March 2010

March 31, 2010

Hey Ralph thanks for gettin back!! yeah I feel like a 15 yo grom (well mentally) was at CR's last weekend got some needed goodies...hey the kayaking thing I hear ya...but hell I only paddle on the inlands/bays/rivers...good waves need boards not boats..gonna pick up a 6' soft board that I can also use to bodyboard when my knees start to ache..see ya at the wall!!

Stevo

I like that line...GOOD WAVES NEED BOARDS NOT BOATS.



March 31, 2010

Ralph,

All these reports of how the East coast is getting hammered makes me wonder if Ralph is above water?

This has been the winter that just doesn't want to end. We are still getting huge swells and have been having consistent surf since last November. I would classify this season as the most prolific surf season I have ever seen in my LIFETIME. This comes off of the best summer we saw in 10 years and we are getting our first summer swell next week. I say bring it on. Hope you are finding some silver linings out there.

I'm making the most of it while my body still can.

Rock (Northern Cal)

Rocky we're still high and dry, but lots of people are still flooded.

March 30, 2010

I am finally reading your column this week. First thing that hits me is that you are a good writer. Excellent setup on the S v B game. Now I must continue reading...
Yes it was a GAS from the get-go. I'm glad I got a nice shot of Jimmy doing his thing. We're lucky to have our own comedians- one professional and the other a natural comic legend- Ralph.
"The echo...denied...the crowd". Good writing!
The fans did get their money's worth. Chrissy enjoyed it. I loved watching the B's- their "like riding a bike" stick handling with little grins on their faces. So cool.
CR's HD cam? wow..... the end of the world is near.
Maybe a new Run movie instead of re-cutting old one.. title? Re-Run. Run2Run. Run, Grab Your Board- the Sequel. I Got the Runs. Run Don't Walk. If You're Canadian, We'll RUN you Out of Town.
Nor'easters! Riiiiight On! It's Millah Time!
I agree about the new NFL rule- a coin toss should not decide the outcome.
Nice Hawaii pic.Sick.
Nice "Orr" pic from Ed!
FUkkin WHitey with all that hair1 And poor Johnny without any! Great to see you all together. I love it.
Great floater on your video I can't watch. Vimeo suks.
Awesome dropin dolphins how do you do it ralph?
Thanks for posting the pics.
Great, great column.

With regards,
John C

I love your play by plays Johnny...Thank you. .



March 29, 2010

Ralph,

Damn, you are right about that HD camera at Cinnamon Rainbows, it is
mesmerizing! I wonder if you will be able to actually identify people
from the cam. This could be a problem if I skip out on work!

Hope all is well.

Michael

It is mesmerizing...

March 28, 2010

Hey Ralph,
I really enjoyed this weeks column. I wanted to extend my thanks for
helping keep the fight against cancer in front of everyones minds by
writing about the Molly event last week.
As I struggle daily, I am constantly reminded of what I have gone
through and what I have to do to keep going.

Thank you again. Best,
Jon

Whatever we can do as a community to raise awareness and help families
fighting cancer is what we should do. Stay strong.

March 24, 2010

Oh man, Ralph, this made my millennium. Thank you so much for the ego boost. I got a text from Ian Parnell about that piece, too.... so 'effin stoked right now I can't tell you. And here's why...
When I was 18, I figured out rather quickly that I wasn't gonna cut it as a marine biology major— too much schooling and too much mathematics for too lame of jobs available. I switched to Creative Writing and decided I wanted to be the best surf journalist I could be, affect people in a positive way, live on the Outer Banks, and surf as much as I can until the end.

Am I'm gonna do it...

Respectfully Yours... Surf Free Or Die.... -mp

You're welcome Matt...that was a great piece in the new ESM.

March 23, 2010

Hey Ralph,

Just wanted to say the picture of you & B. K. with your custom trunk comments was priceless. He was one of my surf heroes when I was younger. I love the way he attacked the waves & his bottom turns.

Also you may want to drop Bob McTavish your photo with two of his boards on the ice. I am sure he would get a kick out of that. Maybe put it on the wall of his shop. Tell him Doug & Wally from the Central Coast of Ca. say hello too. We have both bought boards form him @ his Byron Bay shop over the past three years.

Keep the stoke my friend.

Wally (Central Cal)

Thanks Wally...I always loved BK's style especially at Sunset. I'll shoot McTavish a pic.

