Autumn Effect

Words and photos by Shaun Devine.

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion” — Henry David Thoreau.

Do you like surfing in crowds? I don’t. Stares and glares, professional jockey players and river chasers — bad burns abound.

There’s something special about paddling out at an empty spot and sharing waves with just a few others.

Back in March when mornings were greeted with icy windshields and frozen fingers, most of our time at the shop was spent planning for the upcoming summer. The idea of taking surf trips down to False Cape was a warm subject that helped melt the slow days away. From the start the idea was simple — a surf trip to False Cape State Park. Then came the logistics: How would we get down there? What about transporting surfboards? How long should we stay? Should we bring lunch? What do we do if the weather is bad? What if the waves suck?

October 20 capped our eighth and final surf-SUP trip of the season. Thanks to the help of Cameron Swain and the False Cape State Park staff, Back Bay Gourmet, Cindy Stokes, Heath Scott, Sammi Lizotte and Mother Nature — several acts of dedication made a seemingly-difficult maze of logisitics flow seamlessly to the remote beach.

Our bakers-dozen were greeted with classic fall conditions — thigh to chest high waves, clean WSW winds and sunny skies without a cloud — or crowd — in sight. The following photos showcase why we dreamed of making this trip a reality.

I like to call this spot “Pumpkins.”