Northeast Blahs

•West Gilgo Beach, NY, surfer Chris Kluesener wrote in with all the juicy details on Thrust Clothing. Hometown heroes Bunger Surf Shop now carries their line, as well as a few newer shops in the Mid-Atlantic region, and new Thrust teamrider "Pistol" Pete Armata, Jr. recently snagged 3rd-place in Men's Longboard at the Cape Fear Surf Fest (see Page 47 for the Fight Club report). The Thrust crew will also hold a surf contest on June 30th at Gilgo Beach, which will serve as the first leg of their Spray the Canvas de Tour. The yearlong circuit consists of several different competitions, along with art shows and live music, and will shed some light on the talent hiding up on Strong Island. Check out www.thrustclothing.com for updates and a look at their Spring 2007 threads.  

•In other New York news, Long Island native and former Central Florida mainstay Mark Petrocelli was good enough to give us the heads-up on Faktion Surfboards. He just wrapped up work on the company's new website, www.faktionsurfboards.com, which spotlights Mark's craftsmanship (he does all the shaping, sanding, glassing, and artwork himself) and documents his 20 years in the industry.  

•New Hampshire ripper Casey Lockwood has been racking up the coverage lately in print mags and local sites like www.nesurfari.com. Make sure to check back next issue for a Who Da Guy profile on Casey.  

•While prowling the streets of Manhattan, we found out the inaugural Stoked Skate Jam NYC went off on May 19th at the Coleman Square Skatepark under the Manhattan Bridge. Sponsored by The Zoo York Institute, 5boro Skateboards, Official Skateboards, DC Shoes, Silver Trucks, and Blades Board & Skate, the jam served as the official kickoff of Stoked Mentoring's Skate Mentor Program. For eight weeks this summer, the program will connect at-risk NYC youth with successful professionals in the skateboarding industry. Also, ZY and Stoked will team up with Mike Giant to release a limited-edition deck and T-shirt, with all proceeds benefitting Stoked. A debut party for the Giant design is scheduled for June 6th at the Pink Elephant. For more info, have a look at www.stokedmentoring.org or www.zooyork.com.  

•And speaking of Zoo York, star surf team rider Will Skudin is in hot pursuit of dreams. Will received inside word that he's doing pretty well on the online voting poll to possibly earn an alternate slot into The Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau, which he said would be "the biggest highlight of my life." If he gets around 300 more votes, Will could land somewhere in the top 10, which might be enough to bump him into contention. Visit www.quiksilver.com to see when the online poll will be posted again, and do your duty as a proud Right Coaster and vote for the kid. If Will makes the alternate list for The Eddie, he will be the only New Yorker, not to mention the only Eastsider besides Kelly Slater, to ever get the nod for inclusion in the world's most prestigious surfing event.

•In shop news, Island Surf Shop of Sag Harbor, NY, recently moved back to its original location in Westhampton Beach. Shop manager Shawn Mett said he's hunkering down and making the shop the best it can be, stocking up on everything from retro twin glass-ins to guns made for Indo. Mett also wanted us to blow up 14-year-old teamrider Brian Pollack, who's currently ranked first in his ESA division and developing into a "good all-around surfer."  

•A little further up north in Rhode Island, the sixth annual Earth Day Spring Cleanup went down at Narragansett Town Beach. Spearheaded by Surfrider Rhode Island Chapter, over 150 volunteers braved the 36-degree air temps to help out. Also in on the effort was the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and the Narragansett Rubbish Removal Company. In conjunction with cleanup crews in Newport and Matunuck, they hauled away over 56,000 pounds of trash to a drop-off facility manned by RIRRC. A big hand to all involved, and of course, to Peter Pan for giving us the heads-up.  

•Benefitting from that cleanup the very next weekend, the University of Rhode Island Surf Club held the inaugural Rhody Surf Classic in Narragansett on April 28th. Club President Ashley Baron informed us this was the first intercollegiate surf contest held by URI in 30 years. Although the waves were small and cold, competitors' spirits stayed warm as the club served up hot dogs and hamburgers. Justin Taylor won the Men's Shortboard, Chrissy Barabas nabbed Women's Shortboard, and Patrick Kennedy glided into 1st in Open Longboard. Big ups to the URI Surf Club for bringing collegiate competition back to the nation's smallest state!  

