Change of Website

Ok, in case anyone has wondered why this blog hasn't been updated for over a week (not that i presume a multitude of people have wondered this), it's because the Herald/ Weekend Post has just launched a new website. So all the herald blogs have been relaunched from the main website- www.theherald.co.za. There is a link to 'blogs' on the new site, which if followed correctly, will lead you to the new Rail to Rail. The site looks bloody amazing, so check it out and let me know what you think. e-mails can be sent to heraldsurf@gmail.com

The Far Side of Rad

I woke up yesterday morning and cringed at the thought of driving out to Cape St Francis through such dank weather. I drank my morning coffee on the balcony, watching a gray mass of white horses and windblown slop move across the bay. The sea looked as enticing as a beef smoothie.

Still, the Eastern Province trial ran in choppy, passable conditions at Seal Point (Full stop), yesterday morning. I arrived in time to catch the open final, where Dylan Stone (2nd), Ryan Payne (1st), Etienne Potgieter (3rd) and Bruce Campbell (4th) tore the shoes off of anything resembling a wave. The standard of surfing was seriously impressive and EP looks to be in safe hands during South African Champs.

I managed to catch up with the finalists in the parking lot afterwards, where they begged me to take a photo of them together. “Ooh, please take a photo of us hugging tightly!” Etienne pleaded. “Ja, we’re such a close team, we love showing the province how much team work means to us! You should see our cheer leading routine!” Dylan fired back. “And our outfits are to die for!” Ryan confirmed.

Ha ha, jokes. They didn’t really say that.



I know the first picture is washy and too far away, but I swear that's Dylan decapitating a Seal's insider.

In other surfing news, Greg Emslie (Slummies) made it through his Round 1 heat at the Quiksilver Pro in Australia (Gold Coast) this weekend, earning a free rid to the third Round. He was the sole South African to advance during the first Round. Jordy Smith and David Weare will feature during Round 2 when the contest resumes. Jussie I said ‘Round’ a lot.

The 100th Blog

Quiksilver and Billabong joined hands momentarily to put together a film about Kelly Slater and Andy Irons’s rivalry a few years back. It’s called “A Fly in the Champaign.”
This is a marvelous idea and really big of both companies.



Locally, Zigzag have been on top form with their website (www.zigzag.co.za). There’s a kief selection of videos, ranging from interviews, to trip footage, to contest stuff. The west coast trip with Royden Bryson and Andrew Lange looks fantastic.

Lastly, the hot weather looks to be sticking around for another few days. Later in the weekend the swell is expected to rise to 3 meters (out to sea), so let’s hold thumbs for some waves this weekend. It’s the Eastern Province Trials (senior team) on Sunday at Seals, so it’d be cool to see them held in decent conditions. I’ll have some photos of that on Monday morning.

Friday Checkpoint

Next week the World Tour begins its 2009 season with the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast of Australia. Surfing related websites are inundated with predictions, rookie interviews and pre season hype right now.

Near the top of the pile is Jordy Smith’s new sponsorship with Red Bull. www.surfersvillage.com has a good interview with him, covering all the finer details.

The bay looks pretty flat right now, but the people at windguru.com bring good tidings for the weekend. The wind is expected to swing and the swell to rise a meter by Sunday.
Here’s a picture of a shorebreak I got from Brett. Have a jolly weekend, folks.

Ice Cream Headaches and Cornish Pasties

I’ve been getting daily Surfers Village (www.surfersvillage.com) news letters for the last few months. Most of the time its interesting stuff, like breakthrough technology that has passed field tests, photographs from sponsored trips and general surf industry news.

Today a headline caught my eye: “C-Skins Wetsuits signs up U.K. champ Reubin Pearce…” There’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. From Cape Town originally, he was one of the top junior surfers during the mid to late nineties. I remember him surfing for Milnerton High School at SA Schools in 1997. Pretty cool that he’s the current UK Champ.

I checked out the C-Skins website and was really impressed by the range of products they offer and the layout of the site. In a country where the weather is as shocking as it is in England, I suppose good wetsuits would go a long way. I got another surprise when I looked up the other team members and saw a picture of Blue Water Bay’s Clinton Fraser. There’s another name I haven’t heard in a long time— not since Groundswell surf club days. He’s another one of C-skins team riders.

You can say what you like about going to England to work, save money and travel etc. It’s an experience that works for some people and doesn’t for others. Hats off to these chaps who are doing it a bit differently.

Viva Le Commercial Resistance’!

Between Friday and Sunday there were some of the best waves I’ve seen at The Fence in a long time. Lines of A-framed peaks bounced off the harbor wall and spun perfectly across the sand banks. Running down King’s Beach at 6AM on Saturday morning was like staring into a crystal ball that took you all the way back to ’97.

