NE BLAHS

Dana Truman -- photo study by Eugene Cole
Summer weather patterns warmed water along the Eastern Seaboard with a strong, entrenching Bermuda high pressure system. The resulting winds washed the occasional chest-high swells to the more exposed spots in the Northeast, and along with the breeze and waves came several hungry sea creatures. The talk of the town in Eastham, Massachusetts, was two shark attacks on seals which were witnessed on Cape Cod in early July. The underwater assailants struck just beyond the surf line and were identified as either makos or whites. This is not surprising because blue fish and bass, which are considered delicacies by the predators, are migrating to the northern waters. But the beasts’ favorite main course, the savory seal, has been steadily rising in abundance over the past several years along this stretch of coast, bringing with them their toothy companions. •Up north in Maine, Eugene Cole is attempting to document the dedication and lifestyles of this hardcore surfing community by using an 8” x 10” view camera. He has been photographing lifestyle portraits for a wide-ranging demographic of Maine surfers in their harsh, but beautiful conditions since the beginning of the 1999 summer. The complicated print process involves exposing the negatives on specially treated albumen paper stock then developing them in direct sunlight, resulting in sepia toned, antique-style photos. The graduate from the San Francisco Institute of Fine Arts is currently seeking grants to help fund his project and can be reached at 207-871-1094.
Greg Levy -- McGovern
•Team Woody’s Surf Shop kept the competitive momentum moving from last season by winning several trophies at the Oakley and Volcom-sponsored ESA contest on June 10th. The event was held at Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton, New York, with Tyler Abbatello landing first place in the Boys and Longboard divisions, while his brother, Tom “T-Bone” Abbatello, took third in Men’s Open. Shop owner Woody Abrahamsen is also holding popular beginner surf clinics on Sunday mornings at Smith Point. Abra-
hamsen and fellow instructor Pete “Moon” Lambert are teaching up to ten ambitious students at a time. Both qualified instructors are ocean certified lifeguards and ensure the kids not only catch a wave but learn water safety as well. •Along the craggy coast of Rhode Island, the Ryan P. Roberts Surf Classic was held at 2nd Beach in Middletown on August 19th. The contest honored 25-year-old Ryan, who tragically passed away last winter due to cancer. The event, recognizing the avid surfer/ snowboarder, was sponsored by Volcom, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, and Waterbros, as well as local restaurants Christie’s, The Brick Alley Pub, Yesterday’s, and La Forge. •The Annual Northeast Surfing Championships take place on Saturday, October 21st at Narragansett Town Beach in Rhode Island. For more details, contact the ESA at 401-723-4674, Watershed at 401-789-3399, or by e-mail at www.surfesa.org. •Some of the most in demand surfboards in southern New England this year are the homegrown shapes of veteran ESA competitor Dave Levy of Narragansett, RI. Orders for his shortboards and longboards have him backed up in the shaping room, and Dave said, “Once several top ESA competitors began riding them, they just took off. The list of riders includes Morgan Gallipeau, Tom Guadagno, Lee Ferrera, and Greg Levy.” Dave has been pumping out about ten boards a week and does all the dirty work, “from skinning to finning.” Greg Levy, Tricia Pan, and Peter Pan recently returned from another successful “Bic” Learn to Surf Jamboree Tour. The surf clinic began at Cocoa Beach, Florida, and ended in Narragansett, RI. The new ten-foot Bic longboard was introduced to the U.S. market during the tour. The shape performed well for them in a wide range of surf during their up coast trek from Florida’s warm water sandbars to Maine’s cool peaks.
