 |
 |
|---|
SEND PICS by clicking here- Ralph's Pic Of The Week To check out Past ( RPOTW) Go to the Archives Page |
October 19th, 2014 The RUN is 32 out of 33 Weeks Waist high or better, at least once a week. There was Chest to head high surf on 10/17/14 and 10/18 this week due to Hurricane Gonzalo . |
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. |
|---|---|
 The Not So Surprising October Hurricane GONZALO, the THUNDERCLOUD movie, and the never ending hysteria about Ebola (Ah-h-h-h-chooo!!!!!) None of us should be surprised by these late season Hurricanes. If you are, you have not been around these parts for very long. We have had plenty of late season hurricanes. Like the most infamous one of all. The HALLOWEEN Storm of 1991. Now there was a beast of a storm that produced insane surf all week long, before finally turning into the hell storm of all time, on Halloween. October 30th,1991.  My memories and documentation of that storm is well known in the local surf community. There really has never been anything quite like it since. I made a movie about it, and I believe there is a vimeo or YouTube clip of that movie on those pages somewhere. Go and click the icons and give it a look see. But this latest storm Gonzalo? Eh...not so much of a storm really. I mean don't get me wrong, there were some really fun looking waves for 2 to 3 days, but nothing like we were all expecting. The water even got cold. So Hurricane GONZO (you like that? ) kicked some serious butt in Bermuda and let them know that if you want to be a tourist attraction you are going to have to pay your dues every now and then. So GONZO raced across Bermuda and "tore her a new" (you know what). Check out some of the insane winds and damage.  Those poor tourists never knew what hit them. Though they should have. It's not like there was no warning. I mean you can't have a simple rain squall slip through here without every weather station and news station reporting on it's progress. Hell all you need to do is look at your dam smart ass phones. You can see what's coming long before it gets here.  I mean look at this. This was one impressive storm. Yet it barely produced a head high swell here in Northern New England. Sure it was overhead down south, but really this thing should of been bigger. I stopped predicting waves a long time ago. I mean to a certain degree. I can still look at a system and see that -yes we will have waves, but as far as predicting the actual size, and all the other juicy details associated with these tropical storms? Nope. I'm done. I have always said, a man has got to know his limitations. And I know mine. The buck stops at the wave cam. Or the never failing RALPH CAM. That is when I drive down to the ocean and see it for myself. For the record, the RALPH CAM has never failed me.  Though when I saw this, I would of bet anything we would of had a significant overhead swell. But we did not. And look, I am not complaining. Just a bit bewildered. Glad we got what we did, just surprised it was not bigger. And might I remind you all, I am not a BIG Wave surfer. I love to shoot and document big waves, but I am really not a big wave surfer. And the older I get, the more I realize this. My days of surfing double overhead waves are behind me. Way behind me. Which suits me fine. I am like most surfers. I love to watch big surf, but rarely do I try to seek out big waves. Like watching the insane documentary in portsmouth last week called THUNDERCLOUD. It's the movie about the BIG swell that hit Tavarua in 2012. Good lord was that a big swell. The movie was both inspiring and terrifying. The surf was something beyond what 90% of all surfers would want to paddle out in. Including Kelly Slater himself. He wanted nothing to do with those death caverns. And make no mistake about it, it was death on the reef. And Kelly is no woose.  I sat in that audience in complete awe like everyone else. I mean some of those waves had no business having live human beings, standing on fiberglass, dropping into the dark abyss, and driving for daylight in those cavernous death holes.  To me, that is a part of surfing that I want no part of. Again, would love to see it (from a safe distance), but I want no part of it. Never have. Never will. I'm good. Thank you.  Look closely here. Those are not ants. Nor are they cockroaches. They are human beings. Live humans. Surfers with large gonads. They are not like me (or you). And that wave? I don't think so. Not today. Maybe in another lifetime, if I come back with a set of brass balls. But for now, and the foreseeable future? Nope. Homey don't surf big waves. Homey don't play that game. "Surfing Normal Waves Heals All Wounds" |
Portions of the eventual DVD proceeds will go to the
|
 |
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. |
|||
Yesterday- Fall 1970. Hampton, New Hampshire. (Below) I wish I could hear the voices of these three local surfers. That's Curt Hammer and his brother Jay Hammer, and standing is Allen Bigby. Taken at Paul's house in 1970. Photo by Paul Lindstrom. |
 |
|||
 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-Hurricane GONZALO October 19th, 2014. Photos by RALPH  (Above) This was taken this morning. Some lucky goofyfoot gets one of the better waves of the morning. October 19th, 2014. Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery  (Above) Phil Carey thinking about his many sessions at Cloudbreak. Hurricane GONZO October 19th, 2014. Photo by RALPH *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) Unknown at the Wall this morning. Hurricane GONZO. Sunday October 19th, 2014. Photo by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
|
    
If you know a surfer who may be struggling with any kind of substance abuse. Click here. They can help. *Click above to save a surfer from substance abuse. |
|||
 |
||||
Today- The GONZO Swell October 18th, 2014. Photos by MAX VINCENT FATELLO  (Above) This is where I will be surfing. Matt Colby claims. October 18th, 2014. Photo by MAX *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
|
 Drop by and say hello and get the BEST Wrap in town!! |
|||
 (Above) This might be Matt Colby. I just can't see his name tag. October 18th, 2014. Photo by MAX *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
|
  |
|||
Today- The Gonzalo Swell October 18th, 2014. Photos by John White  (Above) This is one fast looking left. So Gonzalo may not have been very big, but he was fun. Just ask this guy. October 18th, 2014. Photo by John White *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
|
 |
|||
| Today- The Infamous MARIE Swell. California Shines. Summer, 2014. Photos by THE PHANTOM  (Above) The New SURFER magazine showed up on Saturday and I had to chuckle at the huge coverage of the MARIE swell. Hurricane Marie will go down in surfing history as one of the biggest and best swells California has ever seen. But I was chuckling because I knew I had photos from the PHANTOM that NO ONE has ever seen. And you lucky SOB's will get to see Hurricane Marie pics that will never be published in any magazine, or website. These are the incredible pics from the Phantom. He and his crew get to places that others only dream about. And now you, can view what only a handful of others get to see. And please, don't go asking me where these waves are. I do not know. The PHANTOM will never reveal the location. And I am OK with that. It's just nice to know, that there are still some surfers living the dream. The PHANTOM dreams for all of us. Summer 2014. Photo by The Phantom *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery  (Above) OK you all know, the only way in here is by boat. No boat? No surf. Hurricane MARIE Summer 2014. Photo by THE PHANTOM *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
 (Above) The Phantom scores. Hurricane MARIE Summer 2014. Photo by THE PHANTOM *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
|
  |
|||
|
 |
|||
Today- The Maureen McNamara October Gallery 2014. |
  |
|||
 (Above) The black and white photo and the black and white ad placement here was intentional.. October 2014. Photo by Maureen McNamara *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery |
 |
|||
