Surfing Editor in Chief and former Connecticut toddler Evan Slater suffered a strained neck in March while surfing Ponto, his Californian homebreak. According to our furry sources, Slater was attempting a routine head-snap a la Gary “Kong” Elkerton, one of Evan’s childhood heros, when he sustained the injury.This same condition brought about the destruction of several Californian surfers throughout the ‘80s, and whether or not Evan will be able to stay in the upper echelon of the NSSA Southwest Conference Masters’ Division remains to be seen. We wish Evan a snappy (no pun intended) recovery.

•In other Connecticut news, during a week-long surf trip to Central Florida this March, Ridgefield-based Mike Fish, a reporter for the New Canaan Advertiser, stopped by the offices of ESM with his girlfriend Kelsey to check out how a serious-minded and ultra-professional East Coast surfing magazine operates. Being the gregarious fellows we are, we were quick to walk MIke and Kelsey through the office closet housing our German Schnauser porn film collection. We then showed them ESM Art Director Tim Saunders’ jar of pickled doggie testicles, and finished the tour by guiding them through our missing persons list of ESM freelancers. In addition to his editorial duties for the New Canaan Advertiser, Mike regularly contributes stories to the Montauk Pioneer, and he recently finished a piece on surfing New York’s Ditch Plains. Best of luck to Mike in his future scribings.

•Tragedy struck the Rhode Island surfing community this March when 50-year-old Mikey Corr, a Ruggles regular, died of a heart attack. A memorial paddle-out was organized by Sid Abruzzi and the rest of the Ruggles crew in Mikey’s honor.

•Having just moved out to California this year, New Yorker Andy Ryan scored a job with Split Clothing as a Marketing Assistant. Andy will help out Marketing and Design Director Dave Patri and Team Manager Skip Millard. In addition to working with Split, Andy’s also involved with Hub 360, an online marketplace providing the action sports industry with a meeting place. Check them out at www.hub360.com. Andy also fit in the time to lend a hand to Mike Nelson and the Unsound boys with some media marketing and promotions. Wow, this guy sure stays busy. Hey Andy, if you’re ever in ESM’s neighborhood, how about helping us out with a little yard work?

•Speaking of Mike Nelson, O’Neill’s eastside squad consisting of Alek Parker, Jason Reagan, and Team Captain Paul Reinecke joined Nelly on a trip throughout New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Maryland as part of O’Neill Special Forces trip, a grassroots marketing promo angled towards surfing with the most core local guys and scouting out talent. The crew caught great waves in all states, the best being at Tuckerman’s, RI, a horseshoe reef spinning overhead barrels, which served as yet another tasty ingredient to Nelson’s soon-to be-released Couch Tour video.

•Long Island-based Unsound rider Ryan Carlson shacked up with his good buddy, the aforementioned Jason Reagan, during the Van SMAS Airshow at Sebastian Inlet, bringing with him budding Huntington Beach, CA, surf star Brandon Guilmette. Brandon, who is quickly becoming known as one of Southern California’s best aerialists, had a bit of a rough time during his first trip to Florida, first snapping a side glass-on fin off his favorite, stubbiest rocket moments before his Airshow heat. Although he still managed to punt a few high ones, the missing fin kept him from advancing, sending him home broke. Poor Guilmette received no comfort from his older “friend” Carlson, ever the prankster, who according to our sources continued to haze him the entire trip. Apparently, Carlson even urinated on the youngster while he was sleeping—a fate far worse than any heat loss. In a massive blitzkrieg of grom retaliation, Brandon paid the New Yorker back by relieving himself on his wetsuit while it was left out to dry. All Carlson could say was, “My wetsuit’s been drying for hours. Why is it still wet?”

•In more news concerning those rep schleps, SurfersEye.com founder Justin Casey is now representing Redsand Clothing, Black Flys Eyewear, and Evos—a fresh new skate shoe line—in the Northeast region from Jersey to Maine. If you’re interested in obtaining any of these killer products, you can reach Justin at 609-425-8342 or e-mail him at rep@surferseye.com. Oh, and by the way, Justin told us the picture of the surfer pulling into that Rhode Island tube in Issue #78 of ESM wasn’t him. Put a lid on it, man. What do ya think you’re the only Justin Casey out there? It was called the “Regular Guy” Photo Feature, and Casey was one of our regular guys. Be on the lookout for several more separately themed photo features of that sort, which we will henceforth title the ESM Photo Essay. Turn to page 66 of this very issue for our first of these spreads, “Anywhere But Here.”

