Send your SURF Pics to me directly. Need photos by 12 noon on Saturdays.
SEND PICS by clicking here- Ralph's Pic Of The Week To check out Past ( RPOTW) Go to the Archives Page
APRIL 27, 2014 The RUN is 8 out of 8 Weeks
Waist high or better, at least once a week. There was
Surf on 4-20-14 and surf on 4-25 & 26th, 2014
All materials contained in this blog are protected by copyright laws, and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcast or otherwise exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of the owner, the author, authors or sources of said materials.

Going TROPPO and Somali Stow-away's...

I do not want to come off as a big mouthed know- it- all when it comes to surfing. But I have to speak the truth. Or rather the truth as I know it. And the truth is, if you REALLY want to experience what it is truly like to be a surfer, you MUST at one point in your life (preferably early on) go on a tropical surf trip with your buddies. You must do this.

Look, I know tropical surf trips with your lover, spouse, and family are all worthwhile and full of wonderful memories etc etc...but nothing beats traveling with your posse. Your boys. Your peeps. Or girls. Or for that matter, going alone.

To fully take in what this lifestyle/sport has to offer you have to get away with others of the same ilk. These kinds of trips will be forged into your collective memory banks, as part of your rite of passage
as a surfer. A REAL surfer.

And before you give me the "Why the tropics Ralph? Why not somewhere cold?" rap. I will stop you dead in your tracks. The tropics offer something that you can't get going to some cold destination. And you all know I love the colder locales. Hello? Look
at where I have chosen to live. I get the allure of the cold. I eat, sleep, and drink that shit.

But I am here to tell you. Yes TELL you. That you NEED to pack your gear and go on a tropical surf trip with your buds. Not mom and dad. Or your hot new girl. Or handsome new boyfriend. You need to surf with your peers and hit it hard. Just saying, if you want to be a surfer you need to get a few of these trips under your belt. And the sooner the better. You will not be young forever.

Otherwise, someday you will regret, that you never took a trip with your close surf friends and had the experience of a lifetime.



Like my buddy JT and I did in the late 70's. This trip (for both of us) will always remain our best surf trip ever. Why? Because it was our first tropical adventure and we had no idea where we were going or where we were staying. In fact, the first week, we slept in a tent. But the time we spent on that tropical Island and the friends we made lasted a lifetime.



This is a video frame grab from an old super 8mm movie that we shot. That's me riding a 7' 8" single fin Robert August (no leash). This was the day I walked out of a makeshift hospital after days on a cot in a Quonset hut and hitchhiked across the Island. When I got back to where we were staying, the surf came up. It peaked out at a solid 10'. It was in a nutshell, GOING OFF. The next 3 days were a blur.

But one thing's for sure. That trip will forever be the trip by which all future tropical surf trips would be measured. We scored.



I have traveled and surfed with Kevin Grondin more than any other surfer I know. This pic above was from another North Shore adventure. Michael "Iron Balls" Baytoff shot this at Gas Chambers. Again, it was a bunch of us. Young surfers behaving badly and surfing our asses off.



This is a classic photo. Max and Kody are lifelong friends. They literally grew up together. Surfing here in Hampton as young groms and then competing in the ESA up and down the entire East Coast.
In short, they have logged a lot of hours together out in the water.

Last week they had a chance to surf in the tropics together and took full advantage of the swells that hit while they were there over the Easter vacation. There are hundreds of pics of these guys in the galleries below that Kody's mom Kim shot.

"A Tropical Surf Trip Heals All Wounds"

Okay, am I the only one who thinks that the constant news coverage of the Somali teen who hid in the wheel well of a Hawaiian jetliner last week was a bad idea?



And by bad idea, I am talking about the unintentional telegraphing to ALL the potential terrorists out there, that you can now hop a fence, and place a bomb, or themselves with a suicide belt strapped around your ass in the wheel well of a plane, and shortly after taking off, you can detonate yourself and kill everyone on board while you get a ticket to be with Allah and the 72 virgins waiting for you. Hello? Flabbergasted over this.



CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC ABOVE TO SEE EVERY
SINGLE WEEK FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS!

 



The Granite Stoke boys, Dylan Ladds and Ryan Scura are premiering their new documentary THE GRANITE STOKE this Saturday May 3rd, 2014 at 7:30PM at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH. The proceeds go to the both the MOLLY Fund and the SURFRIDER Foundation, I am personally asking you to try and attend. It will be worth your time and your dime.

Now for Some Of My Weekly Global Observances
The missing Malaysian plane is still missing. Anyone with any information on the missing plane should contact the Missing Plane Department on CNN. They will book you for an hour's interview and put you on a panel of Missing Plane Experts.



OK I absolutely LOVE these pics of the beloved North Korean leader being "Loved" by his people. Oh my God. Can you believe this? Wait, some of you can. I think I saw a few of you weep when the current US president was elected. But this? Oh man. This is borderline insanity. Am I right here people?



This shit is scary because these are the people we may end up having to duke it out with in the future. Creepy.


Take a good hard look at this. This is real.

And now for my weekly humiliation of Khalid Sheik Muhummed (KSM) the mastermind behind 9-11. This week KSM is seen in a rare pic of him as a toddler being held by Kim Jong Un as the beloved leader visited an orphanage.
Again, our boy KSM looks miserable. Ha! (I know I'm bad).



So once again, let's all take a minute, and enjoy the weekly humiliation of the mastermind terrorist who killed 3,000 innocent civilians on September 11th, 2001.

* Note to self: Must pick up a case of Huggies at Home Depot this week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rick Hosely April 26th, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sofia Haffenreffer April 26th, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cathy McGee April 27th, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Peter Tilton April 27th, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jeff Schneier April 28, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tony Vitale April 28th, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Nohea Nichols May 2nd, 2014!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Albert O May 3rd, 2014!
GET WELL SOON Little FINN LOCKWOOD!
CONGRATS BRUINS on beating Detroit!
Now BEAT MONTREAL!!
And please continue to send positive thoughts and prayers to our dear friend Debra White and family. As well as JT, and Ed O'Connell. Please add them all to your prayer list.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 9 years. **Think about BUYING a HIGH RES Photo from any of the weeks on RPOTW.

Remember my friends... Surfing Heals All Wounds.
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph


Like us on Facebook
Don't forget to go back and read the whole DAILY BLOG on
My CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY. (Click On the Banner below
on this page.) Started on July 26, 2010 ENDED July 26, 2011.
A Wave a day for 365 consecutive days. Just click on the banner ads on this page.
Yesterday- January 1979 Most Memorable Tropical Surf Trip.
(Below) FYI I had been on several surf trips with my buddies starting in the summer of 1971. From Nova Scotia to Florida. And out to California and Mexico. But I had never been to a Tropical destination until this trip. John Taylor and I went on a dream surf trip. You owe it to yourself to go on a surf trip with just you and your buddies. GO TROPPO!
 Photo video frame grab from Super 8mm movie shot by John "JT" Taylor



Click on the photo above to see the larger version.


To contact the advertisers below, simply click on the Ad itself. Anyone wishing to find out info about advertising here can do so by emailing me directly by clicking here. Ralph's Email I'll send you a template and other info on how you can become a paid sponsor

We highly recommend the various businesses and artists listed below. Why? Well simply put, each and every one of them is a Surfer, who lives the Surfing Lifestyle, and their business is a reflection of that lifestyle that we all love.


All PHOTOS BELOW SHOT THIS WEEK *Unless otherwise noted.

Like us on Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo
Today- Tropical Easter Swell for Local HB Boys. April 2014.
Photos by Kim Grondin



(Above) This is Max Fatello foregoing Easter at home for some tropical bashing.
April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Kody Grondin following suit. April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

(Above)*For the record, we have bought all of our JEEPS
from Lansdale JEEP the last 23 years, and have not had
a single regret. They are the BEST!!
*Click on the Ad above to see more!




