surf by bike trip

I've been kicking around the idea for some time now of doing a Nova Scotia surf trip by bike. the idea comes and goes each year and I've yet to commit to it. today I got the bug again.

when I first arrived in Halifax in 2006 I set out to scout some possible surf spots on my bike. I've always been quite skeptical of the interweb surf sites so I knew that I'd have to go and check for myself. the photo above is from one of my initial scouting sessions. this little spot can get good sometimes when the wind is right. the prevailing winds do not favour this spot however and I often go months without surfing there.

that photo was from the first and last time I ever took a ride to the ocean. seems silly not to do it more often.

perhaps if I could get an accomplice to come along on a bike to surf trip I may be more motivated to go through with it.

winter surf

the greatest aspect of surfing in winter in Nova Scotia is that it's never crowded. in fact, there's hardly ever anyone out come November.





images stolen from MSW from last Sunday's north swell

remember: the halifax explosion

bombs have no positive attributes







these photos are of my neighborhood. it was completely flattened during the explosion.

"The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows" section of the Halifax Harbour. About 2,000 people were killed by debris, fires, or collapsed buildings and it is estimated that over 9,000 people were injured. This is still the world's largest man-made accidental explosion.

At 8:40 in the morning, the SS Mont-Blanc, chartered by the French government to carry munitions to Europe, collided with the unloaded Norwegian ship Imo, chartered by the Commission for Relief in Belgium to carry relief supplies. Mont-Blanc caught fire ten minutes after the collision and exploded about twenty-five minutes later (at 9:04:35 AM).All buildings and structures covering nearly 2 square kilometres (500 acres) along the adjacent shore were obliterated, including those in the neighbouring communities of Richmond and Dartmouth. The explosion caused a tsunami in the harbour and a pressure wave of air that snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and carried fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres."

stormy friday, first snow, big surf

yesterday I woke at 6:30AM to change Moe's diaper. in his room it was bright like morning and yet not sunlit. I looked out and realized that the brightness was street lights reflecting off of the years' first white snow. it was a peaceful scene even though the wind was howling at 30 knots.

riding my bike to work was almost like surfing shallow victory at sea beach break. in order to avoid slidin out I had to ride in the tracks left by cars, as the plows were nowhere to be seen. on the road, jumpy morning drivers with trigger foot on the gas pedal, become even more sketchy as snow plus cyclists makes them super fucken jumpy. in the end I made it to work at a decent time and escaped without a fall.

I watched the buoys all day, refreshing the screen even though I knew it hadn't changed since the last time I checked but it was like an itch that had to be scratched. phone calls were made, emails sent, no one knew what the conditions were like. there were few places that would handle the east swell and raging offshores and everyone knows where to go. at 2 PM I made the call. I pedaled home against a headwind that made it seem like a steep mountain grade. my legs burned when I put the bike in the garage. I ran inside and collected my winter gear and two boards. off I went like a crazed crack head with a $10 bill looking to score a hit.

I pulled into the lot and had to park in the back. the place was packed. the bay was sheltered and glassy between sets. the peak looked a little overhead and with 15 plus guys on it. I split and went to the next spot. as I parked JB pulled up behind me. we suited up quickly and opted for our thrusters. we were soon joined by a local head who dominates the area. no one else was out. the sets looked big but it wasn't until we made it out that I realized how big it really was.

I won't go into detail about the session. it's not important to review the details. I can however, say that JH and Blacks and JB and the rest of the crew were scoring. I was flailing. the small thruster that I'd been riding since spring now felt tiny in my winter gear. I kept getting hung up in the lip and getting worked more times than I care to remember -at one point running into shredder X like a nube on a soft top in summer slop. reckomn sometimes you got it sometimes you don't. needless to say the small thruster is gone. the doubt about whether it was big enough or not is gone.

the waves in Nova Scotia are mostly cold, windy and weak. but on those days when the stars are aligned and you are able to bail work...

finally...

...the storms of the infamous north Atlantic are starting to come alive again. anticipation is increasing along with the building storm swell for a session after work.

