NE BLAHS

Ralph Fatello -- Baytoff
Peter Pan is everybody’s hero! Following ESM’s groundbreaking interview with Peter two issues ago, it seems that others out there are trying to honor his surfing legacy. The Sporting Goods Manufacturer’s Association (SGMA) bestowed the 2000 SGMA HEROES award upon Pan for 25+ years of work with the ESA and his impact on surfing within his local community. In addition to giving Peter more to brag about, the honor also came with a $100 cash reward and a $400 donation in Pan’s name to the Special Olympics of Rhode Island. Peter plans on using the dough to put a downpayment on a big-wave gun so he can venture out on those days when it gets over chest-high. •Around the corner in Hampton Beach, NH, Ralph Fatello has started a charity surfathon called “Catch A Wave For Gus” to honor his father, who died in February of diabetes. To raise money for the American Diabetes Association, Fatello plans on catching at least one wave every day for 365 days no matter how small or cold it is. Ralph started his daily regimen of surfing on July 26th which was his forty-ninth birthday, and he plans to continue until his fiftieth. Surf shops in the area are honoring his cause by providing wetsuits and other equipment for him to use, and if you’d like to sponsor his virtuous endeavor, you can send checks to American Diabetes Association in Memory of Gus Fatello, 249 Canal Street, Manchester, NH, 03101. 
Dave Juan -- Nelson
•Cory Wells at Hard Corps sent word that after nearly eight years, teamrider Lloyd Workman moved to San Diego following Christmas. It seems that the surf in Massachusetts was so terrible over the past year that poor Lloyd finally succumbed to his wave jones and bailed for the west coast where he hopes to score more consistent surf. Cory and shop employee Ryan Sommers have been keeping their adrenaline addictions in check by building and racing custom Buick Grand Nationals. The duo is becoming so talented at working those crankshafts that they are considering entering the local racecar circuit, so look for the Hard Corps crew to gain pole position at a track near you. •Another Right Coaster who has migrated to California is New York’s Adam Coons, who started his freshman year at University of California at Santa Barbara this fall. The Unsound teamrider is on a partial academic scholarship, and according to shop co-owner Dave Juan, Adam has been hitting the brew as well as the books while discovering the newfound joys of academia. Check this issue’s Who Da Guy for more on Coons. •Dana Trumann, owner of Moose County Music, the East Coast’s northernmost surf shop, reported that the onset of winter has caused a horde of customers to snatch up his stock of winter gear. The new Xcel Infiniti 5/4 wetsuits have been flying off the shelves, and for the first time, Moose County is now selling snowboard equipment from companies like Sims, M3, Drake, and Oakley. In the surfboard department, Moose is Maine’s exclusive WRV dealer, and the shop just received a load of custom 12-foot G & S longboards, causing some serious board envy for those with lesser-endowed quivers. Maine surfers can check out the products and get a daily surf report through Dana’s website at www.moosecounty.com.
Cory Wells -- Cuscianna
•Down the coast in Gloucester, MA, home of the real-life characters for the novel Perfect Storm, David Pasquarelli informed ESM that this fall has been less-than-perfect in the way of surf. The freelance writer said that the tropics failed to deliver the goods, and if it wasn’t for an early season nor’easter swell at Bass Rocks, he probably would have given up surfing and gone into swordfishing. Attempting to give Sebastian Junger a run for his money, Pasquarelli is planning an excursion up to wave-rich Novia Scotia where hopes to pen an article on surfing the coastline adjacent to the perilous Georges Banks. While the waters off the Canadian province are deadly for fisherman, the storm-driven swells should provide David’s writing with a much happier ending than the epic tale of the Andrea Gail. 
