Comment
Share
Posted on Saturday April 4th 2009 at 12:17 p.m.
Tweet
The few weeks previous were a chaotic blur of fundraising, sponsorship meetings, photo shoots and bookings. We'd flown in to Melbourne the night before and been put up by a mutual friend. Nick however, now sound asleep in the isle seat, had somehow managed to leave his wallet on her bedroom floor (probably playing cards or something) and now he had no drivers license. Seeing as I had left mine on a plane a few months earlier, the only proof either of us had of a license was the temporary bit of paper you get.
So with weeks of hasty preparation behind, the ominous 6* Cold Water Classic ahead and now the added hire car uncertainties, sitting on that plane felt like the eye of some the storm, 2-hours of guilt free relaxation time minus the elbowroom.
As it turns out the temp license was fine, It even worked 2 hours later on the cop who gave me a ‘citation' for speeding, and then proceeded to give us directions to all the best surf spots on the north-west coast, proving that people in Tassie are not the inbreed recluses that mainland Aussie would have you believe. Surprisingly the sun was shinning and the chicks weren't bad either, dispelling Tassies two other most common misconceptions.
A day to sort out accommodation followed by a day of surf to figure out the new quiver and suddenly we're back in the Coliseum. Bright coloured Brazilians are the easiest to spot, declaring there presence with puffed up chests they roam in dynamic packs of 6 or 7. Aussies are by the far the most numerous at this event, hard eyes and cheeky smiles set them apart from fellow competitors. Booming accents transcending the car park declare the Americans, but it's vitally important to distinguish the baggier clothed, far more dangerous Hawaiians. Although a strong force The South Africans, like the Kiwi's, slot comfortably in with the Aussies, while the Europeans are an extremely well dressed group of there own. Finally if you're very, very quite, you might just stumble across the small Japanese contingent. Little is known about this division as of yet, other than that they stay hidden and never stray alone.
Time to compete. We'd watched Ricardo Christie smash his fellow competitors in the ‘Mahiha like' bombie, but 6 foot heaving barrels were a thing of yesterday by the time me and Nick got to surf. Instead we had a bumpy, 3foot rip bowl left that changed constantly with the tied.
Nick was the first to go, he didn't surf bad but it was as though the fire didn't burn until the last five minutes of the heat. As for myself - it seems like I left the mojo back at Maori Bay. (I tested the missing mojo theory on the Friday night out in Launceston and yes... still gone)
The lesson here is that to compete at this level you have to be focused. I've been so caught up with funds, travel plans, sponsorship, equipment and all the rest that I was totally under prepared when it came to actually surfing the 25 minute heat.
It was a disappointing result but the trip has been amazing. This contest is held in the most remote location of any contest I've ever seen. The ‘early settlers' style house we rented is in a little village 80ks (of mostly gravel roads) from the surf. A dormant volcano is our backyard and from the top you can see the miles of pristine bush and coast that is Tasmania. Most evenings we've tried our hand at fishing with a couple of $3.00 hand reels off the jetty out front (nothing caught but 2 baby flat head but it sets the scene). It's the most similar place I've ever seen to back home, the heavy feeling of back-country New Zealand lives here two yet with a distinctive Tassie flavor.
We're leaving tomorrow for our next adventure at Margaret River. The 6* Prime Drug Awareness Pro is the second stop for us and as you can imagine preparation is now the priority as the dream continues.
I'll keep you posted.
Rowan