EUROPE: Genesis
The decision was made; to the north it was. Driving inland, we stopped at a small grocery for a bite to eat— pears, crisp apples, peaches, apple juice and yogurt. We pitched our francs forward and received an adios in French.
The countryside above Biarritz is fantastic. Much like the northern area of California or Oregon, with a taste of Mexico. The soil is like sand and resembles snow. The people seem young and vigorous. Sailing, water skiing, fishing, volleyball, paddleball, tennis, golf— the sporting passion of the French shows its face at every turn.
We peeled our eyes for signs pointing towards the beach land. MacGillivray spotted a sig planted on the side of a building: “Hossegor La Plage.” Our French had much to be desire, but we certainly weren’t lacking in the basics. “Agosh via la plage Hossegor?” Macgillivray wittily directed our course in French with a “Quick! Turn Left! There’s a beach at Hossegor.” Suddenly, the foliage and greenish hues were left behind and what appeared before us was a scene from the Sahara Desert. Towering mounds of white sand stood untouched as far as the eye could see.
Freeman maneuvered us up to the base of a large dune. The quiet was deafening. Sun blazing, wind rushing around our silent forms, we attacked the dunes.
Mark and I reached the top, our eyes glued to the sight that confronted us. The sea was in its fullest glory. We stood motionless. Before us stood a sandbar point. From the horizon we saw lines pouring in from one solid direction, each swell in perfect cadence with the others. One wave broke, then another, then another, all in the same spot. Royal blue, cleansed by the hand of the wind. As each curl descended, the sun sparkled it hollowness with a ray of shimmering light.
Our blood churned with excitement. Turning in our tracks, we surfed the dune back to the VW. Paull, one glance at our emotion-packed grins, stripped off his gear, replaced the pear that hung in his mouth with a bar of wax, grabbed his board and took off in a cloud of dune dust.
The panatonic duo unraveled their equipment. Walkie talkies in hand, one camera to the north, one to the south— the professionals had it wired.
The fine grain beach was solid under the feet. I stopped my stride for a short moment to rear up into a head stand. This yogi posture sent blood churning to the head, instantly relaxing the limbs and my torso. By controlling my breath, the senses burst with awareness, warmth suffused my entire form, confidence beamed in my brain— I was ready. Sock it to me sea!
The surf and her children moved like clock work. Keith Paull, powerful and flowing, uptight with five feet of green. Slipping vertically, trim turning, his whit wake was swallowed by the hissing curl.
Martinson, next on the line: fade, you mother, fade! No, man, not so far! Ahh, experience rules. One sweep of aggression and some magic is displayed. The iron stance prepares for the fall line. Crack! The curl explodes. Mark disappears into the green cathedral. Three seconds, another confession for the stocky king, then he reappears, cleansed. Mark surfs as never before, constantly trying to put it all in a new dimension. He seems a completely different surfer in the few days since we met Keith.
Another set rolled forward… three blue mounds. The first one? No, let it go, use it as a sweeper— cleans the trough for the next one. This one? Yeah, do it. Two strokes? Oh, the late late show huh? Okay, no strokes. The vertical sweep of the wave had too much to offer for my vee. I began to slip straight down, the skittering foam and fiber losing its board with every second. Instinct took over. Reaching for something to hang on to, I grabbed the face of the wave. The upward change of the curl brought a churning of foam about my fingers. Directionless for a second amidst the void my board seemed to steer its course true. Ahh, the exalting feeling of being completely snapped!
A day of days! Blue virgin sky, warm crisp barrels glistening like there was no tomorrow. Hours passed our bodies aching from the briny pleasure. One by one, we strode from our blue-green canvas to the cobra-ray sands of rest.
“Free” and “Easy” organized their rolls of action, feeling a good flush of accomplishment— knowing that this day, like ones before could be communicated to others.
We sat in the sand for awhile, savoring the wine of the French from a bota-bag, and discussed the day and its events. Toasting the decision we had made that morning, we relaxed with a feeling that can only be experienced after a full day and a couple of belts of rich, warm wine.
The day was ending. The hot yellow ball shortened its radius of light to the horizon line. The air puffed around us, smelling of the land, shadows cooling sandy pockets with lengthy strides.
A day with the earth had passed. Packing out weather-weary bodies into the bus, we weaved our way into the darkness, leaving the ocean and its life behind. The morning would find us elsewhere, living out another chapter in the book of our travels.
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READER COMMENTS
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 7:34 AM
Bummer, just as he was starting to come right competitively. I think the tour would be poorer for not having him around next year. A year making videos might be cool, but Jordy is ultimately a competitor and needs competition to drive him to the highs he's already achieved. Let's wish him a speedy recovery.
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 9:11 AM
Ouch....great timing!!! Hope he takes it easy and makes a full recovery. He is one of the few on tour who get me excited to watch.
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 11:38 AM
sh***t I wanted Jordy on my FSteam for all season next year..... sorry but screw aritz!!! jordy is the man,,,,,,,
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 12:09 PM
sick. more video parts!
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 1:00 PM
Do those calculations take into account Bruce retiring and AI maybe taking a year out?
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 1:12 PM
Jordy, s one of those guys that everyone wants to see. His Sunset performance in serious waves was simple insane, by far the best surfer out there. He surfs Pipe everyday he's in Hawaii, but he would still have a hard time getting out of round 2 with the local talent. That being said, I am sure he will req. right on the bubble or get an injury spot because he was inside the bubble before the injury occurred. The tour needs him and Dane, maybe with another year on the WCT they can start giving Slater a run
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 2:56 PM
I did both of my knees as Jordy did last winter. Not career ending by no means. Hyperbaric chamber mention is the first sign he's on it. Worst deal will be the 'avoidance syndrome' that occurs being these injuries mess with your head and confidence big time. Good luck JS, you'll be proper, maybe they give him the Timmy R treatment and get him a medical waiver...
