The best waves I've seen - Le onde migliori che ho visto

Coolangatta is delivering a few weeks of beautiful fun waves.

Unfortunately I missed most of it being sick, and having to surf only once in the weekend due to social commitments.
How I wish I could be there every day!

Anyway..
Saturday was a beautiful surf day! I think it was the best conditions I ever seen there. Conditions where I too could be in the water, I mean.
Waves were 1 to 2m high, depending on the set, with large (or long) faces and tubing.
Small tubes, where people have to crunch down to fit in it. But still tubes.
Since the weather was horrible it was busy but not that much, and I could find some waves for me.
But.
I couldn’t surf them!
I already knew I had problems with crushing waves, problems being not going fast enough to escape the white water. And unfortunately that has been confirmed.
I tried many times wiping out consistently.
I could see the water rising up under me, becoming vertical, and then crushing, and I couldn’t get out of there.
But I didn’t get frustrated or anything. It was actually a great experience and it made me think more about what I’m doing, how I’m doing it. And also, the waves were beautiful and there were surfers doing some amazing stuff. It was great just to be there.
I enjoyed it!

In queste settimane a Coolangatta arrivano onde medio piccole, o medio grandi, e sempre belle. Non che sia un veterano ma negli ultimi anni non ricordo un autunno/inverno cosi bello.

Comunque, sabato i set variavano da uno ai due metri abbondanti e la cosa migliore e’ che le onde avevano una faccia molto estesa e tubavano. Tubi piccoli, se fossero stati piu’ grandi io non sarei potuto essere in acqua, ma sempre belli da vedere. Era uno spettacolo.

Sfortunatamente ho avuto la conferma che io non riesco a serfare con onde cosi.
Avevo gia’ avuto degli indizi con onde piccole, ma questa volta e’ stato chiaro.
Non sono abbastanza veloce e l’acqua semplicemente mi manca da sotto i piedi  e mi rovescio con tutta l’onda. Credo di dover stare un passo piu’ avanti e magari accucciarmi anche come fanno quasi tutti. Ma vabbe’.. arrivera’ anche quello.
Intanto posso dire che nonostante non abbia combinato nulla, e’ stata una bella sessione perche’ le onde erano ipnotizzanti e la gente intorno a me faceva i numeri. Ed in piu’ comunque ho avuto modo di provarci senza problemi di traffico o stress.
Credo che fossero le onde piu’ belle che ho avuto a portata di mano, in assoluto.
Adesso ho un’altro motivo per impegnarmi a migliorare ancora.  . 

VersaTraction review #2

(For the final review, click here)

Ok, finally I went surfing again after weeks of being sick.

The swell wasn’t big so I went to Coolangatta. It was a windy day, cool, and I hit the water at lunch time (the warmest time of the day) with high tide.

Surely there were fantastic conditions at dawn and probably at sunset too, but because of that I didn’t experience traffic problems. Unfortunately I was completely out of shape so I had a very, very hard time paddling. Such, such a shame..

Waves were good in the 3/4ft range with the odd sets overhead high (and yes, when the odd sets came I was caught inside. I love it).

So I had my fun rides with VersaTraction and all was as I describe it last time. The full winter suit was slippery, my hands lost grip on the rails (there’s nothing on them) a few times, annoying to get back on the board after a wipe out with the board sliding in every direction below you. Kind of annoying to turn the board around to start paddling too. You lift the nose and your ass goes everywhere losing important moments in a delicate phase.

Also this time I was moving a bit and when I had my front foot near the rail and slipped out. It was one of those rides when you are not well positioned from start, so I think I may have wipe out anyway. I don’t know.

Not sure, also because once up, I didn’t feel any problem at all, even walking a bit e cutting back a bit.

So overall I’m still unsure about this product.

It works but there are annoying aspects.

I’m going to give it a last go.

I will use the cutlets to have some grip on the rails and add some more in the ass area, sideways, to see if anything changes. Actually I think that with summer shorts I won’t have this problem. But summer is a long way away!

I’m a bit disappointed because my board without wax is gorgeous..  

Go back there! The VersaTraction in action. It works but not sure yet..

Finalmente in acqua, porca miseria.

Ancora impreco per I weekend sprecati e la forma smarrita.

Sono andato a Coolangatta perche’ alla fine le onde non erano grosse e sono arrivato ad ora di pranzo in una giornata soleggiata ma fresca e ventosa, con alta marea che faceva scomparire le onde piu’ piccole.

Per via di cio’ non c’erano tante persone in acqua (sicuramente erano tutti la all’alba) e ho serfato tranquillamente. I set erano sui 3/4ft con alcune eccezzioni sui due metri (che mi sono preso in testa ovviamente).

Se fossi stato in forma avrei goduto come un pazzo ma purtroppo remare era pesantissimo e ho dovuto amministrare. (ancora: fanculo ammalarsi!) Che peccato!

Per quanto riguarda il VersaTraction confermo le sensazioni della prima prova: la muta scivola e specialmente il culo va da tutte le parti. E’ particolarmente fastidioso quando devi girare la tavola per partire, ma anche risalirci dopo un wipe out puo’ essere un impaccio.

Una volta sopra non senti nessuna differenza, anche se ieri, su una onda in cui ero partito male, non sono riuscito ad aggiustarmi e avendo messo il piede vicino al rail sono scivolato.

Forse sarei caduto lo stesso. Difficile da valutare.  

Il mio giudizio rimane in sospeso. La tavola e’ bellissima sotto il sole, luccicante con le gocce d’acqua, ed essendo bianca risplende da lontano! Niente rotture di palle con la cera e  mi sono anche liberato della custodia di minchia pesante 10 chili e piena di cera ovunque.

Sotto i piedi funziona ma ci sono questi aspetti che rompono un poco le balle.

