Internationally acclaimed Photographer, Wayne Levin from Hawaii has brought his exhibition all the way to Dimbola Museum and Galleries on the Isle of Wight.

Wayne started out with a Brownie Camera and started developing his own film. Wayne has exhibited all over the world including New York, Tokyo and Hawaii. This is the first time Wayne has exhibited in the UK and can only be seen here on the island.

Wayne’s images take you on an underwater journey from the waters of the Hawaiian Islands to Costa Rica and Micronesia. Wayne Levin and Kimberley Piggott, Exhibition Manager selected a range of photographs from his collection with striking images of humpback whales, sharks, sunken relics, to surfers.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening night and spent time talking to Wayne. We talked about many of his images and each image had an a wonderful story. Diving for 2 hours with a playful Humpback Whale, a grumpy Pilot Whale and shooting a surfer in a loin cloth and an old traditional hawaiian surfboard were many of his interesting tales. But having to wade waist deep, fully clothed, with his camera equipment on his back, through the caves at Freshwater Bay after getting cut off by the tide with Sam Scadgell, and only hours before his opening night is a story he is looking forward telling family and friends back home on Hawaii.

Wayne also came down to Freshwater Bay on Saturday morning and was very impressed with the waves and the surfers who braved the cold.

‘Through a Liquid Mirror’ runs until the 2nd June 2013 and is a must see. I would highly recommend it to everyone, of any age.

www.waynelevinimages.com/

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The event was held as part of The Big Spring Beach Clean in association with Surfers Against Sewage.

Congratulations to Matt Harwood, Isle of Wight Surf Club, National Trust and all the volunteers who braved the icy conditions. To top off the day we were blessed with some great waves with all the West Wight breaks firing in the afternoon.

Photographs courtesy of the Isle of Wight Surf Club

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Cllr Gill Kennett, Chairman Clive Fleury and Sally Woods with Sid Pitman’s JakeWilson surfboard

With Surfboards from the 1960′s including Archie Tricket’s homemade wooden surfboard and other boards from throughout all the decades Paul showed how important Surfing was to the Island especially to the West Wight. Paul included many images of Freshwater Bay and many in the audience were surprised at the quality of the waves as some had never seen surf at Freshwater Bay before and previously didn’t understand why freshwater Bay was so important to the Island Surfing Community.

Paul spoke to Cllr George Cameron about the recent Freshwater Bay harbour plans. Cllr George Cameron assured Paul that there were no plans to make any changes to Freshwater Bay that effect the surf but that discussions were taking place regarding the problems with launching the Lifeboat and what could be done!!! Paul asked Cllr George Cameron to discuss any proposed changes to Freshwater Bay with Surfers Against Sewage which he agreed would make perfect sense.

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Here are all the images from the 2012 Wight Surf History exhibition and some images that didn’t quite make the final cut.

The ‘Wight Surf History’ Project opened its first exhibition of surf memorabilia and photography from the last 50 years at Dimbola Museum and Galleries, Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight on Saturday 14th April 2012 and ran for 10 weeks.

The exhibition showed how boards had changed through the decades, from Archie Tricket’s homemade wooden surfboard from the early 1960s, Bilbo longboards, the early shortboards and modern equipment, including surfboards from three-times Women’s English Champion Zoe Sheath and 2010 British Champion Johnny Fryer.

We also showed how wetsuits had changed from the early ‘duck tail’ two-piece wetsuits to the warm winter wetsuits of today. Other items on display included Trophies, leashes, wax, Isle of Wight Surf Club sweatshirts and magazines. The exhibition had photographs showing many of the characters who have influenced surfing on the Island over the last 50 years.

In the early 1960s, surfing was something a small number of friends had started to experiment with on the Isle of Wight. Many of these pioneers started out with belly boards, while some took to the water on homemade wooden surfboards.

There were small pockets of surfers scattered around the Island, all experimenting with surfing in their own ways, until Roger Backhouse and friends – Susan Ellis (Backhouse), Kevin Digweed, Geoff ‘Ned’ Gardner, John Ainsworth, Russell Long and Colin Burgess – decided to try and start an Isle of Wight Surf Club. An advert was put in the Isle of Wight County Press and this brought surfers together from around the Island, including Keith Williams, Glyn Kernick, Ben Kelly and Sid Pitman.

