NE BLAHS

Jason Hewitt -- Jenkins
How cold is too cold? The New England ESA district found out this February during their 33rd annual Mid-Winter Surfing Championships at Narragansett Town Beach, RI. For the first time in the event’s history, judges refused to score the last heats of the competition because of an icy 40-knot offshore wind which dropped air temps to -25° and threatened to flash freeze everyone on the beach. With boards flying through the air, contest jerseys frozen stiff, and water hovering right at 32°, the bodyboard and kneeboard finals were canceled, but the crew did manage to survive through the other 10 divisions despite the brutal conditions. Standouts in the comp included Tom Noda of Boston, MA, who won both the Men’s Shortboard and Men’s Longboard, Ryan Richer of Woodsocket, RI, who walked away with Junior Men’s Shortboard and Junior Men’s Longboard, and Christina Noda of Boston who beat out all the guys to take the Senior Shortboard Open. •Montauk, NY, kid rippers Nick Joeckel and Jason Hewitt have been helping lead the charge of the Empire State youth brigade and have put together a website dedicated to their local crew. Log onto www.grombombsquad.com to learn more about the Long Island surf scene from a grommet’s perspective, and check out the pics from Nick and Jason’s latest winter travels to Puerto Rico. •Also in New York, Jeff and Sarah Cline of Religion Surf Company in Shirley are now the proud parents of a newborn girl. Piper Cline was born in February and is the couple’s first child. In addition to making babies, the Clines reported that their shop is now carrying boards from RC Shapes, BYB, ACME Surfboards, and NXTC.
Nick Joeckel -- Dugan
•ESM Photographer Joe McGovern was hired to rep for Duke Boyd, Corky Carroll, and Robert August surfwear companies. So in addition to providing photos of the New England wave-riding action, Joe will now be keeping the Northeast stocked with all the freshest new threads from these classic lines. Call McGovern at 401-789-1989 or e-mail jmsurfphoto@aol.com to find out more about the new lines he’s repping. •South African-born surf photog Grant Nyrdal, who currently resides in North Salem, NY, said that he’s been busy shooting in Hawaii as well as doing exhibitions of his lenswork in and around the NYC area. Staying over six weeks in Oahu this winter, Grant spent most of his time capturing the action at Pinballs, Pipe, and a few low-key locations around Mokuleia such as Silver Channels. Nyrdal is looking to organize some photo expeditions up-and-down the Right Coast, so surfers interested in procuring a lensman to cover their local breaks can contact him at www.grantmic@cloud9.net or 914-232-0706. •Also fresh back from a winter trip to the Aloha State, Unsound’s Dave Juan reported catching Laniakea, Rocky Point, and Pupukea firing with mellow, thinned-out crowds. Dave told ESM that his dark tan and “Chinese eyes” helped him blend in with the locals, and as long as he didn’t speak up with his thick New York accent, the bruddahs let him have almost any wave he wanted. Upon returning to NYC, Juan took Unsound California teamrider Ryan Carlson out to sample an overhead winter day at Rockaway, and the Cali kid, who was in town shooting footage for an upcoming Lost video, apparently wasn’t deterred by the
Dave Juan
harsh conditions and ripped the chunky surf despite several inches of snow on the beach. In a final piece of Unsound news, Dave announced that after a lengthy negotiation process, New York’s Vic Alarcon finally signed on with Oakley. •In Maine, Sandy and Tom Noble, owners of Wheels and Waves in Wells, are selling their bike and surf shop to focus more energy on their skatepark construction projects. With four kids and more than enough work from their skate business, the Nobles are looking for someone who can devote the necessary time and energy to keep up the Wheels and Waves legacy they have worked so hard to establish over the last 25 years. Interested parties can contact Tom or Sandy at 207-284-1501 or tnoble@gwi.net. •Another business owner who’s moving on to other pursuits is Paul Bennett, owner of the world famous Bennett’s Surfside Deli in Point Judith, RI. Paul’s shop will be sorely missed by all the Lighthouse locals who have enjoyed his macking post-surf grinds for the past five years. However, Paul plans to go back to school to study for his chef’s degree at Johnson and Wales College in Providence, so without the full-time responsibility of running the business, he promises that he’ll be more involved in the local competition scene. •Kira Stillwell of the Rhode Island Surfrider Foundation sent word that the Tides of March Coffeehouse fundraiser held at the Canochet Club in Narragansett was a huge success. More than 160 people attended, and over $3000 was raised for coastal water quality monitoring and ocean education programs throughout Rhode Island. The event featured several open mike musical sets, a silent auction, as well as a full dessert and coffee buffet. Those who walked away with loot from the auction tables included local John Rizzolo who received a Kathy Patric painting, Middletown’s Fran Duval who snagged a piece of art by Tom Deningers, New York’s Paula Piekos who took home a shark dive adventure trip, local Evan McDermott who scored an oil painting by Aymar Ccopacatty, and
