Jerry's Tenerife Adventure!

Hi

Used my Mat for seven days solid got off the plane and within 3 hours was surfing. Was staying on the island of Tenerife in the Canary isles in the resort of Playa DE ls Americas which is surrounded by famous breaks it never went flat the whole week.Surfed spots such as Bunkers El Conquistador La Troya La Izquierda and La derecha del Cartel,these are all reef breaks and the Mat held up okay unlike me who got an urchin spine in my foot on my first surf.

Getting out, found the best way of duck diving was to try and fold the front to form a tunnel which seemed to work reasonably well most waves I could bob over. Paddling for the waves after a while got it taped and could not believe how late I could take off and make the drop, it was the bottom turn I had the most problem with get it right led to some long rides get it wrong and I went in a straight line into the shore and much frustration.

Overall I would say this is the second most fun you can have lying down, caught plenty of waves and had a ton of fun hope to get better at riding my mat , nearly pulled off air forward on one wave.Will be putting away my bodyboards and make my mat my weapon of choice.

Sorry no photos, wife worst photographer known to mankind

Regards Jerry

From the Emerald Isle...

Dia duit Paul,

Just a quick update from Ireland...still getting to grips with the Standard. Really stoked with it.

Had it out at a spot that needs a decent 10' swell to go off. Conditions weren't great for boards, but the mats don't care!

All the best,

Pat

River Run

Our trip was all too brief; we forged our way into the forbidden coast, enjoyed a lovely day of playful work, and then scooted home safely. I say forbidden because the fragile coast road is beset with rockslides and closures both north and south, so we crawled in through a little-used side route that cleaves the ancient Santa Lucia mountains. The drive was gorgeous beyond compare, albeit harrowing at times when we got a clear look at how the mountain slopes plunged away from the road's shoulder.

The conditions were kind to us. That area changes constantly, and we got a bit of rain and wind and cold and surprising tidal swings, but we also got some placid sunshine and a glassy ocean surface for a spell. We crammed about 25 quick setups into one day of shooting, and even had time for a little free surf afterwards. It was physically exhausting because the surf is a mile down an edenic footpath from the highway and parking lot. We hiked in and out 4 times, carrying camera and surf gear, so we expended some calories. The river runs all along the way, but access is limited. There is more poison oak there than you've ever seen in your life -- forested acres of it -- and much of the riverbed is rocky and tough. We tried to make it look more benign than it really was!

Kendog, dr. lang, and my son were champions the whole way -- eager, focussed, good-natured, and energetic. I can't thank them enough.

Here are some hasty frame grabs. I'll see what I can construct with the footage, and keep everyone apprised : )

Meeting Of The Mat Nerd Minds...

hi paul-

tom the airline pilot from Germany stopped by for a visit today. seems like a very nice fellow. we talked matting and life in general. i love making friends through matting. surf nerds unite!

all my best to you,

steiny

Latest iPad Marketing Blitz...

The geniuses at, uh, whatever place makes the iPad, have thrown down the gauntlet. Their fresh media come-on entails a bright young man in a store, contemplating the purchase of an IPad.

In the advert, the kid confirms his street cred by logging on to the hippest/hottest web page in the Northern Hemishpere...

Do You Know Who This Guy Is?

Paul

You should check out this interview with John Ruffels about Dr.Ernest Smithers, the the inventer of the surfoplane surf mat in the 1930s...really cool stuff!

MR MIKE

That's it...I'm moving to PR!

The Puerto Rican Terrier Surfed with Surfing Lab Today!

Here are dos amigo pups at Los Tubos, PR!

Antonio and his wife Michelle were perfect hosts. Lisa and Michelle continued to be amused by the pups enthusiasm. Managed to ride the mat at Rincon, Los Jobos and the Marine park within San Juan. We were in the water at Marine Park within minutes of our landing. How cool is it that the residents of San Juan can swing by for a session over lunch or after work...or instead of work! We found all the locals welcoming and curious about mats.

David

The Puerto Rican Terrier Surfed with Surfing Lab Today!

Hi Paul,

Got to meet Dave and his wife Lisa today, my wife and I met with them at La 8 beach in San Juan. Dave got to surf his Vespa for the first time, it was his first matting experience right out of the plane! I surfed my trustworthy Fatty and gave Dave a few tips. Dave told me that back home the temp was 28 degrees, here in PR it was around 88 all day. Waves were small but it was fun.

Afterwards I took them out of the city and into the north shore country to Los Tubos beach, waves were better there. Offshore winds, clear blue ocean, the reef could easily be seen, fish jumping out of the water and a very beautiful orange sunset reflected on the golden sand. Afterwards we ate some 6 oz marlin nuggets and drank a couple of Medallas. Finally we sent them off to Rincón via highway 22. Lisa took some photos today so I guess that they will have plenty to post on surfmatters. Waves will be small for the weekend and the beginning of next week but then we might get a strong cold front by the middle or end of next week. I will keep you posted.