•Ed Gerbino from Religion Surf Co. reports a mild winter in the way of weather in the Empire State, but Religion’s business this season was anything but mild thanks to their many loyal customers. Ed wishes to thank Airwalk and Osiris for sponsoring a snowboard raffle and gift giveaway which stoked out over 50 kids and even gained the attention of the local newspaper. Religion is also now carrying Adio, Clive, Ezekiel, and Ion Bodyboards, over 50 new surf shapes, 50 new skate decks, and an expanded snowboard department.

Stop by and see Ed and the Religion crew. Or for a surf update, give ‘em a ring at 631-281-9779. ­ Compiled by Matt Pruett.

Apparently our infamous Co-owner/ Photo Editor has gotten pretty good at this sort of thing over the years, and Mez sends his sincerest apologies to Garden State homeboy and fellow photog Chris Polk for screwing up his photo credit on last issue’s Out The Back page. The ripping shot of Kevin Morris was credited to Doug Gotthold when, in fact, it was Polkie’s pic. Mez tried to pass off the blunder on Assistant Photo Ed Donald “Crusty” Cresitello until The Donster reminded him he was on vacation during final page proofs and blames it on Dickie-boy’s recent 50th birthday and a case study in creeping senility.

•Speaking of ol’ Crustybutt, Dono insisted we say something about fellow Manasquan Inlet Cult member Bob Kennedy, who is starting up a clothing line in the spirit of his crew called Inlet Cult. Not wanting to regionalize the clothing name with the Manasquan element, Bob wants his line to suit all surfers, not just those from North Jersey. Be on the lookout for Inlet Cult apparel on a badass near you.

•Joe Bard, the national sales manager for Dan Taylor Surfboards, would like to thank all his Mid-Atlantic teamriders for a rawdoggin’ 2001. Mike Guarino, Sam Hammer, Ian Parnell, and Jason Reagan are just a few of the guys helping DT’s shapes to gain household resonance in the East Coast surfing community.

•This March, former Wrightsville Beach, NC, hotfoot Ben Szafran became betrothed to his longtime sugar-snookums Mary Chris Pullen. The two spent their honeymoon surfing the fabulous pointbreaks of Australia. Best of luck to them for a long and fulfilling life together.

•Additional congratulations go to Hotline Surfboards teamrider and Hurley/ Nike rep Brad Harrell, who married his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Panza on March 2nd, 2002. Naturally, everyone who’s anyone in the Virginia Beach surfing community attended, but Luke Williams, the son of Rip Curl rep Brad WiIliams, stole the show as the ring barer.

•Another VB kid tying the knot was Volcom rider Jason Griffith. As young rippers often do, Jason ventured to Europe on a surf trip last year and came back to the East Coast with a beautiful French wife named Nadia. Jason also recently signed with X-Cel Wetsuits, but he won’t get much use out of them this spring, seeing as he’s off to the warm waters of the Mentawais with Hawaiian WRV teammate Aamion Godwin.

•In other news, who farted?

•Wrightsville Beach, NC, continues to produce great surfers. The latest unknown to pop up out of the area is Pride teamrider Carl Wallin, from Wilmington. Sources say Carl has been turning heads at the heavily contested lineups of C-Street and Masonboro, earning him sponsorship from Da Kine, Aleeda, DVS, and Kaenon Optics. Keep whaling, Wallin!

•ESM has one question for Time Bomb Surfboards shaper/owner Chenzo: Where da frick is the new video, What Exit? ‘02, youse’ keep telling us about? We keep hearing things about Chenzo’s collaboration with Eastcoastsurfer.com’s Brent Dolan in forming What Exit Productions, a full-service video/ audio/ web production company helping to produce and market independent filmmakers’ releases. Although Chenzo and Dolan have accumulated plenty of footage for the second flick, they still encourage Garden Staters to send in their best Jersey clips for inclusion in the video, which will go public later this year. Log on to www.whatexitproductions.com to get involved.

