The train from the Shire leaves in about 45 mins and there are still four of us here, nowhere near ready. Frantically trying to finalise things before we all head to London for a few days (got Martin providing the cover while we are away). We have been invited to the Good for Profit Event tomorrow with Al Gore - looking at ethical/sustainable business practices. Really looking forward to it and we’ll be fighting our corner for the smaller guys who are leading the charge - really doing what they say they are on this front. For more info click here http://www.whatifinnovation.com/whatiflive
On Thursday we are then off to the House of Lords - supposed to be a dress code, but cannot find it anywhere. This is more of an ethical/sustainable think tank and they want to hear what we have to say.
Very exciting times and we’ll let you know how we go…. (Tom, Ernie, Steve & Tom P)
After ravaging the Australs, the Gambiers and the Tuamotus and closing down three airports, an unexpected southern swell woke the gods of Teahupoo on Halloween night.
The best big wave-riders had bought their tickets for some 20-ft-plus rides:
Laird Hamilton, Raimana Van Bastolaer, Manoa Drollet, Dylan Longbottom, Ian Walsh, Shane Dorian, Jamie O’Brian, Jamie Sterling, Carlos Burle, Benjamin Sanchis, Maya Gabeira, Hira Teriinatoofa, Sylvio Mancusi, Kaleo Robinson, Koby Abberton, Vetea David, Teiva Joyeux, Nicolas Lee Tham, Nathan Fletcher, Felipe, Rodrigo Kocha, Patrice Chanzy, Heirari Williams, Garrett McNamara, Adam D’Esposito, Patto, & Arsène Harehoe,
The action started early at 5:30 am, with glassy 12-ft-plus conditions with Raiment Van Blastulae, Laird Hamilton and Jamie O’Brian catching some of the cleanest waves of the day and Jamie Sterling stealing the show by riding a glassy cathedral around 7 am.
As the wind picked up, the swell kept growing and Teahupoo started to throw some of its famed “bombs” with Ian Walsh riding certainly the meanest looking and probably one of the biggest waves of the day, a massive white-water mutant that peeled off perfectly into the channel. Brazilian girl and big wave-rider, Maya Gabbier, also took on the challenge, but suffered two severe wipe-outs straight off. Unfazed and always smiling, she returned to the battlefront and successfully rode some of the largest tubes of her life. Around 10:30am, Ian Walsh whipped Shane Dorian into a dredging green monster where he pulled the move of the day by executing a sharp bottom turn and carve in the face of the wave to re-position himself in order to be able to exit the warping tube. A few minutes later, it was the turn of Manoa Drollet to get shacked on the most beautiful and biggest wave of the day. The southerly direction seemed to be making the wave as large as it was tall. Manoa, who had been spending some time in Europe, caught a plane back to Tahiti especially for this swell. Once again he proved to be the ‘Boss’ when Teahupoo turns on. 11h30: Garrett McNamara was dropped off super deep on a bomb, so deep that he was swallowed by the foam ball while watching Raiment riding the same wave and making it to safety a few metres ahead of him.
Around midday, there were up to 14 jet-skis in the line up. On some sets, they resembled a line of cavalry charging towards the take off spot with all riders and drivers stressing to get the bigger sets. The wind continued to strengthen throughout the day and the current was so strong that the colour of the water turned yellow and green as the pass let out the murky lagoon waters. In the afternoon; Laird Hamilton, Ian Walsh and Raiment committed to some super-deep rides exiting every time with the spit of the wave. Carlos Burle scored the largest wave of the afternoon around 4 pm. By 5 am, most of the tow-in teams and media boats had been on the water for twelve hours and they started to clear the line up just as the swell finally dropped.
The next day, many riders found themselves suffering from sunburn, sun blindness or simply a good hangover. The Red Bull film crew who had come down to do a story on a new type of revolutionary camera ended up scoring the best week of the year in Tahiti with some of their best athletes, with shots captured from more angles than one could ever imagine. No doubt all this magic Teahupoo footage will rock the surfing world in the very near future.
Tom (founder) and I headed up last Monday to what is a classic, world famous, yet small town event in England. I have heard of a few of these around the UK (check the Gloucester cheese rolling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm7eIfcZKVA – , and they are always seem like epic events (not short of madmen) – long may they last.
Basically the town of Ottery was packed to the brim with people watching the Men’s, Women and Children’s tar barrels events. The barrels are filled with tar/paraffin and set alight, before teams hoist them onto their shoulders to charge/sprint up and down the small streets splitting the throngs as they go. To the untrained eye, it seemed that the person carries the flaming barrel does so until their shoulders are on fire, before they hand it over to the next guy. I think it originates from warding off evil spirits. The noise was intense, I nearly got taken down a few times, and I have never seen anything like this before in my life….only in England. (posted by Ernie).
We were stoked to get our Etobicoke Insulation Piece in the Eden Shop. One of the most inspirational redevelopment ideas this Country has seen, The Eden Project has been (and still is) a leading light on the sustainability front. For those of you who have been there, the Eden Shop is an Aladdin’s Cave of all things recycled and sustainable. They were keen to get the Finisterre Etobicoke Puffa jacket in there as it was designed in Cornwall and made from the World’s first closed loop recycled polyester system. Superlight (320g), super warm and softer than George Bush’s environmental policy. It also packs into its own pocket. ( Posted By Tom )
We have been getting a lot of questions as to where the sale section of the site has gone. The answer is that we have pretty much sold out of all old stock, and so the sale section is no more. There are a few base layers and the odd frontal left, so give us a call and we’ll let you know.
If not, call us anyway to talk through what would be applicable from the new range – been going down a treat. 01872 554 481
We can also do bespoke frontals for £120 – made in Devon. This was the much acclaimed (and original) windproof, waterproof, breathable fleece. Just have to let us know what size you want – will take about one month. (Posted by Steve)
Definitely the last place in the World I would want to surf – it is freezing cold, you are miles from the shore in a thick suit, hoody, boots and gloves, there are tales of sharks around and frequent sneaker sets.
We are talking about Mavericks in Northern California. Pioneered about 20 years ago by Jeff Clark (who named the spot after his dog at the time), it is revered amongst big wave surfers the World over and put that part of the Golden State on the map so far as big wave spots are concerned. The craziest thing I heard about Mavs was that Jeff Clark surfed it almost alone for the best part of 15 years!
Anyway fresh off the back off his invite to the Eddie, Carlos sent a few shots through of him and Jeff getting stuck into one of the first big swells of the autumn. Nothing record breaking but chunky enough to dust off the summer cobwebs and get you ready for what the rest of winter may have in store…. (posted by Tom).
Invite list up for Quiksilver Big Wave in Memory of Eddie - Finisterre Ambassador, Carlos Burle, invitee No. 5 and one of four from outside Hawaii…
Waimea Bay Oahu, Hawaii
1 December 2007 - 28 February 2008
The organisers of The Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational, In Memory of Eddie Aikau, have officially announced the Invitees and Alternates to this year’s event. For the first time in the event’s 23-year history, the list of Invitees has been extended from 24 to 28, reflecting the growth in international big-wave riding talent.
Starting this year, the regions of Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe have each been awarded one Invitee slot for their top big-wave rider, taking the total number of Invitees to 28. (Those four Invitees are denoted by ** in the official list.)
“We are extremely pleased to announce the growth of this year’s event and to welcome elected riders from Asia, Africa, South America and Europe,” said Bob McKnight, CEO, Quiksilver, Inc. “The quest to ride the world’s biggest waves has become a truly international and influential sport, complete with an ever-growing depth of talent and the discovery of big-wave riding locations around the globe.
“Eddie Aikau was a man who loved to ride big waves and who shared his passion with many during his own travels to places like South Africa, South America, and Australia. We believe that the growth of this event, in his honor, is becoming a truer representation of how far Aikau’s life and legacy have traveled with each passing year.”
