Britain's hidden history of surfing revealed

General News

A Royal Wave - Britain's hidden history of surfing revealed

Mollymook Longboarders Charity Classic 2004 results

The Hawaii Amateur Surfing Association (HASA) Hawaii Chapter

The Mentawai report

Inventions

Links etc.

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Was a beautiful Crown Princess of Hawaii, her long dark hair flowing in the sea breeze, the first person to glide across a wave in Britain standing on a surfboard more than 100 years ago?

You can find out more about the incredible story of expert surfer Princess Victoria Ka’iulani, who lived in England in 1892, at an exhibition of British surfing history in Brighton, England, this September.

This unique project has been made possible by the generous sponsorship of Oxbow UK.

The connection between Royalty and surfing is just a small part of the hidden history of British surfing that will be on show at the month long exhibition on Brighton seafront.

• The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, learned to surf in Hawaii in 1920.
• The late Viscount Ted Deerhurst became Britain's first pro surfer in 1978
• Prince Charles, surfed in Australia & Cornwall and became patron of the British Surfing Association

Surfing is now one of the fastest growing sports.

Among the exhibits will be rare surfboards that chart the history of surfing on Britain’s shores through to the present day - you might even find your old wetsuit there, or a bar of vintage surf wax! A special video area will show historic surfing footage.

There will be surfing demonstrations on classic British surfboards, and if you’re lucky, you might get the chance to try one out yourself!

The Exhibition of British Surfing History runs from September 11th to October 9th at Brighton Fishing Museum Gallery, 203 King’s Road Arches. Admission is free. For opening times please log on to our web site. The event is sponsored by Oxbow UK.

Pete Robinson
info@thesurfingmuseum.co.uk

The annual Mollymook Longboarders Charity Classic was held over the weekend of 14-15 August with 90 entries in 8 divisions, and what a contrast there was in the weather conditions between Saturday and Sunday.  The popularity of the event is due largely to the possibility and attraction of surfing Golf course Reef on one of those "special" days.  However, as was the situation in 2003, the early birds who met at 6:30AM on Saturday at "Golfy" were confronted with almost flat conditions and an offshore Westerly wind that was only helping to further flatten what little swell there was. 

The prospect of having to postpone seemed quite high, but a search party reported that there was a very small but ride able wave at Rennie's Beach, and the decision was made to at least begin the contest there in the hope that conditions might improve during the day.  The fist day's program involved 28 heats, and with little scope for making up for lost time during the day, a "beach start " system was employed to allow time for judges to changeover between the heats whilst the competitors in the next heat were paddling out.  The contest was also run from the viewing platform above the beach rather than having to negotiate the 75 steps to and from the beach with contest equipment to set up on the beach. 

The result was a good crowd in the contest area throughout the day, who seemed to appreciate the laid-back atmosphere created with Laurie Andrew's theme music and the social focus of the food tent.  Despite the small and inconsistent surf conditions, most competitors were able to pick up three or four waves in their heats; however, the spread of surfers down the beach gave the judges a hard time in scoring in some heats.  As the end of the day approached, so did the forecast southerly change, which could be seen advancing toward Ulladulla.

The wind change hit just as the second last heat of the day was finishing, and the contest was terminated for the day, with the need then to alter the program for the next morning.  At least there seemed to be the prospect for some swell with the change, and a return to "Golfy" for Sunday, as had happened in 2003; although, everyone who attended the 2003 contest hoped that the NW gale conditions would not be repeated. Similar wind strength but different direction, as it turned out!  During Saturday night gale force SW winds gave the organisers some concern that the surf conditions would turn from famine to feast, and that the swell might be too big on Sunday. 

However, Sunday morning at "Golfy" revealed 4-6 foot waves, but with bumpy faces resulting from the strong and gusty SW cross-wind that progressively swung further S during the day, and an occasional "clean-up" set that always seemed to catch at least one competitor too far inside.  Conditions remained difficult throughout the day, and the strong wind made paddling onto waves a difficult task; nevertheless almost all competitors managed to catch their required count of two scoring waves during the heats and semi-finals. 