Mike Salerno -- Smith
•Speaking of writing, Long Island surfer-turned novelist Allan Weisbecker announced that his book entitled In Search of Captain Zero will be released in early March by Putnam Publishing. The work is an account of Weisbecker’s adventure-filled journey through Central America as he sought out a lost friend, perfect waves, and uncharted drug smuggling routes. Look for an in-depth review of his exciting tome in a future issue of Eastern Surf. •Robert Bailey, co-chairman of the New York City chapter of Surfrider, told ESM that his organization recently gained two new sources of financial support in the ongoing battle with environmental pollution. The first came in the form a $5,000 grant from the Deutsche Bank of America, who donated the funds to help Surfrider’s Blue Water Campaign. Blue Water is a national program designed to monitor water quality across nation’s beaches, and the NYC chapter will be using the funds to keep tabs on the ocean around New York. The second helping of bread came from a fundraiser Robert and the rest of the chapter held at the SoHo Patagonia store where they put on a screening of Kelly Slater’s new film September Sessions and raised $3,500. •Top ESM photog and worldwide freelancer, Steve Fitzpatrick, recently finished up a year-long gig doing product photography in the Big Apple and flew to Puerto Rico to focus his lens on more surf-related images. Steve will be living in Condado and will be shooting the action around San Juan and Rincon before jetting off to the Canaries in January. •Another New Yorker who is planning to get away this winter is Long Island’s Mike Salerno. Calling this past summer and fall the “worst ever” for surf, Mike said that he’s been pulling his hair out in frustration and will be venturing down to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica in February to escape the maddening lack of waves. His brother Anthony recently bought property in Limon where the Salerno brothers will be building a getaway home. With Salsa Brava only minutes away, they’re hoping to make up for this year’s wave famine. Compiled by Chris Towery


MA BLAHS

Rascoe Hunt -- 2M
Several powerful, late autumn cold fronts swept across the Eastern Seaboard, lowering the pressure for Mid-Atlantic surfers and providing consistent north swells. Although Will Stephenson of Smithfield, NC, gave up surfing to pursue his college degree, a post-graduation trip to Indonesia renewed his interest in the sport. During his journey to Indo, he fell in love with the exotic climate, culture, and surf of the islands and decided to make it his permanent home. To earn money and enjoy the surf at the same time, Will bought into a charter boat business and became the owner of Sumatran Surfariis. The company runs chartered surf trips throughout Sumatra and the Mentawais, and Stephenson will be working on the boats in between sessions at Lance’s. To book your excursion to paradise, visit his website at www.sumatransurfariis.com. •Vah Beach’s Drew Todd, Dave Sinclair of Wilmington, NC, and Henri Gabriel of Charleston, SC, all plan to venture to Sumatra in June for one of Will’s boat trips. On an earlier vacation, Henri and his girlfriend Wendy traveled to Florida where they suffered three days of rainy, humid hell. Their trip coincided with one of Florida’s worst summers for surf, and for the duration of their visit, the Atlantic remained totally flat. The highlights of their ill-fated vacation included a broken car window which left the vehicle flooded with rainwater and a full-body infestation of love bugs. Better luck in Indo, Henri.
Jason Mailand -- Smith
•Congratulations to Derrick Wade of Emerald Isle, NC, who recently tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend and high school sweetheart, Cathy. •Another newlywed, Gale Force Glass shaper Ted Kearns of Kill Devil Hills, NC, married Tanya Mariano on October 9th at Ho’okipa Beach Park in Maui. In other Gale Force news, shop owner Roscoe Hunt captured fifth in the Master’s Longboard division at the 2000 Easterns, Joe Gillen won Master’s Longboard, and Dana Quinn placed second in the Menehune Longboard. •North Carolina’s Corolla Surf Shop teamriders Mike Cherry, John Barnes, TJ Crum, Jason Mailand, Craig Purkiss, and owner Gary Smith all qualified and surfed at the Easterns as well. Following the ESA showdown, Gary rewarded several members of his team with a Christmas bonus trip to Southern California in November. Smith, Mailand, Purkiss, and Kenny Lovell flew out to So Cal to score some swell, but upon reaching their destination, they were disappointed to find the ocean completely flat. Fearing a mutiny, Smith was relieved when several days later, the waves finally picked up. The team scored fun surf at Oceanside Jetty, Oceanside Pier, and Tamarack, but the best session went down in San Clemente at Trestles. With overhead, glassy conditions, Gary was surprised by the thin crowds and mellow vibes they received in the water. According to Smith, the Corolla boys were killing it, leaving all the locals slack-jawed by the North Carolina talent display. •Another talent to come out of the Carolinas is former Who Da Guy Shane Upchurch. According to Billabong Promotions Rep Chris Heffner, the North Carolina super-grom penned a deal with Bong early this winter, and Shane is reportedly looking forward to getting his new wetsuits as the water temps are quickly plummeting in the Wrightsville area. •Tight Productions and Matt Beacham’s company Found (Luke 15:4-7) collaborated to produce the new Foundnation Project surf video. The vid contains pumping footage of East Coast guys like S-Turns’ Kingpin Noah Snyder, North Carolina’s Jesse Hines, and Florida’s CT Taylor. Call Nic McLean at 252-449-0543 to order the flick.
Jason Andre -- 2M
•After five years, Shawn and Ellen Deane relinquished their management positions at the General Mitchell Motel in Hatteras Village, NC. The couple is moving off the Banks to relocate to Wilmington, NC, so Ellen can finish her schooling at UNCW and earn a business degree. Shawn plans to continue his web design career, so check out www.hypersportz.com to view his recent work or to get in touch with them.