The first meetings of the Isle of Wight Surf Club were held in a tent on the cliff tops at Ventnor. They later moved to Mrs Backhouse’s (Roger’s Mum!) Bed & Breakfast in Ventnor. During the summer Pat Morrell and a ‘Woodwork Teacher’ Mike ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson would join them with their homemade wooden boards.

Once some club members had acquired wheels, it wasn’t long before trips to Cornwall were arranged and wages and savings were spent on the new fibreglass surfboards that were available. Rob Ward had come back to the Island after being in the Royal Navy and had learnt to surf in South Africa and South America. Rob’s surfing was more advanced than many of the island surfers, and in the 1970s, he travelled much of the globe in search of waves. Ex-British Surfing Champion Roger Mansfield and author of The Surfing Tribe once said ‘Rob is the most buccaneering, big wave-riding surf export of IOW’.

During the late ‘60s and ‘70s, Tad Ciastula and Roger Cooper had started shaping boards on the Island and both went on to become renowned surfboard shapers. Meanwhile, Derek Thompson started making the famous Cosmic leashes.

In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, a young Dave Gray had started to dominate the Isle of Wight Surf Competitions and went on to compete in the English Nationals. Many of today’s top Island surfers will say that Dave was a major influence on them and they aspired to be as good as this Island legend. The Isle of Wight Surf Club started its own surf magazine in the late 1970s and many articles joked about other surfers not bothering to enter competitions if Dave turned up, as he only needed to wax down his surfboard to win an event!

In the early ‘90s, Stu Jones took over the mantle of best surfer on the Island, pushing the limits and starting a new generation of surfers who wanted to do aerials and the other latest tricks. In 1994, a young Craig Sharp took the South Coast Champion crown from Stu Jones and was one of many Islanders who took off in search of waves and adventure abroad. At the same time, 10-year-old Johnny Fryer was just making his mark by winning the Under-14 or ‘cadet’ category in the 1994 South Coast Championship.

Johnny dominated the Island surf scene until he moved to Cornwall, and he went on to become British Surfing Champion in 2010.

Into the Noughties, and young Zoe Sheath, daughter of Gail (an early member of the Isle of Wight Surf club, who started surfing in the ‘70s), began to shine. Zoe went on to become English Women’s Surfing Champion in 2007.

Many others have made a big contribution to Island surfing, including Barney Barnes, Ceri Williams, Keith and Steve Williams, Clive Richardson, Dave Phillips, Rog Powley, Xav Baker, Joe Truman and many, many more.

More recently, with the help of the Island-based Rapanui clothing company, the IOW Surf Club has been reborn, with Matt Harwood taking the helm alongside Oliver Harvey, as they successfully ran the Frost Bite Series of competitions in 2011 as well as the South Coast Surfing Championships.

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Taken in the month of mid-August 1968 on a non-surfing day, which was rare for the month of August.

The campsite was located [behind Guethary surf spot, owned by an English gentleman who shared his hospitality every night].

We were all surfers and enjoyed the common thread of uncrowded late summer waves.

Bob Ward was travelling with Isle of Wight surfers and was the source of surf knowledge for the Bayonne area.

Background to the photo: Identified persons from left to right:
Elizabeth, Angus, Hutch, Mo, Trevor, Dita and Pat:

The green coloured van was owned by Pete Stuart “Moonie” McAllum, who was living, life guarding and surf board manufacturer in Cornwall. Mo was “Moonie’s” second wife [by herself]!

The board on the rack of the van was typical for the period; an 8 foot “V” bottom by 24 inches wide [didn’t like to turn]!

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4 February 2012:

Details are announced today of a potential new leisure development for the Isle of Wight (IOW). The team behind the development of the inland surfing facility, The Wave:Bristol, has revealed that it is in discussions regarding building The Wave:IOW.

The Wave brings together surfing, nature and education to create a brilliant day out for everyone. At the centre of the plans is a lake in which cutting edge technology generates perfect peeling waves of up to 1.6 metres high, at a rate of approx 120 waves per hour – with room for both experienced surfers and those trying it for the first time. But it’s not just about surfing. Expertly designed botanical and healing gardens surrounding the lake will be created to provide a wonderful experience in their own right.

