Surf

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

As 20 Harley-Davidsons growled across the asphalt at the Maryland Cruise terminal Monday morning, "Easy Rider" met "The Love Boat. " After a briefing from their tour leader, the bikers inched their machines up the ramp and into the yawning hold of the 2,200-passenger Enchantment of the Seas. Next stop: Labadee, a private port resort on the north coast of Haiti. Motorcycle cruising might be the ultimate surf-and-turf dream, a chance for bikers to ride off a passenger ship and onto sun-drenched Caribbean back roads.

INDIAN RIVER INLET, Del. -- It was just after sunrise yesterday when Harry Wilson hit the beach here at Delaware Seashore State Park. With barely a cloud in the sky, the air temperature was a teeth-chattering 22 degrees, the ocean temperature was practically balmy at almost 50 and the incoming tide was pushing long, slow, perfectly spaced 4- to 5-foot waves. Obviously, it was an ideal day for surfing. Even record-breaking low temperatures didn't discourage Wilson from going ahead with the 20th annual Ho Ho Surf Off. "This is a celebration of local surfers who surf all year 'round," said Wilson, the Delaware chief of the Eastern Surfing Association, which sanctioned the four-hour competition.

Visitors to Ocean City are often struck by the contrasting fortunes of the vacant Ocean Plaza Mall on 94 t h Street and the bustle of development along U.S. 50 in West Ocean City , with its new Walmart and other big-box stores. There are a number of reasons for this, but one in particular sticks in the resort town's collective craw: double taxation. In essence, property owners in Ocean City have been subsidizing sprawl development outside town limits, a self-destructive policy that can only be described as dumb growth.

OCEAN CITY -- A 24-year-old Virginia man was presumed dead after disappearing in the surf near 15th Street, where he was swimming with friends yesterday, Ocean City police reported.The man, whose name was not given, was caught in a current with two friends about 2 p.m. His friends escaped, but he sank, police said.

If Capt. Nick ever ventured from the Maine restaurant bearing his name to landlocked Laurel, he'd feel right at home at the Bay N Surf restaurant.The two establishments have a lot in common: U.S. 1, for starters, which runs past both front doors on its way from the Canadian border to the Florida Keys.Then there's the kitsch nautical decor, the paper place mats, the helpful help and the fish prepared the way June and Ward Cleaver would like it.No, you won't find cutting-edge cuisine at Capt.

Seriously weird. But by the end of next week's second episode, John From Cincinnati is weirdly serious, too. HBO's new contemporary beach saga from Deadwood auteur David Milch is no longer just supernaturally strange, excessively foul-mouthed, often abrasive and continually vexing. It isn't even merely sun-and-surf pretty. It's emotionally involving, too. Maybe even cosmic. JOHN FROM CINCINNATI / / Makes its premiere about 10 tonight on HBO

It seems that CBS isn't the only network that David Letterman has moved to. From the looks of its debut program on Friday, "SportsNight," ESPN2 is loaded with Lettermans.Only anchor Keith Olbermann does a really good version, but he's not the only one who's trying. And those who aren't trying to be Letterman are attempting to be MTV veejays.Thus went much of the first evening of ESPN2, the all-sports channel aimed at Generation X.Though ESPN2 is supposed to attract a mixed 18 to 34 crowd that is more into sports as entertainment than obsession, the opening sequence likely was better appreciated by the regular ESPN crowd.

Who needs to fly when you can catch a wave? Penguins, those new rock stars of the animal world, continue their winning streak with Surf's Up, an animated mockumentary that imagines a world where the famously flightless birds are as much into hanging 10 as they are into eating fish. Done in a sort of Errol Morris-meets-Endless Summer style, Surf's Up is the story of a penguin named Cody Maverick (voice of Shia LaBeouf). While being interviewed by an unseen narrator and film crew (although the occasional boom mike does slip into the frame)

INDIAN RIVER INLET, Del. - It was just after sunrise yesterday when Harry Wilson hit the beach here at Delaware Seashore State Park. With barely a cloud in the sky, the air temperature was a teeth-chattering 22 degrees, the ocean temperature was practically balmy at almost 50 and the incoming tide was pushing long, slow, perfectly spaced 4- to 5-foot waves. Obviously, it was an ideal day for surfing. Even record-breaking low temperatures didn't discourage Wilson from going ahead with the 20th annual Ho Ho Surf Off. "This is a celebration of local surfers who surf all year 'round," said Wilson, the Delaware chief of the Eastern Surfing Association, which sanctioned the four-hour competition.

