November 20th, 2011-New RUN is 39 out of 39 Weeks.
Waist high or better, at least once a week.
The Surf on Tuesday & Wednesday was just about waist high. |
"So, would you call those waves waist high Steve?" I asked my friend Steve Franson as we both watched set after set of perfect, glassy waves, peel across the sandbars on Wednesday's semi overcast late morning.
"What those waves?" He asked. "Yea those waves. Would you call that waist high or not?" He looked at me, and then back out to sea and said "Absolutely. Definitely. Those are clearly waist high."
"Good,
because I'm going to quote you on my blog this week." He smiled and said "Go ahead, those are waist high..."
And they were. The only problem was, there were only two guys out and they were, oh what's a kind word for beginner? Oh I know. Kooks. That's it.
They were Kookoo Birds.
You know, sort of beginners, sort of novices, sort of kooks. And look, I don't
mean that in a derogatory manor. I mean it is what it is. They were not exactly Kelly Slater and Joel Tudor out there.
In fact, they were the ONLY two out at the Wall. And one guy almost dropped in on the other guy. Imagine that? Only two guys out in a 2.5 mile stretch of beach, and this one guy almost dropped in on the other guy, who was up and riding and coming towards the other dude.
The one guy on the Longboard kept trying to catch the same wave the rider was on. You could just barely make out what was happening from up on the Wall. But it was pretty clear that words were exchanged...."Hey hey...I'm on this wave here...hello?" While the novice, who was looking confused, kept paddling for the wave. I could of shot the whole BDI, but then I thought, is it really a BDI if one of the two has NO idea that a crime is being committed?
I don't think it is. So I didn't shoot it. It's what I'm calling a premature BDI.
The two Kookoo Birds were having fun. There's no crime in that. Or is there? I guess it all depends on the poor guy who was being violated. My guess is, he
did not care. Because he was just slightly above the skill level of the guy who dropped in on him. You know...the rider was a beginner. The other guy was a ...oh you know.
Yet, I could not help but admire the two of them scoring those empty waves.
I mean, here I am calling them Kookoo Birds, when they were out getting empty waves, while I stood there taking photos of them, or trying to. I mean it's 2011, and you can still score some fun looking waves with just you and a friend, or you and a Kookoo Bird.
OK so it was not classic surf. But it was waist high, and it was glassy, and I was standing there in a Tee shirt shooting pics.
And Steve and I both wished we were both on it. Because, well, it looked fun.
I guess I'm the real Kookoo Bird...DOH!
So I spoke with Lenny Nichols this week. He just got back from his Hawaiian trip with his young son Kai. It was Kai's first trip to Hawaii. Kai is 11 years old. I can only imagine what that must of been like for Lenny. I mean let's face it, Hawaii is still the proving grounds for many surfers. I'm not talking about the BIG wave Tow in guys, I'm talking about the rest of us. You know the semi normal surfers. The semi normal surfers who still think of Hawaii as the Mecca of Surfing.
And by Hawaii, I'm talking about the North Shore of Oahu.
Lenny is one of them. He used to live in Hawaii. I'm sure it was a homecoming
of sorts for him. A bittersweet one at that. The "Rock" has it's ups and downs for sure, but the "ups" out weigh
the downs by far. And one of the "Ups" is the surf. There's really nowhere else on the planet that compares to Oahu. I mean, that stretch of sand and reef is unlike anywhere else. From Sunset to Haliewa, it is a place where dreams are made, or your worst nightmare can occur.
I've had both. It is not for the feint of heart. That's for sure.
But anyone who knows Kai Nichols knows that he is fearless. And he has surfed some of the biggest waves that our infamous coastline can produce. So his first trip to Hawaii has some solid training behind him. His father Lenny has guided him into some of the Biggest days ever out here. And Kai has handled it all like
a seasoned local. Kai was actually born in Hawaii, but moved to NH when he
was just a year old. So his roots are really here in New England.
But he kept telling his father that he felt like he had been here before.
Kai was after all, born on Duke Kahanamoku's birthday. That has to account for something. I know it does with his family. But sharing Duke's birthday and now sharing waves on the North Shore with his dad must of been special for the little grom. Oh he may be small in stature, but his heart, and his courage is huge.
And I would of loved to see him paddle out at Pipeline that first day, or at Lani's.
I would of loved to have shot some video of him surfing the North Shore for the first time. Lenny did manage to shoot some stills of Kai and his daughter Julia who now lives out there, and I'm sure that trip will sustain them all for quite sometime.
One thing's for sure, it won't be the last time Kai surfs the North Shore of Oahu.
Speaking of surfing...The ASK CRACKIE SERIES is now into our 7th week. Crackie is still very uptight about all things in surfing. Don't forget CRACKIE has his own Facebook page. If you have a question for Crackie no matter how absurd you might think it is, please email him directly.
Crackie's email: crackie@adlantic.
I know personally that he'd love to hear from you and I know he'd love to friend
you on Facebook.