•Just down the road, the 43rd Annual Newport Surfing Championships went down in messy onshore surf on April 28th, and in an incredible feat of endurance, 70-year-old Massachusetts veteran Kitty Pechet swept the Women's, Grand Legends, and Senior Women's Longboard divisions. Meanwhile, Fall River ripper Matheus de Souza claimed the Men's, Open, and Men's Longboard titles, and the ever-present Peter Pan won both Legends and Legends Longboard. This contest led up to the ECSC Northeast Regional Surf-Off, which took place at Hampton Beach, NH, May 11th-13th.  

•Hurley's Rip My Shred Stick 2007 tour will swing through New York on July 18th. Emphasizing fun for anyone under 16, the series lets kids surf with their favorite pros. Check www.hurley.com for updates and venues.  

•Our humble apologies to Long Island photographer Joe Alber, longtime friend of dearly departed New York charger Gary Ventura, for incorrectly giving the byline to another longtime GV compadre, ESM Senior Photographer Bruce Chrisner, on the memorial picture we ran of GV surfing Macca's in this very column last issue. The shot was, in fact, taken by Joe, who generously took the time and care to get that image to us in time for our press date. We are very sorry for the screw-up.  

•Up North photog Trent Bell sent us an intriguing pic of a pointbreak he found while exploring somewhere "south of Nova Scotia and north of Jersey." His website, www.trentbell.com, contains mostly advertising and portraiture, but judging by the looks of this reeling left, we may see more surf shots in the future.  

•In Massachusetts news, Shawn Vecchione copped a hefty set of blah-jobs this month. Vec is back on Cape Cod, MA, with his family, but Vec Surfboards will still operate out of Kauai (not a bad work commute). Vec's touring the Northeast this summer with new quads, epoxies, retro fishes, as well as two containers of standup paddleboards he's bringing north in June. If you're interested in jumping on the bandwagon Laird-style, give the man a shout at 808-634-8776, or shoot him an e-mail at vecsurfboards@hotmail.com. Oh yeah, and Shawn's now fully sponsored by Rip Curl.  

•Maine innovators Grain Surfboards now have a special on their build-it-yourself wood surfboard kits. You can take five-percent off and get free shipping out of their spring thaw special, so visit www.grainsurfboards.com for more information.  

•The Montanaro Gallery out of Newport, RI, will host a Vintage Surfboard exhibition June 21st-June 27th, with a 9-foot abalone, gold leaf, and mother-of-pearl surfboard hand-shaped by Reynolds Yater and Kevin Ancell anchoring the show. In July, the gallery will also host a Masters of Surf Art exhibit, with new original works by Surfer Magazine founder John Severson on display. For updates, go to www.montanarogallery.com.  

•If you've ever wondered just how deep the history of New York surfing runs, then have a peep at www.newyorksurf.com for an interesting retrospective by longtime heavyweight Charlie Bunger, Sr.  

•Long Beach, NY, High School Surf Club advisor Danny Bobis gave us the heads up about the club's community-wide Board & Gear Swap, scheduled for June 9th (rain date June 10th) in the Lido School parking lot. Give it a go if you're in the market for a used funshape or log this summer.  

•Apparently, no job's too big or small for Rhode Island-based Hurley rep Jackie Bell, the subject of this issue's Wahine East column (Page 58). According to ESM Senior Photographer and longtime New England informant Joe McGovern, Jackie worked all day at the Ryan Roberts Memorial Surf Contest tabulating scores and setting up heats.  

•And finally, Long Island, NY, native and former ESM Who Da Guy Ryan Egan leads the pack of East Coast surfers in Luke Thorpe's new flick, Eastside Theory, which features some dazzling New York footage. Look for a Peepshow review of the vid in the near future. ­Compiled by Nick McGregor

Mid-Atlantic Blahs

•Last issue's coverboy (Vol.16, #120) and all-around good bloke Frankie Walsh called up the ESM offices to thank us for the support, and also relayed that he just finished up his training to become a firefighter for the City of Atlantic City. However, the Longport, NJ, Quiksilver rider insisted that the new vocational path is merely a way to extend his pro surfing career, as all the frequent extended breaks involved with the dangerous job will allow him to keep heating up the waters at home and abroad.  