There were a few withdrawals during the day by competitors who didn't fancy testing suspect (old) bodies in the conditions, but then knowing your own limits must always be the first consideration in deciding whether to paddle out.  Longboard surfing is supposed to be fun, not an ordeal.  Much credit is due to the Juniors and the Ladies who all showed determination and skill in mastering the conditions. 

As to be expected, the 9 foot Open division produced the most spectacular display of longboard riding during Sunday, with Narooma surfer Ray Lawrence receiving a perfect score of 10 from one judge for one of his waves in the final. Unfortunately for Ray he managed only two scoring rides in the final when three were required.  However, the winner of the event, Christian Pimm averaged around 8 for his best three rides and consistently showed the entire range of longboard riding skills in the difficult conditions. 

The 8 foot Open final was also an impressive spectacle for the many spectators gathered on the grass above the beach, with all finalists not at all subdued by the conditions, and both attempting and pulling off some maneuvers that are difficult enough in calm conditions.  The Over 55 final also showed that even the oldies can still perform at a very high standard in difficult conditions, with that old contest junkie Dave Pimm making it two division wins for the family for the weekend.  Son, Christian, also managed a second in the Open 8 foot final.  Matt Chojnacki, the winner of the Junior division was also a finalist in the 9 foot Open division, and must have a big future ahead of him in longboarding.

The Charity Classic was again well supported by longboarders from as far away as NSW Central Coast, and the high standards of previous years was continued, both on the water and in the organisation and running of the event. The event was also well supported by spectators on both days. 

Mollymook Longboarders would like to thank Kent Saunders (Southern Man Surf Shop) for his invaluable assistance in organising the contest,  Steve Vickery and the DV8 Malibu Club for their assistance in running the contest, and the following sponsors:  the three amigo's, otherwise known as Mark Rabbidge (Retro Longboards), Bruce Heggie (Wave Graffiti) and Terry Glass (TG Surfboards), who produced the longboard for the raffle; Ocean and Earth, who have supported the club since its inception;  Quicksilver, Ripcurl, O'Neill,  Billabong, Creatures of Leisure, FCS, Shark Freestyle Watches, Bolle, West Surfing, Balin, Mrs Palmer's, Scheky Deck Grip, and Globe, who provided prizes for the contest; and Southcoast Distributors, Keith Purvis Podiatry, and Pacific Engineering and Management who provided donations that helped with the running of the contest.

The ladies of the food tent, as always, deserve an appreciative mention both for the food provided, and for the wonderful social atmosphere they helped create; thanks Deb, Chris, Jenny, Lorna, Jennifer, et al.  Thanks also to Laurie Andrew for his music, for MC-ing the presentation, and for running the auction; some people were saying that he may have missed his obvious calling in life.  Lastly thanks to the many helpers from the Club who attended both days despite not competing, with particular thanks to Greg Hunt and Dick Devenport for their efforts in organising and running the longboard raffle, which was won by Shane Dobing of the DV8 Malibu Club.

RESULTS

Michael Greentree
Mollymook Longboarders
PO Box 256
MILTON  NSW  2538
Ph/Fax 02 4456 5019

Our 2004-2005 season.

We will be having seven contests on the Big Island this season, beginning October 2, 2004 and ending April 2, 2005.   Our goals this year are:

1. To send as many contestants to the State Championships on Oahu,
2. To run a high quality family-oriented surfing event,
3. To promote surfing of the highest caliber.

We hope to encourage more of our island's youth to join our organization so they may reap the benefits of being a part of HASA. Benefits include a safe drug-free zone, a competitive and respectful atmosphere, an increase in self-respect and confidence, and an even greater love for the sport by being a part of a surfing ohana.

As a volunteer organization, we maintain a Board of Directors consisting of four individuals: Joan Pieper, Erin and Charles Kaili and myself. We each have our strengths to contribute to keep this organization strong. All donations will go straight to the keiki and keiki at heart who surf in the events. All monies will directly fund the events. We are in great need of prizes though any help would be appreciated.

We have resisted spending any money on much-needed equipment and materials so that we can send as many surfers as possible to the State Championships on Oahu at the end of the season. This past year we were able to pay thirty-five 1st division entries and eight 2nd division entries. Thirteen of those surfers placed in their division. We also placed two finalists in the seven divisions for the USA Championships held at Huntington Beach in July and one of our members, Kaimi Hui Hui, made the 2004 USA Surf Team in Mens Shortboard!

As you can see we are very proud of our organization and our surfers. We hope that you will be a part of our ohana!

Sincerely,
Adam Escobar
Co-Director HASA Hawaii Chapter
www.bigislandhasa.com
bigislandhasa@yahoo.com
(808)961-5145
102 Palani St., Hilo, HI 96720

Hello everyone,

The last two months have been quite active in the Mentawai's. Surprisingly though, there really hasn't been any massive, ten foot plus swells to speak of; however, we have enjoyed fairly consistent-sized surf that seems to be a more suitable match for most of our guests.

Perhaps the easiest way to show you what's been going on over the course of the summer is to direct you to Dave Collyer's web site; www.sickshots.com. Dave has been our "staff photographer" for the past four months. He's chronicled practically every swell event since April and has put together a series of very entertaining slide shows for you to enjoy. Click the following link to see what Dave's been up to: http://www.sickshots.com/id46.html

In other news, I've just returned from a month long stint in the Mentawai's myself. Needless to say, when you go on back to back trips you're bound to surf some incredible waves. The first trip was with Transworld Magazine for a special upcoming article in their September 9th issue. This won't be an ordinary look at boat trips; the surfers on this trip were the best women surfers in the world. To be totally honest, they charged and ripped harder than you could ever imagine - it was unbelievable just watching them. Make sure you pick up a copy when it hits the newsstands in two weeks.

A few of my friends then flew out for the second trip; the waves were pretty good overall but we had the best weather conditions I've ever seen which was almost surreal. We chose to spend most of our time in the north where we were somehow able to surf most of our sessions by ourselves; the best being two ridiculously good afternoons at Rifles. One screaming 300 yard plus right at Rifles makes the entire hassle of getting over there worth the effort; look for updated photos soon.

Terima kasih,
Anthony Marcotti
Saraina Koat Mentawai Surf Charters and Cultural Tours
www.mentawaiislands.com
714.478.2487

August 24, 2004

A good friend of mine was raving to me recently about his POD Handboard. He says it is a body boarding "must have"! So, I have to check it out. Apparently my mate was right. Other body boarders I know seem to think the same about this great invention. (Ed.)

The pod handboard is precisely engineered for extreme body surfing; your hand is strapped in the natural swimming position, directly above the board's pivot point and keel fin.

The concave shaped bottom and keel fin will ensure rapid elevation onto the wave and excellent wave-holding attributes. The result is less drag as the body surfers body is raised out of the water, leaving only the handboard and the tips of the fins in the water, giving maximum speed, lift and control.

Ask your local retailer or contact Shane Vassallo at POD fins

email@podfins.com.au
POD Design Pty. Ltd.
P. +61 2 8338 0101 :: F. +61 2 8338 0102 :: M. +61 412 89 2000
www.podfins.com.au
www.podhandboards.com

You might recall we did a feature on this invention in May last year. Well since then they have done more research and refined the product even further. Well worth a second look. (Ed.)

"Cool Technology that allows very creative surfing"
Surfing Magazine

"Fully adjustable and safely releases. Great idea, it works."
Laird Hamilton

Tested all over the world in all sorts of conditions.

Erik Hurst
Extreme Surf Straps
PO BOX 6906
Malibu, CA
(310) 457-0696
www.strapsurfing.com
erikh@www.surfstraps.com

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