Hope You ALL Have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving.
"Surfing Heals ALL Wounds..."
Now
for some of my Weekly Global Observances:
So is it me, or are the WALL STREET OCCUPIERS just a bunch of Rebels without a cause? Are they really what they say they are, or are they something else? I'm not sure much is being accomplished by their actions. And for me personally? I'm over it. The over aged hippies and the young rebels all camping out like it's Woodstock on Wall Street are sort of an embarrassment. I mean they are giving real hippies a bad name.
Be interesting to see how they hold up when Winter Rolls into town.
We'll see how many occupy the streets when it's 20 below and snowing.
So the step child of the Middle east is at it again. IRAN is getting closer to that Nuclear Bomb. WTF is wrong with them? I mean come on. That little muskrat weasel President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a loose cannon. No pun intended...well maybe a little. But honestly? Is Israel going to sit idly by while these nut jobs build a Nuclear device? I don't think so. IRAN would do it's people and the world well, if they would just knock it the hell off! Enough already.
I was dead wrong last week about the Patriots. Man was I wrong. They not only beat the JETS, they beat them bad. It was an old fashioned ass whooping. So much for my prediction. Still, anything can happen in this game of Football. We'll see what happens this week when they Play KC on Monday Night. I think they should win. It seems that the defense has found themselves some players...Carter being one. Damn that guy had 4 sacks last week. Four sacks? Yep. We're back in First Place.
And the Bruins are doing great again...I know some of you B-Ball fans are chomping at the bit at wanting to get the season started. Hey be patient, those Gazillionaires are trying to make more money to buy more Bling and Things.
Meanwhile, the RED SOX are still without a manager and a decent closer...hey two out of four ain't bad kids. B's and Pats...that's not so bad now is it?
My son's football team won their BOWL Game today. 31-22. The NORTH ATLANTIC BOWL Game. They ended up with a 10-1 record. Not bad. Gotta like the school colors
of Blue/Green and being on the ocean. GO GULLS!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chris Ferreira November 20th, 2011!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chris Grippa November 20th, 2011!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kally Keefe November 22nd, 2011!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kara Schaake November 27th, 2011!
REST IN PEACE Ralph Gustafasen Surfer from Southern Maine.
REST IN PEACE Richard Sullivan father of local surfer Chris Sullivan.
GET WELL SOON Joanna Rob...The Friends and family of Toby Parke ALL LOVE YOU!
GET WELL SOON MR CROPPER...WE ALLLOVE YOU!
CONGRATULATIONS To Allie and Michael (Zappy) on the birth of daughter Rory!!
November 13th, 2011. We LOVE YOU GUYS!
CONGRATULATIONS Again To My Good Friends The Rowlees...It's going to be a BOY!
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Don't forget to go back and read the whole DAILY BLOG on My CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY. (Click On the Banner 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.
CHECK
OUT THE NEW/Old YESTERDAY PAGE! ALL OLD New England and
beyond Surf Pics! *NEW PICS added each week!
*Check out the NEW updated DROPPING
IN ON RALPH blog Section.
It's coming soon (I promise).
Please
Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic
Of The Week
every week for the last 8 years. **Think about BUYING a Photo
from any of the weeks
on RPOTW as a GREAT Gift Idea. A nice framed photo of your favorite
Surfer!
Remember
my friends...Surfing Heals All Wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.
Ralph |
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Yesterday- Hawaii Winter of 1986- Lenny Nichols- North Shore
(Below) Lenny just came back from Hawaii this week. He brought his young son to the Islands. It was a gift from his daughter Julia who lives out there. They had a magical trip. Here's a a video frame grab of a clip I shot of Lenny at Gas Chambers in 1986. Lenny would charge big North Shore waves. His son Kai is charging BIG waves here and will be making more trips back to Oahu. Someday we will see photos of Kai in the mags and on videos and we will all remember where he came from. New Hampshire.
Video Frame Grab of super 8mm movie by RALPH/SFOD |
Click on the photo above to see the larger version. |
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Today- Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Photos By RALPH |
(Above) Is this waist high? Yes it was. See the guy paddling? The Wall on Wednesday.
November 16, 2011. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery. |
(Above) NO ONE OUT. The Wall on Wednesday. November 16, 2011. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) Sea Birds. The Wall on Wednesday. November 16, 2011. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery. |
(Above) Look closely. There's a guy on a waist high wave. November 16, 2011.
Photo By RALPH * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery. |
Today- Tuesday Afternoon, November 15th, 2011
Photos By Ed O'Connell
(Above) Michael Sander experimenting. November 15, 2011.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) Unidentified on a waist high wave. Tuesday, November 15, 2011.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) Michael Sander slip/slide surfing. November 15, 2011.
Photo By Ed O'Connell * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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Today- Thursday November 10th, 2011 Locals in HAWAII.
Photos By Lenny, Julia, and Kai Nichols
(Above) Kai Nichols on Oahu's North Shore. November 10th, 2011.
