From the Files of Mr Dirk...

Hi Paul,

This seems seems apropos, somewhat like our totem friends the wave gliding pelicans.

Best,

Dirk

Hawaii Quiver

7'9", 3'6", 2'8".

From Tom K...

(Paraphrased from the "Shinden School of Samurai Swimming.")

Water is the source of wisdom; swimming is the mother of all the arts. Children should be introduced to the sea as early as possible. Rather than being strictly "taught" how to
float and swim, they should be unobtrusively guided at first in order to allow them to gradually acquaint themselves with the water.

Body and mind must remain flexible. A calm mind is the single most important element of successful training. A swimmer must avoid struggling against the water, against him or herself, or against others. A trainee must strive to harmonize him or herself with the waves, becoming one with the body of water, be it a pond, lake, river, or ocean. Ride the waves with your mind as well as your body.

There are four levels of mastery, symbolized by the four seasons.

In spring the raw summer, bursting with energy and eager to compete, needs discipline and hard physical training.

In summer, the experienced swimmer, now at his or her physical peak, should explore the full dimensions of the art.

In autumn, the mature swimmer can relax a bit, sporting more freely in the water, and reflect on past experiences.

By winter, a true swimmer has become a wise old master, beyond the limits of victory or defeat, in prefect harmony with the sky, sea, and shore.

Swimming teaches us how to live properly. There is no way a solitary swimmer can impose his or her selfish will on the water. Swimming against the current will ultimately result in disaster. Swim with the flow, without strain, resistance, confusion, or unnatural movement.

Diving fosters bravery.

Submerging, patience.

Floating, serenity.

Distance swimming, fortitude.

Racing, a fighting spirit.

Swimming in frigid water, perserverance.

A swimmer should practice in all manner of water -- seas, lakes, marshs, rivers, and ocean...and under all types of conditions -- currents, waves, muddy water, and whirlpools.


TK

Mat Surfing Is Not A Crime!

Paul,

Got my Tracker today. YEEHA! Hoping to baptize it tomorrow.

Here's some old 70's pic's from the days before mats were outlawed at Boomer. Stewart Reid is the surfer. Back in the day, we had two guys who were really good. The other guy was Ed Hoopes but alas I don't have any photos of him. I used to borrow their mats while body surfing Boomer in the wee hours before the Guards came on duty back in the 70's. They rode the mats that were like your Classic. Not the big ones with the yellow rubber ends.

Thanks,

Dean

Mr Dirk...

:)

Mat Touring In Japan...

Hi PG,

How are you?

Around here, it becoming warm. Lately we have no waves. So last Thursday I did "Mat Touring." It was really nice!!

When we haven't surf, we can enjoy to use the Mat. So I think Mat is nice partner! Do you think so?

I saw "Tracker Roundtail" on your website. It looks nice. I will order this one tomorrow.

Aloha, Satoshi

By All Means, Try This At Home...

The Basics

$5 shorts, flippers, mat. Am now hardened to the point where I can surf all day in trunks without canvas rash. Second hand Quicksilver shorts are best yet. pod PF2s give superb wave holding ability, and now that the retainer straps are tied extra short, they stay on through anything. 4GF Standard is magic in all conditions. Ah, simplicity...

Pranaglider, Going Left

Paul,

I thought I would send this shot along.

Me on the Fatty hoping that the inside section decides to swallow me.

The surf was not great but we got a break from the spring winds and the sun was out.

The spot is called Blackies, just north of Newport Beach pier.

More of a longboard spot not really as much push as I like for the mat but it was fun.

Several people very interested in the mat.

BTW there should be a matting shot on the Surfers Journal "Journal Entries" section shortly.

I hope you are well.

Bruce

From Tom S...

Paul-

Had a great 10 day visit with my son and his GF, they are living and working in Cabo Pulmo, Baja California. Located on the Sea of Cortez and a beautiful marine sanctuary, they are the resident dive masters and instructors. My wife and I got our open water cert. while visiting them.

Surf wasn't too bad either, a short 25 min dirt track to the N. and we were on top of some of the area's best point breaks. Had 3 days of 5-7 feet @16 sec. The go-to surfcraft was the FGF-Standard, never had the urge to take either of my resident boards out. Last session this past Friday I went out and surfed with a couple of guys camping nearby they bailed for breakfast on the beach while I had it solo.

Another guy slipped out through the lineup, moving like a lynx on a SUP. He took one or two waves inside of me and paddled further out on the point where I was and we said good mornings. He had a familiar looking face under the hat brim so I paddled over and shook hands. He introduced himself as Gerry Lopez, and we shared set waves for the next 45 minutes or so before I left him to enjoy it alone. The mat screamed on those long pointbreak lineups, very pleased with the volume of that design.

More later...

Tom

Sunday Morning Fatty

Less than a week ago, my mother passed away from a pneumonia. This was the second time I lost my mother. You see, I have had two. I was adopted and shortly after I was reunited with my biological mother, she was killed in a car accident. So this Mother's day, I was blessed to spend the morning all alone with the only mother l have left, doing what I love the very most; surfing. The conditions were windy and cold but there was warmth. I thought it was a nice touch, surfing in such a manner as matting. This is the first time I've really surfed a mat. Here's a humble little sequence of waves from today...


Sunday Morning Fatty from Vyusher La Kali on Vimeo.

From Kendog...2006

Tom T Visits Portugal...

Hi Paul;

Even though we didn't have a telephoto lens, I think this is a pretty good shot of a mat rider taking off deep and setting up for a fast ride.


It's me riding, too, and I'm pleased to see that I look like a serious surfer on my mat. As a mat surfing pioneer in Portugal, I was hoping to set a high standard.