•Since he permanently traded in the donuts and mirrored sunnies for a planer some years back, ex-oinker and Gale Force Glass shaper Ted Kearns has been loving life. He spent a month in Maui shaping and experimenting with new board designs with Matt Kinoshito. Meanwhile, Ted’s close friend and GFG owner Rascoe Hunt reports scoring the longest noseride of his life in chest to head-high peelers at an undisclosed reefbreak in the Caribbean. Nothing like a little island fever to take the edge off winter. Good on ya, boys. Now carry your asses back to work!

•Seaside, NJ, ripper and Time Bomb Surfboards teamrider Josh Redy managed to ink enough deals this past year to give him complete sponsorship. His boards now reserve space for Counter Culture clothing, Globe shoes, Nixon watches, Smith sunnies, Da Kine accessories, and Right Coast Surf Shop. As of yet, Josh has neither a shoestring or an underwear sponsor, but he’s open to all negotiations. •After almost a year, Sandbridge, VA’s, Andrew Meyer finally managed to carve out a niche for himself in California. Giving the poo-peppered barrels of Imperial Beach the snips, Andrew relocated to San Clemente to work for Darkhorse Productions as Donaldson Miele’s assistant distributing surf videos throughout the country. For dealer inquiries, call 866-342-6334, or send a fax to 949-369-9298.

•In other celluloid happenings, if you haven’t checked it out by now, be sure to pick up a copy of The Rising, the first release from SoCal videographer Josh Williams. (You didn’t hear it from us, but this guy’s rumored to be the next Taylor Steele, only better.) The Rising, presented by Metalstorm Entertainment, highlights the most radical surfers of the second millennium including Joel Parkinson and Fred Pattachia. A graduate of UCSD Film School, Josh told us Ben Bourgeois, one of the starring surfers, was more than instrumental in the making of the film, serving as Executive Producer alongside Pattachia. Look for a thorough review of The Rising on page 117 of this issue’s Peepshow.

•Eastern Lines’ Belmar, NJ, store recently expanded to 6000 square feet. Oooh, you guys are really getting big!

•Congratulations to Croatan High School Surf Team, who took top honors at the CCC/ CNC Team Challenge, held in early March at Oceanana Pier in Atlantic Beach, NC. Proceeds from the contest were donated to the Carteret Community College Foundation to help fund a surfing scholarship. Big thanks to all who participated.

•In other Central NC happenings, Paul Poston, Jon Doyle, Bruce Willis, and Mike Holloman wish to thank Roger from Safari Surf for putting them up in Costa Rica this winter, where the crew caught double-overhead Hermosa.

•This just in: I farted.

•Point Pleasant, NJ’s, Tom Spader and fellow OC Observer photog Doug Hood have started a webpage dedicated to the New Jersey surf scene called localswell.com. Be sure to check the site out as it will feature quality images from Belmar to LBI and all points south.

•Unable to cough up the necessary 10 g’s for state-of-the-art, 600 mm, auto-focus optics, Joisey Senior Staff Photog Jack Ryan has the deal of the century for any budding photographers looking for a great, pro-quality starter lens. Ryan’s offering up his trusty manual focus Nikkor ED 500 mm F4 with a hard case for a mere $1800—a deal in anyone’s blue book considering Jack is giving the equipment a near-perfect condition rating of 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. Interested parties can contact Ryan at jwryan@quixnet.net, or 732-642-5528 on the telly.

•Following a somewhat disappointing trip to Costa Rica this winter with Outer Banks sponger Eric Drexler, Martin Fucci spent a couple months staying with ESM Senior Editor Matt Pruett in Central Florida to escape frostbite, KDHPD, and obsessive girlfriends awaiting him back on the Banks. The Volcom teamrider wishes to thank the Brevard groms, particularly Alek Parker and the Jones brothers of Melbourne Beach, FL, for their sincere southern
hospitality this winter and for at least trying to hook him up with a few chicks. After running out of money and mooching Pruett’s coin supply under the couch cushions, it was back to Dare County for young Martin. He can now be found cleaning septic tanks along the northern Outer Banks with Whalebone Surf Shop’s Steve Graves. Hey, you know what they say, Martin: “It’s a shitty job, but someone’s gotta do it.” ­ Compiled by Matt Pruett.

