Paddle Water, Clean Beach

Kirk Cassels

Alex Gill peruses the fruits of his efforts to make a cleaner seascape.

Gathering together before the first paddle of the summer.

Hanging 10 at Sagg Main Beach.

Circling for a ceremony to remember Frank Gill.

Colors of the spectrum grace Sagaponack after a summer shower on International Surfing Day.

Some may label surfers as more of a tribal group, but it was a family affair Thursday night at Sagg Main Beach for the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. In celebration of International Surfing Day, and in conjunction with the summer solstice, the Foundation combed and cleaned the Sagaponack sands before holding a memorial service together in the ocean.

Some clouds and rain almost delayed the event and initially hindered the crowd size, but the brief shower ended in a rainbow that leapt from the land and into the sea. Every aluminum can, plastic utensil, garden hose, and anything else imaginable or not were tossed into sand-colored trash bags as Sound Wave performed easygoing tunes that would make Jimmy Buffett smile and groove.

Although the waves were not the steepest, a crew still paddled into the waters of their newly-cleaned home. In a tribute to Frank Gill, who passed away in April, his son Alex spread his ashes in the water as the Foundation encircled him.

According to his sister Jane, Frank Gill was a big fisherman AND an avid surfer. During the final hours of sunshine on International Surfing Day an unusually frequent number of bluefish were jumping close to shore all evening. One batch splashed just a few feet behind Alex shortly after the ceremony.