I’d like to send my best wishes to everyone infected with the merciless strain of stomach flue that swept PE on Saturday morning. Cripes, it must have been awful. And so many of you got it, too, all at the same time… My heart bled lumpy custard for you, as I stroked into one empty peak after the next.

I know you all wanted to be there. Last week everyone with girlfriends and boyfriends was claiming a cool indifference towards Valentines Day: No way, it’s a commercial; gimmick; My shnookims doesn’t care if I don’t buy her/ him a stupid card and a bunch of flowers; We don’t put a price tag on our relationship, Wadda wadda fish paste. I guess your immune systems just weren’t up to the challenge this pesky stomach flu presented.

God speed and a swift recovery, my friends :)

Jo Jo's Unlucky Line- Snapping Incident

“It’s going to be a stuff up! Shame upon South Africa! That’s what this monstrosity will cause, I can feel it!” bellowed Andrew Jenkinson. He was ranting about the soccer world cup as usual. Jenkinson loved to shout about social and political things.

“No boet, it’ll be amazing. It’s going to be an African world cup. Tourists have been coming here for donkeys ears. They love the place like it is. We can’t have a fancy Euro style tournament, because that’s not how things work around here. It’ll be perfect, you’ll see,” answered Ripley Amazondotcom.

They sat chatting in their flat, watching a fishing documentary: Rock Cod Diaries, the journey of Jo Jo La Patience.

“Don’t ‘no boet’ me. What about the taxi violence now? That’s just the beginning. You think this is going to stop any time soon? Those cretins need a bloody good hiding for tearing up the city! How could they burn clinics down? What will they do when the World Cup starts? Burn a stadium down?” Jenkison glared at his friend, expecting a decent response.

“It’s not that simple. The matter will be resolved before then. It has to be for everyone’s sake. Burning clinics down is outrageous…” said Ripley, gathering his thoughts.

“What for? It’s a no brainer. The taxis can mess off. What business do they have with the world cup?” asked Jenkinson.

Jo Jo La Patience was drifting over giant sea swells on the Pacific, sitting calmly in his speed boat with two rods dangling over the side and a pipe in his mouth.

“You’re not looking at the big picture. It’s like this,” said Ripley, “the BRT will exclude taxis during and after the 2010 Soccer bonanza. Who wouldn’t be hosed off about that? People across our country rely on taxis every day, and to exclude them from something this big is wrong. PE (and every other major city in SA) gears down from 5th to 1st gear without taxis. Failure to represent them during the World Cup shows an incomplete picture of our urban transport culture. The strike is completely understandable, but the violence is unacceptable. That much I agree with you on.” Less prone to ranting, Ripley based many of views on personal feelings.

“Don’t start your hippie none sense with me! They called off the strike after the army was deployed yesterday. They don’t have the courage of their convictions. If you’re going to make a point, make it and stand by your actions. This business of raising hell and then running away is cowardice,” said Jenkinson, going red in the face.

“That’s helluva swak. Again, I’m not saying I agree with the violence, but there has to be a way of making our country see that the BRT system excludes taxis. If they take the matter lying down, they’ll be left out,” said Amazondotcom.

Jo Jo La Patience watches his rod dipping. Suddenly he strikes! He’s got a beast on the end of his line, and starts reeling it in.

“No no no no. that’s horse kak. How can the taxi operators say they want to be a part of the world cup when they don’t form part of any system?” said Jenkinson.

“What do you mean?”

Suddenly Jo Jo other rod is dipping. He’s got two fish on the go is starting to look flustered.

“They don’t participate in anything orderly. How can they represent us on the global stage when taxis are a law unto themselves? They’re overloaded regularly, go through red lights, drive faster than the limit and sommer stop anywhere in the road so they can overload some more. How many drivers do you think have real licences, too?” Andrew Jenkinson took a deep breath, thinking he’d won the debate.

“That’s generalizing a bit,” answered Ripley Aamazondotcom, after a beat. "Besides, your parents bought you a car when you were seventeen and you drove it without a licence the whole year."

“That's completely different! Are you blind? That’s not generalization, boet! I just summed the whole lot up with a reporter’s accuracy!” exploded Jenkinson.

"Weren't you fined R800 last year for doing 170 down Cape Road?" asked Amazondotcom.


Jo Jo La Patience ’s lines snap. He’s lost both fish and is cursing the heavens. He sits back down and baits up again.

"Shut up, man. You're such a bunny hugger." said Jenkinson.

“That was close, ey? Jo Jo almost bagged two in one,” said Ripley.

“Ja, lank close. It’s almost impossible to do though. You can only fight one big fish at a time,” said Andrew.

“True story. Ching to see who drives to the shop?" answered Ripley Amazondotcom, turning the volume up to hear Jo Jo’s post line-snapping analysis.