Tracks Mat Survey Article...

This is a shot of George with the collection of mats he tested.

Tracks Mat Survey

I've got the rest of article if anyone's interested, but I thought the two most interesting bits are

1: GG's positioning in the picture, chin high and tight, holding a line, and

2: Lennox and Kirra at 8ft are the ideal walls to test a mat...

RS channeling GG???

Hey Paul,

Thought you'd get a laugh out of this sketch I drew to explain to my wife Lesley what I'd been doing all day on Saturday. Ryan and I were trying to channel the G.G. riding position -- staying super low and still and positioning ourselves for maximum speed in good waves. The learning happens at a faster rate -- as we found Ryan is utilising the skills he developed riding his Liddle to position himself on the wave. I'm listening/watching and having too much fun to slow down. My ankles want a divorce.

R.S.

4GF Update

All of the back-ordered 4GF Hybrid mats have been completed and sent out. Thank you all for your patience!

I've begun to inventory hybrid mats, and all new orders will now ship immediately.

Thanks,
PG

Kid with a mat

I've been involved with art directing a history book for the Santa Barbara Yacht Club for aeons now; someday it will be published. One of the great pleasures of the project is getting to pore over piles of old photos of the Santa Barbara harbor area, in great detail. Yesterday I came across this one and my eye immediately went to the kid with the mat. This was shot in 1950, at the start of the racing season, the first year that the clubhouse was sited in its present location in the corner of the harbor, at the base of the breakwater. I don't know who the boy is, but he's more or less one of George Greenough's contemporaries. I wonder if they knew each other?

When GG moved away from Santa Barbara he left a handsome collection of his family's photos with the SB Maritime Museum, and a selection of them will find a place in the SBYC book. The finest of them were breathtaking original Walter Collinge prints of glorious old sailboats underweigh in the local waters.

The Eagle(s) Have landed

The new rolls of Black Nylon Canvas deck material and Blue Twill bottom material are in. I'm making mats now, filling my outstanding 4GF orders. They should be done within the next week or two. New orders will go out immediately after that.

Thanks,

PG

P.S. A good tip from Mat Max: If you're kicking a canvas topped 4GF over shallow rocks, flip it over and paddle it upside down so the 1000 denier side is exposed to the bottom. No guarantees it will prevent punctures, but it'll minimize the risk.

P.P.S. George calls the new hybrid 4GFs "Hardtops." You can take the surfer out of the hot rod, but you can't take the hot rodder out of the surfer.

Qualifications

“I’m only a simple person. I’ve only ever wanted to go surfing,” he says. “I surf nearly every day of my life. These other silly bastards are having heart attacks, hip operations, because they’ve been grinding away trying to make dollars. They go surfing in Indonesia for three weeks and still call themselves surfers. Fuck off. I know three people who qualify as true surfers - David Treloar, Chris Brock and George Greenough. They’re surfers. The rest of us lost our way. You talk to them about surfing ... They’ll tell you when the best swells hit in the last 10 years, what time of the day it was, what wind was blowing, how many people were in the water, what tide was best ... If it’s 10 foot tomorrow morning the first one out there will be Baddy (Treloar). He’ll be out there before the sun comes up. He will. He must be close to 60, and the same goes for Brocky. They’ve never worked. They’ve bummed around. The priority has been surfing ..."
-Geoff McCoy
Byron Bay, NSW

Jamie Mac ...

...screaming through the end of a LOOONNNGGG wave between Greenies and the Kirra Groin!!!

Photo: Taters

Fall in Queensland

Burleigh Heads

The Snapper Racetrack

Greenmount

It's finally over, the most rediculous run of surf I've ever been party to. It didn't drop below 6ft for 6 weeks.

Photos: Sean Scott, Joli, Swilly

Winter in North Carolina

Yep, that's ice...

All photos courtesy of Matt Lusk, who has just taken the plunge, quitting his real job for a full-time gig as a photographer. Best of luck Matt!!

http://www.mattluskphotography.com/

Snaked Again!

Gen2 4GF Update

After a month of riding the new generation Fourth Gear Flyer in everything from perfection to slop, I am pleased to say that it is great! The nylon canvas top is superb and the blue bottom fabric is excellent. Overall, this mat is an improvement on an already terrific product. Especially surprising is how comfortable the deck feels when surfing in boardshorts. I expected to be getting a canvas rash straight away. Yet after weeks of barebacking it, still no irritation. After trading off with the same size and shape Gen1 Fatty 4GF for comparison, I have concluded that I definitely prefer the new mat. It feels much more substantial with equal speed. Handling is smoother. Getting out through breaking waves is easier. Grip on the deck is ideal for subtle position changes. And it's got to be much stronger. I reckon this mat will last for decades.