For the first time the event website, quiksilver.com/bigwave, will host a live webcast of the Opening Ceremonies on November 29th, 2007. The actual contest, if and when it goes, will also be broadcast live on the internet. The event website, which is live today, also features photos, videos and text from the event’s storied history, links to purchase limited edition merchandise and profiles of each competitor.
Scheduled to take place at the hallowed grounds of Waimea Bay, on the North Shore of Oahu, between December 1, 2007, and February 29, 2008, the event, otherwise known as “The Eddie”, requires a minimum of 20-foot surf (based on Hawaiian scale measurement, translating to 30-40 foot face waves) in order to run.
Created in 1984 (first year event ran) to honor the legendary Hawaiian waterman, Eddie Aikau, The Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational, In Memory of Eddie Aikau gathers the most skillful and dynamic big-wave surfers from around the world as polled by a comprehensive panel consisting of influential watermen, members of the surf industry, internationally recognized surfing Associations, as well as a public poll.
Past winners include Denton Miyamura, Clyde Aikau, Keone Downing, Noah Johnson, Ross Clarke-Jones, Kelly Slater and Bruce Irons. Following is a complete list of invitees and alternates for this year’s event. For further information go directly to quiksilver.com/bigwave.
INVITEES: (first name alpha. order)
1. Andy Irons (Hawaii)
2. Brian Keaulana (Hawai)
3. Brock Little (Hawaii)
4. Bruce Irons (Hawaii) 5. Carlos Burle (Brazil) **
6. Clyde Aikau (Hawaii)
7. Darryl Virostko (California)
8. Greg Long (California)
9. Ibon Amatriain (Spain) **
10. Jamie O’Brien (Hawaii)
11. Jamie Sterling (Hawaii)
12. Keone Downing (Hawaii)
13. Jason Ribbink (South Africa) **
14. Kelly Slater (Florida)
15. Makua Rothman (Hawaii)
16. Mark Healey (Hawaii)
17. Michael Ho (Hawaii)
18. Noah Johnson (Hawaii)
19. Paul Paterson (Australia)
20. Peter Mel (California)
21. Ross Clarke-Jones (Australia)
22. Rusty Keaulana (Hawaii)
23. Shane Dorian (Hawaii)
24. Sunny Garcia (Hawaii)
25. Takayuki Wakita (Japan) **
26. Titus Kinimaka (Hawaii)
27. Tom Carroll (Australia)
28. Tony Ray (Australia)
ALTERNATES
1. Darrick Doerner (Hawaii)
2. Chava Greenlee (Hawaii) Aikau Pick
3. Kalani Chapman (Hawaii)
4. Pancho Sullivan (Hawaii)
5. Taylor Knox (California)
6. Reef McIntosh (Hawaii)
7. Tony Moniz (Hawaii)
8. Garrett McNamara (Hawaii)
9. Ross Williams (Hawaii)
10. Dave Wassel (Hawaii)
11. Ian Walsh (Hawaii)
12. Braden Dias (Hawaii)
13. Myles Padaca (Hawaii)
14. Anthony Tashnick (California)
15. Kala Alexander (Hawaii)
16. Keoni Watson (Hawaii)
17. Derek Ho (Hawaii)
18. Tom Curren (California)
19. Nathan Fletcher (California)
20. Danny Fuller (Hawaii)
21. Dustin Barca (Hawaii)
22. Koby Abberton (Australia)
23. Laurie Townend (Australia)
24. Manoa Drollet (Tahiti)
HONORARY INVITEES
Mark Foo (Hawaii)
Todd Chesser (Hawaii)
Tiger Espere (Hawaii)
Jay Moriarity (California)
LOCATION: Waimea Bay, North Shore, Oahu
OPENING CEREMONY: Thursday, November 29, 2007. 3pm
HOLDING PERIOD: Dec. 1, 2007 to Feb. 29, 2008.
To be held on one day when surf
measures at least 20 feet.
BIG WAVE RIDERS: 28 of the world’s best.
PRIZE MONEY: US$98,000 in prize money
US$55,000 for first place.
