With
the surf being stink lately here in NZ, I've published a 10,000 word
sci-fi story with a surfing angle called NOT FROM EARTH. It's available
to read at mat-max.webnode.com.
I want to see it made into a TV show in the X-Files tradition. (If
anyone out there knows Chris Carter, please show him this concept.)
Hope your well mate and hanging in there amongst the madness of the year so far..
Well
with the forecast looking good and the slight relaxation of some travel
and social gathering rules we SCUMMbags decided to head a little south
to one of our fav rights a point break. We hadn’t been down since just
after the fires ripped through there early February, we hit it about 20
mins before sunrise all to ourselves for a short while then we had to
put up with another two in the line up one of the two being a local
kneelo we have gotten to know over the years and one other a another
kneelo so the vibe was good.. anyways said Gday to Keith the kneelo
and the first thing he says is ….. where you guys been? its has been
noticed that you guys haven’t been here in a while.. haha..
Heres
a quick video, I went for the slomo option as you get to see a lot
more of how we all wrangle our craft differently.. again they were put
through the abuse cycle that is that right hander and again the
4thgearflyers lived up to the challenge check for Adams early sinus
cleanse first wave.. yehaaa and of curse there was lots of sympathy from
Neal and I ..not.
Hope
this finds you and yours all happy ( as much as you can be in
isolation) and healthy. Been some tough times over our ways this year
so far particularly in our little hamilet on the South Coast NSW,
first we had the fires over the summer that devastated so many areas
and communities around here over the holiday season then we had some
floods happening and now its been several weeks since we had the
freedom of doing what we want when we want replaced with the current
virus crisis worldwide. It has its good and bad points i suppose as you
know where us SCUMMbags reside down here and with the fires and now the
travel bans and social distancing and isolation rules ( not lockdown
ha) it has kept the city dwellers and non locals out of our breaks for
the first quarter of 2020 well the majority of them anyways still the
odd outa towner.. We are still managing some slide time under the banner
of daily exercise. The Autumn (Fall) weather has been kind with some
glorious mornings enjoyed around our local stomping ground.
Philfee
Phil Harper celebrated a Birthday the other Saturday so we through him a
wave party at one of our regular breaks Flatties nice fun early morning
slide then a wander up the beach to another sneaky bommie we knew was
working for some low tide right handers was a great morning indeed. The
swell was forecasted to jack up overnight with Sunday morning proving
to be a bit more of a challenge at Flatties but hey Paul you know us we
SCUMMbags love a challenge. Here are a couple of short videos of the
weekends fun and mayhem we hope you enjoy seeing your craft being put
through its paces SCUMM style.
I can’t express how stoked I am on matting, I prefer
to mat over riding a board most days. and if someone else is matting with
me I am like a giddy child! Hope you and your family is staying safe
during these times.
I included a picture of me at the 28th street pier
on a blown out day...I had to myself.
I hope you and yours are happy and healthy during these trying times. I
just wanted to share with you the joy your mats give me whenever I have a
chance to ride them. I was able to go down south last weekend on a
windy afternoon and decided to ride the mat after seeing some small
peelers off a jetty. I was preparing to keep my social distance from
anyone in the water but was thankful to see that there wasn't anyone
else out as far as the eye could see. I got many fun rides and my wife
was able to catch a few on her cell phone. Thank you again for these
fun vehicles that help me keep my stoke and sanity during this
pandemic! Praying for everyone to get through this and on to a better
tomorrow.
This is Smokey the cat once again, with best friend and matting protege Velzy. We named
her Velzy after my favorite wave and love and respect for Dale
Velzy, the great Dutch woodworker. His lifetsyle and contributing to
surfing from the beginning..
Yet to my knowledge, Dale never even surfed Velzyland!
An insane number of mat surfers share the waves in Pacific Ocean Park back in the 50's...sans leashes, sunblock, or concerns about a pandemic. You can't say those were better days for any number of social reasons...but these kids are sure having fun!