Craig Bobbitt -- Mez
•Rumor has it that Watershed manager, Ted Pan, is on the hunt for a rep job in either the surf or skate industry. The recent graduate of Northeastern University is armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, and to reach him for an interview, interested parties can e-mail Ted at drtko@ids.net or call him at 401-524-6104. •Top New England surfer, Chris Causey married Amy Baxter in a traditional beach ceremony in July. After the reception, most of the guests and chipper newlyweds hit the two to three-foot surf for a celebratory session. New England Master Tom Noda tied the knot in August as well with Christina Cuscianna in Boston. •ESM supposes that a congratulations of sorts is in order for Massachusetts madman Brian “Flounder” Killen and crew for their strong showing in the annual Figawi Regatta. The debaucherous team sailed from Nantucket aboard the 33-foot sailing vessel aptly christened “Disco Sled.” Following in their victorious wake, they left a trail of booze, smoke, and a resonating chorus of heckles led by the wee Irish lad, “Flounder,” himself. •Plans are in the works for an evening of classic surf films in one of the East Coast’s most classic surf towns at the famous Wellfleet Drive In on Cape Cod. The benefit will go down sometime in September. •Another hardcore surfer in the Northeast, John “Tank” Esguerra, has just relocated to New York City and is now working for Hearst Publishing. “Tank” will still keep one hand in the surf biz by creating ad layouts for Dan Taylor Surfboards. •New Yorkers should watch local lineups for the invasion of Roger Brucker Sea Island Classic Longboards. Craig Bobbitt of Spectrum Surfboards in Indialantic, FL, brought a truckload of the nine to ten-foot shapes to shops all across New York. People are raving about the intricate detail on the sticks, and orders are stacking up. Call 912-234-8429 to order one. Compiled by John Steinhorst 


MA BLAHS

T.R Deveney -- Chrisner
Whether negative or positive, quality magazine writing should always evoke some kind of response from its readers, just as long as it’s not a yawn. Last issue’s Kingpin article looked to find the main man at New Jersey’s Manasquan Inlet, and it seems that ESM created quite a stir among the locals, but it sure didn’t put them to sleep. One of those queried for the column was T.R. Deveney, who was tapped by the town of Manasquan to run the Big Sea Day Surfing Contest at the Inlet on August 12th and 13th. This event was a charity fund-raiser that donated money to three organizations: the Manasquan Elks Handicapped Children’s Fund, the Historical Society of Manasquan, and the Manasquan Skatepark Fund. The contributions for the Skatepark Fund went towards the proposed construction of a YMCA-backed skatepark in town. The event also included a Channel Islands surfboard raffle and proceeds went to a scholarship fund in the name of Adam O’Donnell, a Sea Girt lifeguard and ‘Squan regular who recently died of a brain aneurism. The pre-contest party at the Elks Lodge included raffled goods by Arnette, DSO, and Dragon, as well as slide shows by Bruce Chrisner, Mike Meseroll, and Ray Hallgreen. T.R. was amped to be able to give back to the surfing community. However, he was even more excited to report that his wife Traci gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Thomas Luke Deveney on October 15th. •Another jazzed father from Jersey is Anthony Fiore, who announced the birth of Cameron Anthony Fiore, heir to the Die-Tan clothing empire. Cam was born on June 30th weighing 9 pounds and 9 ounces. •Dregs Jersey rep Rich “Crackman” Nugent welcomes new teamrider Jay Bahr from Manahawkin to the Dregs Sk8 team. Any shops who haven’t got Dregs yet can contact Rich at 609-287-3425 for info and appointments. •Meanwhile, down south on the Crystal Coast, the Quiksilver Learn to Surf Camp in Salter Path, North Carolina, provided instruction and inspiration to over 80 young surfers who practiced and received water safety tips from pro surfers Ben Bourgeois and Jason Borte. Ben, who is putting all his competitive winnings to good use, bought a three-bedroom house in the Wilmington area. He now lives just five minutes from the beach with good friend and Masonboro top dog, Mark Hunt. One of the most interesting features of his abode is a large trampoline in the backyard which we’re sure Benny will find very helpful rehabilitating the knee he injured at Tavarua.
Ben Bourgeois -- Messick
•“Mork” Hunt and the rest of the Action Surfboards team, including Bobby Webb as well as CNC’s Erik Schub and Dylan Stone, traveled to Nicaragua’s Pacific coast in June. Check out this issue’s article featuring the Carolina crew and photographic goods by Dick “Mez” Meseroll. •In other CNC headlines, Chris Crockett flew to Brazil in June to represent the U.S. Amateur Team at the World Games, and then he was off to Hawaii with Sara Willis and Hunter Lupton to compete in the U.S. Amateur Surfing Championships. Congratulations to the traveling amateur Crockett and his new wife Ashley for getting married on July 1st. Thanks go to District Director Beth Schub of CNC for supplying ESM with all the above information. We encourage all ESA districts to send newsletters and contest coverage as well. •Hotline Surfboards sent word regarding their new shop which opened June 22nd on Baltic Avenue and 17th Street in Virginia Beach. The grand opening was a success with attendees like Roxy rep Tina Lee, Rip Curl’s Brad Williams, Quiksilver’s Rick Banta, and an assortment of Vah Beach luminaries. Mid-Atlantic Globe rep Burney Wheeler brought professional skater Rodney Mullen to the festivities, and Rod didn’t disappoint the crowd as he landed gravity-defying airs and wreaked havoc on the ramps in the new parking lot. The opening party also included mass giveaways and entertainment by local band Seldom Ever Spoken, featuring Hotline employee James Walsh on the bass guitar. The punk phenomenon appeared on the Vans Warped Tour by winning the Battle of the Bands competition in Virginia. •Beltway Bandit Darryl Hatheway, who’s chairman of the Washington, DC, Surfrider Capitol Chapter, sent news that on August 19th, the group of aquatic activists plunged into the Potomac River on a fleet of surfboards, kayaks, and canoes for the 6th Annual Capitol Clean Water Paddle. The rally started at Thompsom Boat Center in Georgetown at 8:30 am and ended an hour later downstream at the famous Key Bridge. •In other news, the RC’s Surfboard crew along with Local Motion icon Pat Rawson took their annual mobile shaping demonstration from Florida to Rhode Island in July. RC’s shapers Chris Birch and Andy Wheel reported scoring good waves up and down the coast while they were on tour. The surf was exceptional in locations like New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. However, the Outer Banks session on the way back home made the trip complete. RC’s owner and operator Ricky Carroll was seen annihilating the chest-high peaks south of Avon during unseasonably light northeast winds.