Bill Ritchie -- Winterton
Narragansett’s Doug Fischer topped the bidding to take home a framed photograph by Robert Brennen. Thanks goes out to Seth Jacobsen, who was MC and promoted the fundraiser over local radio station WRIU, as well as Jon Buser, Dana Maguire, Ted Sorlien, and Charlie Aucotte for providing the instruments and sound equipment for the jam. •The crew at Cinnamon Rainbows in Hampton, NH, jammed down to surf-drenched Chile for a February surf vacation and caught the country’s desert beaches going richter. Owner Dave Cropper along with Phil Carey, Shane Smith, and Billy Ritchie spent three weeks touring 300 miles of points, reefs, and beaches around the central part of the country. The crew reported overhead surf almost everyday, no crowds, and lefts so long they turned their legs to jelly. Look for insane photographic documentation of the South American adventure on the shop’s website at www.cinnamonrainbows.com. •After spotting Wakefield, RI, local Russ George hanging with Jersey shaper Chenzo at the January Surf Expo, ESM has verified that big Russ is now the official East Coast rep for Time Bomb Surfboards. One of his first assignments found him signing on Northeast ESA competitor Tricia Pan to help design two new women’s shapes. The first prototypes are running a little shorter than standard longboards with softer rails to help the lighter riders maneuver in the mushy surf. Look for the models to land in Northeast surf shops such as Hardcorps, Watershed, Pumphouse, Ride-A-Wave, and Sunset Bay for summer. •The Fuhrer of Frostbite himself, Peter Pan, is extremely proud of daughter Tricia’s new gig, although ESM hopes that she doesn’t fall into her father’s “Sluggish” habits. Peter reported that he caught K-39’s overhead, peeling, and completely empty during mid-March due to near freezing water temps. He said that the spot was breaking the best he’s seen in ten years, and it was so good, he even busted out his 6’ 4” shortboard for the Arctic-like solo session. Picking the icicles off his frozen shnozz, Pan remarked, “It would have been an insult to the ocean if I had ridden a longboard.” Unfortunately, Peter didn’t show the same courtesy to his fellow competitors in the Open Longboard division of the ESA New England Mid-Winter Championships as he dominated all of his heats with his patented “Peter-five” cheater stance on his trusty 10-foot plank. Compiled by Chris Towery


MA BLAHS

Sam Hammer -- Kepler
ESM’s photo intern Donald “Crusty” Cresitello, snuck off to the North Shore in March armed with his trusty 600mm and several bricks of film in hopes of capturing a few images of the island’s Pacific power. Although sideshore, easterly tradewinds blew steadily during his visit, swell sizes reached mammoth proportions that had max sets closing out the reefs with 20-foot faces. When Crusty first walked up the beach to check the infamous Pipeline, the first thing he saw was a wounded Sam Hammer feebly standing on the side of the road with a sizable hole in the back of his head. With blood dripping off the flap of skin dangling from his dinged cranium, the Jersey boy explained he was slammed into the reef headfirst after taking off on a huge Backdoor closeout. Fortunately, the injury was sealed up with a dozen staples and he was able to head back out a week later, pulling it up in the heavy Hawaiian waters. •Fellow Jerseyite Vinnie “Chenzo” Yacavino also visited the Rock’s casualty-filled hospitals after a similarly frightening encounter with the North Shore reefs, leaving the ER with six sutures gracing the side of his own sliced melon. However, looking on the bright side, this unfortunate mishap gave Chenzo plenty of time to roam the island in search of footage for his new, yet-to-be-named Timebomb video. Lastly, Timebomb sends a congrats out to Vah Beach teamrider Randy Washburn for signing with Ocean Tec wetsuits and Flex Dex skateboards. •Other winter get-a-ways found Hotline owner/ shaper Gurney Collins venturing on a three-week trip to South America with financial advisor Andy Rich in late February. The Vah Beach pair surfed powerful double-overhead south swells with fellow planer pal Michael Baron of Byrne Surfboards at Pico Alto in central Peru.