March 22, 2010

Great column this week
totally agree Mike and Tobey out there doin it others talk about it

Skip

Those boys have the big brass ones for sure.

March 22, 2010

Ralph thanks so much for sharing. Man I want a do over up there so bad. Waves look like so much fun. I cant wait till I get to come back up there and hang again. I love the N east. Great song by the way nice and grungy I really like it. Are you performing it as well?

Raven

Yea that's my old band. VINNY. That's me singing and playing guitar. It was the last song on our LP. That was a long time ago. I play with a power trio (ala Jimi Hendrix style) now-a-days. We call ourselves BHD.

March 22, 2010

Thanks, feels good to have come up with idea and to see the whole community get into it at that scale and see the surfers have so much fun and raise some money etc, I have lost a lot of speed but thanks for compliments, look forward to seeing pictures

Kenny

You are STILL the man!

March 21, 2010

I've seen numerous pics taken at a spot called Chowda Heads. I know people are notoriously protective of their spots, but with only 13.5 miles of coast, where is it? Thanks!

-Hanlon

I'm sorry did you say something?

March 19, 2010

Hi Ralph ,
This was what I was able to get the other day . I had thoughts of more photos but I went in the water at 3 and came out at 8 . That night was so beautiful . I felt bad about not trying to photo it but my soul needed waves and waves it got .
Hope all is well.
Andrew

...a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...

March 18, 2010

Hey Ralph..love your site !!! I can't believe I've lived near North Beach (now on Atlantic Ave. N.Hampton) since 2005 and FINALLY said to self "get out there dammit"...I mean been a avid skier/instructor for years, love all types of outdoor sports but last May having lunch at the Secret Spot I wandered over to Cinnamon Rainbows and wholly crap...I couldn't get enough !! My right knee is toast due to a horrific ski crash in Breckenridge (where I lived B4 NH) but discovered bodyboarding and now have several...plus enough wetsuits/accessories to keep my 50 yr body warm( well kinda a wimp - don't do mid winter) so just when I thought my skiing days are fewer and slower..in my own backyard I've found a whole new life and the people in it..I also bought a kayak.. so I'll load up the gear and see ya at North Beach sometime ...thank you so much for your story/photos and charities truly an inspiration...PS I'm headin to CR's Sat. with my daughter( she LOVES anything Billabong)so I'll check out your videos...at work gotta go..thanks Steve

You sound as stoked as a 15 year old grom. Thanks for the kind words. Glad you found surfing (I think)...not sure about that Kayak though...just control your craft, and stay clear of those 'already up and riding the waves.' Otherwise, that stoke will change as sure as the day is long. It can get testy out there. As long as you follow the unwritten rules you will fall deeper in love with the ocean and the lifestyle.

March 17, 2010

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

~Irish Blessing

Scott (California)

Thank you and Erin Go Bragh!


March 13, 2010

Hey Ralph, I was thinking of you out in the water today.
We finally got a sunny ,glassy morning of surf. So far the surf has been shoulder to head high but with a little wind on it which I don't mind since it keeps the crowd down.
I have had the bowl to myself on a few occasions with 5-6 guys at Flat Rock during the dawn patrol. Hope this finds you having a great day. The weather in Hawaii is beautiful today and the Surf has been a fun size.
We are enjoying our 6 week stay over here with a month to go. We have so many great friends here all of them" true givers".
We plan on doing more hiking and Bike rides as our trip progresses. Beth is even going to take Hula lessons with a friend. She currently is putting at least an hour and half a day walking through Princeville ,the beautifull golf community we stay in. The terrain is as demanding as you like, and it is all so beautifull.There are places where you can look out over the water and see the Whales "Blowing" and Breaching. Such a glorious site.What a change for her now that she has "retired" from Zone Labs.


Aloha, Tom (Kauai)
Ps So glad to hear Max did so well in wrestling.Very impressive for a guy participating in multiple sports.

Thanks Tom...I love Hanalei...such a great wave and beautiful scenes.


March 13, 2010

yeah bud I was just looking thru your site. Looks good man!!!!!
Thanks again for shooting with us. We had a great time up there
hanging and surfing with the boys!!!!

See ya next time around

Raven

stay in touch

Thanks for the kudos. You're a very good surfer. You suit our waves well with your style.
Be nice to shoot you with some actual sun and some warmer weather...(it does get nice up here). I'm sure you checked out Mike's viddy of you guys...I also shot some Video as well
and will be posting it in a week or two.