Adam Holoway -- Cresitello
•Jellyfish attacks were reported at Manasquan Inlet in New Jersey on July 14th. The second stop on the Northeast Volcom Crustaceous Tour, known as the Jellyfish Surf Series, hosted over 80 surfers from the Central Jersey area according to organizer and Volcom East Coast promo man Sean Slater. The two-foot waves provided just enough surf to compete until municipal lifeguards were forced to clear the beach due to a dangerous lightning storm that ended the contest early. In lieu of cancelling the final heats, judges decided to average the semi-final scores to determine the winners. Stand-outs at the event included Adam Holloway and Adam Muniak, who won their divisions by making the most of the marginal conditions. •ESA All-Star Greg Fuller is now riding for Heritage Surf & Sport, along with Eric Mateer who is currently ranked the #1 Junior in the state of NJ. The newest and youngest Heritage member, 14-year-old Nick Evancich, has also been turning heads with his progressive surfing in the Boys’ division. •The new century is upon us, and Fuel’s arsenal of Right Coast sales representatives are ready to show their local shops “what’s new” for the fall and winter of 2000. Brothers Joe and Bryan Sheridan are heavily involved with the East Coast assault, covering Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina. Fuel the fire by calling them at 910-791-7606. Spy rep, Tony Bottero, is also hitting the retail trenches for Fuel in the New Jersey and New York areas, and he can be reached at 917-991-2599. •O’Neill rep Gary “Poobs” Clayton, along with teamriders Cory Lopez, Shane Beschen, and Mavs madman Jason “Ratboy” Collins, visited Tony Giordano and the Ocean Hut Surf Shop faithfuls in Lavallette, New Jersey, to sign autographs in early August. ESM Senior Photographer Ray Hallgreen was on hand to take pictures of the crew for the Hut’s 25th anniversary party. Congrats from ESM to Tony G on the silver anniversary of one of our coast’s finest houses of soul.  Compiled by John Steinhorst  

SE BLAHS

Kelly -- Dugan
During the first part of the summer, the Southeast wave drought index pushed into dangerous levels. Except for the brief respite provided by a couple short-lived, small scale windswells, both the Atlantic and Gulf were locked into full lake mode. Desperate times called for desperate measures as surfers throughout the region looked to alternative means of self-gratification in activities like wakesurfing, skateboarding, and heavy drinking. Those crossover skaters living in Orlando were treated to a weekend of relief during University Surf & Sport’s fourth annual skate contest. The competition, held July 18th and 19th, drew hundreds of spectators out to the Oviedo Marketplace parking lot. Sixty-five contestants in three age divisions battled it out on a custom designed street course that included launch ramps, quarter pipes, boxes, and grind rails. The winners were awarded hundreds of dollars in store credit, decks, and T-shirts. USS also announced the grand opening of its third store, located on Sand Lake Road near Dr. Phillips High School. The new shop commenced business in August, joining the other two locations in Oviedo and across from UCF. •Dave Hamilton, owner of Vector Surfboards, announced that his company opened a new factory in West Melbourne. Along with the new shaping facility, Vector has been busy signing the latest batch of teamriders including Danny Cruden. The Florida surfer from Rockledge is a welcome addition to an already talented crew. Call Dave at 321-723-3100 to order one of his custom shapes. •The multi-talented Kelly Slater has added film production to his already stacked resume. He premiered his first surf flick, entitled September Sessions, in late July at the Center for the Arts in Vero Beach, Florida. The film, which was produced by the six-time world champ, is a cinematic documentation of the boat trip featured in the “Tomorrowland” story that appeared in Surfer magazine’s March 2000 issue. The 16mm movie stars Slater, Brad Gerlach, Shane Dorian, Rob Machado, Luke Egan, and Ross Williams surfing dream waves in the islands off the coast of Sumatra. The action is narrated by Slater, discussing in intimate detail, his feelings on life after the tour, his surfing, and his friends. The premiere also included a short video promoting Surfrider’s MOM II album as well as a prize raffle, but the highlight of the evening was the debut of Kevin Welsh’s ninth installment in the Surf NRG series titled Ocean Energy. The newest addition to Welsh’s collection of films features choice footage of top East Coast talent destroying waves in Central Florida, Barbados, and Costa Rica. Besides the surfing action, there’s a classic segment where Matt Kechele tosses a four-foot boa constrictor directly at Welsh, and in another scene, Slater nails a unique “hole in one” while visiting his home in Cocoa Beach. Judging from the hoots and applause Ocean Energy received, Kelly may be the best surfer in the world, but as far as filmmaking goes, Welsh definitely has the upper hand.
