From The Lone Wolf...

Hi Paul,

I’ve resisted the immediate urge to dash off a mash note of appreciation just ‘cause it seems everyone does, and I’m a lone wolf, baby! But I can’t help it- I’m absolutely in love with the surfing the mat is providing, and I’m deeply grateful to you for building it!

First two sessions were at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, and were mostly totally humbling. Every aspect of managing the mat was difficult. But, thank god, I got a couple of fast slides that gave me a taste of the ride.

I’ve been traveling in New Zealand for the past month, and have had a chance to get to know the mat in good, uncrowded surf (and good, crowded surf!). Besides occasionally being treated like a gremmie (which I am on the mat, but not in dog years, dammit!) in the aforementioned crowded stuff, riding the Tracker Roundtail has been a delight, and a revelation! I’ve had it out in sizable, fast long point surf, beachbreak from excellent to crappy, small, pleasant reef surf (as in the picture), glassy surf, cranking offshore surf… onshore too- and it is the same story every time- pure joy. The speed (face front and low), the living bursts of acceleration, the sensation through one’s body of the texture of the wave are intoxicating (I’m neglecting my poor, trusty surfboard, and in truth, suspect I might have happily left it behind). Sometimes Superman flying dreams realized- arms back at my sides, flying along, whoooeee! The learning curve is steep, but the rewards when we’re doing it right (me and the TR, my pal) remind me of nothing but those first sweet rides I got as a kid- it’s all new again!

Thank you, sincerely, for re-igniting the stoke, the mystery and the surprise in surfing!

-Jonathan