Ho deciso di fare un’altra prova: aggiungo i ritagli avanzati sui rails per non farmi scivolare le mani piu’ alcuni di traverso nella zona culo per vedere se migliora qualcosa.

Vedremo.

To go or not to go, this is the question

It seems a nice swell is coming this way for the weekend.

Waves in Coolangatta could be big. That means I better play it safe in Noosa. Which means I have to drive 2 hours to get there and then maybe have too many people around. Also, the last four weeks I was sick and did nothing at all. No workout, no skate, no Goofboard, nothing. I'll be tired in 30 minutes. And I still have the VersaTraction on my board!
So should I go? Will it be worth?
(Edit: I went and it was woth it)



Sembra che stiano arrivando onde interessanti per il weekend.

E potrebbe essere che Coolangatta diventi troppo grande per i miei gusti. Dovrei dunque andare al riparo di Noosa. Ma significa guidare due ore per poi trovarmi -forse- tra la folla. Ed essere stanco in mezz'ora dato che nelle ultime quattro setimane sono stato male e non ho combinato assolutamente niente. Niente palestra, niente skate, niente Goofboard, niente di niente. Solo noia. Ed ho pure il VersaTraction sulla tavola al posto della cera!
Quindi dovrei andare lo stesso o no? Ne varra' la pena?
(edit: sono andato e si, ne valeva la pena comunque)

A little video

I'm never able to take pics or videos before surfing because I just drove 1 or 2 hours and I'm frothing.

I just need to run to the water.

Then, sometimes, when I can relax a bit before driving back, I may freeze some instants into the cellphone memory.

Here's a small video made at First Point, Noosa, on a late afternoon last April.

Nothing special, no superstar surfers or 100ft waves, but a super normal, average lazy afternoon of surfing, with average sunday surfers, on nice and small average Noosa waves at First Point.

And I love it.

Because surfing is made up and kept alive by this. 

Con tutte le volte che al sabato e/o domenica sono al mare, tutto l'anno, non faccio mai abbastanza foto o filmati. 

Il motivo principale e' che dopo aver guidato per una o due ore, spesso sbavando in anticipazione, non posso fare a meno di saltare giu' dalla macchina e correre in acqua.

E quando ho finito, spesso devo correre a Brisbane per tenere fede agli impegni sociali a cui il resto del mondo, non sufista, mi obbliga!

Poi ci sono quelle rare volte in cui invece, una volta finito, posso rilassarmi a godere del sole e del panorama come gli altri mortali, ed allora riesco pure ad immortalare alcuni momenti nel cellulare.

Come il video che vedete.

L'ho fatto al First Point di Noosa un pomeriggio di Aprile scorso.

Non c'e' niente di speciale. Niente surfisti eccezionali o onde della madonna. Semplicemente gente di tutti l'eta' che se la spassa giocando con le classiche ondine che Noosa regala quando non ci sono mareggiate particolari. Un pomeriggio come tanti. E lo trovo bellissimo.

Bellissimo per la sua semplicita' nel documentare o registrare almeno un poco della cultura del surf da queste parti.

Andare a surfare e' una attivita' come un'altra, tutti hanno una tavola cosi come tutti hanno una bici. Non c'e' niente di alternativo o speciale, e' semplicemente un dato di fatto, per chi nasce da queste parti e ancor di piu' per chi nasce in cittadine come Noosa.

Nota per chi non ci 'e mai stato:

Date un'occhiata alla posizione su Google map qua sotto per farvi una idea del posto e di dove si trova. Il filmato riprende giusto gli ultimi metri delle onde che arrivano al First Point, l'angolo estremo della spiaggia. Ma non pensiate che sia tutto li'! Si serfa praticamente lungo tutto il promontorio. E' un posto veramente, ma veramente bello.

News from the world - Wavegarden is reality!

Still sick.

What's wrong with me?

Frustration level over the top.

I'm not in a good mood to write stuff so I make it short.

Check out this link:

http://www.surfsnowdonia.co.uk/aboutus.php

I first read about this technology, Wavegarden, last year and it was in Spain in a sort of demo phase. Now it's going to happen very soon! And if you search the web you'll see there's another similar one opening in 2016 in Texas!

How I wish this was happening in QLD!

I'm sure there will be a lot of conservative surfer who will dislike this arguing about all sort of bullshits. But guess what? If this was somewhere around here it'd be extremely good to catch 18 perfect only for you waves p/h without them around!  

I believe a wave park will open here too. It must open. But it's never going to be soon enough.

Questo e' il terzo weekend che perdo.

Quasi un mese buttato nel cesso.

Il mio livello di palle in terra e': preoccupante.

Comunque.. non ho scritto niente per via del mio umore giulivo e non ho neanche tanta voglia adesso, ma butto giu' due righe perche' questa e' grossa:

Un Wavegarden sta per aprire in UK, esattamente il 1/8/15 (vedi link sopra). Ed e' una figata. Ho letto un articolo in merito tempo fa. Nel mondo ci sono vari tentativi in corso o in opera. Uno per esempio e' a Dubai o dintorni. Pero' occorrono grandi quantita' di energia per creare le onde e finora non e' che il cerchio sia stato quadrato del tutto. Soprattutto perche' quasi tutti i tentativi fatti finora sono stati creati col concetto di smuovere enormi quantita' d'acqua per creare l'onda. Un po' come buttare un sasso nello stagno.

In questo caso invece c'e' una piscina lunga centinia di metri con un muretto centrale lungo il quale corre un'ala meccanica (anzi due, su entrambi i lati) che crea un onda alzando l'acqua ma senza necessariamente smuovere tonnellate d'acqua. Come passare la mano giusto sotto la superficie dell'acqua. E il contorno della piscina crea il resto. Quando poi l'affare, che ho chiamato ala per semplicita', arriva alla fine del muretto, fa il giro e torna in dietro dalla parte opposta. 

