Well something needs to be said on leg ropes.

This is what happened to me at the pass. I was out surfing 2 ft waves with 5 other people mostly the local crew. When a surfer came walking out from Specky’s corner. I was taking off, and was not wearing a dreaded leggy. He was wearing one, panicked and threw his board directly into my brand new board and dived for the bottom. He put a bloody great hole in the bottom of my new board, if I were less experienced I would have been injured too. Thanks to the leggy on his board he obviously felt it does not matter and that he didn’t need to hang onto it, what an idiot.

If the fool had no leggy he would have had to hang onto it, as is the cardinal rule dating back to the Polynesian times. If you let your board go in those times you where sentenced to death.

You see, the main problem these days is that when wearing a leggy you are not going to try to stay on your board if it gets too tough. But when you don’t wear one you try harder to control your board and not lose it. I had surfed without one for 4 months lost it only twice on purpose, when no one was in the way to get hurt, as I wanted go for a swim, a great exercise for my busted up back.

The legrope was only ever invented to stop your beloved board from going onto the rocks, and to avoid big long swims in big seas. I have surfed out about ? of a mile out to sea and had to swim in not pleasant in a river mouth and ten to twelve feet waves, at times like this a leggy is worth every bit, but you can’t rely on it.

So the thing is, if no one wore a leggy at the pass there would only be good surfers who are accomplished swimmers out in the water. In the past, when you lost your board it left a space for the next person to go. Only the best didn’t lose their boards, they were the hardcore crew, and then everyone would give more RESPECT TO THE HARD CORE TALENTED SURFER BECAUSE THEY HAD PROEVEN THEMSELVES IN THE LINEUP, this is how it used to be, and still should be.

Do your time on the beacheys (beach breaks) learn to surf properly and learn to hold on to your damn board. Learn how to paddle back out on the beach breaks its tough but you’ll become a much better surfer.

THE POINTS (point breaks) ARE RACE TRACKS. There are not learn to surf areas go down the beach towards the Beach cafe, Thomo’s rock, or Main Beach.

Sorry to all those that I offend but that’s the way it was and the way it still is. Your peers will tell you when you’re up to speed to surf any point in any country, and if you can handle it. There is so much space along the main beach that no one uses and along Belongil, Tallow’s, and Broken Beach, Suffolk and Lennox beach that it’s not funny. Have a look there’s no one out. Why, because all the beginners, learners and inexperienced surfers, want to be seen on the points. They want to say “I surfed the Pass & Lennox points and I ripped”. I got news for you, NO YOU DID NOT.

HAPPY SURFING

Mr Wayne. D. ‘THE CROUCHAR’ McCleary

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