•In other Garden State deets, ESM Senior Photographer Donald Cresitello dialed us up to say Jenks local Adam "Old Man" Holloway was the lucky recipient of "one broken nose, one tweaked shoulder, one tweaked knee, one tweaked foot, five pain-relieving patches all over my body," as well as the "the best barrel of my life" during the April super swell that rocked New Jersey. Not bad for a guy wrapped up in about 20 pounds of rubber.  

•Eastern Skateboard Supply sales dude Subhan Anwari chaperoned ESS riders on a week-long Off the Beaten Path Tour in May, hitting up skateparks all over the Southeast. Seen shredding concrete and wood were Tarheel natives Chet Childress and Kenny Hughes, Virginian destroyers Kyle Berard and Trey Winslow, as well as Florida gnarler Mike Peterson and uber-pro Pat Duffy.  

•In Wilmington, NC, news, local filmmaker Nate Lee's newest East Coast film Baggage held its prerelease premiere on May 17th at Hollywood East Cinema Grill. Featuring the likes of Ben Bourgeois, Noah Snyder, Jeff Myers, Will Tant, Billy Hume, Asher Nolan, Ben McBrien, and Brendan Petticrew, the film will premiere up and down the East Coast in June. Look for a review of Baggage in an upcoming issue of Eastern Surf.  

•Apparently, the New Hanover County area is becoming a prime ground for video premieres. Bobby Martinez himself showed up on June 6th for the East Coast debut of his new Reef film, Mixed Tape: Bobby Martinez Volume 1, at Wrightsville Beach Park, where the 2006 ASP Rookie of the Year signed autographs, met with groms, and even chowed down on some Hawaiian pork with the locals.  

•In one last bit of surf celluloid info, Virginia Beach, VA, videographer Brandon Woodward of Loaded Productions is hard at work doing post-production for his debut project, The Other Guys, starring local buds like Brendan Petticrew, Lucas Rogers, and Andrew Meyer. Word is the film features some of the heaviest Outer Banks footage since... well, since ESM's very own video Always Right. Not to toot our own horn or anything.  

•We gotta throw Benny Bourgeois some love for making the semifinals of the O'Neill Highland Open, held in Thurso, Scotland. He got barreled off his ass, but lost in the semis by just over a point, and now sits at #10 on the WQS with his sights dead set on requalifying for the WCT.  

•Kure Beach, NC, longboarder extrordinaire Tony Silvagni won his second pro event in a month at the Sandy Forsyth Memorial Longboard Pro. Sponsored by Aqua East Surf Shop, the event was held in conjunction with the Springing the Blues Festival. Tony also won the Ron Jon Easter Surf Fest's Longboard Pro in April, and now looks forward to the 2nd Annual Bavaria Holland Beer/ Silvagni Benefit Pro/Am scheduled for July 20th-21st at The Cove in Fort Fisher, NC. This event will raise money for Lyme Disease awareness, which Tony's brother Andrew suffers from. Follow Tony's progress at www.bavariahollandbeer.us.  

•Spy Optics will team up with the Eastern Surfing Association as the amateur organization's exclusive eyewear sponsor in 2007. Spy will also join Transworld Surf in putting on a Psycho Beach Party on June 23rd in Virginia Beach and July 14th in Wrightsville Beach. Visit www.transworldsurf.com for more details.  

•Ocean City, MD, wahine Shayna Pulley sent us a quick note about Cooler Magazine, an all-girls rag published in Europe. A subscription to the States is quite pricey, so Shayna recommends first having a look at the website at www.coolermag.com.  

•King of Prussia, PA, surfer/ skater Tim Pauley spent the months of January through April surfing the southern coast of Chile with friends, where it never got under head-high. According to Tim, "if it weren't for my friends and me surfing some of these pointbreaks, the waves would've gone by totally unridden." Pauley (who in the mid '90s spent a UNCW semester abroad in Barbados with ESM Editor Matt Pruett) is now back in his adopted home of Seattle, WA, where he captains a 70-foot charter sailboat in the Puget Sound. The job keeps him in tune with the rhythms of the ocean when he's not ripping it up at some far-flung destination.  