Chris Wilson -- Welsh
•In Folly Beach, SC, news Sticky Bumps rider and Grasshopper Surfboards shaper Richard Prause is enjoying a semester abroad in the “Lucky Country” at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Shortly after his arrival, Richard befriended fellow schoolmate and OBX Pirate Jason Andre. The lads have been hitting the numerous beachbreaks, reefs, and pointbreaks of “Newie” with frequent jaunts to the less populated North Coast spots. In addition to Oz, Andre and Prause embarked upon a three-week Indo adventure over the summer. They spent a week on Bali, then a week at G-land, finishing up with a boat trip to Lombok/ Sumbawa. The boys reported mostly fun-sized surf, although they did resort to using semi-guns once at Uluwatu and Kongs. Dodging through the crowds of aggro Brazilians while they were there, Richard managed to snag the best tube ride of his life at Desert Point. •Fuel Clothing announced that they have picked up new rep Chris Shuman, who previously worked for Pinnicle Sports in PA. Chris will be covering MD, DE, NJ, and NY and can be reached at 610-916-0165. •With two back-to-back excursions to Barbados in one month, Vah Beach’s Cam Powell is becoming quite a fixture on the Caribbean isle. On his second trip, he was accompained by Sean Slater, Bill Hume, Ian Parnell, and Florida photog Chris Wilson. Cam and the crew caught clean, double-overhead rights at Soup Bowls and head-high barrels at an unnamed spot the following days. Powell recently signed on with Quiksilver, Arnette, WRV, and DC Shoes, and he’s heading out to Hawaii in February with videographer Pat Stublen. Stublen’s latest video, The Wrong Side, was released in December through Obscene Productions. The flick is cast with a heavy collection of surfers from North Carolina and Virginia tearing up their homebreaks as well as several other domestic and international destinations. Look to the next issue of ESM for a review. •Lee Gerachis, the owner of Malibu’s Surf Shop in Ocean City, MD, along with Ricky Barretto, Chip Ayres, Johnny “D”, and Doug Brown, emerged with smiles from a Caribbean boat trip to Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands of Tortola and Anegada. The OCMD crew scored surf the entire time they were there with the best day being three to four-feet overhead with crisp offshores. The group spent their days riding waves, diving for lobsters, and drinking beer on a party boat called Willy T’s. At the end of one of their booze cruises, the entire ship decided to shed their clothing and dive into the water. Following the dropping of the drawers, numerous inebriated animal imitations were performed by the nude revelers, but Ricky B’s patented “flying squirrel” off the top deck was by far the most memorable. Compiled by John Steinhorst


SE BLAHS

Hunter Joslin - Mez
Surfers used to riding the sandy beachbreak barrels along Florida’s northeast coast may be witnessing the introduction of Jacksonville’s first pointbreak. The US Army Corps of Engineers is undertaking a $300,000 project to replenish beach sand by dredging material from the St. John’s River and depositing it just off the coast of the Mayport Naval Station at Hana Park. The Corps would consider building a permanent artificial reef for surfing if someone can contribute $30,000. The city has offered to pay half of the cost to research the possibility of installing an underwater structure that could provide 30 to 60-second rides. Even though the modeling may not begin until early this year, area surfers are concerned that the program may interfere with the existing peaks at Mayport Poles. •In Central Florida, Keep Brevard Beautiful Inc. is preparing to undertake a comprehensive beach cleanup program designed to survey the community for littered areas and begin a project to rid the shores of waste. Individuals interested in volunteering for the beach cleanup or directing activities should contact volunteer coordinator Elizabeth Melvin at 321-453-7867. •According to Melbourne Beach, Florida’s, Hunter Joslin, top Australian women’s competitor Serena Brooke contacted her agent, requesting a hook up with his Indo Board product line after seeing an ad in Wahine Magazine. Currently ranked #3 in the women’s WCT world tour, Serena joins Layne Beachly as another female Indo Board enthusiast on the pro circuit.