East Coast surfers are taking over the world! After CJ Hobgood claimed the 2001 world title in December, fellow Floridian waverider Chris Thorpe of Daytona Beach, FL, brought home a bronze medal from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT. Thorpe took the award in the Two-Man Luge, and although careening down a frozen mountain at Mach-5 is a far cry from the Sunshine State’s warm windswells, he managed to nut it up enough to nab the third-place slot. Back in North Florida immediately after his win, Thorpe garnered an even bigger prize—newborn daughter Skylar, delivered by his wife Kriste.

•Down in the Caribbean, Jo Cardona’s Puerto Rico surf pub Low Pressure has been documenting the meteoric rise of the island’s homegrown waveriding talent for a couple years now, and local pro Otto Flores raked in tons of coverage in the February 2002 issue. Otto not only scored the mag’s two-page, fold-out cover with a jaw-dropping 11-shot sequence of his balls-out charge through Teahupoo’s thermonuclear caverns, but he also bagged an extensive profile inside the issue, as well. This marks a media double-shot for Flores, who in December graced the cover of Surfer with a similarly sick photo from the same Tahitian session. To check out Otto and the rest of PR’s up-and-coming surf stars, grab a subscription of Low Pressure by e-mailing lowpressuremagazine@hotmail.com.

•With summer just around the corner, the East Coast contest circuit is firing on all cylinders, and the Folly Beach Wahine Surf Classic is one event that will be showcasing our top female talent in South Carolina. Contest Directors Kelly Kane and Katie Coryell wanted to get the word out that this year’s second annual event will be held at the The Washout May 18th and 19th and will include heats in shortboard, longboard, and bodyboard divisions. Directors are limiting the number of competitors to 80, so go to their website home.earthlink.net/~follybeachwahinesurf to get signed up.

•Radical Side Producer and Jax Beach heavy Mitch Kaufmann told us about another surf competition going down this May—The 19th Annual Wavemasters in Jacksonville Beach, FL. The event, which is touted as the biggest amateur contest in Florida, is slated for the fourth and fifth of the month at Jacksonville Beach with divisions for ages seven to seventy. To find out more, go to wavemasters.org.

•While you’re in Jacksonville for the Wavemasters, stop by Sunrise Surf Shop to pick up your gear, and make sure you check out the new line of Cannibal surfboards. Cannibal owner/ shaper AJ Finan told ESM that he finally got his shapes in Sunrise this winter, and since then, they’ve been flying off the racks.

•Another shop to check out at the southerly end of the Sunshine State is Quiksilver Boardriders Club in Palm Beach Gardens. Even though the store has only been open since this June, it’s already cranking out the top sales of all Quiksilver Boardriders Clubs in the country. Owner Ed Leisure, who also runs four Quiet Flight stores in Cocoa Beach, Tampa, New Symrna Beach, and Orlando, is fast-becoming Florida’s reigning surf shop tycoon. Watch out Ron Jon’s!

•On a much sadder note out of Palm Beach, FL, Bill Bennett sent news of the death of hot Broward County surfer Doug Rosell. Doug, who was an 18-year-old honor student, star swimmer, and grom-charger, died tragically from a drug overdose this winter. A memorial paddle-out was held by several Palm Beach locals, who scattered flowers and dropped two stone monuments signed by each mourner into the lineup at his favorite break, Reef Road.

•In Central Florida, The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is hard at work preserving and displaying the rich legacy of East Coast surfing. The museum, which was started by local Sean O’Hare, has been open since 1999, but it recently gained non-profit status from the state and is now ready to expand beyond its early grass-roots stages. Their gallery of memorabilia includes magazine collections, classic boards, trophies, photos, and other items from across Central Florida. In addition to their physical location, the museum is also presenting a surf contest June 8th-9th called the International Transportation Workers Federation Waterman’s Challenge. Don’t be fooled by the odd-sounding title, because while the event is sponsored by the Transport Workers,any surfers are welcome to enter the competition, which will include a professional longboarding event, a paddleboard race, amateur shortboard heats, and an airshow. To get signed up, e-mail The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum at sohare@cfl.rr.com.

