November 29th, 2004

Hope y'all had a Happy Thanksgiving. We just got back from a long 12 hour drive to Virginia to visit my wife's family. Ooooh doggy that's one long ride. Pretty country Virginia. Nice folks too. But I have to tell you kids, it's a tad too far from the ocean. My father-in-law's farm is about 4.5 hours from the ocean. That's about 4 hours too far for me. Made me and the family realize how lucky we truly are living around here. I can certainly appreciate the dedication of those Vermont boys. Those guys drive 3 hours to get to the surf. My hat's off to you Green Mountain boys. God Bless ya. Don't know if I could do it. Lots of people do though. Make the killer drives to the ocean.

The pull of the ocean is very real.

Speaking of that pull. I started writing this at 11:00AM this morning. I had one eye on my main monitor and the other eye on my other monitor, which happens to have the Live Wave Cam on. Well, if you saw the wave cam today, you know the surf was clean and perfect.
Look, I'm no dummy. I pulled the plug on work (again), grabbed my son Max out of school (I'm a bad dad) and went surfing. We hit that popular left pointbreak. Max loves this spot. He's a 13 yr old goofyfoot who barely taps out at 5'. The waves were way overhead on him. They were on me too. It was fun. So...here it is, dark outside, my hair is still dripping from the shower as I try to finish this week's rap up.

I'm a surfer. I'm just like you. I find a way to go surfing when the surf comes up. Sometimes I get the better part of the day. Other times, I get just a few. But all you need is one good wave. Just one wave.

So did any of you gain any extra weight over the Holiday? I think I gained a few. And more importantly did any of you get STUFFED on Friday (the day after Thanksgiving)? I'm talking about getting stuffed into the pit of one of those clean glassy waves in the morning.

Yesterday. Jeff Chamberlain, a West Coast Legend.
I know most of you don't know Jeff Chamberlain from a hole in your westuit. But, the truth be told, you probably read something that he's written in one of several Surf Related magazines over the last 30 plus years. Jeff is without question, a prolific writer who has his finger on the pulse on many of our sport's great riders, shapers and surf spots. He's pioneered many different approaches to riding waves, shooting waves, and getting to the waves. He's currently an intregal part of the Morro Bay Harbor Patrol. My friends, in in short, Jeff's a true Waterman. He can truly say "Seen that, done that", but I'll add one more for Jeff, "What else you got?" To have Jeff as your friend, is to have a friend for life. During my yearlong mission to Surf Every Day for a Year in Memory of my father, Jeff was instrumental in keeping my stoke going during that cold harsh winter. We would email each other everyday. Offering words of encouragement and just keeping my wits about me. I had many close friends here in New England who helped me in many ways that year and you know who you are. I don't have to feed your egos. You guys are my closest and best friends. Jeff's role in my completing that mission was something special. You see, I had only met Jeff once. In 1975. Tortola. We hung out together in a cabin overlooking Little Apple Bay. Surfing those perfect waves. Me and Rye boy JT and he and Surf Historian Sam George. It was a bond that lasted many years. The next time I saw Jeff was in January of 2001. That's 26 years. But that's the kind of friend he is. We kept in contact over the years. He has two beautiful daughters and he and his wife Paige live in a cozy warm home in Morro Bay. He's a happy and content man. So why all this talk about someone you don't even know? Well buckeroos let me tell ya about it. This coming December 2nd, my friend Jeff Chamberlain will turn 50. That's a major milestone in anyone's life. For Jeff, it's just another chapter in a book about his life, that has many more chapters before he is finished. I'm proud to call him my friend and wish him all the best in the years to come. Happy Birthday Jeff. May you catch many more waves, and write many stories, and take equally as many photos to document this beautiful thing, we all call Surfing. We're lucky to have you.
photos courtesy of Mr. Jeff Chamberlain

If you got good surf pics send em off to me directly.
Just make sure they are NOT huge files. In fact if you have any questions about the size, email me first and I'll write back. Start snapping your buds!!
Ralph Pic Of The Week

Today. Phil, Sashi, and Kevin Rafferty Find Perfect Waves in a place far far from here. October-November 2004
Phil sent me this pic last weekend. This may be one of the spots he was telling me about. One of the spots that NO ONE has ever surfed! Whoa! What a score. It's out there my friends. The adventure is still alive and well in 2004.
Go out and find a spot for yourselves and give it a name. Then send me the goods (pics). I'll post 'em and I won't say where, unless you want me too.
photos by Phil Carey

Check out the new pics (below) from Phil, Sashi and Kevin's trip to Mysto Indo Spots. Phil took some great photos. Those guys surfed places that have never been surfed before. How awesome is that? Have you ever surfed a spot for the first time? It's a great feeling if you've done it. I've been fortunate in my life to be able to lay claim to that honor. I've named some spots and left others nameless. In a perfect world we'll all be able to find and surf a spot for the first time.

Is this a great time to be a New England Sports fan or what? The Patriots are just dominating week after week. It's been very rewarding as a fan to watch this team. And someone please tell me again. Did the Red Sox really win the World Series? Dang it, if this ain't the cat's meow in the sports world then I don't know what is.

The photo I posted of my friend Jason Hammer a couple of weeks ago has an interesting update. I wrote that Jason (Colonel) was serving in the US Army in Hawaii. Well, apparentlly, Jason is in the Mid-east. Serving on the Iraqi border in Kuwaitt in the Global War On Terror. So, please say an extra prayer tonite for another New England Surfer and my friend Col. Jay Hammer serving our country far from home and far from the surf. OOOAH!


Thanks for buying my movies guys. I do humbly appreciate your support. And I'll try and shoot you the next time you drop into an overhead bomb, or eat it on a massive set wave. The viewers love it when you eat it on the big ones!

Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph