rookie school……QS101
Lesson 1. When at roving venue………you have to get them “wheels” – check out Davey Weare’s Blog.
Lesson 2. Get the fricken contract roaming cellphone……..even if you use it for emergencies only……things DO go wrong…..you need a phone !!!!(eg. this year already I’ve missed a flight to Hawaii because of a delayed connection flight, I’ve been chased up a hill to sit out a Tsunami and got stuck in Scotland because of some restless volcano in Iceland).
Lesson 3. For most of the contests, we travel to the arse-end of the world…….there is NO surf shop to buy the super cold-water wax or the big-wave leach……take it with you, and some spares as well…..Davey had a lot of bargaining power with his cold-water wax.
London……
Everyone chose a different path home. Some drove to Europe, some hung in Scotland, some didn’t know what to do, some caught trains, some went to airports, some spent all day at the pub waiting and some, like me, drove to London. It was my first time in London and luckily I met up with one of my good friends, Brendon, who also did the drive to London. He knows the joint really well and took us to see all the tourist stuff and we went to some sick shops too. Airspace has opened and almost all the boys have got flights home. I’m on the airport at the moment and really relieved to be leaving only a day and a half later than originally scheduled. I must say if it wasn’t for my mom’s orginization, I would still be stuck somewhere in Thurso. The first picture is of a few of us hanging at the hotel, still stranded, mainly watching the news and having a beer, the second one is on the morning the airspace opened – I’m checking out a plane about to land, a rare sight over the last week….
lord royden bryson
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Click on photo’s to enlarge.
Lord Royden Bryson…. Well what can I say? The guy deserved to be a Lord after his performance today. He had being getting the job done all week, making heat after heat, leaving his best for last. A 16.60 semi-final heatscore and a 14 in the final. He sat for roughly 26 minutes, a heat restart included after 10 minutes with no waves, before opening his account with a massive 8.67 in the deteriorating conditions. From there on out he was in the drivers seat and the next thing he knew he was on the shoulders of Dave Weare and Brandon Jackson and being awarded surfing’s coolest trophy soon after. Oh he won land in the Scottish Highlands so he is officially a Lord, jokes aside. I’m really proud of the guy and that I am on speaking terms with a Lord….. Congrats Roy!!
airmageddon, contest and lunch
It’s pretty common knowledge that all flights to and from the UK are grounded. Not such good news for us, who are in Scotland at the moment and have to urgently be back in SA by the weekend for a big Pro Junior event. Apparently it’s getting worse too…… Eish.
Some shots of Matt Bromley, Brendon Gibbens, Beyrick Devries, Brandon Jackson and the surrounds of the contest venue of Thurso East.
A third of the Saffa crew at the usual lunch spot. All of the worlds problems get solved around that table……
surfana surfana (ZAF) vs surferoo’s (AUS)
The Team
Played a soccer match on an off day at the Coldwater Classic. These are the memories you treasure, I reckon….. Good times.
thurso
Developing a severe case of the “heebie-jeebies”, want to surf my heat but the surf looks tiny. The call is for 16h30 but it might still be too small. Later.
Brims Ness…..O’Neill Coldwater Classic
We’ve been surfing at Brims Ness for the first few days of the O’Neill Coldwater Classic. All the SAFFA’s were out there free surfing until around 8 o’clock last night – almost froze to death – could not feel my feet at all. Some swell is predicted and the contest will probably move to Thurso East tomorrow.
We also took a drive to John O’Groats house – the most Northern house in Scotland – after that it’s just a few Islands and then the North Pole !!!!
Scotland…..
A shot of the church and our accomodation in Thurso in Scotland. The waves have been pretty fun, but really cold. Contest starts tomorrow, keen to get out there for a heat…..
In The Shaping Bay With Simon Fish
Picking up some freshies, talking ideas and surfboards with my shaper Simon Fish from Fishstix surfboards.
West Aus Clip
Featuring me, Dale Staples, Rudy Palmboom, Dave Richards, Richard Christie, Billy Starmaid, John John Florence and Ricky Basnett. Enjoy….
quiksilver pro….durb’s
Thanks to Matt and Dale for the “airlift”…..it’s soooo good to be back in SAFFA and hang with the boys. Shot to Slade for taking out the u16 KOG and to Max for the u14 KOG and also to Quiksilver – the event sponsor. Check out some more photo’s and press release.
Thanks Greg Ewing for the photo’s on this blog.
Port arthur, tasmania
Important Note
No reference of any “Joubert’s” could be found in the prison records (as expected)…..but a huge surprise awaited the Staples family……Robert Staples – repeat offender….that is also the name of Dale’s grandfather…….say no more !!!!!
Australia’s largest penal station
Port Arthur was named after Van Diemen’s Land lieutenant governor George Arthur.
From 1833, until the 1877, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals, those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment.
…here prisoners were hooded and made to stay silent, this was supposed to allow time for the prisoner to reflect upon the actions which had brought him there. In many ways Port Arthur was the pin-up for many of the penal reform movement, despite shipping, housing and slave-labour use of convicts being as harsh, or worse, than others stations around the nation. Some critics might even suggest that its use of psychological punishment, compounded with no hope of escape, made it one of the worst. Some tales suggest that prisoners committed murder (an offence punishable by death) just to escape the desolation of life at the camp.
…..Port Arthur was also the destination for juvenile convicts, receiving many boys, some as young as nine arrested for stealing toys. The boys were separated from the main convict population and kept on Point Puer, the British Empire’s first boys’ prison. Like the adults, the boys were used in hard labour such as stone cutting and construction.
the “black panty” scandal…
Creed, myself, Chad and Dale sitting outside our cabin at Margaret River.
We had a lay-day and decided to do some washing……combined all the washing and also added my dad’s and Darryl’s as well. This is where the problem started….. If you look closely you will see a very “naughty” black panty hanging among our washing. Obviously the dads blamed us (Chad does look a bit guilty), but after spending 2 weeks with the Staples, I think Darryl has some explaining to do…..he is not a model law-abiding citizen – spent too much time in Kavookie country!!! “What happens on tour, stays on tour” ….. heh
