NE BLAHS

Todd Ross -- Winterton
The first named storm of the 2000 Hurricane Season formed off the coast of Africa on August 4th and became the longest-lived tropical entity in history to occur in August. Hurricane Alberto’s long-period swell may have reached the entire East Coast, but New England’s south-facing beaches were directly in its line of fire. The six to eight-foot waves brought on by the storm fortunately coincided with the annual ESA Maine Surfing Championships held at Wells Beach on August 12th. Menehune Mitch Reppucci tackled the heavy overhead surf to finish at the top of his division. Others who were victorious in the sizable conditions included Men’s winner James Garland and Junior Men’s winner Nico Evans. The Alberto swell eventually closed out the beach before the hurricane looped back around and sent a double shot to the region the following weekend. •Indo Board creator Hunter “Fish” Joslin was last spotted playing the role of course director at the Gravity Games in Providence, Rhode Island, this summer where he also judged the downhill skateboarding and street luge events. The Gravity Games will be televised on NBC every Sunday afternoon in October and the first week in November from 4 to 6 p.m. Keep an eye out for Hunter, who disqualified his own boss, the Games’ sports organizer and Dreggs’ owner Biker Sherlock, for the second time in two years. •Mike Archer of The Boarding House surf shop in Hyannis, Massachusetts, reported that Hurricane Alberto’s swell lacked size and power in his area due to blockage by the cape to the east. Archer also announced that top teamrider Josh Clements, who is also sponsored by Realm, Von Zipper, and Sharp Eye Surfboards, traveled to the ESA’s 2000 Championships in North Carolina hoping to continue his winning streak after dominating the Men’s and Open Men’s divisions at the Cape Cod Surfing Championships. Mike and the boys at the Boarding House send get well wishes to co-owner Paul Savini, who blew out his knee while skating a mini-ramp in Massachusetts. His knee cap was dislocated when his patella tendon was torn, and now Paul is in a cast as well as walking on crutches. •New Hammy’s
Al Prisco -- Dugan
Todd Ross traveled north to Nova Scotia on vacation in September not only to find clean overhead surf, but the friendliest locals around. They noticed the surfboards on his car and left a note telling him where the best pointbreaks were located. Todd then headed to South Africa to explore another set of points in October and spend up to three months surfing all the breaks from Cape Town down the coast to J-Bay. •Several hundred female surfers and bodyboarders from the Northeast converged on Narragansett Town Beach in Rhode Island on August 26th for the first-ever New England All-Female Surfing Championships. The event, sponsored by Chickabiddy surf clothing, was held in clean two to four-foot beachbreak with light onshore winds. All participants received a multitude of prizes from Chickabiddy and were invited to a free beach cookout following the awards ceremony. •Another event conducted at the Narragansett Town Beach was the eleventh ESA contest of the 2000 season, The Narragansett Labor Day Surf Games. The ESA managed to run the Games on September 2nd and 3rd in between lightning, strong winds, and heavy downpours. When the sun burned through the clouds, the beach filled up with surfers, as local surf band, The Driftwoods, played music from the Canochet Club Pavillion. A top ESA competitor from Maine, Mike Veltsos, commented, “This is the best beach I have ever seen on the East Coast. Not only are the waves great, but we get to ride while listening to live surf music... It’s just too much!” •Other Rhode Island surfers, Geoff and Randy Boss, have discovered a way to acquire the same adrenaline rush produced by surfing, even when it’s flat. The Boss brothers have been racing Formula Ford cars and in two short years, have won four regional championships and have received several top three finishes. Andy compares the sensation of racing at average speeds of 180 miles per
Super Nova Explodes -- Mez