Quindi potenzialmente si surfa in avanti e in dietro.

Inoltre il tutto 'e creato in modo da avere il picco di circa due metri per una trentina di secondi, una sezione media per il longboard, e poi una laguna finale dove l'onda arriva ormai esausta e dove possono imparare i beginners. A pieno regime un surfista dovrebbe essere in grado di avere per se 18 onde perfette all'ora!

Insomma, sembrerebbe essere il tentativo piu' intelligente ed efficace realizzato finora.

E sta aprendo!

E se cercate, trovere che nel 2016 ne aprira' un altro in Texas!

Succedera' anche qua in Australia prima o poi, ma sara' sempre troppa l'attesa!

That wave last week

I don't know how or why I got sick a few days ago and I still am.

The weekend is wasted.

So, instead of winging I'd write about last week.

As I wrote in the previous post, I got a very good wave. A few good ones, but an incredible good one in particular.

It was the second wave of the day and I was testing the VersaTraction.

I was sitting on the shoulder halfway between Snapper and Greenmount and there were big sets (over head high - for me it's big) coming every ten minutes or so. 

It was one of those days where the waves were a 100m wide, left to right. Not breaking, peeling perfectly like it does at Superbank, but with the wall of water out and high just there, in front of you.

I love it when it's like that. Only problem when it's big and it's like that it scares me, because a killer set can leave you without escape.  

So this set came and I was sitting wide and safe, still measuring my distance from the breaking point, from the curl, from the others. And all the waves were taken from the horizon. The second one, I think it was the second one, was this beautiful, high, powerful, blue wall of water, and this guy with a yellowish longboard was doing all sort of numbers on it. Then he made a mistake and fell, leaving me with less than 5sec to go. When I saw him going down I felt great joy! Now that I think about it, I wonder how I didn't worried about the size of the wave approaching. I remember joy, and determination to catch it. So I turned the board and paddled and I felt it was the last moment available. I jumped up and there I was! On top of this moving mountain. I started my trimming routine and then I realized that probably the people I came with were still near the car park watching me. I became self conscious and in a fraction of second I thought something along this line: "every time someone is watching me there are horrible conditions and/or they are never there when I get the best rides and they never saw me actually surfing well like the others. So now I stop trimming like a chicken and I go down this wall and turn back up!" And I did it!

And after that the wave was getting to half the size, and I cut back, and trimmed and moved my feet, and finished my ride well pass the rocks of Greenmount, with my heart full of great, unbelievable joy.

I knew I could ride decently one of those big mountains and recently it just happened that I did it a few times. Not that I care about upgrading my waves, but when you see and evaluate the conditions around you, and what the others are doing, and understand that the crowd is the only reason you don't get to ride a 2m wave, well.. you start to say: I can do that! Let me try! And when you finally do it.. well.. you know.. it's unbelievable!

Then the people at the car park actually saw me riding it! I only regret there's no record of it. You see, I often have the GoPro with me. I don't use it when it's big because I don't have mental RAM available while big things are passing by around me. But I don't mean that it's a shame not to be able to admire myself, no: I would like to see if I did what I believe I did. You know what I mean?

Did I really went all the way down and bottom turned up?

After a couple of hours I took this pic at Durambah

Wild life note: a dolphin played around me for a good 5 minutes! And I mean: in front of me, to my left, behind me, to my right.. just among the surfers!

 

Malato.

Weekend buttato.

Quindi dopo aver guardato di tutto su youtube mi sono deciso a scrivere questo post.

Ho accennato nel precendente post di aver preso delle belle onde.

In particolare la seconda del giorno e' stata magnifica.

Era un giorno di set molto grossi (per me, ovviamente. Caramelle per gli altri. Ma per me onde da due metri circa sono cose con cui non scherzare) distanziati da minuti di quasi piatta.

In ogni caso stavo testando il VersaTraction e me ne stavo bello tranquillo sulla spalla, largo, e al sicuro da onde traditrici. Ancora valutando la mia distanza dal breaking point, dal picco, e dagli altri intorno a me. Trigonometria applicata!

Quando e' arrivata in vista la mia onda era gia' occupata da uno che c'era su da chilometri, e con un longboard faceva numeri da circo. Quindi questo bellissimo muro d'acqua si avvicinava e io guardavo il tipo maledicendolo, sorprendendomi poi che le mie maledizioni avessero funzionato facendolo cadere giusto in tempo per me! 

Senza esitare ho girato la tavola e ho remato come un disperato sapendo che un'occasione cosi' non sarebbe tornata (ero l'unico a quell'altezza) sentendo anche che la stavo prendendo proprio all'ultimo.

Sono quindi saltato su e, magnifico, mi sono sentito il re del mondo. Tutti giu a remare e togliersi di mezzo mentre io me la godevo. E me la godevo in modo conservativo, trimmando allegramente, quando mi ha colto questo pensiero: "quelli in spiaggia probabilmente sono ancora la e mi stanno guardando! Non mi hanno mai visto su un onda decente e quando c'erano le onde non c'erano loro. Quindi ora smetto di fare la femminuccia e scendo giu' da questa montagna, giro e torno su come un serfista serio!". E cosi' ho fatto!

Giu', girato, su, trim, cut back, onda ormai scemando, passi avanti, giochini.. da meta' baia a oltre le roccie di Greenmount! Una goduria infinita!