Following a market review carried out by Colliers International, the team behind The Wave were approached last year by Wightlink and the Isle of Wight Council about the possibility of creating a site on the island. Both organisations have provided some initial funding to help establish the viability of the scheme. Co-founder of The Wave, Tobin Coles, comments:

“We were already planning to build another ‘Wave’ elsewhere in the UK and were keen to look at locations on the south coast. The Isle of Wight is a great fit for The Wave – it is rural, has a resident surfing community but also attracts a good influx of tourists every year. We are in discussions with a number of key organisations, such as the Council and Wightlink, regarding the project but can now confirm that it is definitely our intention to create The Wave:IOW.”

Stuart Love, Strategic Director of Economy & Environment for the Isle of Wight Council said: “The Island has long been known for its outdoor attractions and as a place where visitors can participate in a diverse range of outdoor sports and activities. We are delighted, therefore, that The Wave team views the Island as a place for investment in a facility that would enhance our reputation as a tourist destination as well as offering a new amenity for residents.

A picture of the prototype wave in Spain, powered by Wavegarden® technology (courtesy of Instant Sport)

“Given that any development would require planning permission, we are continuing to work with The Wave team to help them put forward a sustainable planning application.”

Clive Tilley, Commercial Director of Wightlink, is a key supporter of the project. He said: “We believe that The Wave:IOW has great potential to extend the appeal of the Island to leisure visitors and presents us with an unmissable opportunity to significantly increase visitor numbers. Not only will it offer a superb day out for visitors from the mainland catchment area, but it will also stimulate more demand for short breaks by holidaymakers from further afield – a key objective for all of us involved in the Island’s tourism.”

An element that cemented The Wave team’s decision to come to the Isle of Wight is the ‘Ecoisland’ initiative. Its vision of achieving sustainability in terms of energy, water, food and fuel over the coming years has a real synergy with what The Wave is trying to do.

Co-founder, Nick Hounsfield explains: “Sustainability is at the heart of our project and we have brought Chris Hines MBE on board to ensure we ‘walk the talk’ in terms of sustainability. The Wave will be building the ‘triple bottom line’ of sustainability into the DNA of the project. In simple terms this means we’ll minimise our environmental foot-print, maximise our social impact and be financially prudent, whilst ensuring our output of waves, fun and relaxation is as great as possible!”

David Thornton, Chief Executive of Visit Isle of Wight Ltd, commented: “Over the next few years we have set challenging targets for the Isle of Wight to increase its share of the domestic and international tourism market. With the tremendous increase in interest in activity-based holidays, The Wave:IOW is an ideal vehicle for the Island and will provide a unique new attraction that can help us to achieve those objectives. Visit Isle of Wight pledges its full support to The Wave:IOW and will work actively to use the full spectrum of promotional activities to make it a success from the word go.”

Tobin concludes: “We are really excited about the prospect of The Wave:IOW and are already assessing a number of sites around the island. We hope to make an announcement regarding a preferred location in the near future. It’s really important to us that The Wave is open to everyone – residents and tourists of all ages, all backgrounds and all abilities. We will be consulting widely and look forward to getting people’s feedback, this is a critical part of the process and will be used to shape the future of the project on the Island.”

The Wave:IOW will use the latest Wavegarden® technology, created by Instant Sport in Spain. More information about The Wave can be found at www.the-wave.co.uk

The Wave from Nick and Tobin on Vimeo.

The Wave Team:

• Tobin Coles – Co-Founder and Director: Tobin’s love of the outdoors, the surf and the beach led him to study for a BSc in Environmental Science and a desire to contribute to a sustainable future. He also is qualified and has huge experience in marketing, sales and business development for large corporations.

• Nick Hounsfield – Co-founder and Director: Nick has a background steeped in outdoor adventure and healthcare. He is passionate in bringing life-enriching experiences to underprivileged sectors of society and like Tobin, is a driver for positive societal change.

• Chris Hines MBE – Head of Sustainability: Chris is a highly respected communicator and driver of positive change. Chris was a founder and director of ‘Surfers Against Sewage’ (SAS) for 10 years, as well as Sustainability Director of the Eden Project from 2001-2007.

• Tom Appleby – Consultant in Environmental Law: Tom Appleby was a commercial property lawyer for nearly ten years before becoming a senior lecturer in law at the University at the West of England, where he lectures in real estate law, administrative law and environmental law. He has been a consultant on a number of projects including establishing Scotland’s first no take fishing zone. He is a trustee of the prestigious Blue Marine Foundation, which won gold at the international green awards for establishing the largest marine nature reserve on earth in the British Indian Ocean Territories.

• Richard Hill – Non-Executive Director

• Sue Minter – Horticultural Consultant

• Jekka McVicar- Horticultural Consultant

www.the-wave.co.uk

Here are Jordy and the O’Neill guys ripping at the Wavegarden in Spain

Here is Mick and Owen at the Wavegarden

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This is where we play by Andrew Townsend.

Writing is hard graft. Whether it is writing for a tabloid or for a novel or for academia or, as in my case, attempting to make an extremely boring subject interesting to members of the public putting words together is serious stuff.  I have just finished writing a book on health and safety. Because it, in essence, says that the way H&S is regulated and managed world-wide is mostly a load of bollocks, I had to get my arguments and evidence right or risk having them shot down in flames. Writing this book was one of the most draining intense periods of my recent life. I needed a break; I needed some light relief from the seemingly never ending cycles of research, writing and reviews. It came in the form of a photograph that will be used on the dust cover of the book.  Entitled “This is where we play”, it is a stunning seascape of Freshwater Bay captured by the camera of Jason Swain. It helped me regain my sanity. It took me back almost 40 years to a time when surfing Compton Bay and Castle Cove at Niton had also restored and maintained my sanity.

Being in the top stream of a Grammar School (Sandown) is also serious stuff. You are not expected to enjoy yourself; your job is to pass exams and then go on to a prestigious university. Your job is to be good at everything. Your job is to be the best of the best.  It never occurred to most of us to ask why we had to be the best; we just complied. And, without realising it, most of us gained the habit of continual unthinking striving and the habit stuck. And it continued through university. Then one summer I got a lucky break. The pea harvest was late. I was trying to get a job with an agricultural contractor travelling around the north and east of England. There is big money involved in capturing the peas at just the right moment and the peas were not being cooperative. I was skint. So, with five bob in my pocket, I hitchhiked back to the Island and got the first job I could find – cleaning the Fisherman’s Cottage Club at Shanklin.  Tucked into the corner of the changing room were two long and heavy surf boards. Long enough to catch the ripples that inhabited that part of the Island; heavy enough for me to eventually stand on without falling off. The job of cleaning was not onerous and for the first time in my life I had spare time. I tried standing on these strange long objects and promptly fell off; it did not matter. I had plenty of time so I kept on trying. Then I met Mick Cromaty. He worked mornings and evenings in his father’s hotel and had afternoons free. One afternoon we stuffed the boards into the back of his Morris Traveller and he drove me to Compton Bay.

There I saw people doing something totally outside my previous experience. They were having fun. It was August 1970; I was 22. It was a road to Damascus revelation. You didn’t need to be the best and to pass exams to feel good about yourself; you didn’t need to analyse something to the nth degree to learn. All that was needed was the ability to enjoy what you were doing and to laugh at yourself when you got it wrong. I learned to learn by trial and error; I learned to enjoy learning. I became addicted. I watched and listened to BH Rusty from Apse  Heath – so called because started every sentence with the words “Bloody hell….”. I heard of the fabled Rusty Long (a former pupil of my father) who had already left the Island and was surfing exotic places around the world. I learned to do things just for the hell of it instead of doing things because there was a prize at the end of it. I was hooked. I bought my first board from Dougie Cooper