hour to surfing on a big wave and claims, “You get the same speed rush burning rubber as you do carving up a hot wave.” •The crew at Unsound Surf Shop in Long Beach, NY, is pulling for Al Prisco, who was run over by a propeller after he fell from the front of a boat while wakesurfing in the Reynold’s Channel. The blade chopped deep into his his elbow and caused massive gouges in his legs as well. Metal plates have been inserted to hold the ulna together and replace his right elbow bone. Al’s right knee was split in half vertically, and several screws now hold his tibia, femur, and patella in place. Prisco is on the road to recovery and should be back in the water by spring. •The O’Neill Inspired Tour landed in East Islip, New York, at Rick’s Action Sports during August to premier their new surf flick at Video Night. “Stoked” Steve Clayton brought Central Florida’s Paul “Rhino” Reinecke and Gulf Coaster Cory Lopez to hang out and sign autographs for the 150 groms who braved heavy rains and thunderstorms to meet and greet their surf heroes. Meanwhile, O’Neill’s Gary Clayton was shuttling between LaGuardia and JFK airports picking up pro surfer Jason “Ratboy” Collins and surf video producer Josh Polmer, so they would be on hand for the Progressive Surf Contest which was held the next day at
Jason Hewitt -- Jenkins
Robert Moses State Park. The event was blessed with perfect contest conditions: a shoulder to head-high southwest swell with light offshores. Cory, Ratboy, and Rhino put on an aerial show like no one on Long Island had seen before. After they were done, it was time for the locals to show their progressive style. Rick’s teamrider, Nick “Pinky” Joeckel, who recently picked up new sponsor Aloha Surfboards, advanced to the semis during the contest. Team Rick’s would also like to welcome their newest rider Frank Smith from Islip, NY, who will be representing the team in the Boy’s division at local ESA contests. •ESM sends sincere thanks to photographer Dan Jenkins Jr., son of long-time Sports Illustrated ace reporter Dan Jenkins Sr., for finally getting us the shots of one of Long Island’s top groms, Jason Hewitt. For more info on Hewitt and other promising young Right Coast talent, check out this issue’s annual grommie profiles. •Scott Koter from Extreme Sports in Grand Rapids, Michigan, claimed that the Great Lakes have been receiving their share of good waves. The Dairyland Surf Festival was held at Sheboygan, Wisconsin, during Labor Day weekend in memory of Bill Lemons. The festivities included a surfboard show, a paddle race, and freestyle surfing in the shoulder-high waves. Dana Brown and the film crew for Endless Summer III showed up to catch the lake surfing action. Be sure to check out the new Endless Summer movie for evidence of Lake Michigan’s summertime swells. Compiled by John Steinhorst


MA BLAHS

Richard Gilligan -- Keppler
Surfers who reside on the Atlantic Seaboard learn to cope with often less-than-spectacular surf conditions. Although the waves are predominantly small and weak, East Coasters always make the best of what nature provides in order to stay in shape for the anticipated hurricane swells. The East Coast Surfing Championships held in Virginia Beach, VA, on August 26th and 27th didn’t see any epic storm surf, but the competition did generate a huge party atmosphere regardless of the small and barely rideable waves. The Virginia Beach police were in full force, however, and effectively implemented the underage drinking laws during the contest weekend. Perhaps unaware of the state’s motto, “Virginia is for lovers,” hard partying visiting pro Bruce Irons spent the night in jail after being caught with a fake ID and allegedly spitting in a cop’s face just two weeks before his 21st birthday. Fortunately, Irons was released just in time for his heat the following morning as the waves dropped to knee-high or less. Another partying pro at the ECSC, South Florida’s Baron Knowlton, was seen throwing chunks in the water as well as on the bar at Crazy Charlie’s after slamming a shot of Wild Turkey with Swell.com’s Community Editor Matt Walker. Swell tattoos found their way below the tan lines of hundreds of young bikini-clad girls thanks to the determined efforts of ESM Assignment Writer Matt Pruett and Volcom’s Martin Fucci. Unfortunately, Fucci reported that one of the females was a little too young and way too horny. After the 15-year-old nubile persistently tried to molest the fleeing 
Jason Borte -- Lally