E poi in effetti mi avevano visto! Peccato solo che non ho niente per poterla rivedere! Spesso ho la GoPro con me, ma quando il mare e' grosso evito di fare lo sfigato che gioca con la videocamera perche' le probabilita' che venga punito dalle onde ci sono tutte. Ma il peccato lo dico pensando al fatto che sono sceso giu' da quel muro e ci sono risalito: sara' andata veramente cosi? Ho magari la mia mente ha ingigantito tutto e mi sono mosso di mezzo metro?

Mah.. un giorno lo rifaro'..

Nel mentre guardatevi la foto scattata qualche ora dopo a Durambah. Giusto dietro il point.

Nota animali: c'era un delfino che giocava intorno a dove stavo io per almeno 5 minuti.. in mezzo a noi surfisti.. troppo bello

VersaTraction review #1

(For the final review, click here)

Done it. Tested it.

I've been to Coolangatta this Saturday.

At first they were predicting some 30000m waves for the weekend and i was ready to head north to the safe port of Noosa, then it became clear that the swell was passing by out far. So I went south confident to find small and easy conditions for my test.

But when I arrived at Rainbow Bay I was stunned to see some head high set in front of me.

I said: I'm fucked. Now I'll work my ass to get out to the line up, I will be beaten fighting with a slippery board, I will catch a too big one and slip down and die like a perfect kook.

But in truth the sets were big but unreliable. There were minutes of gaps in between, so after some watching for a bit I timed my paddling right and went out safely.

As soon as I lied down I had this weird sensation of no control. When I sat I was a bit uneasy. And then when I did the first paddle I understood what was happening:

the VersaTraction has not grip on a wetsuit! (I cleaned the wetsuit off wax beforehand)

The situation was not alarming anyway. I still had to catch a wave and I could feel the grip on my hands. The feet should work the same way, right?

I sat wide on the shoulder, as my habit when it's crowded, and waited a bit. In ten minutes along came my wave: a shoulder high one. I paddled with my body sliding sideways at every stroke and then I jumped up. And nothing happened. I already had forgotten all and was focused on my ride, which was good but had to abort due to a lady paddling out in exactly collision path with me.

In then more minutes came the "wave of the season" (hopefully not of the year!) and I had one of my best ride so far.

Then wave condition and crowd factor affected me and I only managed a few good one later on, just before calling it quit. (I was a cold, dark, rainy and windy day and after two hours and too many people around me I had enough)    

My VersaTraction test was done!

So the verdict?

Well.. once you are up and running it's just as fine as wax. But because the waves were big and fast I didn't need walk on the board that much. I believe I need some Noosa like waves to see if at any point I loose grip and slip down.

Then there's the wetsuit problem. Paddling is unsettling because you don't stay put where you want to. And sitting is fine but only as long as you don't sit on the tail with the board up, otherwise the board will slip up off you! 

I suspect that with normal shorts this won't be a problem, because of the treads of the fabric. But it's cold now.  

Also I cut the stickers keeping them on the deck and not going down on the rails. Main reason was for proper placement without folding problems. So I knew the rails were going to be slippery but still, after some white wash I managed to loose grip with my hand and almost going face down on the deck! Just once, but not funny.

So my verdict is: it works, but I need some more trying to re-evaluate the wetsuit problem and the walking on deck aspect.

Meanwhile I think I will put the leftover cuts on the rails to help there. Just on some strategic spots.

I'll write more on this.

Stay tuned. 

Fatto. Provato.

Dovevano esserci onde della madonna poi invece venerdi si e' capito che lo swell stava passando oltre. Cosi' invece di andare al riparo di Noosa, sono andato a Coolangatta avendo visto venerdi le camere che davano le solite onde da 2/3ft che amo.

Quando sono arrivato a Rainbow Bay pero' mi sono spaventato vedendo invece passare sets di onde facilmente intorno ai 2 metri. Ho stretto il culo perche' uscire a Rainbow con un longboard quando e' grosso e' un casino, e avendo appena messo il VersaTraction invece che la cera mi sono sentito fottuto.

Invece poi in effetti i set erano abbastanza distanziati e c'erano momenti di piatta. In effetti era una giornata strana. Poi tirava vento, pioveva a tratti, era buio tutto il tempo.. insomma il contrario di quello che mi immaginavo.

In ogni caso sono uscito senza drammi ed in dieci minuti ho preso la prima onda che ho poi dovuto abortire per via del traffico. E dieci minuti dopo ne ho preso una enorme che ricordero' per molto tempo. Poi ho passato molto tempo ad aspettare, a negoziare posizioni con gli altri, ed infine ne ho preso un altro po' prima di uscire, dopo due ore abbondanti, stufo della gente, dei momenti di piatta, e del freddo.

Ma il punto e': funziona?

La risposta immediata e' si. Una volta che sei su non ti accorgi della differenza.

Ma ci sono delle considerazione che meritano altre prove.

Prima di tutto, per vie delle onde grosse e potenti non ho praticamente avuto bisogno di camminare sul deck, quindi non ho messo la tavola e i piedi in posizioni strane dove avrei potuto scivolare.

Secondo, la wetsuit scivola! Credo che con un normale costume non ci sia problema, ma la muta e' liscia (e io l'avevo ripulita dalla cera) e non tiene. Se ti siedi sulla coda alzando la tavola questa tende a scapparti via da sotto, mentre quando remi la forza delle braccia trascina il busto a dx e sx ed un poco anche in avanti ed e' abbastanza fastidioso.

Quindi funziona ma non sono convinto. E' questione di abitudine o e' un problema?

Per ora non cambio e sono determinato a fare qualche altra uscita. Anche perche' l'assenza della cera si rivela una figata per quanto concerne tutto il resto.

State sintonizzati.

Heretic - Eretico

If you read my post On surfboard #2, #3 and #4, you know what I think:

Surfboard are obsolete.

No doubt.

Now, because I've time and some money to spend I decided to take the extra step: on my perfectly hand shaped and then perfectly machine reproduced epoxy surfboard, I won't use wax anymore. Fuck wax. 

Wax is a technology from the middle age. Can you believe it?
Nobody is undertaking the problem of the slippery surface like we were still in the 50s, and there's no technology, and they sell you wax.

I'm sick of it.

Wax is polluting, dirtying, annoying, stupid. A stupid solution to a stupid problem.

And polluting. You love the ocean but you discard you load of wax in it every moment.

Stop.

Some times ago I found an ad about a non slippery, transparent sticker for surfboards. It was intended for a public of wooden surfboard users. For not ruining the beauty of the boards with wax. I was surprised nobody ever mentioned this product ever, and nowhere.

I googled it but found nothing, as usual. Surf community is kind of super extremely conservative. Same as for epoxy board, you will never find real comments and evaluations, but only bullshits. Like this two:

whats wrong with just using wax? takes like 10 secs to apply

For me applying wax is part of the whole surfing process. I love the smell of new wax and the feel under my feet, I couldn't imagine using anything else! I know it does get dirty and need removing every now & then but to me surfing without wax is like taking a shit without wiping your arse? 

Wow. Geniuses.
I'm so sick of this attitude.

So I said, ok, fuck it, I'm gonna try it on my own. And the time has arrived.

This are the stickers just out of the box.

Today I spent some 1 or 2 hours removing the wax from my surfboard.

Soon I'll put this "new technology" (!) on it and probably I'll test it saturday.

Now I don't know if this is the answer. Apparently people use it, specially on other boards/sports rather than surfboards. But if someone uses it, it works, right?

Well, if it doesn't work, ok, back to stupid wax. But at least I tried it and I will know how it goes. I could talk about it knowing it, not like the geniuses.  

Faccio l'eretico.

Non saprei come vanno le cose in Italia ma sono stufo della chiusura mentale dei surfisti da queste parti e nel web.

E' impossibile trovare commenti e valutazioni su cose nuove e diverse.

Se avete letto i post Sulle tavole 2, 3 e 4, sapete come la penso: le tavole sono oggetti obsoleti. Si continua a farle come negli anni 50 e nessuno ha mai risolto il problema della scivolosità. Come se non ci fosse la tecnologia per farlo.

E sono stufo della cera che inquina, sporca e fa sostanzialmente cagare in quanto tale.

E soprattutto inquina il mare che i serfisti dicono di amare.

Cosi' ho deciso di provare questi adesivi che vedete in foto. Esistono da un po e li ho trovati pubblicizzati per un pubblico di surfisti con tavole in legno. Essendo l'adesivo trasparente, non rovina la bellezza della tavola. 

Quindi appunto e' un prodotto che esiste, lo usano alcuni con le tavole in legno, lo usano altri per altri sport, ma non si riesce a trovare commenti e valutazioni serie.

Cosi' come per le tavole in epoxy, semplicemente derise a priori, anche questo prodotto e' accompagnato da commenti di questo tipo:

cosa c'e' che no va con la cera? ci vuole un attimo a metterla

per me la cera fa parte del rito. Mi piace al tatto, all'odore, e come la sento sotto i piedi. certo sporca e occorre toglierla e rimetterla ogni tanto, ma non usarla sarebbe come non pulirsi il culo..

I geni.

Quindi basta. Oggi ho ripulito la tavola e una delle prossime sere applico gli adesivi.

Non saprei cosa aspettarmi ma almeno ci provo.

Fanculo gli altri.

A new link - Un nuovo link

I just found this blog.

It's from an italian surfer who lost a leg in an accident years ago.

He's fighting with his disability and he's working hard to find a good prosthetic which can let him surf properly. And he's also helping a kid in Bali. And he's also trying the get  enough funding to take part of ISA World Adeptive Surfing Championship. 

I'm speechless.

Well, he deserves all our respect, and more.

Check out is welcoming page, or follow the link on the right.

I'm in contact with him now. I may write some updates here every now and then.

I wish him all the best.

Ho appena trovato il blog di Fabrizio Passetti.

Fabrizio ha perso una gamba anni fa ma non ha perso l'intenzione di surfare!

Credo sia una persona degna di nota e che meriti tanto rispetto.

Non c'e' bisogno che io scriva altro, date un'occhiata al link e leggete un po'. 

Gli auguro tutto il meglio. 

New spots - Posti nuovi

Since I recovered from my health problem I've been trying few more spots, mostly for crowd reason.

Nothing secret or remote, just places less considered by the big crowd.

One is Moffat beach, north from here, one is Currumbin and the other is Kirra.

Coincidentally the first sessions I had in this places have been good, or good enough to make me think of going there again.

Moffat is a strange place, a mini point, and the waves crash on a rock bottom. I don't know much about best tides, size and stuff. Waves pick on different spots and they don't really peal. It's strange and interesting. I'm sure with the right condition can be a lot of fun. Also it's closer to home than most of the other places.

Currumbin is a hell of a place! In a good way. I'm not discovering anything and actually it gets big very easily. It already gave me a very hard/almost scary time. Again, I'm not sure what's about this spot, but it seems like it's underrated. When Snapper is pumping, Cur is huge.

I'm waiting to find the right winter day, when small and clean waves will come and all the beginner will clog Superbank, all the flying guys on shortboard will be south, all the expert will look for and wait for the best conditions, and me and few others will have fun there.

Then there's Kirra. The legend.

How the fuck can I put it in this list?

Well.. every time you go to Superbank, you drive past it. Everyone drive past it. That's the point. Kirra has world class barrels but it happens just once or twice a year. In my range size waves are never as good as the point just down the road. And there are always just few people out. So, it's not worth it, I alway think.