A year later I started work as a very green wet behind the ears engineer at Fawley refinery. It was a depressing experience. Oil boiling is mostly about keeping the place running; very little changes from day to day. There is very little job satisfaction in the work itself. The main motivation is where you are in the hierarchy; so people are intensely competitive amongst themselves. I felt ground down by the constant in house bickering. I longed for the weekends. Winter times I escaped back to the Island and surfed Compton or Castle Cove at Niton if Compton was blown out. Summer times I drove down to Cornwall and surfed Gwithian. I shared a flat with John Hartnell from Carisbrooke. Nicknamed ‘Carrots’ because of his flaming red hair he had a distinctive style; he was tall, slim and strong. Because he was light he could catch waves others could not. He seemed all arms and legs but nonetheless he rode waves that would leave the rest of us floundering. Summer holidays were spent camped in my one man tent mostly in next to the beach at Gwithian. I became best man to the Gwithian lifeguard. His bride was from Sheffield where I had originally gone to University. Briefly I became a Sheffield Wednesday supporter. Surfing and the occasional trip to South Yorkshire kept me sane for almost a decade. It was better than just staying sane: life was fun.  But it was soon to change.

More by luck than judgement I became part of Fawley’s construction organisation; construction is demanding on time but it has two great advantages . The first is epitomised by the saying “Little boys never grow up; their toys just get bigger”. I got to play with some very big toys. It was like having my own personalised industrial meccano set. Who needs promotion when it is possible to work with the largest most powerful cranes in the world or to build a complete railway (my full sized train set); Fawley has its own internal railway system! The second advantage was that construction involved people with ‘intelligence in their hands’. Just like surfers, men on the tools learn by doing not by analysing. By making our work fun we gradually became more innovative and gained a reputation for learning new ways of solving old problems. I got close to my workforce and them to me. Because of this I became involved in the local community and youth work. With limited recreation time but still with the need to do something physical, I started teaching kids to ski at the local artificial ski slope. Whereas most of the other instructors used formal exercises we played games on skis; again we developed a reputation for being innovative, learning fast and learning thoroughly. Our speciality was helping people with confidence problems; by making learning fun we gave them confidence in themselves. This ability to play on skis and make learning fun eventually led to my becoming part of the Swiss national coaching team. A Brit teaching skiing in Switzerland is a bizarre thought but it happened.

Today, some three decades later, you might think the making learning fun story is over; one’s physical body does not go on forever. Aged 64 with Parkinson’s mine can no longer surf or ski. But you would be wrong. During the research that went into the book on health and safety we found that most workplaces had become dreary turgid places. But a few (especially in construction) are still fun. I now lead a small team (there are four of us) that will be studying why these places are still fun.  In three years’ time (that is how long it takes to do the research thoroughly and write up the results) we hope to match Jason’s photo entitled ‘This where we play’ with our own entitled ‘This is where we learned about fun’. Because of the experience of having made construction fun, we seem to be able to make construction research fun; we are able to engage with people and organisations that other research groups cannot. It is easy to claim that this was because I had moved from engineering into studying psychology, social psychology and sociology. The real reason was not academic study but a late pea harvest and those two long boards at the Fisherman’s Cottage in Shanklin.

[Andrew Townsend’s book ‘Safety Can’t be Measured’ will be published by Gower Ashgate in the second half of 2013. Although the subject matter is serious, it is intended to be fun to read]

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We are hoping to have surfboards and other memorabilia on display at The Waterfront soon.

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The story of British surfing would not be complete without reference to its underground surfers – those who passed up competition, fashion and media exposure for hard-bitten travel. These are the “soul” surfers such as Rob Ward and the late Nigel Baker. Rob Ward was a lover of French waves. “The early days surfing France had to be the best time of my life. I was totally focused on riding big waves at Guethary,” says Rob. “In 1967 I lived in a tent in the Cenitz valley, then in later years stayed in a villa with early Newquay immortal Alan McBride.”  Rob was a standout big wave surfer and a hard-core adventurer. “Growing up on the Isle of Wight, in the south of England halfway up the English Channel, I never saw anyone surf,” says Rob. “But one day in 1961 I found an article on glassing a surfboard torn from a magazine and lying on the floor of a garage at the back of my dad’s hotel, (‘The Bugle Hotel’ in Newport). I tried to make a board upstairs in the hotel, but lacking the right tool or materials, it was not a happy experience, and I never finished the board.”