(Above) The ageless Kevin "Doc" Grondin hanging with the boys and still the man in almost any size and conditions. April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

 



(Above) Even if he wasn't my son, I'd recognize his style anywhere. Mackey V.
April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Kody Grondin off the ice and into the aqua marine green.
April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Skating across the roof before the mid morning coffee break. Kevin Grondin has it dialed in down there in PR. April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today- Tropical Easter Swell SEQUENCES for Local NH Boys. April 2014. Photos by Kim Grondin



(Above) Sequences are fun to look at. MVF proving my point. Kim shot 90 plus pics. So grab a cup and sit down and watch the show. April 19th, 2014.
Photo by Kim Grondin *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Kody riding up and around this PR fun sesh April 19th, 2014.
Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


















(Above) I've seen enough of Kevin's cutbacks to know that he makes 99% of them. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself. Click on the pic to see the whole sequence. April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above) Mackey V pushing the limits on this PR left. Shot number 9 of a 15 shot sequence. April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Like father like son. Kody Grondin cutting back in PR. April 19th, 2014.
Photo by Kim Grondin *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) I guess it never really got hollow, but you make do with what mother nature gives you. MVF doing just that. April 19th, 2014. Photo by Kim Grondin
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


Today- Meanwhile The Easter Swell Back Home.
April 20th, 2014. Photos by RALPH


(Above) It's called missing the better waves because you over slept. April 20th, 2014. Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.





(Above) The American Bald Seagull...(ha). Common Gray cruising over the Easter line-up. April 20th, 2014. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) Which way would you go? April 16th, 2014. Photo by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
Today- And a little further north... April 20th, 2014.
Photos by Maureen McNamara



(Above) Love this high contrast shot. April 20th, 2014. Photo by Maureen McNamara
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.


(Above) Blue board on a blue sky day. April 20th, 2014. Photo by Maureen McNamara
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) The true essence of surfing will always be longboarding Such a pleasure
to watch when the rider knows how to walk to the nose and back again. This guy knows. April 20th, 2014. Photo by Maureen McNamara
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.






(Above) Proof that I do not have a problem with the SUP. If I did, this photo
would never see the light of this blog. Besides, you can barely see his "oar".
April 20th, 2014. Photo by Maureen McNamara
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.

Today- More Random Phantom Pics. April 20, 2014.
Photos by The Phantom



(Above) Some of us walk to the ocean, some of us drive a motor vehicle, but the Phantom? This is how he rolls baby! April 20th, 2014. Photo by The Phantom
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.






(Above) Love this angle. April 20th, 2014. Photo by The Phantom
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



(Above) Such a fun looking face to play on. April 20th, 2014. Photo by The Phantom
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.




(Above) You can't drive here. April 9th, 2014. Photo by The Phantom
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.



 


We welcome all Surf Related pics from our Readers. Just make sure they are at least 900 pixels wide. If you have any OLD photos of local New England surfers and or of local New England surfing, we would love to see them and share them with our readers.

We can scan them for you. And we get them back to you undamaged. Trust me. We can do this...people love the older stuff. So if you have any, please send 'em along. If you have prints/slides we can scan them for you.

And we don't care if you shoot pics with with your cellphones. I mean it. Most of the images you see on the news and on the Internet were shot with them Smart Ass Phones. So shoot and ask questions later.





(Above) Hannah Vokey looking an awful lot like her painting in the right hand column here. April 25th, 2014. Photo by Sam Vokey
*Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
boat


(Above) ESA Benefit at Flatbread in Hampton April 22, 2014.
Photo by RGF *Click on the photo above to see the whole photo gallery.

Click above to purchase on Amazon




(Above) Please forgive me...but I somehow lost the info on who shot this pic. I hate to not give credit where credit is due. But I am at a loss. If anyone knows who shot this and the other two in the READERS gallery this week please let me know.
April 16th, 2014
Photo by UNKNOWN
*Click on the photo above to see the whole photo gallery.