Matt Kechele -- Mez
•South Carolina surfer and photog DJ Struntz recently returned from a trip to mainland Mex with a Charleston crew, including Zack Watson, Chad Speedy, Anthony Girlardo, Sam Von See, and David Decker. The Carolinians caught two good swells with 8 to10-foot backs at several unnamed breaks. The gringos also attended a Mexican-style rodeo which featured bullriding, mariachi music, and lots of cerveza. And on their last day, DJ treated everyone to fresh ceviche made from fish he caught on the beach, and the meal in turn treated the whole group to a delightful case of food poisoning. All seven travelers made frequent runs to the airplane restroom while flying home, and Zack even had to visit the hospital upon arriving back in South Carolina. Thankfully, they’ve all recovered fine, except for DJ’s fishing pole which was found mysteriously snapped into several small pieces. •Fellow South Carolinians and Sunny Daze surf shop owners Chas Plasse and John Tolly said that Hilton Head saw small, ridable surf for groms and beginners in early July. Chas reported that he’s been out surfing with his daughter, Alex “Beanie” Plasse, who’s been getting the lineup wired on her new 5’6” Sunny Daze. According to her father, 7-year-old Alex, who started bodyboarding at the age of two, is now catching waves, standing, and flying down the line all by herself. Plasse also told ESM that the rest of Hilton Head’s female population is taking up surfing in droves, filling his store with record business. Sunny Daze offered a congratulatory shout out to friend and Quest Surfboards owner Todd Youngblood who recently became a proud new father. Todd’s wife Shanna gave birth to son Kimble on June 6th. However, just one month following delivery, Todd shirked his diaper changing duties and took off on a two-week surf trip to Australia with the ESA All-Star Team.
Pasquales -- Dugan
•Frank Floyd, owner of Wind and Waves surf shop in Corpus Christi, Texas, informed ESM that shop employee Ryan McKinney just returned from his vacation to Mex where he and brother Matt scored great surf at Pasquales and Ticla. Unfortunately for Ryan, he broke his ankle while skating just a week before the trip and was forced to sit on the beach and take photos. The two were down in Mexico celebrating Matt’s recent high school graduation, and after watching his brother catch several unreal waves, Ryan decided that he had had enough and grabbed a bodyboard.Charging out to the lineup with one swim-fin, a bandaged leg, and a borrowed sponge, Ryan looked to pull into some big barrels but ended up getting spanked by the double overhead pits. After picking the sand from his teeth, McKinney gave credit to bodyboarders everywhere, humbly admitting, “It’s harder than it looks.” •Over on the other side of the Gulf, Central Florida’s, Aurasurf owner Micah Weaver reported that Upham Beach has “pulled a Lazarus” and risen from the dead. After being plagued by months of flatspell conditions coupled with beach closures due to renourishment, the popular St. Pete spot is officially back in business. During a waist to chest-high windswell in mid-July, Micah said that the new face-lift had the normally mushy longboard wave wedging with a peaky bowl and a lined-up right wall. Down in Bradenton, the same storm system dumped 12 inches of rain and flooded 60 homes. Manatee County surfers braved the torrential downpour and ensuing lightning to catch chest-high Anna Maria Island at a time of year when the only waves usually found are those from passing boats. •Melbourne Beach local and young entrepreneur Connie Arias put on her first surf clinic called Little Grom Surf Camp for three weeks in June. The 13-year-old self-starter held classes at the Indialantic Boardwalk, and participant’s ages ranged from six to eleven. Arias told ESM that the best part of the camp was “the smile on each of the kids’ faces when they stood up on a board for the first time.” She feels that the camp was a huge success and plans to continue her efforts to provide local groms with positive role models. Connie, who is a top local ESA competitor, credits her sponsors and mentors, including Ron Pierce at Girl Star, Karin Morel at Shaggs, and Craig Bobbitt at Spectrum, for providing her with guidance, support, and inspiration. ESM credits her for doing something positive with her summer vacation. Compiled by Chris Towery

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