Educated at the Nautical College at Pangbourne in Berkshire, Rob went on to become an officer in the Royal Navy. “In 1964 I was a Midshipman in HMS Jaguar on the South Africa/South America station,” says Rob. “I’d been pestering a South African lieutenant aboard with the question of whether people surfed in South Africa. I had a day’s leave on the Friday of the week. I took a taxi to Cape Town from Simonstown naval base and arrived just after the shops had closed. I found a shop with a surfboard in the window and banged on the door until they opened. They gave me a board and took £30 pounds (a month’s wages) from me. The sporting taxi driver shoved my prize halfway into the boot of his car and drove me back ‘home’. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen—brownish, distinctly bent and with the name Sunsurf announced by an orange sticker with an impressionist rendering of the principal feature of our solar system near the nose.”

“I surfed in South Africa, South and Central America and returned to the UK,” says Rob. “During my third year at the Britannia Royal Naval College (in Dartmouth, Devon), I tendered my resignation with some trepidation. I had, after all, been in an institution since I was six. Within a few months, a friend and I had bought an old diesel van, some blanks from a defunct surf business in Newquay and, after building a dozen boards in the Isle of Wight, headed down to Guethary. Then followed nine months of bliss. We built a small factory on the outskirts of Bayonne with a French partner. I grew my hair for the first time in my life and surfed every day it was possible. At first I entered in the competitions that the French Surf Federation had newly inaugurated. I won an international paddle race taking Felipe Pomar’s record for the course by five minutes.” 1965 World Champion Felipe Pomar was a go-for-broke Peruvian big wave surfer, famous for his power paddling.

Rob Ward charging Jeffery's Bay in South Africa during the 70's

Later Rob turned his back on competition, travelling extensively in California, South Africa and Australia, often seeking the more obscure, high quality big wave locations as his hang out, such as Outer Kommetjie in Cape Town, Margaret River in Western Australia and Cactus in Southern Australia, many years before these places were reported as make-the-barrel-or-die big-wave breaks. Rob also had an innovative attitude towards surfboard design and had a long relationship, spanning decades, with experimental shaper Tom Hoye, Precision Equipe, in California, who would ship him his latest, sometimes quirky designs, to ride wherever he was in the world.

Below is a mid 1980s five fin gun made for Rob Ward by Tom Hoye which was found on a tip but has now been restored and is part of the British Museums Collection many thanks to Alasdair Lindsay. Alasdair has a great Vintage Surfboards Blog.

“I recall in 1972 coming from the surf in the desert in South Australia. There had supposedly been a large shark sighted. But the waves were extraordinary,” says Rob. “I spent an hour alone with both fear and elation and when I came from the water I actually fell on my knees and thanked God for my existence. It was the sort of peak experience that will carry you through a lifetime of the normal, and less common, trials. Bliss indeed. Thank you surfing.” In one of those impossible to predict moments in an obscure place on the planet, who should Rob bump in to during a spell at Cactus but ‘Moby’ – Dave Patience, one of Newquay’s earliest surfers and Guethary pioneers.

In the ‘80s Rob lived in Cornwall and ran a surf shop in Newquay called Ocean Imports. “During that period,” says Rob, “a friend encouraged me to buy a 26 foot boat with him and smuggle hashish from Morocco. Of the six-year prison sentence, I served four years. I had no excuses. I didn’t feel sorry for myself. I was grateful for the opportunity to study Romantic Poetry at the Open University.” Upon release, Rob started building 40 foot catamarans. In the Orinoco Flo he made a global circumnavigation, financed by paying surfer passengers for the surf break stops along the way. These included pioneering visits to the Easter Islands.

Rob Ward on board Orinoco Flo

Rob’s surfing passion has always been focused and intense. He possesses a driven quality recognised among that breed of surfers like Laird Hamilton who “have to be there to ride the big waves.” Well-educated and highly articulate, Rob has also been able to share his love of surfing. His performances have been inspirational, and he would have been better known, but for his low level of interest in surfing contests. Even in current surf sessions he sets a high international standard for his age. “I just completed a 27 kilometre paddle race beating paddlers 20 years my junior,” says Rob. “Now 60 and looking back at 40-plus years dedicated to surfing – seeing that I abandoned a naval career my father had set his heart on for me; considering the jail term that I served as an arguably direct result of the economically barren years in the back of a van in Mexico and California, a station wagon in Australia and under the stairs of a villa falling down a cliff on the Chemin des Falaises in Guethary – I suppose I should harbour some regrets. A surfer will know that I do not. Joseph Campbell, in one of a series of interviews made shortly before his death, declared – ‘Ah, fortunate is the one who finds his Bliss.’ It’s an odd phrase but that is what surfing has been (and remains) for me. And I feel fortunate indeed.”