Jose Villanueva, Anna Piancone, Joe Cooper, and Joe and Meredith Piddington --Dugan
Gurney loved the country’s waves and people so much that he vowed to go back next year and stay for six weeks to shape boards. Upon arriving home, the two explorers worked together to run the Hotline Winter Surf Challenge which took place on March 10th at Vah Beach’s First Street Jetty in 40° waist-high conditions. The event was co-sponsored by Big Sam’s restaurant, who generously served steaming clam chowder and hot cocoa to warm the freezing competitors and judges in between heats. •In Central North Carolina, the stork has been extra busy making special drops into the surf community’s lineups. Those on the bird’s delivery route over the past few months include Kiley and Gwen Hanford who received their son, Braiden, on November 16th and Chris and Ashley Crockett who were graced with daughter, Savannah Kay, on November 29th. Also, a belated congrats goes out to CNC’s Matt O’Leary and Mark Scribbins. Matt and his wife Shannon were blessed with a baby boy named Conner in August, and Mark and Shelly welcomed their baby girl Megan Elizabeth into the world on September 26th. •In other North Carolina news, 2000/ 2001 was one of the Outer Banks’ more nippliest winters in memory, and there are a few superlatives that need to be mentioned. First and foremost, the “Winter Warrior” award goes to longtime local goofyfoot powerbroker John McDanel, who has claimed more cold water goodies than anyone this year from Duck down to Frisco. A close runner-up goes to Johnny’s pal, Steve Graves, who barely edged out last year’s winner, Brett Owens for the second place honor. In the more dubious categories, there’s a tie for “Biggest Pussy” between Ashley “It sucks out there, I’ll wait ‘till Indo” Heath and bodyboarder Jim Ivory, who’s been seen checking the surf five times a day but alledgedly refusing to paddle out due to his all-consuming fear of interrupting his 15 hours of “rest” every night. Finally, “Luckiest Bastard” goes to Custom X teamrider and Natural Art Surf Shop employee Daniel Pullen, who made an ephemeral moment of eye contact with a deer in Plymouth, NC, right before he plowed into the beast.
Chris Carhart
“I was on my way to Raleigh/Durham Airport when I hit it. There was an Expedition coming in the other lane and a ditch on the other side, so I had nowhere to go,” said the Buxton bodyboarder. Luckily, Daniel escaped with no injuries, only $1700 damage to his car and a month’s supply of venison. Look for upcoming recipes in ESM’s I-95 Roadkill Cookbook compiled by Senior Editor Chris Towery. •In the matrimony department, Wrightsville Beach, NC, icon Chris “Sour Bum” Freeman managed to pretend to be a sensitive, young gentleman just long enough to trick the lovely Sloan Anderson into engagement. Sour Bum, who is originally from OCMD, moved to Morehead City, NC, to finalize his 12-year quest for a Masters Degree in Coastal Geology, and that’s where he met the beautiful Ms. Anderson of Lakeland, FL who’s a fellow student at UNC. Outside of his wedding plans, Chris reports that after a recent car accident—when for the first time in his life, he was dropped in on by someone else—his back has been keeping him in excruciating pain and surfing has had to take a back seat. Everything came to a tumultuous head one weekend during March in Hatteras when his back finally gave out completely as he was doing a top turn at the Lighthouse. After being dragged out of the water and having his brand new 5/3 cut off, he was whisked away to the hospital in an ambulance. X-rays showed no breaks, but further tests revealed a
Skeets and Donald -- Gibber
herniated disc, so it unfortunately looks like ESM will have to return that Kama Sutra manual we were planning to surprise you two with on your wedding night. •New Jersey’s Jose Villanueva, Anna Piancone, Joe Cooper, and Joe and Meredith Piddington packed their boardbags and updated their passports for a two-week vacation to Costa Rica in January. While making their way across the lower Guanacaste region, the group met up with ESM Chief Photographer Tom ”Diggler” Dugan, who was staying at the same hotel in Mal Pais. The crew scored sweet overhead walls out front of their cabinas, and Diggler even put down his camera long enough to snake a few waves from his Jersey pals. •Fellow Garden State surfer Don Tarrant and the rest of the boys from Eastern Lines all had to return early from their winter vacations to move their Belmar shop to its new location two doors to the south. The new digs feature two floors with more than twice the space of the old place, and best of all, the second story features a huge, semi-circular