The next day I was back at this reef, to find bigger but windier conditions. It was actually more fun because there were only three of us out, and my Fatty really worked well in the chop and bumps. Here's a shot from the cliff before I went out:


One wave I caught was a thick bumpy double-up. I started out riding the top of the wave, gliding effortlessly while looking for an opening into the lower, bowly part of this double-up. I found it, pushed the mat over the edge and free fell into a bottom turn. When I looked down the line I saw a kid just on the other side of the bowl paddling for the wave, but watching me. He paused as if uncertain as I aimed right at him, then pulled out letting me have the wave. I rode it all the way into the cove. When I got back to the outside he had a gigantic grin on his face. "Looks like FUN!" he said, and asked me what I was riding! He spoke enough English for me to tell him about surf mats. This young Portuguese surfer had never even heard of mats, but he was really stoked about what he had seen. I was smiling too.

There are a lot of waves in Portugal, lots of interesting reefs. I didn't get anything in the way of epic swells, but there were no crowds anywhere I found surf. When there wasn't a swell, it was flat.


Lisbon wasn't breaking, but I imagine the crowd factor there is insane. The city is insane.

Tom

Update from Denis...

Hi Paul,

As I expected, a short period swell hit our shores on Sunday with a little wind, but still good 3 to 4 foot waves to share with some friends. So I took my new Standard Mat to a remote pointbreak and started to apply a little "surfmat theory", to see if things work...

To my surprise, it only took 3 waves, or less, to adjust my positioning while paddling or surfing. I started to feel the subtelties of hand and fin positioning, too, while bottom-turning and soon I was flying down the line, eating all the flat spots of the wave and connected all the sections through the shorebreak. There were plenty of hollow sections on the waves, but the wind was killing every single cover up attempt...but I've already felt that Mr. Standard likes to put me right where I should be!!

I now have a little rash on my chin...and a huge smile on my face!

I guess you know why??!!

Thanks Paul

Best wishes

Denis
Chateau d'Olonne
France

"2:35"

Heydon Bunting Sequence: From Seaworthy from Nathan Oldfield.

4GF Survives Volcanic Journey!

Hi Paul,

Just a few words to say that my Standard 4GF mat arrived last Wednesday in wonderful shape, after being stopped by the Volcano air traffic mess!

I'll take it to my local break for the first time tomorrow, as a new swell is about to hit our shores, after a 15 day flat spell...

Thanks for the stoke, Paul!

Best wishes,

Denis
Chateau d'Olonne
France

Marc From The Netherlands...

Hi Paul,

Just came back from France (Anglet). We had very good waves and weather!

It's great to surfmat on ocean waves instead of the Dutch North Sea. I had really good rides!! French surfers were looking pretty weird when they saw my mat. One guy came up to me and asked about the mat. He had never seen such a vehicle before...he liked it a lot!!!

I send you some pictures. We couldn't take proper mat pictures cause the camera was to small...

Anyway: stoked!!!

All the best

Marc

The Heart Of The Matter

Ten Miles From The Nearest Pavement

Although I don't question why I like matting so much, this is a good subject to post on. Well... the big kick for me is the Zen aspect of no ego. Mat riding is what it is. An engaging pursuit of hard-earned direct knowledge with no payoff except for the pure act in itself. I tell people it's the nerd version of surfing. But that's just an easy way out of trying to explain an unrelateable hardcore pursuit.

In reality, there is no simple explanation, due to the subtle complexity of shaping the craft to fit the environment. And lately, the huge realization is that with PG's help, I have arrived at the point of finally owning a surf vehicle that requires no further development. After over 200 surfboards and 20+ mats, the current 4GF Standard leaves me with no hunger for improvement. For the first time in this life I don't want more or different in the lineup!

My pod PF2s work more than fine. Good heel savers and fin leashes do the job. And my 4GF Standard performs flawlessly. From solid 10' third reef Boilers to 1' inside Babies. Even though I have a great brand new surfboard, plus Hybrid Fatty #1 and a late model Gen 1 XL, I'm hooked on the current Standard. My friends in the water all ask where my board is, and I come up with something like, "I'm going old school," or whatever comes to mind. The reality is that cranking turns and gliding walls on a perfect mat is way way better.

I finally encouraged some extra-good surfer buddies to go matting with my spare mats and flippers, and they exclaimed along the lines of, "Now we know what you are experiencing! This is really fun!!!" They thought I was from another planet until they tried it, and now they are asking for more. Of course, they balk at the price, but their sticks all cost over $500.00.

The big lesson here is that there is no way to get to the heart of the matter without going matting! So there you go...

There's Something About Bob...

Paul-

The Standard arrived in Friday's mail delivery. USPS protocol varies from state to state, but as you can see...in TX, if it makes it to the mail box (3/4 mile from the house) it meets government standards!


Bob, the resident semen specialist, was there to confirm delivery...


12 hours later I had the mat in the water. Another timely swell arrived Saturday with offshores all day - shoulder to head high and water warming to 70. Rode your mat all day and got 5 hours of uninterrupted, roping A-frames.

It's resting comfortably this evening.


Mil Gracias,

Tom

From Uncle Grumpy in San Clemente...

PG,

Time and tide were against me yesterday, but I got out this morning before the breeze came up. 2-4 foot SSW and pretty clean. I JUST got back from the beach...

WOW! Seriously. WOW! I LOVE MY NEW FATTY!

This is what I have been wanting in a mat. The shape and especially the new stiffer deck material makes it sooo much easier to handle, move around on and paddle.

I'd pretty much given up riding a mat in the local beach breaks just because I spent too much time wrestling with the mat between waves, but this new gem certainly changes that!

I am stoked!

I even got a little barrel this AM!

Also, when you have some time, please have a look at our website. http://www.glassicsart.com/

Again THANK YOU! Stoked!!!

Hal