I tried it once, but I was too much of a beginner and I couldn't tell if it was me or the place. I struggled a lot with the current and although I had some interesting rides, I gave up, choosing the safest comfort of the Greenmount crowd.

But I just went back there and I had so much fun. Yesterday conditions were part point, part beach break. And my board loves steep water, and I made a lot of progress since that day. It was just me, some SUP, some short boarders further out near the rocks and beginners near the beach. While everybody was at Superbank. I got a lot of waves and I had so, so much fun.

Sometime I got to ride the board from the tip, with my feet close together, facing forward, sometime I got to attack (pardon me if I use this term but it's the way I perceived it) the wall, pushing up and down. Aahh.. you know it's hard to describe the feeling. But I'm still high!

Overall, in my short and limited experience, I'd say that nothing can beat good Noosa waves. But the excitement of catching all you want, even if it's just average, it's something I rarely experience. And it's goddam good.

Winter is always stingy with waves, and it's approaching fast. But I'm confident that having added a few more options, I could still have some fun. I really need to keep the momentum.

Wild life note: it was Anzac day and a metal bird, loud and fast, flew through the sky, just above the ocean, along the fantastic shore of the Gold Coast. Not exactly wild life, but worth a mention!

Da quando mi sono ripreso ho aggiunto qualche nuova location di posti serfabili nella mia cortissima lista.

Intendiamoci, se sei bravo ci sono 2000km di posti serfabili. Ma io vado per gradi e non passo certo la vita ad esplorare e provare.. ho un lavoro fisso lontano del mare e vita sociale da portare avanti.

I posti di cui parlo non sono certo segreti, anzi, il contrario, ma hanno in comune il fatto che non ci va molta gente.

Uno si chiama Moffat, a nord di qua. E' una specie di mini point, su fondo roccioso. Non sono sicuro delle condizioni con cui lavora meglio e le onde che ho visto sono un po strane. Pero' grandine e c'e' potenziale per divertirsi. Ed ovviamente ci sono solo i locals, che rende il tutto piu' semplice.

Il secondo e' Currumbin, che come Superbank, a cui sta quasi accanto, ha una storia lunga e non e' certo una scoperta.

Ma la grande folla e' attratta dal super point di Coolangatta e Cur rimane un poco più in pace. Un fatto particolare e' che qua le onde arrivano più dirette rispetto a Coolangatta e quindi sono sempre più grandi e il posto mi ha già punito una volta.

Sono certo che con la giusta disposizione della sabbia, ci siano giorni invernali di piccole e fantastiche onde, che non vedo l'ora di provare.

Poi c'e' Kirra. La leggenda.

Un tempo, prima di Superbank, Kirra era Il Posto.

Com'e' possibile che ne parlo solo ora e lo metto in questa lista?

Beh.. Kirra si scatena con tubi da mille e una notte per una o due volta l'anno. A quanto pare l'intervento dell'uomo ha snaturato il posto, e per la maggior parte del tempo e' un beach break non particolarmente attraente. Infatti ci si passa sempre accanto quando ci si reca al super point di Coolangatta. Tutti ci passano accanto e vanno oltre. C'e' sempre poca gente in acqua.

Ci avevo provato tempo fa ma forse era troppo presto per me e avevo anche faticato molto contro la corrente costante.

Ci sono tornato l'altro giorno esasperato dalla folla di Rainbow beach e mi sono divertito molto. Le condizioni erano a meta' tra point e beach break, ed arrivavano cavalloni interessanti. Quando ho beccato il punto giusto, ho fatto delle belle cavalcate. Alcune sul muso coi piedi uniti, altre un po' più aggressivo contro il muro d'acqua,  a seconda delle onde. Bellissino, la goduria aumentata dal fatto che c'erano quattro gatti più' in fondo, o alcuni beginners vicino alla spiaggia, e io ho fatto quello che volevo.

Insomma, finalmente ho aumentato il numero di opzioni disponibili.

Spero che l'inverno non sia spilorcio e mandi comunque qualche ondina divertente. Vorrei mantenere l'inerzia acquisita e portare avanti i miei piccoli progressi.

Sono arrivato ad un punto in cui se posso prendere una bella onda, mi diverto veramente.

Nota sugli animali avvistati: un jet esattamente come quello di TopGun e' passato a bassissima quota seguendo la fantastica linea costiera della Gold Coast. Velocissimo e rumoroso, mi ha ricordato che era un giorno di festa per l'Australia ed ho pensato che si, la festa me la stavo proprio godendo.

First time! - Prima volta

I was watching the last videos I shoot in Currumbin two weeks ago. Not a great day, with short rides, but still fun, with sunshine and crystal clear water.

And then I noticed this: (see pic below)

The wave was fading away and I rushed forward.
I think it's the first time ever that I cross step on the surfboard. I can do it on the Goofboard, since last year, but I never focused on it in the water, as carving and cutting back properly is what I want to be able to do.
So out of nowhere come this, which makes me happy and gives me more interesting things to think about and try the next time out.
Happy.

Stavo guardando i filmati dell'ultima sessione a Currimbin, due domeniche fa. Una sessione non certo memorabile, con giusto qualche onda divertente prima che l'alta marea si mangiasse tutto.
E cosi' mi ritrovo davanti questo fotogramma in cui sto camminando propriamente sulla tavola per cercare di salvare la cavalcata dall'onda che vuole scomparire sotto di me. Fare cross stepping non e' una cosa che non mi interessa particolarmente, e seppure riesco a farlo sulla Goofboard, non ci ho mai speso del tempo in acqua. Il motivo e' che lo vedo come il passo necessario per arrivare sul naso per poi fare nose-riding, manovra grandiosa ma che non mi attira particolarmente. Sono infatti concentrato ad imparare a fare carving per bene, girare la tavola velocemente in tutte le direzioni e comandarla a mio piacimento. Diciamo che trasferisco il mio amore per la guida alla tavola, e pretendo di imparare a guidarla come fosse un mezzo con le ruote.
E' dunque una piacevole sorpresa questa immagine di un'azione compiuta senza saperlo, che dimostra come il mio equilibrio e affiatamento con la tavola sia migliorato molto.
Spero solo che l'inverno non mi lasci a secco di onde e mi faccia perdere lo slancio attuale.
Bella sorpresa.