Stay safe and warm.

Ralph

March 11, 2010

hey man so are you going to put the video from last saturday up anywhere?
i think it was you i saw filming

Jacob

I shot Mike Moran and Brian Taber that afternoon. Sorry...

March 9, 2010

Hey Ralph,
I'm a surfer from Hampton and a student at UNH. You're site is what I
spend all my free time looking at, awesome photos no matter how many
times I review the archives. Whenever there's waves I find my way to
the coast somehow. March 2nd I happened to get up early enough to
surf sunrise at Pirates and snapped a few pics myself on my cellphone
which I wanted to show you for a different angle on the beautiful
scene. The surf was amazing that morning as well as other days this
week. Gotta love those glistening lime green peaks illuminated from
the freshly risen sun. Getting up just to see that was unbelievable.
Also, you might be considering breaking out the 4/3 but I've been
stuck rocking my 3/2 since late Feb. I wish I could of said I was
'toasty' out in the water but I'd be out of my mind not to try. I'm
also attaching some of my oil paintings I've done inspired by surfing
and some of your photos. Hope you enjoy the pics, apologies if some
need to be rotated, although I wish I owned a good quality camera.
See you from the water, keep ragin the surf and the ill photos.

Phill

You need to get a digi camera Phill...I like the paintings too. Send them off to me in July for the annual Surf Art Column.

March 9, 2010

Hello Ralph,

I just had a quick question about whether or not I did the right thing. The other day I was driving to work and noticed that the Haverhilll Hospitals flag had been ripped off the pole and was residing on the ground. I of course turned off the road and to save Her from a shallow grave, that would have inevidably been 495 in a gust or two. Anyway, I thought about just taking it and bringing it to a VFW to be taken care of, but thought I would ask inside if they would like to dispose of it instead of me doing it. Unfortunately, the receptionist said "oh I will take it and have the maintenance guy put it back up", which I responded "um no thanks, it needs to be buried or burned, I can take care of it". At this point the janitor came from around the corner and took it away from me. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but I thought about just taking it back from him, but did not. My question is, should I have just not gone inside, and driven off with it, or made a bigger deal of it with the janitor and taken it back from him?

Thanks and, see you From the water? ha.

take care,

N8

You followed your gut instinct. That flag obvioulsy means more to you than it did to them. I think you did the right thing. Including leaving without causing a scene. Maybe they woke up after you left and realized what was at stake here.


March 8, 2010

haha...yes, camera is here - the cable is not. got some decent stuff in NZ but am in Samoa now trying to get sorted with waves/boat etc. I'll be in touch when I am back in NZ. I think I put a few decent shots on my FB page.

talk soon.
J

Just take some freaking pics and send em to me.

March 8, 2010

Ralph,

Holy crap!!! That bottom turn shot you ran of Kevin at “Muskrats” is nuts. I’m stoked there are guys like him still around to assist the younger crew in understanding what it means to lay it over on the rail and DRIVE!!!!! Will he ever slow down?

Weather been a little cooler than usual here in Fla. but not much in the way of surf. El Nino has been robbing us. Perfect winds when we do get a little surf but I look at Hawaii, Cali (and you guys) and I definitely feel left out.

My name is Glenn and I’m a surf addict!

Aloha!!

Maybe we should start a 12 step program for Surf Addicts.


March 8, 2010

I just spoke with my son Matt and told him to see the picture. This Doane
boy has been in the water but not enough. Put the spring suit on Saturday
afternoon at Long Beach and found it tolerable. We have had some great surf
here this winter. Surfed Christmas morning with my son Matt and my daughters
fiancé Clint and it was only the three of us out. Ditto for new years and
whenever the kids come by.Now that we have some day light don't be surprised
if you see me up your way early or late in the day. I will say a prayer for
your friend Joe. I do remember him from long ago.

Best regards

Mike

Thanks Mike.


March 8, 2010

Tons of great pics.
Nice week of waves. The run don't wanna stop!
Thanks.

Johnny

The Run Don't Wann stop. Sounds like a song title.


March 5, 2010

I saw Jordy Smith in Newport a few weeks back. Then watching the live
online feed of the Quicksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks I hear that he's now
moved full time from South Africa to my humble little corner of the world.
Well, I guess it's not really humble, it is OC after all, and I guess it
will be his home as much as any traveling pro surfer really calls any
single area home...but I'll definitely be on the lookout for him locally
in between contests and the off season!
-Ben

Not that there's a lack of talent for you to shoot.