window that gives an awesome view of some classic jetty setups. •In other Jersey news, Doug Phillips of Del Mar is starting a brand new apparel company called Blue Collar Surf that will offer clothing, trunks, and rash guards. Doug has already recruited talented teamriders Matt McKiever, Larry Devine, Chris Carhart, Luke Mitchell, and Kirk Razza. Phillips is looking for several more members to represent his company in the Southeast. Anyone interested in finding out more can phone him at 732-996-7547 or go to his website at www.bluecollarsurf.com. •There was a reunion tour of sorts in Northeast Puerto Rico this March for a few Maryland natives. Former Ocean City roommates, Skeets “Chicks Dig Me Cuz I Surf” Coyle, Donald Marshall, and former ESM Art Director Kenny “Gibblets the Clown” Gibbs, all met Captain Jim Veiga at his new pad in PR to surf the perfect turquoise barrels of the Caribbean. Highlights of the trip included scoring three-straight days at a firing mysto-left and getting perfect deepwater peaks with all-day offshores at a beautiful island just east of PR. The boys from OC reported that with the catamaran chillin’ in the channel full of ice-cold beer and gourmet food, the shaded deck made an ideal place to watch the rest of the crew charge the pristine peelers. With Gibbs, the Furher of Flatulence, onboard with a supply of beans and rice, there was no lack of wind to power the super cat’s sails. Anybody interested in doing a snorkel, dive, or surf charter through the Caribbean can contact Captain Jim Veiga of Veiga Yachting Services at captjim@coqui.net.  Compiled by John Steinhorst


SE BLAHS

Bill Hartley - Mez
After the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the renourishment of more than one million cubic yards of sand along three-and-a-half miles of Cocoa Beach shoreline, the shallow bars that local longboarders used to enjoy around 8th Street have been radically altered to the surfers’ detriment. While waiting for the bottom to return to its original splendor, the Cocoa Beach crew, including RC’s sander/ glasser Brendan Bennison, drowned their sorrows with several pints one night. But chaos soon ensued after Brendan jokingly mocked the Aussie accent of his visiting Australian mate Matt Dee from Bronte Beach. Matt’s national pride was insulted, and he slammed his American friend to the ground, threatening to give away all of Brendan’s clothes to Goodwill if he didn’t apologize. Bennison was too proud to say sorry, but he was fortunately able to salvage his last pair of speedos and a pair of dirty white socks. •Speaking of socks, Kyle Sockbeason of Indialantic, FL, finally tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Allie Wescott on March 10th at the Strawberry Mansion in Melbourne, FL. The sunny outdoor wedding hosted a small crew of the area’s finest surfers from Sebastian Kingpin Bill Hartley to WRV shaper Mike Daniel. The newlyweds plan to take a belated honeymoon to Indonesia as soon as Kyle is able to pay off his post-matrimonial credit card debt. •According to Kyle’s next-door neighbor Mike Daniel, WRV factory manager Patrick Herrle’s dog Tyler has a serious coke problem—liquid coke that is. Anytime the guys at the factory set down their sodas within his toothy grasp, the Chesapeake Bay retriever bounds by, snatches the can, runs off into the woods, and comes back to the factory all jacked up. The guys at WRV are even pondering taking up a collection to rehabilitate Tyler and cure him of his sugary habit.
Randy Nolan -- Dugan
•North Florida entrepreneur Tommy Scott took a stand of sorts against governmental inefficiencies and excess taxation by developing a new clothing company called Bird1040. His designs depict a footprint shooting a bird in protest of unfair government policies and the IRS. To hop on the anti-establishment wagon or to order a t-shirt, check out Tommy’s website at www.bird1040.com, or phone him at 904-285-2585. •The ESA Alabama district held their Freeze Your Toes Off Classic on February 24th. The event at Terry’s Cove in Orange Beach had more-than-favorable 2 to 3-foot waves kissed by a light onshore breeze. The Outstanding Surfer award went to Lee Howell of Pensacola, FL, who won the Senior Men’s division and placed a very close second to Blake white in the Master’s Longboard division. •In other news from the Deep •In other news from the Deep South, Savannah, GA, surfer and DJ Josh Barrett, along with fellow spinners Blue Nite and Terry Francis, have begun an underground club series called the Groove. Complete with thumping bass and psychedelic lighting, the ravers combine their mixing talents with a video show of surfing, snowboarding, and skating.