Wind forecast - Previsioni del vento #2

Here we go again:

Yes, it's a bit early for the weekend but fuck..



Di nuovo!
Come dicevo nell'omonimo post di gennaio, il vento sa esattamente che giorno della settimana e'. E rompe le palle a noi che non abitiamo davanti alla spiaggia e abbiamo bisogno dei weekend.

Noosa sunset

The biggest wave - L'onda piu' grande #2

The biggest wave was not really the biggest I caught.

But the most furious, yes.

The biggest wave also came and went unseen. But let me explain.

It was late, on a dark, rainy day. A good swell was hitting Noosa and I was at Little Cove catching the last waves of the day.

Just as the sun set, a darker cloud came, with thick rain and no wind. The ocean became completely grey same as the sky, and suddenly I couldn't distinguish water from air.

Everybody left and I was left there with two more guys in front of me. I just wanted a good last one.

Some shades of grey (just some..) moved ten meters in front of me where the two guys were and they didn't even notice it. I thought that this was the only chance before getting back in complete darkness. So I paddled. 

The wave lifted up and became probably shoulder high. I found myself perfectly positioned on the curl, and the board got a lot of speed.

It was dark and it was raining. I could barely see the wave. I felt it. I trimmed, I cut back, trimmed again, all at incredible speed, all unbalanced, with my arms swinging around and my body running after what my feet said. 

I don't know why I didn't wipe out. I don't know how it went, and precisely what I did. I couldn't see. I just know it was incredibly fast, and somehow at the end I was still standing up.

WTF just happened? I asked myself, smiling. 

This was the weirdest -and successful at the same time- ride I had.

I'm looking forward to experience that speed again. 

Crazy thing.

L'onda più grande non e' stata la più grande che ho preso. Ma la più' veloce e furiosa si.

In più, quest'onda non l'ho praticamente neanche vista.

Ma andiamo con ordine.

Ero a Noosa, tarda serata di un giorno grigio e piovoso. Con belle onde.

Giusto come il sole e' calato il cielo si e' coperto ancora di più ed e' venuto giù un bell'acquazzone senza vento. Ormai non si distingueva più' tra mare e cielo. Tutto grigio.

Negli stessi minuti sono andati via tutti e sono rimasto solo con due tipi seduti un poco più avanti. Io, gasato dalle belle onde, volevo solo prendere l'ultima per rientrare.

Fatto sta che nel grigio totale vedo i due tipi che parlano sollevarsi. 'Deve essere un onda' penso. E parto.

E come per magia, mi ritrovo perfettamente posizionato su un onda verticale e veloce, probabilmente alta quanto le mie spalle, che spinge con forza.

Ma e' praticamente buio e la pioggia mi acceca. Non vedo una mazza e inizio questa cavalcata allo stesso tempo ridicola e adrenalinica. Sento che spinge e reagisco, poi scendo, risalgo, giro, improvviso, non capisco niente. Passo il tempo ad un passo dal disastro ma in qualche modo non cado. Agito le braccia come un idiota e probabilmente sembro un clown che deve cadere dal filo. Ma che non cade.

Alla fine della giostra sono ancora in piedi e mi chiedo che cazzo sia successo.

Bho.

Non l'ho visto. C'ero ma non ho visto niente. Non ci ho capito una mazza.

Ero velocissimo, ho fatto cose, ma non saprei dire cosa e quando.

E' stata l'onda più veloce che abbia mai preso. probabilmente dipendeva solo dalla mia posizione. Ma non saprei dire, appunto, quale fosse.

Che minchia e' successo? Non lo so. Ma e' stato fantastico.

Catch up

I've been away for a bit too much, I know.

Busy with life and surfing!

Since February I kept surfing every weekend, and I had two stupid sessions and some very good.

I just came back from the long Easter weekend in Noosa, where it was obviously packed, but where I scored some great waves.

This morning I had this great experience that I want to put down in words.

The forecast was always the same in the last days: 3ft at around 8sec, from east. 

It was the last chance for a surf before getting into the car and drive back to Brisbane. So at 6.15am I was taking a look at Little Cove were only a few tiny little waves were coming, with 2 surfers out. I said, fuck, where are the waves? ..whatever, I'm here.. I will catch something.

I went out, spent some 15mins trying to catch some ripples above the rocks, taking turns with and old guy (a better surfer than me, btw - the other guy was closer to shore) and feeling the frustration rising. Then, while the old man was all so proud to score the only real wave passing by, I saw some white water further out, at National Park (not really out from the land, but along the headland) and said: well, this is so flat that a little paddle down there won't ruin my session. And so I went.

There was a guy with a SUP and as I came closer a nice set came and he got one.

I positioned my self where the weaves have been and sat there. And waited, probably a minute. And then another set began to brake further out on the rocks, and someone with a short board did some fancy turns. The set came to me and it was nice and clean. The guy with the SUP was somewhere else so I had nothing left than to go for the bigger.

I rode this fun, fat wave all the way to the rocks, probably a 20sec ride, and paddled back.

And so it began: on a seemingly flat morning, high tide, every 5min or so a set of 3 fat waves came to life exactly there, and I rode them, not needing to wait or negotiate position with others! I was in ecstasy! 