The Blast impressed in winning its first three games of the Major Indoor Soccer League season, but the team knew Friday night's visit from the two-time defending league champion Milwaukee Wave would provide a greater assessment of where it stood in the early season. The answer was far more impressive. Sharing the ball on offense and getting a second straight sparkling performance from rookie goalkeeper William Vanzena, the Blast took charge early and never wavered in a 15-4 win before an announced 4,895 at 1st Mariner Arena . The Blast got goals from seven players, with the first five coming off assists.

Michael Phelps can swim. Michael Phelps can golf. And finally here's a physical activity that Michael Phelps is, frankly, pretty bad at: crowd surfing. The Olympian tried to ride the waves of a crowd the other night at XS nightclub in Las Vegas. The crowd was into it, shouting, "Michael! Michael!" And Phelps was game. But after mere seconds, the ride was over and Phelps was on the floor. Don't worry, reports say he wasn't hurt. Perhaps just a bit embarrassed. Party foul? Or just a chance to find the Bob Bowman of crowd surfing, train and come back in four years.

As Dew Tour launches the first day of competition in Ocean City, businesses on the boardwalk and beyond are amping up their efforts to attract customers as the influx of action sports fans hit the town. Local surf shop Quiet Storm on the boardwalk is going all in on making Dew Tour weekend their best of the summer. On top of the aggressive advertising that many of the local restaurants and vendors are using to let their presence be known, Quiet Storm is bringing in many of the competing athletes for signings and events inside the store.

It can't hurt to be shopping at a surf shop and hear the crash of the waves right behind you. Malibu's Surf Shop at 8th Street and the boardwalk has been an Ocean City staple for years and with its location, it is exactly what a surf shop should be like. Malibu's has a great selection of board shorts, clothes, hats, sunglasses, but what really sets it apart is the feeling the location and decor brings to the shop. The sun, sand, breeze and sounds of the ocean accent the shop and lead you into a store that fits perfectly with its location.

Coming up this Saturday is the 18th Annual Malibu's Classic. We've already told you that Malibu's Surf Shop is one of the best surf shops around. Well, this contest is one of the best surfing competitions around. The week leading up to the contest, all of Ocean City is talking about it. And the event is really spectator friendly- just come down to the beach on 8th Street and check it out for free. The annual contest, sponsored by the Delmarva chapter of the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA)

If you're a college student or recent graduate lucky enough to have a full-time job or paid internship, it doesn't mean you have to give up summer on the shore. All you need is a small group of friends and a solid beach bungalow where you and your fellow weekend warriors can let loose. Here are the top five things you should be considering when grabbing a weekend seasonal rental: Expectations: First you must define what exactly are you looking to get out of your summer. Are you looking for a spot simply to party in or are you looking more so for a place to relax and unwind?

It all started in a freezing cold warehouse in early January. Three old friends, all with different music backgrounds, got together for their first band practice. They didn't know what genre they were going for other than surf rock, but before the first hour was up they had their first song written. By the end of the practice, they had two. Since then, the sound of Drunk Monk has become something else entirely. “To me, it's a kind of psychedelic surf doom jazz,” says Jacob Honaker, 27, the band's guitarist.

Bluefish is the fare in May.Blues, weighing up to 15 pounds, are migrating north from a leisurely stay in the South. After the long swim, they are lean and very hungry.Since there is little natural bait in the surf this time of year, the blues don't stay long. They come tearing close to the beach, chasing schools of sand eels, bunker or an early bunch of shiners. They may remain only 15 to 45 minutes, so the surf angler must be ready.To catch the blues, an angler must heave a long surf pole, 10 to 15 feet, as far as possible.

Jason Berkowitz thought he and his family would be couch surfing for an indefinite period thanks to a problem that might seem bizarre this far removed from the housing bubble: They found a buyer for their Lutherville-Timonium townhouse within days , but not a suitable home to buy themselves. He's relieved to report that it all worked out. His family closed on a home in Phoenix (also in Baltimore County) last week. If you've been following his saga, it's the home he made a "Hail Mary" offer on that was initially rejected . Asking price: $515,000.

It all started in a freezing cold warehouse in early January. Three old friends, all with different music backgrounds, got together for their first band practice. They didn't know what genre they were going for other than surf rock, but before the first hour was up they had their first song written. By the end of the practice, they had two. Since then, the sound of Drunk Monk has become something else entirely. “To me, it's a kind of psychedelic surf doom jazz,” says Jacob Honaker, 27, the band's guitarist.