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 4:55 PM
wont he get an injury wildcard?
Tue Dec 9, 2008, 10:25 PM
Jordy is a cocky kook who should be kicked off the tour just like kerr ill be glad to see the man who was supposed to be world champ in his first year get blown off. Dane reynolds is the man.
Wed Dec10, 2008, 12:43 AM
He will be sweet , Dhob has secured a spot and with bruce retiring should go back to #28 so . Cambo is out , just need Dunne or Pires to faulter and Jordy will be sweet
Wed Dec10, 2008, 1:18 AM
Check the results from round one today at Pipe. Jordy looks like he is catching a luck break, a huge chunk of the guys chasing him are gone already. Has to suck for it to be out of his hands though...
Wed Dec10, 2008, 2:32 AM
hope u get better jordy! no stress you still rip!
Wed Dec10, 2008, 3:28 AM
Hard Luck Jordy. Not the greatest performance on tour this year but then again KS did not have the best rookie start. The tour would be crazy not to award a wild card. You had performed well enough to date and you rip on the North Shore. Good Luck and get well.
Wed Dec10, 2008, 4:04 AM
yeah that is great comment berto (not) u say the guy is a kook; like to see u go surf sunset the way he ripped it up. The guy deserves to be on the tour for the next year, his surfing is some of the most exciting and keeps me coming back to the screen for more.
Wed Dec10, 2008, 6:34 AM
Jordy represents for S.Africa, if he's out of the CT for next year, he'll be back soon!! he musnt waste his time with video's next year, he should go straight back onto the QS. Go Jordy, you da man!!!!
Wed Dec10, 2008, 7:54 AM
aw man! sorry this happened man, this sucks. praying for a speedy recovery so you can get back in the water!
Wed Dec10, 2008, 9:25 AM
Hey Jords, no worries...you are our champion in South Africa..legends come in time buddy and you'll get there!!!!
Wed Dec10, 2008, 9:59 AM
Berto you have no idea what you are talking about...Kook. To expect a World Title from a 20 year old in his first year is just crazy. Especially with Fanning & Co in their prime...You are right about Dane being the man, but Jordy will bring as much to the sport as any one of the world champs... Rest well Jordy, looks like your place is safe for now...
Wed Dec10, 2008, 11:37 AM
Jordy shreds. He will come right on the tour next year. Dane shreds too. Berto, you're a doosh!
Wed Dec10, 2008, 2:03 PM
We were at Sunset watching Jordy Smith when his injury occurred. The poor guy was in pain, and yet nobody came to meet him when he came out of the water (except us). He put on a brave smile despite the pain, and all I could think of was why nobody was there to help him - when it was evident from the start of the heat that 'something' was wrong. His performance prior to the injury was superb. His perfect 10 ride was a sight to behold. Get better soon, Jordy.YOu were definitely the best surfer at that O'Neill final.
Wed Dec10, 2008, 2:30 PM
Jordy was doing some Chipsesque hacks at Big Sunset but The Chips noticed that he claims more than a Brazilian. Maybe they can fix his arm when they take care of his knee. The Chips wishes him a speedy recovery and if he wants to do some real rehab he knows who to call. 23 Chips
Wed Dec10, 2008, 3:10 PM
forza jordy...youre the best...stay calm
Wed Dec10, 2008, 10:53 PM
JORDY IS IN ........EVRY ONE WHO COULD RUIN IT FOR HIM IS NOW OUT OF THE EVENT. HE WILL SLOT IN AT #27
Thu Dec11, 2008, 4:26 AM
Best Sunset performance ever. There, I said it. Think about it, seriously. Ever notice how WCT guys make Hawaiians look stiff? Well, Jordy was making everyone, including all the locals look really stiff out there. If it was Backdoor Shootout format, he woulda won no prob. Maybe this time off will give him time to meditate and relax, and stop trippin out on everyone. Jordy, people suck, surfers suck, don't be a jock, smile at people, do something different. whatevs
Thu Dec11, 2008, 10:30 AM
Does anyone know if Jordy has requalified?
Fri Dec12, 2008, 11:17 AM
Its official, Jordy Smith is on the 'CT next year at #27 suck it up haters. It would be a travesty if the likes of Jordy and Dane weren't on the tour. As for bleating about him claiming etc I would much rather watch an aggressive competitor (who claims) competing as opposed to the hearing and seeing the tiresome " I dont really care about the tour " attitude some pro's flaunt. At least BI has bowed out on his terms, respect, its not for him. But to the rest who can't muster a proffessional attitude saying you dont care is an insurance policy in case you choke - simple. Rest up, heal up and give it horns Mr Smith. Plenty more 10's to come.
Mon Dec22, 2008, 8:05 PM
Between Dane & Jordy Dane wins. Dane's missed more contests but placed higher. He surfed half the amount of QS's 2 years ago and still finished 2nd. Bottom line is Dane's better. Now. Jordy. He's better than De Souza, Flores, Stedman, Ward, Reyes, Otton, Whitaker, Bruce, Perrow, Neve, both Hobgoods, all Europeans and all Brazilians. He deserves to be on the tour. He should hit top 10 next year. Mick Fanning has to pick it up. He's too robotic him and Jordy need to take a little bit of each others surfing to mix it up. Fanning is the 2nd best surfer in the world but not creative enough like Slater. You can guess exactly what he's going to do each wave. Jordy is an X factor but just needs a little fanning machinery in him.