Antonio (the puerto rican terrier)

By the way Frencho's Fatty and my Standard and UDT arrived with no problem, the UDT is huuugee!!!

Thanks again Paul and may you have lots of peace, joy and happiness!

Latest Testimonials...

(Raquel, Sophia and Brigitte love their inflatables...but they haven't had time to write!)

Hi Paul, I hope you are well.

As promised I am e-mailing you to let you know how I'm getting on with the new mat (Standard).

I have ridden the mat in a variety of surf conditions ranging from slow, crumbling peelers to fast, bowling waves and the mat has performed fantastically in all conditions.

It is so fast and responsive. I find myself making it around sections of white water with ease where on other surf craft I wouldn't. The "down-the-line" speed is phenomenal!

I had a surf recently with a friend and we lucked into chest-high, fast-bowling, hollow surf. When I was watching the surf from the shore I was worried that the waves were breaking too fast, but when I rode the mat I was having to stall with my fins and do cut-backs to stay in the pocket! I was getting some amazingly long rides!

So to summarise, I am extremely happy with the new mat (I can't stop grinning)!

Thanks, Matt

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Hi Paul,

The new Fatty arrived safe and sound in the middle of last week. I tried it out yesterday in a couple of feet of slightly blown out Cornish swell. The mat works like a dream and I think I had the best session out there, much to the annoyance of the longboarder with whom I was sharing the peak. Gotta love mats.

Cheers

Bob

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Paul,

I wanted to tell you that the Greenough-spec UDT is an absolute balltearer! When we were recently in Sri Lanka I constantly used this mat because the waves were small and having a fractured wrist made riding a little more complicated and the UDT was very forgiving.

I believe that I've found the 4GF model that works best for me. For some, the Standard or the Tracker is their preferred choice but for me, I like lots of canvas!
I've also changed my mind about taking this mat out in medium sized waves...it works all the time for me and slide-outs are rarely a problem and the speed is always on-tap!

Thank you again, Paul!

Neil

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The mats arrived in perfect shape, now for some surf. Thanks again for a
great job. I'll keep you posted on my progress as well as the interest shown
by a couple of aging surfer friends.

Do you have any idea of how a mat can generate such great speed and also
seem to have the holding power in steep portions of a wave? My friend John seems to make impossible section in crap surf on his mat while even
long boards are bogging down.

Let the fun begin,

Hugh

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Hi Paul

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back. I've been talking to my good mate Andrew Kidman, whom you may know, writes about the virtues of 4GFs. Hopefully he'll be in contact soon. Andrew says George Greenough can't speak highly enough of your mats.

My youngest daughter had an absolute blast on our classic last weekend. Seeing her experience that first glide was one of those moments I guess.

Hope you're well

Cheers, Hamish

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Hi Paul

Just wanted to let you know even though I have only had some crap summer waves the mat is great, hope to get something better soon, waiting for a local reef to work

Thanks
Mark

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Hi Paul

We received matt and T last week, all good!

Marita and I have both been riding it and having heaps of fun

THANKS AGAIN

Beau

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Hi Paul,

The Vespa, I keep turning to it because I'm curious to learn where the threshold is, where it's too soft and round for the size of wave. I remember you saying that learning to handle it will improve my riding once I'm back on a Standard in juicy conditions, and I reckon that's right. But the Vespa worked really well the other day, no spin outs or anything. It was a little sluggish at first, until I let out a breath or so and flattened it out, then it was just grand.

Best,

Dirk

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Paul,

Thanks for all your work over the years at pointing out where the real stoke lies. I can't believe I'm 41 and it's taken me this long to get on a mat. We don't have many mat riders here in New England. That could be it. Still, I spent a lot of time in my 20's trying to make a pair of surf skis work. You'd think the mat would have been a no brainer by comparison. You guys had already made it, for one!

Anyway, glad I reconnected with the mat before it gets too late. looking more and more forward to it as the trip gets closer. acapulco slop, let alone some peelers, will now be a blast.

Jim

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Hi Paul,

I am still wet from my latest session on my tracker. The waves are small and prefect today long mellow rights and lefts in Oceanside.
I surfed for a little over an hour every ride was fun. My second wave was a dry barrel on a two foot face.

On my last wave in a couple girls paddling over the shoulder looked at me with that
'why don't you standup look" and the words "excuse me if I don't stand up" just rolled off my tounge. I think I saw one of them smile
as I slid by.

TK

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pablo,

took my TRT out in some 3-5ft point surf. you know, coz the RTT is narrower, it allows me to paddle as well as kick, and saves wear and tear on the legs.

