back of the ferry

The classic pose. Gusticas ashamed of his appendage holds his bikkie high.

The lads enjoyed some technically challenging surf on Sunday as for the second week in succession we were delivered a 3 foot plus swell.

Next to no wind, but compromised by a falling tide, a massive summer horde, and shallow banks.

Whilst most waves delivered a resounding whump as they folded in a straight line across the beach, the discerning punter was rewarded with that odd set wave which peeled a few degrees astray of the others delivering a fast vertical wall to ply a tradesman’s craft.

Tame proved undiscerning early and was seen pile driving nose first into the sand bank.

Lund cornered a potential business client, shepherded him out into the rip and trapped poor old Bruce for over an hour as the session ticked by. Bruiser could be seen patiently waiting for a break in the monologue….”eeeeeennyyway..gotta get a wave”…but the break never came. Poor bugger only gets an hour then its back to nappy changing.

 

Obituaries are an uneasy task. Whilst the second to back page of the SMH oft provides some of the best journalism in an otherwise tawdry reporting of the previous days or even weeks events – sensationalised to generate sales – the task of having to report on a familiar friend held near and dear is another matter altogether.

Sadly a beautiful young lass was cut down this morning in the prime of her life. We’ll call her Fantasia. She left us this morning around 0830 hours. Suddenly and without warning.

Fantasia led a short yet plentiful life. Born in Bermagui on the South Coast she settled on Sydney’s northern beaches. God’s Country. A bright and bubbly young lass – she always wore orange. She was well travelled spending much of her formative years in Curl Curl interspersed with many memorable family holidays up the Coast, particularly at Hawks Nest over Xmas. She was fond of the the Coast Trip, and even spent time with the boys on surfari in far flung exotically named locales stretched along the NSW north coast – Copacobana, North Avoca, and Crescent Head to name but a few. She’d even made the Grand Tour (of Lombok).

This morning however, with Rabbidge riding her hard – an uncompromising master – she could take no more.

Aikin was first to arrive. At first he had missunderstood Rabbidge’s contorted screams of anguish as hoots of joy. He believed Rabbidge to be exulting in yet another indulgent ride upon his mistress of the sea. Alack and alas, it was pain, not joy that had Rabbidge engulfed. Upon interpretation Aikin took great concern – had Rabbidge been injured – yet worse still was he to discover that Fantasia had been cut asunder.

Howling Rabbidge emerged from the sea – inconsolable. He trudged the quarter mile up the beach, the wind tearing at his hair. Fantasia – the orange flavoured beverage. Her cheap Black and Gold equivalent – Orangina. Or the Bhagwan as some preferred to call her is no longer whole. Sobbing Rabbidge collected her two halves and returned to his family wagon. Usually she rode freestyle - ’bags the top bunk’ – aloft atop the wagon. Significantly, today she was placed in the caged dog-section in the back of the wagon – a hearse to carry her home.

Session	Sunday 7 February 2010
Location	Queenscliff
INS	Aatkin, Tame, Lombok, Oompa
Wave height	6 ft
Wind direction	still
Crowd	6 (400 further sth)
Rabbometre	1.5 stars
Water temp	21
Incidents	Tame lost at sea
Other	Aatkin challenges bezel record

 At last the God’s were smiling. The lads assembled promptly at Bower Café at 7am with Aatkin having reconnoitered Nth Lloyd prior to arrival – a washing machine at the Lloyd with one out.

 The Bower was taunting…..certainly size bashing Sydney sandstone, but not quite the right angle for Bower…certainly the odd wave making it thru but invariably ridden by a biscuit charging from out deep….but mostly fat burgers running out of puff after 20 odd metres…contributing to the lads decision to abandon bower was the setting up of the ocean swim at shelly beach, and the 4 goat boats paddling out from the café….

 And so it was that a rare screening of Queensie was undertaken. 4 lads decked out on the beach…4 lads in ragtag formation paddled out, yet only 3 crested the line-up and collapsed wheezing and exhausted on their boards. A moments silence was held for Tame, quickly interrupted by the first rideable set which Oompa took off on.

 After some daredevil drops and powerful charging at Nth Steyne through the assembled pack of biscuits the lads spotted a treat of a longboard wave up at far Queensie. Aatkin led the way, frothing. In fact his exuberance almost saw him paddle out and around to Freshie….however he pulled up on the headland with menacing multi lipped waves full of ledges not too dissimilar from Shipsterns….sensibly he faded out another 20 metres to join Lombok and Oompa. It was here that Lombok drove a stake into the ground and declared it his…uncannily powerful charging lefts would seek him out, whereupon he put on a display for the ages.

 Tame, previously thought lost at sea, but who in fact had thought we were headed to Sth Steyne on our way out, had spotted the majesty of Lombok keeping the biscuits in awe. In Tame fashion he doubled back from the Corso and made his way ….eventually … to Queensie…in time to see Lombok again sink into a gaping pit, trimming a rail and tucking up for yet another freight train express only to be spat out 100 meters south in a final act of fury by the sea. He was certainly looking pleased to have left his golf clubs at home. The  lessons learned in less than a foot at Ekkas had finally been brought to the fore.

Meanwhile, Aakin was last seen still bobbing around like the last forlorn cork – popped in the wee hours with little interest from overindulged partygoers. He appeared determined to establish a new bezelled benchmark. An hour had passed and the sea continued to taunt him with failed furious effort after effort. He avowed to never get his board or watch fixed at Shanes again. Shanes bezel setting he declared to be appalling and would in future attend Dingfix to ensure his bezel be set to better align him with natures rythyms.

To this day, if you’re at the beach, the sun is setting, and the light is just right you may see the ghosts of Aakin checking his watch and of Tame patrolling the Steyne.

 

Session	Sunday 31 January 2010
Location	Sth Curly
INS	Abbidge, Eatkeen, Tame, Lombok, Tooher, Oompa
Wave height	2 ft
Wind direction	Light
Crowd	20
Rabbometre	0.5 stars
Water temp	21
Incidents	Interferences aplenty
Other

Not too dissimilar from Tuesdays session, though at least today we had the tide on our side.

Whilst the monotony of 2 foot Curly shore-breakers continue to fill most Sundays – better I suppose than the odd no-surf at all which we have also had of late – at least there has been enough swell on offer to keep the lads as sharp as can be expected for the hopefully not too distant future when we will cop something serious.

 In the meantime, it seemed as though the lads were almost competing for the worst misdemeanor possible.

- Lombok had a crack at a lidder who had been wallowing in our take-off zone,

 - Illiards got bored enough to try and run down Toohers who managed to stay ahead and scoot off further along the wave,

- Tame revived his trademark scythe – woomera like in its simplicity, deadly to those in its arc.