Hi Paul,
I intended to write an account of my time
in Raglan for your blog, but the truth was, surf-wise, it was pretty
unremarkable. I just
wasn’t feeling like the experience I had (which was more
focused on my friends and the quiet beauty of the place than on the surf) would have
fit the surfmatters bill.
But now I’m home, dog walking full time. The contrast was profound upon
returning. I’ve
included a few pictures that might be nice for Surfmatters.
When we
were talking about mat riding in artificial wave pools a while back, this is what I
was living in! Without a lot of good surf on this trip, I though a lot
about the broader picture of what “surfing” meant to me… and it was
appreciating the whole experience, the environment, the journey to the
shore, the weather, the animals, the people. Steve Pezman wrote
something I agree with in a recent Surfer’s Journal to the effect that
surfing was all these
extramural things; that wave pool surfing was
something, but not
surfing.
There
was SOME quality wave riding though :)
Right at the end of my trip. I
had to go find it away from Raglan, dog-sitting down in the same fertile
wave zone as last time. That vacation-within-a-vacation delivered good,
uncrowded surf every day. I only brought mats - my Lotus, and the two
I left for my friends four years ago, my Standard and my first
ever mat from you, the Tracker Roundtail, circa 2010. Both these mats
still held air :) and both went great! Those sessions were like dying
and going to heaven - long rides without crowds or even anyone at times
(!), and plenty of room to refine/explore how to maneuver and make it
down the line. Mostly at the long left hander in the photos, pictured on
different days in different moods. My go-to spot, five minutes from
where I was staying :)
The messy right hand point reminded me of the spot Nat Young and GG rode in Crystal Voyager.
One
funny story to go with one of the photos: the golden retriever I was
sitting was pouting because his family was away, and then he disappeared
overnight. I was terribly worried, and emailed the owners the next
morning. They told me to get in their car and head out like we were
setting out for his walk. Not 30 seconds down the road, the damn guy
appeared in my review mirror INSIDE the car - he’d spent the night in the
back! WTF!!
Another photo shows the ripples running along
the inside of the harbor. The little waves made a sublime sound,
something like a bucket of water pouring, an almost laughing sound... incredibly soothing and relaxing.
Also included a few images of some of the more choice book covers from the little bookstore I worked in.
Anyway,
this was meant to be brief :)
Really hoping you guys are well, and that
we all make this gnarly section that’s looming ahead….
Jonathan