Tom Dugan -- Ishler
•Down in southern Florida, on Sunday November 5th, the Buzz Bake Sale 2000 played host to an all-day concert at the Mars Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. Orbiting a lineup of 16 bands and five of the planet’s most recognized alternative groups, including the Foo Fighters, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Our Lady Peace, the grassy slopes of the venue became ground zero for some great performances. The nearby techno tent also pumped out a constant pulse of thumping madness, contributing to the event’s atmosphere. Although the controversial band The Dangling Chads were a no-show, ESM photographer Tony Martin of Wave Productions was there to snap shots of the action. Thousands were in attendance for the skate exhibition, including asphalt artisans from Y.M.C.A.’s Oelsner Skate Park as well as M.R.’s Surf and Skate team led by West Palm street legend and tattoo artist Jack Frost. •Last issue’s Who da Guy Matt Oberman of Fort Lauderdale just returned from an excursion to Costa Rica with Todd McGee and brothers Mike and Charles Bodner. Unfortunately, Matt snapped his leash during a heavy day at Terraza and split his knee wide open while swimming back in over the jagged rocks. Luckily, he met a doctor staying there who stitched him up on the spot just ten minutes after the accident. Matt was out of the water for a couple of days but managed to catch perfect six-foot barrels at Escondida with surf photographer Tom Dugan and his brother Marty. Leaving San Jose, the Dugan brothers also ran into some bad luck after pulling over to fix a flat. While they were changing the tire, a car pulled off the side of the road, and a woman got out who distracted their attention by screaming and causing commotion. During the confusion, an accomplice snuck around back of the rental vehicle and lifted Tom’s camera gear and all of Marty’s belongings from the back seat and trunk. Fortunately, the $10,000 worth of photo and video equipment was insured, and Tom was able to replace most of the stolen goods, but his beloved ESM Girl tape was lost forever. If you find yourself in Costa Rica in a similar situation, be cautious when carloads of crazed locals offer emergency roadside assistance.
Todd McGee -- Dugan
•Evan Hotz, the owner of Warped Clothing, is also planning a trip to Central America’s land of la pura vida in February. Evan is back on track with Warped after a brief hiatus, and their fresh treads can be seen at www.warpedclothing.com. Warped will be sponsoring the Female Pro Am along with the Satellite Beach Women’s Club at Pelican Park during March. Anyone interested in checking out upcoming promotions and products can call or fax 321-773-4216. •Inner Rhythm Surf Shop in downtown Vero Beach, FL, recently acquired their newest teamrider, Adrian Colaprete. Originally from Virginia Beach, the 16-year-old won the Explorer Longboard division in the ESA Championships and placed third in Junior Mens Longboard at the National Junior Olympics. Adrian journeyed to the Bahamas after Christmas to surf and fish the crystal clear waters off Elbow Cay and plans to continue his winning streak when he returns.
Adrian Colaprete -- Moms
•Congratulations to former Indian Rocks local and East Coast shaper Brian Tudor of BAT Surfboards and his beautiful wife Jeannie, who celebrated the birth of their baby girl Iris in October. •Another congrats goes out to Billabong’s Bryan Hewitson and Jessica Resor for the birth of their daughter, Taylor Lee Hewitson, on September 8th. Hewy and Jessica recently moved from Melbourne Beach to Indialantic, FL, to make more room for their growing family. •Also, a belated congrats to yet another set of proud parents. George Guccione and Suzy Perry brought a 7 lb. baby girl into the world on August 13th. Skye Isabella Guccione was born at 2 a.m. during a pumping late summer swell. •Fugit Products announced the birth of their first video due out in January 2001. A preview of “The Fugit Flick” can be seen at the Orlando Surf Expo on January 12th-14th at booth #353. The new film features the progressive surfing of Cory and Shea Lopez, Andy and Bruce Irons, and newly crowned World Champion Sunny Garcia, along with many others. The company has been fuggin’ charging since they recently signed Daytona Beach skater Garrett Wintz and 15-year-old Ormond Beach skater Randy Lansing, as well as Smyrna surfer Brad Hersch. Visit their website at www.fugit.com. •ESM surf and travel photog Rachel Tanner has launched her own website to display the best of her travel, surf, and fine art photography. Rachel returned home for an extended stay on the mainland after living in Puerto Rico off and on for the last ten years. Check out www.chantik-photo.com to view Tanner’s gallery of surf shots, exotic locales, and lifestyle pics. Greeting cards and custom prints of her visually stimulating work can be ordered on-line. •Kathy Joe Anderson and Roberta McDonald invited Skip Savage, Dick Catri, Greg Loehr, and Mimi Monroe to Jupiter Beach, FL, to get involved in their new endeavor, extremewipeouts.com. It’s going to be a website worth browsing through, so watch for it to gain exposure. The meeting coincided with the Jupiter Noseriders’ annual luau and surf contest. The club boasts 129 members since their inception in June of ‘97. The event was a success with plenty of eats and rockin’ music by the band Deep Sixes. Savage said the waves weren’t too tasty for the competition, but that they were able to sample Kathy Joe’s delicious frozen milk dessert. •Chris Sheppard, the owner of Spin Dog Skateboards, reported that his new decks are flying off dealer’s shelves. In Florida, cruise by Free Ride Surf and Sport in Gainesville, Red Dog Seasport in Smyrna, or Cocoa Beach Surf Company to pick one up. Any interested distributors can call Chris at 904-463-2604 or look up his website at www.spindog.com. Compiled by John Steinhorst

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