There was a bit of wind, so a lot of texture on the face of the wave....and she performed really well. held well.

A great mat.

Happy New Year, btw.

Saludos,
Jason

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I took out the roundo in 5' campus today. It surprised me how different it felt compared to the classic. It's hard to verbalize but it is better. I made every wave, and loaned it out to two people who said they want one. Guerdon.

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Paul,

The flyer came today! That was really fast! I have already blogged about!

Awesome product and I can't wait to get it out on the waves!

Sincerely, Michelle

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AK...in the house!

Hi Paul.... psyched myself. Bought a Dale mat 2 years back and will dig the new one mightily.

Attached article is the most noted alaska break, up in Yakutat, but point breaks abound in this island archipelago. Bought the UDT since I am 6-3, 220 lbees, and your copy summed up alaskan surfing with the quip on a big ass wetsuit (no icebergs though, yet).

Yakutat surf story link here:

Thanks for supplying really alternate, way cool hardware.

Best wishes, BoB, Sitka, Alaska

From John Culqui...

For more on John and his wonderful work, go here...

Two Of The Three Inflatable Amigos...

Hey Paul,

EPA was back in session yesterday morning at HQ bay... A slow moving mats-only session...just the three inflatable amigos.

I hadn't surfed for months so it was great

Steve posted some shots on Cabinessence.
Best

RS

Sent from my third iPhone

Greetings from Umm Suqeim..

Hi Paul,

As a counterpoint to French hippie-bliss, I'm sending you a pic of a new place you can tick off on the map.

It's choppy windswell only here...but with a nice size, warm water and smiling expat 'locals'. What a great afternoon!

Cheers,

Tom/Munich

Standard Inflation

Just wanted to let you matters out there know that I've been riding my 4GF Standard with 90 degree bend (when in the water) almost exclusively for a over a year now and am stoked on this setting. Seems to work fine for me in all conditions. And it's a firm L-bend, so the fabric goes tight. My guess is that the rails and channels get a crisp tuck-edge for both grip and release. Plus the semi-rigid mat is easy to paddle and control. I have done a few tests of lower and higher inflation, just out of curiosity, but keep coming back. This may not work for you, but I like it...

Regis From France...

this regis from france:

i receved the mats last week ;perfect ,i just wait to be far from my 4cats who used to play with every things ;now i just need time and sun;i feel like a kid waiting christmas.

im just the pilot of my flying surf mobile;i ve just croos 4angels who make this chef d oeuvre ,amy smith ,melissa anna and leilani ;thanks for all :i hope to send you photos off a good surf day;

have fun;

cio

Henri From France...

Untitled from Denis Henriques on Vimeo.

From the French Coastline...

Hi Paul,

Last week, I told you about a small right peeling against a harbour jetty wall.
Well, this morning the swell picked up again sending a few lines to this well sheltered area of my hometown bay. I had a nice two hour session with my Standard at mid-tide, when the wave starts close to the little lighthouse and builds a nice rippable wall with an occasional cover-up.

The wave is really easy to catch as it comes with a little foam ball against the wall that picks the rider way before the wave starts to roll...so you can position yourself on the right spot and wait for the little tube to build-up. Even when it's 1-2ft a Standard mat will handle it and glide effortlessly, thanks to the "push" created by the jetty's wall, you just have to do little snappy cutbacks to get in proper wave spot. Really fun with a mat!! I've "rediscovered it", lately...

The pictures were taken after my session, when the tide was too high, making the waves smaller and powerless. But it was small...waist high in the good sets (knee high in the pictures) and as the jetty is about 10 ft. high, it flattens even more the waves in these pictures...but sometimes, we do get it way bigger. "Jetty high," I'd say...so these puppies can get really scary!!!

Bye, Denis

From Marc In The Haag...

Hi Paul,

Just received the Vespa.
What a combination!

Greets,

Marc

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From Mike...

paul;

rode the new vespa monday and tuesday in a droping swell 2 to 3 ft the vespa does better in smaller surf then the tracker a little more mat than the tracker. I like the tracker in a bigger surf a little faster I think. to tell my mats apart at a glance I airbrush things on each one I use water base acrylic on top of the mat. does not come off in the water.

MIKE

From Regis...

bonjour,

i m regis from france;its a long time i look for a surf mat ,dreaming on greenough video but i was scare to own one ;here in france surfers are a little closed in their mind when you talk about different way to have fun in the water ;but my best friend Max in san diego ride a tracker roundtail and he never be so happy;i m bored about crowded beach ;and i look a mat for the sand beach in les landes;waves are speed with big barrels but far from the car park so nobody go;so i hope the coversion are ok ;5;741 feet and 182;981 livres that for me;i look for the tracker roundtail;do you accept to make me one ;and for how much and how long it take to make one?

thanks for all;

thats my old surf mobile