Photo By Lenny Nichols * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) Julia Nichols on Oahu's North Shore. November 10th, 2011.
Photo By Lenny Nichols * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery. |
(Above) Kai carving turns on the North Shore. November 10th, 2011.
Photo By Lenny Nichols * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) No place like this on Earth. Oahu's East side. November 10th, 2011.
Photo By Lenny Nichols * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) Kai duck diving at Pipeline. November 10th, 2011.
Photo By Lenny Nichols * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) Sunset at Sunset Beach. November 10th, 2011.
Photo By Lenny Nichols * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
Today- Scenes from Today's BIG EC Victory Bowl Game November 19th, 2011. Photos By RALPH
(Above) Endicott College won their North Atlantic Bowl Game today. They ended the year with an impressive 10-1 record Saturday November 19, 2011. Photo By RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) I had a great time going to all the games this year. Max played in a bunch
of games and it was always exciting. Saturday November 19, 2011.
Photo courtesy of RALPH
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
Today- Ben Ginsberg's Barrels, Punts, and Slashes!
November 10, 2011 Photos By Ben Ginsberg
(Above) Spencer Pirdy nicely slotted. November 10, 2011.
Photo By Ben Ginsberg* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) Hector Santamaria finds his own hole to hide in. November 10, 2011.
Photo By Ben Ginsberg* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) Henry McNamara up close and personal. November 10, 2011.
Photo By Ben Ginsberg* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) I love the colors on this shot. Henry McNamara. November 10, 2011.
Photo By Ben Ginsberg* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) I think Henry McNamara likes getting barreled. November 10, 2011.
Photo By Ben Ginsberg* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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Today- Bernie Baker's Hawaiian Colors -November 10, 2011
Photos by BERNIE BAKER
(Above) This is a REAL turn. HIC Pro Cup. Sunset Beach Hawaii.
Photo BERNIE BAKER* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) I must be getting old. I have no idea what this move is called. I know it's a young Grom doing it though. Hawaii. Photo BERNIE BAKER
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
(Above) These are the Hawaiian contest colors. HIC Pro Cup. Sunset Beach Hawaii.
Photo BERNIE BAKER* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery. |
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(Above) Another California secret. November 11, 2011.
Photo By Steve Dillon* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) OK clearly, the California coast has better sunsets. But we have better sunrises. November 11, 2011. Photo By Steve Dillon
* Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) Panama is calling you. November 18, 2011.
Photo By Kurly Chew * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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(Above) The Crew on V-Day last week. Ralph, Tony, Hannah, and Ed.
Friday November 11th, 2011.
Photo By Andy * Click on the photo above to see the Whole gallery.
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THE "CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY" video by JOE CARTER and
GET IN THE VAN is NOW on the SURFER'S JOURNAL Website and
now
the ESPN website too! Wow!
To see it on this site go to the Molly Page.
http://www.surfersjournal.com/journal_entry/molly-motivation
CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW FOR ALL VIDEOS
The 7th installment of ASK CRACKIE. This week's question is from a Longboarder from Vermont. He asks Crackie if he was wrong for trying to paddle for the shoulder as he was paddling out and a surfer was up and riding and coming straight at him. Crackie was NOT happy to hear this.
crackie@adlantic.com
Crackie now has his own Facebook Page. You should Friend Him...though there are
no guarantees that he'll be nice to you.
Hope you all learn something from this informative Q&A.
2011 SCION CORE CUP | Alpine Live Media from Ryan Denning on Vimeo. Check out Alpine-Live.com for more content!
Video: Andy Madea, Lucas Van Oss, Ryan Denning
Edit: Ryan Denning
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(Above) All
Rise: 10th
Street District Court of Surf Justice
is now in session, the
Honorable Judge
RALPH presiding. CASE
#136 BLATANT DROP IN OF THE WEEK-
Shot this on 11-3-11. CLICK and SEE this Surf crime and the verdict.
Photo by RALPH
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Click above graphic for The Daily BLOG I wrote from July 26-2010 to July 26-2011
Yes you can STILL DONATE to the Fundraiser.
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(Above) YESTERDAY Pics Locals surfing in Hawaii. Above is Harry Manzi at Gas Chambers in 1986. Oahu Photo by SFOD COMING NEXT WEEK! |
(Above) YESTERDAY Pics Locals surfing in Hawaii. Lenny Nichols at Gas Chambers in 1986. Oahu Photo by SFOD COMING NEXT WEEK!
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(Above) Brad Hair at home this week. Photo by The Phantom COMING NEXT WEEK!
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(Above) SAY WHAT??? the Phantom shooting from land???
. Photo by The Phantom COMING NEXT WEEK!
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*Click masthead above to read the original
ISM story.
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(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 RALPH |
Today 2011 "Happy Rooster Tail Thanksgiving..." |
(Above) Kai Nichols being chased by a GIANT Rooster Tail at Backdoor.
Photo by Lenny Nichols |
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on Wave to return to top of page
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