Cape Breton

Cape Breton is as beautiful as any island I've ever seen. we drove through a few Acadian villages. this house flying the Acadian flag was interesting.

saturday to tuesday

photos and story: Baldiri

the return

been two years now since my primo Baldiri visited. he arrives tomorrow from Iceland where he's spent the last week treking mountians and glaciers. we'll have a good time no doubt -as we have a backcountry canoe trip planned and hopefully get some surf in as well.


for those of you who've never been here I'd like to show you what our coast often looks like in the summer. I'm not sure what the meteorological explanation is for our summer fog but I can say that it's plentiful and sometimes so thick that you can't see the shoreline from the line-up -nor can you see the waves 'till they are mere feet away. here's Baldiri with the knowledge that out there on that day it was head high.


somewhere out here is secret sandbar plain sight number 7's.

sunday

early bird went hungry this morning. solitary drive keepin an eye out for deer in the headlights -coffee in hand to sharpen vision. at the coast the fog still thick and milky. a southwest wind pushing through the fog with surprising stealth and the high tide making a dribbling weak mess out of secret sandbar plain sight number sevens.

alone on the boardwalk I admire the handsome Atlantic. her sands slowly gaining momentum in the less turbulent summer months as if we were on different clocks. in winter we swimmers get fat for warmth and perhaps from less movement while she slims, spitting her sands out with each long period swell that rocks her skirts. the icy cold brine like a tonic for making beaches turn to stone for months only to magically appear sandy in August.

standing there I relish sleep and so after looking over the dunes and admiring the sword thin grasses swaying at ten knots I got back in the car drove home peacefully. no music in the car for over a year now -a fact that seems to escape my attention but also provides solitude on drives to visit Maritime shores.

now I will turn my attention to other matters. bacon sizzling and later back yard shenanigans and if I'm motivated a run around the peninsula to see what Sunday people do with mid-days.

evenin edit:

got a call from Picaso 'round mid day -says he's gonna take a gander. I catch a ride and we score low tide grinders with two others at secret sandbar plain sight number seventeens. a surfy day after all.

mondays

5.9' @ 9 seconds
wind WNW 7 to 10 kts
water temp 40.5 °F
air temp 39.7 °F

waves -well pretty damn good if you ask me.

paddled out at a quarter to six. black was already there -says he paddled out and it was too dark to see if it was workin.

well it was workin.

I got one of the longest waves I've had in weeks.

he got out before seven and for the next forty five minutes I had it to myself. I looked around in awe. I let a few go by me so I could feel myself bob up and over the lips while sitting on my board. I tried taking off deeper each time and got stuffed about half the time. the smaller ones were better -way better. but I kept paddling over in front of the boulder and waiting for the ones that had the overhead take-offs. they'd line up far to the west and as I popped up and looked down the line I knew there was now way I'd make it.

funny how confidence plays tricks on you. towards the end of my time in the water I fell on a few and the ones I caught I'd squander. so my mood turned from the elation of the first wave to self pity for falling off perfect waves.

and the whole time the marvel that is a sunrise in the Maritimes was unfolding in front of me. black and white ducks flying low and some landing in the line-up, oblivious to the swells. down east I could the plumes coming off the backs of swells breaking on the beach. the sky mostly clear finally after days of low slung clouds and the grass green like emeralds and growing finally after a long long winter.

now I am ready for work.

danger

fires are done. some folks lost homes. sad yes it's true. luckily most who lost homes were the city's rich and elite. they can rebuild. one guy on the news almost started crying over the loss of his 6000 square foot home. waaa.

surfed saturday and sunday with Blacks. nothin epic but a blast nonetheless and my shoulders and back feel like I got a work out.

if you've taken a few waves on the head then you must certainly know what this green bandit is in for. the wave is California's infamous Wedge. click on the photo for the full 100.

"scrub it kook."

fires

here's two shot's take by my friend KK from her balcony yesterday. the fire is still raging.

Halifax on Fire

this is the best photo I could find of the fire which started late this afternoon on the west side of town. it's completely out of control and spans five miles. the winds are howling and the rain looks to hold off 'till mid day. definitely a stressful time although we are clear on the other side of the city. lots of people are evacuated and many have lost homes in just hours. crazy.

the story is here

two growllers

propeller IPA growler -best beer in town

and the growlers her command accoustic version

un-skunked

well after a hella sprint home on the mighty Cross Check after work yesterday I loaded up the blue flame still breathless and tried to beat rush hour traffic and the fading swell. I surfed for a couple of hours with some local heavies. even though the waves had dropped a bit and the peaks were shifty everyone seemed genuinely happy to be surfing on a Tuesday evening. local shredder Nico was out makin it look easy as usual blastin 360 grabs way up above the lip. other certain individuals were pickin off mackers from outside on quad fishes and snappin turns under offshore groomed lips. I got a few little ones on the 5'10" Stamps skillet which by the way is about as fun as a case of beer on a Wednesday night with an empty belly and a get out of work for a day pass. got home to turkey dinner with B and E and the in laws, enjoyed a couple of fine bottles of Keith's finest, and went to bed at 10. all in a days surf eh.

the latest issue of SBC Surf is out and this time it's packed with content. quite a few travel stories including gnar backpacking back country surf adventures. there's also some loggin photos from local lumberjack and Californios. I was able to somehow squeeze two little pieces in there. they are at the newsstands now so whateryawaitinfor?