•Peter Viele of Green Room Board Company let us know he just released a new epoxy resin, co-engineered with marine chemist Rob Whitehead. The new stuff is now available for mass consumption through www.greenroomboardco.com and Viele himself tested the new resin's strength on an R&D mission to Puerto Rico with Jeff Myers and Kenny Onufrock.  

•Speaking of Onufrock, our very own ESM Senior Photographer captured some sick barrels on a "good day at home" back in March. Check out the visual evidence at www.dpsurfer.com. Also, Frock scored some love on Surfer Magazine's website during the "Spring Break" swell, along with fellow Mid-Atlantic photogs Brian Maglietta and Mickey "2M" McCarthy. Scope it out at www.surfermag.com.  

•On a slightly somber but inspirational note, Christian Berling, a Virginia Tech alumni and avid surfer, sent VT stickers to the Irons brothers after seeing several professional athletes honoring the victims of the school shooting. Berling said he was touched that the brothers agreed to prominently display the school logo on their boards during the Billabong Pro Tahiti.  

•The Global Surf Network Surf Film Festival will go down on July 14th at the Old Dominion University Theater in Norfolk, VA. All East Coast shapers, filmmakers, advertisers, and organizations are invited.  

•Some seriously fine-looking surfboards will be on display this summer at Deluxe in Downtown Wilmington. Surf du Jour, a surf art show put on by ArtCo, Inc. of Raleigh, NC, will feature the art of Clark Hipolito and Tony Ramsi on surfboards shaped by Brian Wynn of Wynn Surfboards and Adam Price and Hunter Ford of Momentum. A portion of the proceeds will go to Surfrider. For more info, go to www.deluxenc.com.  

•Surf and Adventure Co. out of Vah Beach put on their first Ride For A Cause on May 12th, raising money for the March of Dimes. For results and info on this ongoing series, visit www.surfandadventure.com.  

•Former East Coaster Chris Stelzl from Stone Tylyer Shapes gave us the heads up about Vah Beach teamrider Ryan Zmuda's recent shot in Line Up Magazine.  

•Last issue's MFE Blah boy Corey Howell just hooked up with Oakley to complement his Rusty sponsorship. And photog and family friend Ed Potter actually took the picture we ran last issue. Sorry, Ed, and keep ripping Corey!  

•Check out Vah Beach native Duncan Parker's new website, www.saltwaterstudio.net, for daily surf pics and beach shots.  

•Jetty Life said even though it was snowing sideways in April up in Manahawkin, NJ, their new spring and summer collection came out May 1st, so go to your local shop and get some new threads. Also, a new website should be up by July 4th, and the Garden State T-shirt goons are going to be dropping limited edition Good Times shirts this summer. Check 'em out at www.jettylife.com.

•Central North Carolina staple and former ESA champion Paul Poston sent word that he and his wife won an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami. The $6000 package came from Food Lion and Pepsi-Cola, and although the Colts fans were surrounded by rabid Bears supporters, Paul said it was an "unreal time." Plus they scored enough gear to make a gremmie at Surf Expo jealous.  

•Ted Shred's Original Surf Wax Co. held their first-ever Beach Cruiser Bike Bash May 12th at Sandy Hook National Park. For results, log on to their website at www.tedshredsonfire.com.  

•Outer Banks artist and teacher Dawn Gray is selling artwork by Nicaraguan kids to raise money for supplies. She will be back in Nica this summer supporting the kids and their art education. Check out her website at www.reddawndesigns.com and give a little back.  

•And in bundle of joy news, Ben and Kristin McBrien welcomed their new, healthy, six pound, seven ounce girl Sugar Davis into the world. She may be a Philly girl for now, but she will no doubt have her own place in the LBI lineup soon enough. Sugar is so sweet, she apparently made tough guy Ben cry. Not an easy feat. ­Compiled by Nick McGregor

Southeast Blahs

•SIMA (Surf Industry Manufacturers Association) will honor Ormond Beach, FL's, four-time ASP Women's World Champion Lisa Andersen as their Waterman of the Year in August, one of the biggest honors in the surfing world.  