SEE THE PREMIERE SHOWING AT THE MUSIC HALL IN PORTSMOUTH, NH on MAY 3rd 2014 at 7:30PM.
 



(Above) All Rise: 10th Street District Court of Surf Justice is now in session, the
Honorable Judge RALPH presiding. CASE 263 BLATANT DROP IN OF THE WEEK-
Click the photo to see the outcome of this Surf crime and the verdict.
Photo by Kim Grondin* Click on the photo above to see the OUTCOME.
Click banner below to follow the entire CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY Year Long Blog. From start to finish. In chronological order as it happened. And trust me, a lot happened. Some of it almost too hard
to believe. But it's all there. Every single day.


CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON on each clip to view videos


AMBIENT OCEAN by Brett Barley

Published on Apr 10, 2014 *This is some GREAT GoPro footage.

Morning surfs here are awesome... Or anywhere for that matter. Waking up at dark, heading to the beach early, and seeing green water barrels right off the sand is the best feeling in surfing ever. Super glassy morning with just a few friends, followed by an afternoon of much the same...

Here's another installment of what surfing along Cape Hatteras is all about.


The LATEST Release from SURF FREE OR DIE due in late Spring 2014 is called THE COLD COAST. This trailer is a clip from the winter storms here in Northern New England. HERCULES, JANUS, NIKA, QUINTUS, PAX, REX, and all the rest.
The sea smoke and sunrise footage is worth the viewing alone. Not to mention the beautiful sunsets and the white snow covered seacoast.

The surfing in this particular clip is all local New Hampshire guys. Including: Jesse Gould, Weston Rogers, Johnny Meehan, Joel Feid, Ryan McGill, Lenny & Kai Nichols, Max Fatello, Johnny and Perry Reynolds, and Stevie O'hara.

The music in this clip is by my old friend Robin Trower .

THE COLD COAST....Coming Soon.



THE COLD COAST NEW Trailer April 15th, 2014

More clips from the winter/spring of 2014. Featuring: Stevie O'Hara, Jesse Gould, Mike Rosa, Jon Kiskinis, Kevin Grondin, Toby Parke, and Max Fatello. Shot with the Go Pro II and Canon G30 in NH. The music for this trailer is by QWILL. The full feature will be out in May of 2014. Really excited about this movie. Hope you like it.

Ralph

 

 










"In The Heart Of North Conway!"




"Ride All Day And Into The Night!"




"Where Snow Is Just Around The Corner!"




"Near And Neighborly!"


CLICK CRACKIE BELOW TO SEE All the CRACKIE VIDS!

CLICK ON THE CRACKIE IMAGE TO SEE ALL THE CRACKIE VIDEOS. Crackie's still on an unpaid administrative leave. However if you need a Crackie Fix just click on his face and go to his YouTube page and watch all his absurd videos. And if you have a question for Crackie, no matter how stupid, or absurd, please send it here...crackie@adlantic.com

You can also check Crackie out on Facebook. You should Friend Him...though there are no guarantees that he'll be nice to you.


COMING NEXT WEEK MORE SURF!

Recorded in 1978. Click on VINNY CD art to see a larger
version and how to order this CD and others for sale at
GAF Music. www.gafmusic.com
A Division of Adlantic


COMING NEXT WEEK Buckle up (again) kids here we go again!

Recorded in 1983. Click on VINNY CD art to see a larger
version and how to order this CD and others for sale at
GAF Music. www.gafmusic.com
A Division of Adlantic
 


(Above) Put the cursor over the images above to see happens when you DROP in
on someone. You become Invisible. Simply put the mouse over the photo to see the
original photo and then marvel at the results of what happens when the criminal
becomes invisible.*Put the cursor over the photo to see the Real image.
Photo by Kim Grondin

Like us on Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo
Today April 27th, 2014
"At least they are not texting..."



(Above) This is safe. Oh man...the things you find on the big WWWW.
Photo by Googlemachine


Click on Wave to return to top of page

 This site/blog designed and maintained
by Adlantic copyright 2014