Nico's Lunch

Nico is one of those guys that makes surfing look easy. He's got a keen sense of positioning on the wave and hell of a lot of skill. I can't say that I know him well but the times we've been in the water together he definitely has a positive vibe and is well respected by his peers. Here's a short film done by local filmmaker Aaron Jackson featuring Nico and B.C.'s Pete Devries. These two are probably Canada's best surfers. Although the footage here is mostly from late summer early fall, it blows my mind to think of the hours these guys have put in in the most extreme cold conditions, wearing pounds of neoprene rubber and braving conditions that are outright dangerous.

Nova Scotia is arguably one of the coldest places in the world to be a year-round surfer. Yes colder than Norway on the average. The level of commitment from these guys who dedicate their lives to surfing is unparalleled.

Halifax -morning views

photos ras

going back to Hali

from PDX to Halifax and back. weird seems like deja vu. hope you guys out there in Stumptown are starting to feel spring. speaking of lack of spring, surfed this evening in -8 C air temps. unbelievable session, alone out there with reeling rights coming through head high. no one out. I made some sketchy ass drops on the 9`6`and then out to the nose for the steepest nose rides I`ve ever done. funny how different a chest to head high wave can feel on a log.

tonight`s video is josh martinez and other Halifax crew doing a play on L.L.'s classic tune. shot mostly downtown and on the McDonald bridge. rad.

my old Jamaican roommates les and hi-C grew with L.L. in NYC. lots of blunts in that Orlando apartment. they always looked at me like I was crazy headin out the door, six two 70's single under one arm.



oh and one more thing -I`ve surfed 4 out of the last 5 days. think I`m finally reaching the top rung in the ladder of success. workaholism is for the birds and boring folk.

quiver

my quiver has changed and morphed quite a bit over the past two years. when I started this page I had two Neilson's. now I have one remaining and in between that two more. not because I don't love Tom's shapes but because it's hard to get them up here in Canada without spending a ton of dough on shipping, especially for a log. probably the number one reason that my boards have changed over time is the fact that I've improved a bit. here's my first quiver shot form 2006. and here's one from last summer.

first up is the Rocky McKinnon log. dims are 9'6" x 23" x 3". single fin, t-band stringer and heavy heavy glass. so far I've surfed this baby cordless only and plan to keep it that way. It's the best longboard I've ever had and really digging it on the perfect little point waves here.


below is my shortboard and most used sled. I went from a 6'4" EPS Neilson FFF to a 5'8" x 2'5" Tim Stamps quad fish. although the green machine was rad, ultimately it was too buoyant for my weight and I couldn't sink the rail on turns. I stepped down to the 5'8" quad and it's been steadily improving my surfing. this beasty flies, especially going backside. surfed it from thigh high to way overhead and never felt life it wouldn't work -my magic board.



finally the mini-gun -made in 2003 specifically for Oregon from a green Clark blank, with a deep single concave and it's about 2.5 inches thick. I rarely use it and haven't used it now in over a year and really for the waves I frequent it's not necessary. B did the stencil and art direction so we keep it around as an artifact/art piece.


there was an interesting article written by my mate D$ on Phoresia.org a little while back about having a two board quiver. I've been surfing on and off now since around 1994. at first I floundered on a 6'4" Quiet Flight for a couple of months and then bought my first longboard. my surfing evolved from years of skateboarding and from riding longboards. I ride mostly off my front foot, with a narrow stance and basically just like to go fast. surfing helps to keep the type II belt around my waist to a minimum. and the two board quiver allows me the freedom to not have to struggle with what board to surf and just go out and surf with no doubts. as long as surfing is fun I'm on it.

lust - surf history in NS

this is abstract. however if you like film, surfing, eccentricity, anarchy then is is worth it.