•Remember when P.E. sucked and your only game choices were basketball or dodgeball? Well, as if inventing the global phenomenon Indo Board weren't enough, Hunter Joslin, along with several high-profile educators, has created the Indo Board Curriculum Guide and Lesson Plan for P.E. classes of all ages. Joslin's newest brainchild stands up to the rigorous National Standards of Physical Education and is earning the praise of teachers across the country. As the checks and grants pour in, only one question remains: what's next, Hunter? To find out more, log on to www.indoboard.com.  

•In Palmetto State news, Embryo Surf Company congratulates the College of Charleston Surf Team on winning the 2007 NSSA East Coast Championship's College Team division. Good luck at Nationals, Cougars!  

•The Walker Project hired a new Southeast sales rep in Tyler Goodwin. Interested shops can reach him at 772-646-0533 or ty@thewalkerproject.com. Also, St. Augustine, FL, shredder Scott Marvin has stepped up as National Team Manager for the brand. For team info, e-mail him at scott@thewalkerproject.com. Scott also recently joined the Blue Sky Surf Shop team.  

•While submitting material for this issue's Texas Feature, valued ESM Assignment Writer Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate e-mailed us this photo of himself doing some "peach fuzz" research at a Georgia dive named, appropriately enough, Dugan's, which sent our esteemed Publisher of the same name frantically Mapquesting directions. Nate's also embarking on a five-week-long solo trip to Byron Bay, Australia, in late June, stopping through Fiji and New Zealand along the way. It's easy to see where he got the cash for such a seemingly expensive voyage, as Nate's been getting a lot of work through music mags lately, most notably penning a huge feature for Vintage Guitar Magazine's June 2007 issue, where Nate's amps are actually pictured on the cover. He then got flown to Georgia (the same trip when this shot was taken) by an editor to play Stevie Ray Vaughan's favorite amp, take it apart, and document it, to which he affirmed, "It kicks... loves being run on 10."  

•In other Texas blahs, Nakadate urges anyone interested to check out Rockin' Robin, a guitar shop located at 3619 South Shepherd in Houston. Call 713-529-5442 for info.  

•Flagler Beach, FL, filmmaker Matt and Jennifer Katsolis tied the knot on May 5th at Princess Place Preserve on the Intracoastal Waterway. Present to see Kats and his new wife Jennifer get hitched were local photogs AJ and Tony Neste, plus New Hammy lensman Brian Nevins, best man and local pro Will Tant, groomsmen Nic McLean, Kyle Wilson, and Chad Renfroe, as well as a few of the Walking on Water crew -- Bryan Jennings, Russell Brownley, and Cheyne Cottrell. The G-rated bachelor party included paintball, gentlemanly duels, and Kats getting the crap beat out of him. Good luck to the newlyweds as they move to Jacksonville, FL, where Dr. Jennifer Katsolis was one of six applicants accepted (out of 1200) to the prestigious Mayo Clinic. So additional congrats to... er, Dr. Kats'...  

•In other Flagler news, local ripper Matt Novak won an all-expenses paid trip to Costa Rica through the Christian Surfers Association. Matt placed high enough in two CSA events, as well as in the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic, to score the surfari.  

•New Smyrna Beach, FL, badass Jeremy Johnston continued his competitive tear at the 4-star WQS Jeep Body Glove Surfbout. JJ secured the highest heat score of Day One with a 17.07 out of 20 before bowing out in Round Three. Kyle Garson, Gabe Kling, and C.J. Hobgood also made the quarters, with Kling-on finishing 3rd and Ceej taking the cake.  

•Teague Taylor from Surf Central Surf Shop warned us to keep an eye on up-and-coming teamrider Zac Kleinfeld, who's been training with Matt Kechele in between travels to California and Puerto Rico.  

•Ohana Surf Shop teamer Travis Gould now rides for Neilson Surfboards.  

•Word from Folly Beach, SC, is McKevlin's Surf Shop now carries their own line of affordable funshapes hand-crafted by Myrtle Beach, SC, shopowner Todd Sutz. Priced from $335 to $395, these boards are made with the beginning surfer in mind. For more info, have a look at www.mckevlins.com.  

•Every surf spot has its kingpins, but New Smyrna Inlet now has its own kingpin couple. Bill and Kate Whatley literally comboed the competition at the ESA Southeast Regional Championships. Kate took 1st in Women's Shortboard and Bill won Grandmasters Shortboard and Master's Longboard, while their district took the Tag Team division.  

