They "had an intimate knowledge of tides, currents, and weather patterns because their livelihood depended on it," Crawford is quoted as saying in David Rensin's "All for a Few Perfect Waves," a biography of the mischievous surf icon and waterman, Miki Dora.
These early surfers didn't surf to get famous or rich, rather they all shared a common bond, an undying love for the ocean. Surfers back then were fishermen, swimmers and divers whose time in and around the water gave them not only a fantastic physique and golden tan, but an intimate and uncanny understanding of the sea.
Fast forward to modern times. Surfing has become so popular that it feels like everyone and his brother [and sister, son in law, uncle, cousin, etc.] has taken up the sport. Long gone are the days of surfing 90-pound redwood planks in 50 degree water in nothing but a pair of cut off Levi's with only a couple of buddies. Surfing has grown so mainstream that you might wonder if the dedicated watermen of yesteryear remain relevant in these modern times, let alone exist at all?
While you may not read about them much in Surfer magazine, there are still a large number of surfers who have dedicated their lives to everything that is the ocean. Santa Cruz ishome to a host of big wave hellmen, who use paddleboarding as a training exercise, preparing them the inevitable thrashings that come with surfing giant waves.
Jay Moriarity was one of Santa Cruz's most dedicated watermen. He paddled, swam, and dove as methods of keeping his body fit so he could surf his favorite wave, the bone-crushing behemoth known as Maverick's in Half Moon Bay. In an ironic twist of fate, it was a solo free dive gone wrong off the coast of India that took him from us, tearing a hole in the heart of the Santa Cruz surf community that is still healing to this day.
In honor of Jay's memory, an annual paddle race -- The Jay Race -- has sprung up. It gives local men and women a chance to show off their paddling skills and perpetuates the legacy of the watermen way of life Jay embraced.
Now, another paddle race is being organized that will surely test even the most experienced of paddlers. The Bay Crossing, scheduled for June 27, is a 27.5-mile course that starts on the east side of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, in front of Main Beach.
Participants will paddle straight out into the bay, make a left turn at the M1 Buoy -- located nearly 12 miles from the nearest point of land -- and paddle to the finish in front of Monterey State Beach. The event is open to individual competitors and two- to four-person teams using paddleboards and stand-up paddleboards.
Not only is the race long and physically demanding, the route passes over the Monterey Canyon. It's an area teeming with wildlife, and such unfriendly residents such as Great White sharks and killer whales. For this reason, each competitor and team is required to have its own escort boat.
People have crossed the bay before, but this event will bring a sense of prestige to the feat and, organizer Zach Wormhoudt said, will hopefully lay the foundation for a lasting tradition.
Wormhoudt, a big wave charger and accomplished paddler, is part of the crew determined to keep the watermen tradition alive. By the way he throws himself over the ledge in life-threatening surf at Maverick's, you can tell he takes his training quite seriously.
As Wormhoudt puts it himself, "You have to do it knowing you may not make it."
Neal Kearney and The Froth Pit will appear every other week in the Sentinel. Contact him at sports@santacruzsentinel.com.