Jax Pier -- Dugan
•BAT Surfboards’ shaper Brian Tudor is searching for hot surfers to represent his growing team. One of the newest teamriders, Randy Nolan, joined Justin Brown, Sean Tubbs, and Ryan Brinkman on BAT’s Florida crew. If you think you got what it takes, ring Tudor at 321-779-3996. •Don French, owner of Ocean Magic Surf Shop in Jupiter, FL, added local shredder Eric Strand to his surf team. Eric, who is also sponsored by Lost, said he’s going to take on the contest scene with a renewed focus and a complete arsenal of fresh maneuvers. •High Tide Surf Shop’s Tim Malins headed out west for a snowboard trip to Utah and was up to his sack, carving dry, knee-deep powder on Brigham City area slopes. He hit the icy ground hard during one particularly nasty wipeout, and although it didn’t stop him from continuing his session, he realized he had broken a rib upon returning to his lodge and had to fly back to Georgia. Since the accident, he’s been at home nursing his injured torso and reported that many locals are catching the kiteboard craze during the flat days. For those so inclined, High Tide has all the necessary equipment needed to fly. •The legendary Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier, which has been an oceanside icon for four decades, is in danger of being torn down. The wooden framework was badly battered by Hurricane Floyd, and it has been sitting idle since the city purchased it from owner Rhonda Robinson shortly following the storm. However, locals are rallying to preserve the structure and the surrounding sandbars as the city tries to tear down the old pier in hopes of building a new one to the north to benefit developers and property owners instead of the surfers who use it daily. •GlassyGreen.com told ESM that they have sponsored Jacksonville, FL’s, Julia Skelton for the Toes on the Nose Women’s Longboard Championships at Boca Barranca in Costa Rica this June. Other competitors are encouraged to plan ahead, and register online for the contest at www.toesonthenoes.com. Congratulations to Julia for also landing first in the 2000 Wave Masters Women’s Longboard division and recently receiving an honorable mention in the Jan/ Feb 2001 issue of Longboard Magazine. •Other young Florida hotties making headlines are April Grover, Erica Peek, and Mary Pane, who headed to the Bahamas for a week of clean surf in early April. Upon returning, the tan travelers taught over 20 girls how to surf for the Shaggs Surf Clinic in Cocoa Beach, FL, during the Easter Surfing Festival held April 14th and 15th. The ladies will continue doing the increasingly popular girls’ camp in September for a National Kidney Foundation fundraiser. •South Carolina girls can now sign up for the First Annual Folly
Ryan Mickelsen
Beach Wahine Surf Classic on May 19th-20th. Contest heats will be run at the Washout for shortboarders, longboarders, and bodyboarders of all ages with special heats for beginners and a surf clinic for wannabe wahines. For full details, please call the ESA Southern South Carolina District at 843-795-7690. •On the morning of August 7th last year, fellow South Carolinian John F. Bunting passed away at the young age of thirty-nine at his home in Surfside Beach. A group of close friends literally went the distance to honor their friend’s wishes by spreading his ashes at his homebreaks in Surfside as well as at Cape Hatteras and again at a place he dearly loved, Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica. Bunting, also known as Johnny Bravo, will be missed but always remembered by his many friends and family. •Saint Augustine, FL’s, Jason Roberson added MCD and Utopia Optics to his already-extensive list of rep lines. For info regarding these products, along with DVS, Matix, and Lakai Footwear, contact Jason at 321-777-9031. •according to top-flight model recruit Stephanie Gibbs Walker, seventeen-year-old Melbourne Beach, FL, surfer/actor Ryan Mickelsen attended the FIU Miami Film Festival and appeared in fashion photographer Bruce Weber’s movie premier of Chop Suey at the Gunsmen Center in downtown Miami. Ryan joined the rest of the cast at the raucous post-premiere party along with longtime Weber friend and talent scout Mrs. Gibbs-Walker herself. Compiled by John Steinhorst

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