March 5, 2010

Aloha,
Here are some photos of my new Robin Mair 9.2 Quad longboard.
Wide point is 2 inches back of midway.
Turns on a dime,is fast and it nose rides and paddles well.What more can you say?
All the best,

Tom (Hawaii)

PS The deck is a bamboo laminate.Pretty and strong/light.

Bet it flies...


March 4, 2010

R

I am going to see the show tonight in Santa Barbara, it’s sold out and is the first show of the tour, can’t wait. I was just checking out the web site and noticed the HE played at the Casino Ballroom in Hampton back in 2008, did you see the show? I give a review tomorrow.

Doug

Have you ever been experienced? Well you will...

March 3, 2010

Ralph: In 1966 Rusty Miller stopped by for a visit at Crows shop representing Hansen Surfboards as seen in the local news article. Last fall he stopped by again to surf with Crow, and David Evans. Photo by Tricia Miller, taken at long sands.

Crow and I have been cleaning out a lot of old boxes of surf shop stuff and should have more old photos from the 60’s

ED

Back in those days it was a novelty for Pro Surfers to come to New England. Now they know better. We have just as good as surf as they do...sometimes better.



March 2, 2010

Ralph

I worked Summers at the Surf Theater ... Sad to see it gone.. Not to rub it in, but I leave at 6am for Rica

Mike

That was one hell of a fire. Have fun in CR.

March 2, 2010

Hello Ralph,
Here are some pics from 2/28 @ Jennesse. I was thinking about one of your posts about the density of the ocean water and agree that the water around here can be heavier. Warmer ocean water is more dense because it evaporates faster and has more salt in it, which helps you float. Therefore, colder water has less salt and less float, so your observations are correct. Enjoy the pics, and thanks for all that you do around town.
~ Rich H

I was just guessing about the density. But it sure does feel thicker.

March 1, 2010

I just ran over to my laptop to check out the video.
I watched it with my kids and wife a couple times.

very nicely done, I can't wait to go buy the DVD when it comes out.

thanks a lot you made my day

Cheers

Brett

Cool glad you liked it.

March 1, 2010

Ralph-
Great posting this week. Crazy so much happened over the course of one
week, both on the good, memorable, and destructive side.
Hope I'm not inundating you with too many photos! -but I've got a few more
for you. Another good size session this morning, and a blatant drop-in
sequence between a surfer and knee surfer that ended in a very, very near
miss.
-bg (California)

Always room for you Ben. Plus the BDI was great!

March 1, 2010

Very sweet, wish we had some of that, it has been giant up here but unrideable for normal humans, Santa Barbara has been on fire.

Doug (California)

Giant? How about Mav's?

March 1, 2010

I am going to get my cup of coffee and steal some time to kick back and enjoy the column.
Cigarette, coffee, my easy chair and RPOTW. I remember "Comfortably Numb". Right on. We go way back, Ralph, not way way back but far enough to be baruthas. I would say 60 mph plus at Beach.I agree- with snow, I think it would have been almost as bad as '78. All that rain (which would have been snow) for days then the windstorm. We would have been in big trouble around here. When you surfed Dane Street! ( or Rice Beach...) Killer whale: who in God's name ever thought it was a good idea to pen a killer whale and not expect a reaction like this. Then Seaworld has the audacity to re-open with no consideration for the WILDlife they imprison. I hold no remorse for their loss. Only for her kids and family.

The FLAG. I will remember THE FLAG when I hold my hand to heart tonight at the PHS B Ball game. Outstanding image. Thanks for keeping people aware.
Thanks for the mention of Haiti. I have a best friend from Haiti. A musician. A father. And a relative of Haitians who lost their lives in the earthquake.
Great Day after pics. Unreal.
Wow... you did a great job on the fire pics. You are fast. I am not. I often say, "I may not be good, but I sure am slow!" Maybe an overstatement but its how i feel.. uggh. Thanks for accommodating. Insane shot at the beginning of your video. I will try to watch it. I pressed play at 10:07:32. Let's see how long for it to load.

The real snurfer! history.

Invisible Man is so great. Only you could have come up with that.
That house you and Cory looked at is next door to mine. I think its a great house- even without the tree. Price further reduced??!
Thanks for the great work as usual.

Aloha. Johnny
Thank you my ba-r-r-r-r-a-a-a-t-h-a-a-a-a-. Mahalo.

D