Sixty-Something: Our Friend, The Mighty Atlantic Ocean

Have you ever found yourself sitting on an east-end beach, staring at the ocean waves breaking one after another? We all share a connection with the Atlantic Ocean. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall – those waves are like the heartbeat of the Hamptons. We all eventually have to return to the beach, feel the warm sand beneath our feet, and gaze out, attempting to see Europe. According to Google, the Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world’s five oceans, covering about 32,870,000 sq mi. It constitutes approximately 17% of the Earth’s surface and about 24% of its water surface area.

The Atlantic Ocean reportedly boasts 69,510 miles of shoreline, with the east end encompassing approximately 54 miles. Each of us has a spot along that 54-mile stretch of the Atlantic Ocean shoreline that we consider our favorite – our beach. I always set up in the same space on Atlantic Beach in Amagansett whenever I visit with my wife or friends during the summer. I suppose behaviorist experts might say humans are territorial.

It’s hard to believe that I once lived just 452 steps from Ditch Plains Beach for a few years. It feels like a dream now, about ten years later. I was a single, divorced guy living with a beagle in a rented space at that time. A divorce can evoke anger, confusion, and loneliness. The magical peacefulness and power of the ocean spiritually prepared me to be in a good space to find and attract love.

I brought the woman, now my wife, to walk the beach at Ditch Plains. I met her during my last month living there, and that’s another story in itself! For most East End folks, their spot on the ocean beach is a unique personal experience for them and their families. When my daughter, who now lives in Wimbledon, England, with her family (my grandchildren), came to visit me on Long Island, she had one request – to go to the beach and walk along the breaking waves. I brought her and her sister to Montauk and Ditch Plains Beach many times, starting when they were born. Now, she lives on “the other side of the Atlantic,” not far from where the original settlers of the Hamptons came from.

When I visited her in England last June, she took Cindi and me to “Hampton Court Palace,” a favorite home of Henry VIII in 1531 – long before there were Hampton homes on Long Island. Amazingly, “Hampton Court Palace” still has Henry’s indoor “court tennis” room, where they still play “court tennis” today, just as Henry VIII did back in the 1530s! You might say it was the first indoor Hamptons tennis facility, but it is still in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 12 miles southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames.

In recent years, the people of the east end have faced rising tides, flooding, and noticeable beach erosion of the Atlantic Ocean. I witnessed the shoreline changes when I lived in Montauk. Walking my beagle at Camp Hero was a routine of mine. My photos from back then and now are shocking. Places where I posed with my dog for photos no longer exist. I’m not sure if the erosion of the bluffs is caused by “Global Warming” or just plain old erosion due to wind and rain. Seeing the ocean water these days close to the Montauk Village motels I brought my kids to stay at 36 years ago is startling! I used to walk them a small distance down to the ocean, and that small distance is now gone, with the ocean right up to the motels.

Living in a home on the Atlantic Ocean is risky! I have experienced the fear of an approaching storm forecast and the terror of being right there. Being at home right off the ocean during a Nor’easter storm, with the wind sounding like it’s going to rip the roof right off, is terrifying, as is feeling the rain pounding away on the home. Luckily, during those years, there were no major hurricanes.

Years back, on the day of my 56th birthday, I was parked at the Montauk Lighthouse looking out at the Atlantic. It was December 19th, and it was very single-digit cold and windy. The ocean’s whitecaps made it seem like a moving sea of snow. Later that evening, while celebrating my birthday at Liar’s Saloon, Anthony Sosinski, a well-known and liked Montauk Commercial Fisherman and author of “A Speck in the Sea,” walked in. He is also a friend of mine, and as we greeted each other, he told me he had just returned from a few days of fishing in the ocean off Montauk. I was stunned as I mentally remembered the sight from the lighthouse that afternoon. In pure Anthony minimalism, he looked at me and said, “It was rough,” and proceeded to buy me a beer.

Hopefully, we can all help preserve the Atlantic for the future so that those who come after us can observe the whales and dolphins dramatically passing by the beaches and be able to swim and surf in its waters safely.