Martin, he managed to escape unharmed and ran all the way home to the Outer Banks. •The Rusty Surf Bash 2000 was held early August at Carolina Beach, North Carolina, in glassy three to occasional four-foot waves. The beach was packed with hundreds of spectators as contestants battled for trophies and prizes, with judging emphasis on the most radical maneuvers. Super groms Mason Ward, Richard Gilligan, and Cory Howell took advantage of the fun surf and won first place in their divisions. Rusty teamriders Darryl “Flea” Virostko and Chris Ward attended the bash and were on hand to sign autographs for the kids. Ward, who was reportedly having trouble maintaining his balance on the beach, didn’t have any problem showing the groms how to get high launching six-foot airs. •North Carolina’s construction magnate Billy Diggs recently bought all rights to former Virginia Beach surf photog John Carey’s photos and digital equipment after Carey retired. Diggs has been shooting the action at Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Rodanthe, and wherever the waves are best. You can expect to see plenty of images from the ultra-motivated photographer soon. •Buxton, North Carolina’s, Eric Ensenat returned from his pilgrimage to El Salvador’s overhead peeling right hand pointbreaks like La Libertad and came home to head-high sloppy Hatteras shorebreak in late August. He may have just missed the long-period swells generated from Hurricane Alberto that sent solid six-foot surf to the Mid-Atlantic region, but at least he didn’t come back with malaria which is rampant in the central region. •The Alberto swell also hit Maryland beaches with clean head-high waves in the morning, but onshore winds chopped it up by afternoon, according to Chauncey Rhodes, owner of Chauncey’s Surf
Mickey McCarthy -- Lally
Shop in Ocean City. Rhodes sends congratulations out to for-mer employee, Dylan McNamara, who married long-time girlfriend Cindy Bunting in September and moved to San Diego, CA, to attend Scripps Institute in the fall. •The Quiksilver Surf Camp for boys and Roxy Surf Camp for girls were held this summer from Montauk to Maine despite wet weather. Mike Manzi with Plumeria Surfboards volunteered as an instructor for the boys on August 13th at Manasquan, New Jersey, and taught several determined students to paddle and stand up in the 3 to 4-foot waves. The Roxy girls’ and Quiksilver boys’ clinics on Saturday and Sunday drew over 100 kids who received personal instruction, lunch, and prizes, as well as autographs from pro surfers Jeff Booth, Jason Borte, Kenny Kozack, and Matt Kechele. During the weekend, students participated in a paddle race where Manzi acted as a human buoy. Mike claims that “teaching one kid to surf is better than catching 100 waves!” •The Mantoloking-based surfboard and clothing manufacturer Time Bomb unveiled its new video dedicated to New Jersey’s skate and surf scene. The flick, produced and directed by surfboard shaper Vincent “Chenzo” Yacavino, called What Exit? takes a unique approach by identifying surf spots not by their names, but by their exit off the Garden State Parkway. Release parties for the vid, held at Bull Feathers in Wildwood, Rick’s American Cafe in Barnegat Light, and Hooligan’s in Long Beach, jammed live music by local bands featured on the What Exit? soundtrack. The bands included 7 Minds, Catch 22, Hi Pro Glo, All City Creepers, and Don’t Look Down.
Pea Island -- Mez
•New Jersey’s Justin Casey, founder of the new online magazine surferseye.com, announced that the interactive website focusing on East Coast and Carribean riders now hosts a solid team of shredders including John Logan, Matt Keenan, Luke Ditella, and Frankie Walsh. The surfing, snowboarding, and skating site features writing, interviews, and photos, and surferseye.com will feature practical tips for the traveling surfer, links to live video beach cams, exposing write-ups, and music reviews. The lenswork of first-class photographers Chris Polk, Mickey McCarthy, Mike Nelson, and Fred Swegles can be witnessed on the site’s ever popular photo gallery. •Brian Campbell of Village Surf Shop in Garden City Beach, SC, informed ESM that eight-year-old ripper Cole Richards is on a competitive roll. Richards won the Grom’s division of the HSC K-Coast Surf-off in Maryland, and the young surfer was also victorious in the Menehune divisions at the First Annual Guy Daniels Memorial Contest and the South Carolina State Championships. Another Village teamrider that did well in the State Championships was Shane Upchurch, who dominated the Open Men’s and Junior Longboard divisions. •Tavarua clothing’s Mike Makos announced that Kill Devil Hills’ Brant Doyle is the newest addition to the team. He also added that he was “stoked to have Brant’s enthusiasm and attitude in and out of the water.” Several other Tavi teamriders, including Jesse Hines, Ben Will, and Bradie Schemke, just returned from a team trip to the beautiful islands of Indonesia and reported scoring pounding Pacific perfection. •Dredging of the Oregon Inlet in the Outer Banks continues as Dare County attempts to keep the waterway from becoming blocked. Erosion of Pea Island to the south has been slowed by the regular dumping of truckloads of this sand along the starved beaches as well as its offshore shoals. The Army Corps of Engineers proposed to end the continual dredging by building 200-foot-wide jetties on either side of the inlet. The piles of rock would extend almost a half-mile out to sea, rise ten feet above the waves, and keep sand from entering the sound. However, it’s questionable at best that the twin structures will help with the erosion problem along southern beaches. Until a new solution can be determined, strong currents, winds, and waves will continue to shape the shoreline of this dynamic and fragile barrier island chain. Compiled by John Steinhorst  

SE BLAHS

Devon Tresher -- Holjes
The southeastern states finally got their first taste of tropical activity as hurricanes Alberto and Debby sent chest to head-high groundswell into Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. The North Florida district of the NSSA took full advantage of the waves and held its season opening contest at Ponce Inlet, FL, on August 26th. New Smyrna’s Brad Bowen reported that Orion Surfboards’ teamriders Tom Chillington, Josh Nicastro, and Eric Geiselman took first in Open Mens, Juniors, and Open Boys, while Bowen himself snagged the Master’s title. Brad said that Orion Owner/ Shaper Greg Geiselman’s new designs were the driving force behind the team’s excellent results in the clean, chest-high swell. Greg wanted to put the word out that he is looking for a new sander and polisher for his factory and told ESM that anyone interested in applying for the position should contact Wave Technologies Glassing in New Smyrna at 904-423-0609. •Central Florida shaper and First Peak heavy Matt Kechele would like to congratulate goofyfoot powerhouse Nick Guilarte on becoming the newest member of the Kechele team. The Junior Men’s competitor from Indialantic, FL, who is also sponsored by Volcom, will be a valuable addition to Matt’s crew. •On Tybee Island in Georgia, Tim Malins at High Tide Surf Shop reported that both Alberto and Debby sent head-high surf to Tybee Pier and the surrounding beaches. Malins said that the back-to-back swells lasted for over a week, and although the first few days were onshore
Kelly Hutchifson -- Dugan
and choppy, the rest were offshore, glassy, and breaking through high and mid tides. •Down in South Florida, Stuart’s Surf Central held its first annual summer Costa Rica trip, and twenty-six people made the journey deep into the heart of Central America. Doug Pippins, owner of Surf Central, led the expedition which required four rental vehicles to carry everyone around the country. Pippins said the group caught excellent surf, and even though almost thirty people took part in the journey, Doug told ESM he experienced fewer problems than with smaller crews. The only incidents were fairly benign as Pippins reported that his son Ryan was chased around their Hermosa Beach hotel by several ferocious iguanas, and one carload of Surf Central guys was given the moniker “Team Moon” due to their penchant for giving passing motorists the pressed ham and fruit bowl treatment. Finally, team manager Gary Ahler would like to welcome new teamrider Trent Finfrock of Jensen Beach, FL, to Surf Central’s competitive squad. •In other summer travel news, New Smyrna surfer Adam Wright ventured to Fiji for a two-week trip and stayed at the infamous Tavarua surf camp with Randy Richenberg, Joan Bailey, Steve Burkalter, Steve Brewer, Bob and Sean Keeth as well as the Tresher family. Wright and the others caught 8-foot Cloudbreak and Restaurants during the first week, and Adam said that both Richenberg and Devon Tresher scored unbelievable barrels. After returning from the South Pacific, Adam worked as a surf instructor with friend Jimmy Lane who operates Jimmy Lane Surfing Academy in New Smyrna Beach. Wright told ESM that attendance at the classes has been excellent, and in August, Lane held his annual surf contest for the students with 45 kids