•Menehune beware: Bob Clark informed us his five-year-old grandson Joey Putnall got 4th-place in the Boys division of the Ron Jon Easter Surfing Festival last month at the Cocoa Beach Pier.  

•Scott Posner gave us the dish on his Trident Pro Surf Series first contest, held at Delray Beach back in March. The waves were a rippable three to four-feet, with Donnie MaCrae taking 1st. Turn to Page 142 for complete results.  

•Josh Cabana dropped a line to let us know he's back from Hawaii and repping Atticus Clothing and MacBeth Footwear, as well as working with Ryan Langhorne and Daniel Terry for Vestal Watches. Good to have ya back, Josh.  

•The EPIC/Ozboards Surf Jam, held April 27th-28th at the Jax Beach Pier, raised money for Habitat For Humanity, and winners included Tristan Thompson, Asher King, Brent Lamprecht, Jeff Venn, Joe Roland, Dylan Andrews, Jessie Carnes, and Justin Quintal, the latter of whom won Men's Longboard and came away with the Overall Champion award.  

•In other comp deets, Globe Promotions Manager Mason Sapp threw together the inaugural, invite-only Starfish Open, held somewhere deep in Cocoa Beach on May 8th in solid Subtropical Hybrid Andrea surf. Jax Beach's Brady McKenzie took 1st and pocketed $200, with David Awbrey bringing up 2nd, and Sapp and comeback kid Josh Wilson sharing 3rd. Judge Matt Mullen told us to look out for advertised and expanded Starfish contests this summer.  

•South Carolina photog Ben Hilke is traveling through Europe right now, logging water time and collecting shots. You can view his travel journal at homepage.mac.com/benhilke/Personal1.html.  

•The ESA-Georgia District has contests coming up on June 9th and June 23rd at Tybee Island. Visit www.esa-ga.org for more info.  

•In Gulf Coast news, Navarre, FL, native and University of North Florida transplant Bryan Hamlin set out in May with two friends and an RV to travel the Australia coast from Sydney to Brisbane. Sounds like the beginning of a future "when I was a young whippersnapper" story.  

•Volcom has officially taken the surf shop competition concept to a new level. The Bowl Shop Battle swept through Boca Raton, FL, back in March, with 15 accounts battling it out on the lanes. Island Water Sports of Lake Worth took home 1st-place with a wide variety of strikes, spares, and gutter balls, and ASG added some thrash to the event. Shouts go out to Veeco heads Daniel Terry, Sean Slater, Todd Causey, and Ricco Luppino for making it all happen.  

•Stuart, FL, local Donna Russo celebrated her 40th birthday at Typhoon Lagoon with ten of her favorite wahines. Impact brothers Charles and George Williams were allowed to tag along, as well. Here's to 40 more years of hard charging, Donna!  

•If you haven't heard about artificial reefs yet, you need to get out from the rock you've been sleeping under. The Space Coast Reef Team has been working diligently in Brevard County, FL, hoping to win the contract to conduct a feasibility study. They need all the support they can get, so check out their website at www.spacecoastreef.com and see what the future holds.  

•Patrick Ruddy has a Del Mar water housing for a Canon 20D up for sale. He's asking $1100. Anyone interested can reach him at patrick.ruddy@gmail.com or 386-405-0865.  

•Word from the Dirty South came in that Miami's own former U.S. Champ Jerry Burdine took his 17-month-old son Mai Kai surfing for the first time at Kauai's Hanalei Bay back in March.  

•And finally, Hurley East Coast Team Manager, Brevard County ripper, and all around great guy Justin Brown is simply killing it lately with his latest venture, The Flop Shop. Located at 820 East New Haven Avenue in Downtown Melbourne, FL, the store carries the widest and coolest assortment of sandals this side of the Appalachians. And business has been so good, in fact, Brown had to enlist close buddy and fellow longtime Satellite Beach, FL, shredder Josh Ball to manage the place. Stop by today and trick out your feet. And while we're on the subject, Justin Brown's home has also become a "flop shop" of sorts, as ESM Photo Editor Jimmy Wilson recently took up residence there. ­Compiled by Nick McGregor