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Just a few more shots. I’ve got anything you have sent before today which is  Tuesday March 27th. I’m 66 in four days. Please send money. PO Box 82, Dunwich, 4183. It’ll be forwarded to the secret desert hideaway. In lieu of money your love will be fine. Yeeurrgh… I just asked for a stronger coffee and it is like piss. Watery, foamy and almost entirely unlike any drink called coffee. (You see how I suffer?)  There is one of those classic country “characters” behind the coffee shop counter. She is loud, bordering on comically rude and her view is clearly that, if you’re on her patch, you can like it or f##k off 500k down the road to the next coffee shop. Good on her. Bend the knee to no man!

I’ve yet to shop, wash the clothes or check my bank details. (I should be $500 less poor. Argh… can’t stand it. I’ll look now.  Oooh… this is sinister. I’ve copped a $900 payout from shed rental. They had been holding it back to pressure me. F##k that… I’m free as a bird… anyone want to come to Hawaii? Yeah, AND me $500 was there to boot. I met an ex-dogger on the pier fishing. He was called Dick which was a bit unfortunate as he told me he’s had his prostate excised and that part of the anatomy indicated by his given name no long functions like a finger… more like a tassel or a hose. But he did not care. On the VietNam vets’ Pension (about $500 a week) his advice, kindly meant and sincere was… f##k hassling for a settlement. Come out and live in the Bush. I could not discern any flaw in the argument. You may know but in case not (and this is the second “Dogger” I have met in 40 years) but a dogger receives money from the Government for killing feral animal’s, originally this was confined to Dingoes but undoubtedly has included rabbits and donkeys, possibly feral camels and so on. He drove a hard-core 4WD with a motorbike on a trailer that he uses to put himself one step further beyond the Madding Crowd. Looking for pristine fishing and silent mornings.

Big surf days the last few days but the, harrumph, “Locals” occupy a sort of blocking scrum on the outside peak. I was a bit spoiled by having a 3 hours surf with 2 out a short while ago at Caves, “The Best Wave in the World”.  The locals are all over 50. They communicate with each other rather like Gnu’s on the Seringeti. A series of information-void precedence-establishing series of coded baahs, “Eeeeieh”s, Gnoinks, Aaay’s and the occasional false-information bleat such as, “Collingwood had the finals wrapped up eeehhh?” Then this is followed by instructions to a sub-dominant surfer to go. They know the wave very well and it takes some knowing. They all, without exception, surf less well that this 66 year old and the only way I have been able to insinuate myself between the Alpha Oinks is to take the ones they have clearly missed. This often means a TOAD – “Take-off and die”. To pull back is an absolute death sentence if you want another wave on that day. I have been extraordinarily fortunate and have pulled off at least 3 impossible take-offs which – given a month or two will work on their collective un-brain and elevate me to someone entitled to take a turn.

This is my first Ceduna Run. It’s a 100 mile round-trip and I have to do stuff now like washing, downloading weather maps and running errands for fellow campers. I should say that my companions there are a decent bunch and as diverse as it goes. Two final bits of news. We had a “Professional Muso” here – Davey. I went along to give him a little back up on guitar and then got hassled – after he had departed to another venue (back of hand to brow: My Public call for me…) I really am quite loathe to “perform”. But I did 2 songs and!!! wasn’t boo’ed off and – if anything was thrown at me, it missed. I was stoked as I have found guitar practice (and writing) difficult. This is all thanks to 2 cups of scum and a table and seat and sufficiently dark interior light to see MAC.

I’m learning how to – and how not to – set up for camping. My whole awning act needs dragging into this century. My home-made effort sort of functions but I can’t stand underneath it.

Luv,
Rob

Expect to hear half way through April, Insha Allah.  xxx

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