attending. Jimmy and Adam would like to thank Red Dog Seasport as well as Inlet Charley’s for donating prizes to the summer competition. •The always informative and gracious Angie Youngblood, director of South Carolina’s Southern ESA district, sent word that Peter Kassa of Isle of Palms, SC, was recently selected to the ESA Allstars. By placing first in Districts, second in Regionals, and seventh at Easterns, Kassa’s performance record put him into position to earn one of much sought after rookie slots on the team. Following his nomination, Peter joined the rest of the Allstars, including Team Captain Todd Youngblood, for a dream trip to Australia where Kassa reportedly scored the biggest waves of his life at Narrabeen. •Tory Strange, owner of Surf Station in St. Augustine, FL, was proud to report that teamrider Gabe Kling took the pro title at this year’s Gotcha/ Heritage Pro in Sea Isle, NJ. Tory informed ESM that Kling has been surfing so hot lately that “flames
Eric Hatton -- Mez
have been shooting out of the water behind him.” Following his $4,000 victory in Jersey, Gabe looked to fan his competitive fire at the NKF Surf Festival in Cocoa Beach, FL, in September. •Aime Hamilton, owner of Lazy Daze Surf Shop in North Palm Beach, FL, is also stoked since two of her teamriders put on excellent performances at this year’s Gotcha/ Heritage Memorial Pro and the East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach, VA. Reef Road top dog Peter Mendia of West Palm Beach barely lost to Kling and took second in the pro division at the Gotcha/ Heritage event while former ESM Who Da Girl Kelly Hutchifson also of West Palm, placed 5th in the women’s pro event at the ECSC. Meanwhile, back home in Florida, Team Captain Jim Tolliver welcomed WQS surfer Lance Coffin of West Palm to the Lazy Daze team. •
Brenda Fried -- Fried
On a sad note, Gulf Coast surfers are mourning the tragic death of Jerry Probst, owner of Olde Naples Surf Shop in Naples, FL. Probst was killed while white water rafting on the Penas Blancas river in Costa Rica during late July. The northern Costa Rican waterway experienced a massive flash flood that covered 170 yards of the river and washed 12 rafters and two guides into the muddy torrent. All escaped with their lives except for Probst who drowned after being swept under by the devastating flood waters. •Nokomis, FL, longboarder Ashton Goggans recently signed on with Airwalk Shoes and Balsa Bill’s Surf Shop and Clothing. Ashton celebrated scoring the new sponsors by taking a sailboat trip over to Surfer’s Beach in Eleuthra with Spectrum Surfboards teamrider Dalton Lifsey. Goggans reported that the Bahamian isle came through, supplying the two with fun chest-high surf. •Are you tired of relying on prehistoric, third-hand reports to find out how the surf is? Then go online to www.stksurf.com and check out the newest comprehensive website covering the entire East Coast of Florida. Stksurf features daily pics, live cams, along with message boards, forecasts, and links to other great sites. Log on to www.stksurf.com to know before you go. •Fernandina, FL’s, Eric Hatton, the 1999 King of the Peak at Sebastian Inlet, is proud to announce the birth of his first child, Athan Drake Hatton. Athan was born to Eric and fiance’ Andrea Jacobsen in late June. The couple reported that the little prince hasn’t yet been to the beach, but he’s rippin’ it up in the bathtub. •Heard any good fish stories lately? Melbourne Beach, FL’s, Brenda Fried provided ESM with two whoppers in early September. Firstly, the Inlet regular and part-time pro surfer stopped by the Eastern Surf office to show photographic proof of a five-foot tarpon she landed while surf casting near Melbourne Beach. Using a longboard, Fried paddled out with the hook and bait, dropping it several hundred yards offshore. After snagging the monster fish on her line around 3 p.m., she fought with the beast until 10 p.m., finally landing it in the dark of night after the seven-hour battle. Less than two weeks later, Brenda was surfing Second Peak at Sebastian when another fish almost reeled her in. While waiting to catch a wave, a bull shark of nearly the same size as the tarpon latched onto her right knee, leaving several large puncture wounds. Ever the hardcore waverider, Fried took the bite as a badge of honor and was back out surfing within two days. Compiled by Chris Towery

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