In truth, two boys with short boards came near me but they were trying to catch them in my inside, almost over the rocks, without great success, and we didn't cross our paths once. Actually I surfed, they only tried. 

Some guys with SUP passed by again, but without great interest on waves. And a beginner came close to me, but he was unable to catch them. 

To make it short, I've been physically alone for 30mins I think, and when I was not alone I kind of ruled the little spot! Unbelievable!

I start laughing of joy, and also at those guys walking on the tracks and checking out the ocean, seeing me waiting for nothing, and going on toward Tea Tree bay, where I guess every body was.

Oh man! What a morning!

The joy of trying and trying the same thing over the almost same wave without waiting for the others. Just pointing the one I liked and going for it. 

Some of them were steep. I caught a few on the breaking point, feeling the tail lifting high   and jumping up, with good timing, and then riding it, pushing the board against it, turning it down, walking to the nose (I don't cross step but I can go there) and feeling all the reactions under my feet.

On a side note, I saw hundreds of butterflies flying over the water, and even more on dry land, in the NP. Must have been a special day for that species, like the only day of their life or something similar. Well it was a good day indeed. :)

Stoked

I had an unexpected beautiful session last weekend.

For the first time since April '14, with my six months of nothing to help open the gap, I could ride some decent waves.

I couldn't  believe it. It only took a good wave with a bit of size and power to bring me back doing my little fun manoeuvres. I was over the moon and I still am. My mood changed completely.

I'm telling you: if I could get such few waves, I don't ask much, every weekend, I'd be a better person.

Sadly this proves two things:

1- I need good conditions to have good rides.

I guess this apply to everybody but I'm not good enough to have fun when the waves are tricky. There's always someone having great rides while I spend all my energies paddling and trying to not be such a kook.

2- The crowd factor, which is annoying for all of us, really slow me down. A lot. A lot lot.

I need to practice more than the good surfers around me, but as a matter of fact they catch all the waves all the times. If with a good swell my wave count is two, small and ugly, then my learning curve will take forever.

But focusing on the good things I now post a double picture of me surfing right and left with confidence.

I have to admit that after a year I finally put the GoPro on my board. Yes, I know, it's like another kook signature. I thought a lot about it and at the end I concluded that I needed it. Not only I love to make videos, not only it helps keep the stoke, but it's also incredibly helpful in understanding your errors.

DIY Rehab

I think I’ve found a solution to get fit.

J

Wind Forecast

Look at this picture.

See how the wind is blowing one way all week, then from another direction in time for the weekend, then back to previouse direction by Monday.

 

Great. Right.

This means locals living by the beach will surf everyday while weekend surfers/commuters will save time and energy staying home. And then from Monday locals can surf again, everyday.

 

Do you know how many times this happen? How can the wind knows exactly which day is??

 

This is so, so, so, so unjust.

Negotiation

A friend of mine wants to go to Noosa on Saturday early in the morning.

Another one wants to go to Currumbin on Sunday, any time.

I’d like to surf both days but I’m not sure I’ve the strength to do that. Probably not yet.

Whatever I decide I’ll have two passengers in the car coming to the beach with me who don’t surf. Who’ll need to go to the toilet, have breakfast or lunch, or afternoon tea.. who wouldn’t enjoy it if it rains or if there’s no shade..

And who won’t let me be in the water at 6am. And not even 7am.

 

Life is a constant negotiation.

Those who surf every day without coming to term with relations and social life don’t live a real life. I refuse to accept them as real life.

And I dream about it.

Stephanie in the water

I watched Stefanie in the water and I was disappointed.

First of all it seemed shorter than other surf movies, and it abruptly finishes at the start of 2012 season when Stephanie is ready to win back the world title after a troubled year. Just as the 2012 "revenge" is getting started the movie ends stating that she won it. Well, thanks.

So, from one side it's not an account of her sport career and achievements, it's too condensed for that, it's missing the "come back", and probably they didn't want to make that kind of movie at all.

But from the other hand Stephanie doesn't say much of herself.

There's a good part about the assault she was victim of, but there's not much about her before of after that.  So it's not a portrait either.

Someone would say: well, the key it's in the title, Stephanie in the water, and that's it. Probably you are right. But where is the storytelling? What can I keep with me after watching this movie? Not much, really.

I can't say she's a nice person, I can't say she's not, I can't say she's more focused than other surfers, or that she would kill someone to win a contest, or that she would give up everything for ..whatever.

After watching it I know her as little as before.

I don't know, I think they missed a good opportunity.  

The part I loved the most is something that she says at the beginning, when she's half asleep in the bed and she teases the others saying that she doesn't need to be in the water cause she's dreaming/visualising the action in her mind.

Well, a lot a great sportsmen at the pick of their careers used "to see" the action, how the event unfold in their mind, in order to re-live (or pre-live) the action step by step, and being deadly perfect when the moment arrives.

She was teasing but I believe there was some good truth in what she said.

Unfortunately there was no searching from the authors on that.

Overall, they just scraped the surface of a world and then left.

Unfinished.

:(

2014

And so there's no much left of this horrible year.

And I'm glad.

This should have been my third year of surfing but it's not. I'm missing six months.

Two posts ago I wrote that my waiting was finally over but unfortunately it's not. 

My mood changes like wind, my body is getting fatter, my mind it's stuck somewhere in the ocean and I feel like shit all the times.

In march I had so many great sessions and I was improving drastically, then the good swells passed, I had commitments, I slowed down, and then my health plummeted and that was it.

I don't know about the future. I hope 2014 will take away all the bad things and let me free.

There are people living all their life surfing basically every day. I love it as much as they do, but hey, seems like I'm asking too much. Few hours a month is too much. 

Please, please, please, let me free.