Come back soon

From wikipedia:

Some species and/or populations of cranes migrate over long distances, while some do not migrate at all

Seems we got the migrating type cause we had our last weekend of surf with Joeleee before he heads to the big apple. Dub, Sergio, Dre, Niko and I join him down the west side to find perfect offshore breezes, reasonable sized sets and unreasonably large crowds. Jan Juc is dumping everywhere except the spot reserved for the surf comp so we head out at Torquay with 42 other mofo's (yes I counted, and that is just the folks out the back!) on the incoming tide for some chaotic surf action. By the time each set arrives, everyone is so antsy that they're 5-6 strong on each wave and running over each with desperate abandon. Fortunately we can perch in the middle and catch some glorious reform that keeps us satisfied. Anyway, who needs strangers to run you over when you've got perfectly good mates? :) Dub gives Joeleee a goodbye nudge and I give it a try too but narrowly miss him (I'll get you next time gadget). Beautiful autumn day to bid Dave adieu and with the sun setting over the Torquay surf club and the tide filling in we call it a day. It was hard to be certain from the hill (because Dave is made from approx 292131000 cubic kilometers of salt water) but I'm sure I saw the bogan wave god shed a tear.

I've added an "eternal" flame that will burn until our next burger posse surf trip (I think we drunkenly agreed spain or portugal last night yeah??). Can't wait!

See you soon I hope mate

More the merrier

Saturday saw a massive, 9 strong surf trip (if you count Luca, and we do) down the west coast. Continuing the inverse relationship between ocean temp and surf posse members that I have been observing... Odd. Anyway, Torquay has some lovely size rolling in and both the breaks are working so in we jump for a frantic 30min of green and paddling. Alas the tides have caught us out again as the beach slowly fills. Even the 4-5ft of swell can't manage to heave itself into a wave except at a distance of 3cm from the shore. Dave[god] dammit! We all give it a try anyway as the occasional freak sets are still rideable, and quite revealing. It seems that Joeleee has been cagey about his mad surfing skillz all these months. He is actually a big wave master (!) and nails a couple of mighty stonkers much to the delight of us watching from the beach.

For lunch we head to Spooner's and devour a hearty round of tasty burgers courtesy of the angry bald guy (the treasonous caesar salad eater shall remain secret for fear of burger hate crime). Then Luca shows us all his party trick by cooking an assburger in his pants, and at that point we decide it would be a good idea to head home. Another great Saturday out (3rd straight and counting) and promises of another one this weekend to bid farewell from Dave to the Crane.

Happy Birthday to us

Wow! Two whole years of blogging and a hundred odd surf trips between us.... and we still got mashed last Saturday, heh. Joeleee, Zombie, Dre and I head down to 13th beach and from our first vantage point about 2km's west of Barwon the day was looking disappointingly small. Only a couple of blokes out and just bobbing around optimistically, but drive up the far end of the beach and it's a different story. There are massive freight trains rolling in, just ready to smush you on the rocks but in the gaps between them there are very ridable left and right handers along the length of the beach. Zombie heads confidently out the back but after catching a couple of massive closeouts he joins the rest of us in the white wash near the shore. Quite a lot of fun in the end apart from the brief moment when we drifted onto the rocks where my board was eaten by a sucking black hole in the shore before being spat 6" into the air... lucky! Well worth the drive and cured Joeleee of the hangover, plus rinsed us clean like a giant washer. A trip down memory lane for dinner with a visit to Ripper Roast and a remarkably tasty dinner, surprised us all that we don't get there more often. more this weekend as Joeleee has only 2 weekends left! got to find a wave *somewhere*

I caught my first tube today... Sir

Finally we get a surf after more than a month of swell-less, booked up or hungover weekends! Last Saturday we collect the whole crew of Zombie, Sergio, Dub, Joeleee and myself plus a few honourary members; Dre, Tarecq and Merla. Torquay is pumping with consistant 3-5ft swell and after an intial false-start/attempted-drowning of Andreas we split into a few white water warriors and the rest out the back. Apart from a window of very full tide in the early arvo there are heaps of waves on offer so it is hard to keep track of everyone. I gather from all the smiles, thumbs up and tired arms that we all have a generally good day with a special mention to Tarecq for catching the biggest frothing mutha on his first time out! My own first two waves were my best ever (!) but after that it was all downhill culminating in wipe-out of the day which no doubt left my head slightly more asymmetric than before. No time for tasty burgers as I have to drop a to-remain-nameless surfer back in time for the opera. Great way to say to get reacquainted with Dave(TBWG) and looking positive for more of the same this weekend!

Catch-up

Ummm excuses excuses, why haven't we updated? Been really busy? [too ambiguous] abducted by aliens? [too mundane] convicted of donut theft during a recent visit to northern Nigeria and had my fingers chopped off under sharia law so I am typing this with my nose? [too political]

We *were* quite busy and we haven't surfed much so see below for things that did happen in the last month

Overland track:

The whole tasty posse plus 6 make an epic trek through the heart of Tasmania, in the process pioneering a new pass from east to west and uncovering valuable fur trading routes… Ok so it's been walked for the past 70 years and is "attempted" by approx 8,000 walkers each year, but that doesn't make the Overland Track any less spectacular. Add in the 6 days of clear sunny weather and great company and you have a once in a lifetime experience. See some pics here

Overland Track burger:

After 6 days of hiking and mostly eating scroggin you are collected by a little ferry for the zip across Lake St Clair to the finishing visitor centre. Imagine our delight when we discovered that they serve beer and burgers! No surprises that as the first real meal in 6 days we rate it an extraordinarily biased 'Tasty'!


Northside Grill'd:

Implementing step 2 in their plan to conqueur the world [it's a pretty slow plan], Grill'd have opened a franchise on Brunswick St. Serge and I stop in to check it out and enjoy a tasty burger. Of course the menu is the same as the St Kilda one, but it isn't as busy (northside folks don't do many burgers I suppose) and we get another pin in the map. One's opinion would understandably be a whole lot different if one had lived next to the place and had to breathe their stinky exhaust 24/7 (nods at Merla, see post above)

Friday Fun:

Somewhere in early April Zombie and I managed a cheeky early Friday morning surf. In typical Stubbs fashion, when I call him at 6am in the dark he is already most of the way to Torquay (!) but eventually I join him there for the last genuinely hot day of 2007 I can recall. Apparently no one in Torquay is gainfully employed, because there is no mass exodus at 8.30am on a weekeday, or maybe I'm deceived by all the retirees on 10ft mals who keep catching them from out the back. Bslim pickings for the first couple of hours but by mid morning the tide has filled in that special way that only Torquay knows how, and the secret second break is pumping from next to the reef. Lots of green and lots of pleasure taken in the knowledge that everyone else I know is at work!