1A is a celebration for this magical seaside road that runs from Maine to Key West. Every mile of it offers new adventures, breathtaking vistas, and a playground for you and your friends. We all find our own way to play on 1A; surfing, cycling, kitesailing, cruising, paddling, beachcombing, building sandcastles, or simply sitting with our besties. Regardless of the way we express our personal play, we are all interconnected by our love for our shoreline and this incredible place we call home.
What we are up to and what we are hoping for
We can all agree that there is an universal love for the sea, the coast, sand in our toes, and this playground called 1A (Route 1A).
So why not stand proudly on our soapbox and be vocal about how much we love this place. Face it, we’re fortunate to even be able to play on the 1A shoreline, so let’s not be bashful about our good fortune and instead flaunt it. Let’s give each other a high five and celebrate together.
1A hopes to build a diverse community of people who bond through their mutual love of playing outdoors. How do you join this community? It’s simple, just pick up a 1A t-shirt, wear it proudly, and be vocal about your love for the 1A coast.
Our roots (The 80s present us with windsurfing)
In 1980 a life-long friend returned from his summer junket to Greece and proclaimed that I needed to try this strange new sport called windsurfing. I knew nothing about it, but managed to find a place in Cape Cod selling these long surfboards with a sail attached.
That summer was spent attempting to figure out this foreign watercraft that no one had either heard of or knew how to maneuver. Months of self-taught struggle ensued (probably a good thing Craigslist didn’t exist) and finally it clicked. With the wind and a summer of struggle behind me, I was eventually skipping across the Atlantic, never having felt so liberated. The windsurfing crew was soon passing motorboats (ponder about that for a second), dabbline with hurricanes, and sailing 365 days regardless of what Mother Nature hurled at us.
It was the beginning of my love for playing in the sea.
Our Mission
Sure, we would love for you to fill your closet with 1A clothing. Yes, we hope some day soon every third person on Long Sands will be wearing a 1A t-shirt. But ultimately we dream of every person appreciating the way the play on 1A, bonding with one another over the diverse ways we play (Hey surfers, go shake the hand of a bocce player. Hey bathers, go ask a surfer how to get started.)
Yes, it’s important for all of us to get out and playon1A. At the same time, we owe a lot to the ocean. The ocean gives us all so much joy. So our second dream is that everyone will give back to the ocean by doing a little act of love for it. Perhaps join our beach clean ups, pick up that stray bottle on the side of the road, and support organizations that are ocean-centric.