the “break” known as Thalia Street, in downtown Laguna Beach. 68 w w w. r i t z c a r lt o n . c o m From Top: CourTesy oF WeT & Wild Waves (2); KaTe BoliCK I’d never tried on a wetsuit before, and loved how the dense, stretchy neoprene made me feel half-superhero, half-seal. http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2011

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2011
Table of Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President’s Letter
Falling in Love with … Hawaii
On the Boulevards
Design
Shopping In New York City
Jewelry
Watches
Wine
Wellness
Sports
Portugal
Moscow
Fashion
Culinary
The Guide
Heritage

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2011

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