Author Archives: Maureen McNamara

About: Maureen McNamara

Surfer/Writer

Maureen became a surfer in 1967 when she first saw the Endless Summer on the big screen. She belly whomped in the early years, then in 1974 bought a 6'10" Heritage diamond tail with money saved from baby-sitting. 38 years later and she never looked back. She surfs mostly in Maine and New Hampshire, shaping her first board in 1975, completely self-taught. Most of the boards I make are for my own use though I occasionally knock one off for friends.

Plight of the Lone Wolf

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

It hurts to be old and washed up sometimes. Especially when I remember when I was pretty good and the days were long and warm and I ran with a pack and we were loud and obnoxious and we didn’t care about anything or anyone, except us.

Size Don’t Matter

Saturday, November 10th, 2012

Standing atop the dune the other day, while inserting my earplugs and zipping up my suit, I was accosted by a smugly grinning dork who glanced at my board and said: “You’re not actually going out in that water, are you?”

Aesthetically Speaking

Friday, August 24th, 2012

I understand, and I do truly believe that everyone has a right to enjoy what the ocean and surfing have to offer. And I know that that is different for each and every surfer.

Grumpsters & Hipsters

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

Gerry Lopez said: “You can’t put fences around life. Things change. Nothing ever stays the same. All you gotta do is keep paddling. Simple!”

The Bolt

Sunday, July 8th, 2012

His medium was water and waves. He sensed the wave’s energy in a way I’ve never seen since in another surfer.

Chafe, Burn, and a Smack of Spaghetti

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

My brother and I would surf for hours. We were dopey gremmies; we surfed right through the changing tides, wondering where all the other surfers would go.

A Dark Place

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

I know a dark place. Dark and deep, beneath the sea. A place I visited once, un-voluntarily held hostage actually. A place I don’t ever want to revisit; a place that changed my entire outlook on my role in this universe.

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