•On Barbados, Bajan Surf Bungalows owners Ryan and Melanie Pitcher are celebrating the birth of their son, Darian Shea Pitcher. Little Darian, who was born late this fall, is the Bathsheba-based couple’s first child, and growing up with his front porch overlooking the raging rights at Soupbowl, he’s sure to become one of island’s heavy hitters in years to come.

•In other newborn news, Groove Tube owner and Free Flow Conspiracy drummer Dave Settgast became a proud papa to son Strider Tenzen Settgast on March 23rd. Dave and his wife Desiree, who live in Melbourne Beach, FL, reported that Strider was a picture of perfect health weighing eight pounds one ounce and measuring 21-inches long with triple concave and moderate bottom rocker.

•Over on the the Gulfside, NXTC Surfboards owner/ shaper Tommy Daniels in Holmes Beach, FL, told ESM that local breaks from Bradenton to Venice saw consistently fun surf during the first half of March with ridable waves popping up just about once a week. Beach Street was one of the top spots, scoring all-time conditions during the slew of regular cold-front windswells. However, the March bout of waves may prove to be the punchy beachbreak’s last as the entire stretch of sand from the north end of Anna Maria down to the south end of Bradenton Beach underwent a massive renourishment project in early April. Daniels said that the addition of tons of fill to the region not only threatens Beach Street but other quality lineups like Twin Piers, as well, so stayed tuned to ESM to see how the new sand fares with the coming hurricane swells.

•In East Coast transplant news, former Ft. Lauderdale, FL, shaper Jeff “Rat” Battisti sent word that Rat Surfboards out in Encinitas, CA, is blowing up with the recent addition of several new employees and teamriders. Jeff welcomed two new Florida reps, Dave “Big Doo” Farrew and Scott “Kool Cat” Eastman to his hardworking crew, as well as new teammember Lauren Sweeney, a 15-year-old honor student out of San Diego. In addition to Sweeny, Rat also wanted to give a shout out to his other riders, Joe Crimo, Vince Alessi, and Matt King for tearing it up in Cali, Oz, and Hawaii this season. Check out the entire Rat squad and board line at ratsurfboards.com. ­Compiled by Chris Towery.

Thinking about hitting the road for that much needed surfari this summer? Well, one of the hottest destinations right now is the surf-soaked Mentawai Islands, and Saraina Koat Mentawai Surf Charter Service is a new travel biz dedicated to rescuing you from behind your desk and slotting you inside crystal-blue Indian Ocean barrels. Former New Yorker Anthony Marcotti is one of the California-based company’s leading agents, and he told ESM that their website, mentawaisurfcharters.com, offers comprehensive information on all of Saraina’s six boats as well as providing detailed descriptions of 33 different breaks, 150 photos and movies from past trips, and essential travel checklists. If you’re interested in scoring some Mentawai magic this summer, go online and check them out.

•Another East Coast transplant who’s rocking the marketplace over in Cali is former Satellite Beach, FL, surfer Brandon “Chunk” Haines. Moving out west this winter, Haines snagged a position in Counter Culture’s Marketing and Promotions Department and is currently crashing at fellow Right Coast native Chris Maslow’s pad in San Clemente. Maslow works as an artist at Ambiguous Clothing, and together the two are righteously representing our seaboard in the west coast surf industry.

•Back on the Right Coast, Patrick Riley of the newly formed Jacksonville Beach chapter of Surfrider informed ESM that the organization is up and running strong in North Florida. The group has been holding regular meetings at local oyster bar Sliders in Atlantic Beach, and in between slugging down ice-cold brews and slimy crustaceans, they also managed to discuss important environmental issues like water quality,erosion, and surfbreak bottom contours. To get involved, go to the message board at fluidgroove.net for future meeting times and locations as well as detailed accounts of current topics under discussion.

•Speaking of Fluid Groove, besides providing the skinny on Surfrider events, the new website, headed by Jax Beach surfer Jamie Borders, also supplies local surf reports, forecasts, photo galleries, and digital bulletin boards for North Floridians. Outside of the ocean info, internet junkies can also purchase Fluid Groove T-shirts, inspect the latest board designs from shaper Clay Bennett, or get copies of the company’s free 2002 calenders. Go online at fluidgroove.net to check them out.

•In more news from the internet front, an exhaustive new site called Dawn Patrol South Africa is your one-stop source for surfing tours through South Africa’s swell-inundated East London region. Run by local surf guide Roger Smith, Dawn Patrol organizes surfaris across the southeast coast of the Dark Continent with stops at unreal breaks like Graveyards, Bonza Bay, Gonubie Point, Nahoon Reef, Jeffrey’s Bay, and many more. The website sets up travelers with accommodations, guides, transportation, surf maps, and most everything else you’ll need to score the country’s myriad waves at their all-time best. With the South Africa’s Rand seeing some of the highest exchange rates in years, now is the time to take advantage of the power of the American dollar by booking your African adventure through the Dawn Patrol website at dawnpatrol.co.za.

•East Coast surfers should be on the lookout for two new videos to surface later this year. First up is Noah’s Ark, a surfing documentary detailing Outer Banks pro Noah Snyder’s life and his evolution from chunky grom to globetrotting surf star to devout missionary. The vid will be written and directed by Nic McLean, best known for his Found videos, and will cover all points of the globe from Hawaii to Portugal to Indonesia. And next, while in Australia this March, Noah and fellow Outer Banks star Matt Beacham joined up with CJ and Damien Hobgood as well as CT Taylor to film for The Outsiders, another Christian-oriented surf video directed by Surfer Magazine intern Jesse Schluntz. The wholesome theme seems a strange one for Schluntz, who is most famous for his demonic and hilariously gory Teardevils flicks. Maybe The Outsiders will feature the best of both worlds—deep spiritual testimonies given while surfers’ heads explode.

•While serving as the Contest Director at the Quiksilver Caribbean Cup in Puerto Rico, fellow North Carolinian Jesse Fernandez impressed Quik officials so much they’ve decided to pick him up for their Silver Edition Team. This stands as a great honor for the longtime WRV shaper and Outer Banks legend as Fernandez becomes the sole East Coast teammember and takes his place among renowned Silver Edition riders like Jeff Hakman, Titus Kinimaka, and Wayne Lynch.

•Another surfer getting the hook-up after the Caribbean Cup was event winner Carlos Cabrero. Not only did the PR top gun walk away with $7,000 after claiming the victory, but in the months following the competition, he was given the nod as a new teamrider for Split Clothing.

•ESM finally got some news out of the media-shy state of Delaware. While vacationing down in Central Florida this spring, Ocean View, DE, homeboy Aaron Powell picked up sponsorship with St. Pete-based Bulatowitz Surfboards. Now if we can just get some quality shots of Aaron or any other Delaware waveriders, we might just be able to give this Mid-Atlantic surf state the coverage it deserves.

•One publication that’s finally giving England’s surfers the coverage they deserve is London-based The Surfer’s Path. For the past several years, the British surf magazine, which has a heavy focus on worldwide travel, has been widely circulated throughout Europe, but since 2001, The Surfer’s Path has infiltrated the US market via major bookstores like Barnes and Nobles as well as surf shops in Florida and California. The pub even plans on setting up a US headquarters in California, but until then, interested surfers can get subscription info by e-mailing Justin Wallace at justin@permanentpub.com.

•Vancouver, Canada, eyewear brand Iris welcomes Geoff Armstrong to their hardworking crew of reps. Geoff will cover sales in South Florida as well as managing the company’s East Coast surf team. To find an Iris dealer near you, contact them at 604-515-1808 or info@irissnow.com. •Dermatone Sunblock is looking for reps to cover the East Coast from Maine to Miami, including the Gulf coasts of Florida and Texas. Anyone interested should call Adam Spector at 303-823-5053.

•In a final bit of industry spew, H2Odyssey needs East Coast reps. Call Don Western at 760-599-4097 for more info.

•St. Augustine, FL, native Myles McGuiness sent word from his new homebase in La Jolla, CA, that his design company 9Myles, Inc. recently launched a new website at 9myles.com. Previously, Myles worked at a big, stuffy ad agency in downtown San Diego, but after missing way too many waves at Blacks, he decided to focus his full attention on his own business. The increase in surf time must have really got his creative juices flowing as 9Myles has already garnered several awards in the SoCal ad community, including a piece in Print Magazine’s coveted design annual. To check out his work, go to his incredibly well-put-together website or give him a buzz at 858-344-8619. ­Compiled by Chris Towery.