Since I am no longer traveling with zenith I will not be posting much here. Although I will bring it back once I make my way back down to Brazil. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and read a story.
You are the ones who really made this possible.
Cheers,
Oli
A brief insight into my life...unedited and raw! Enjoy
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Gwada Waddle, biddies and some good ol' surfin'!!!
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| your average sight at a Gwada wada beach |
After a long set up and prep for the trip, it was on!
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| I grabbed a taxi who spoke almost no english and made my way over to the airport to pick up homie Matt Sexton. I arrived at the airport to find him inside the baggage collection area sitting on his camera case. |
Yellling out "der go matty boy" he smiled and the shinanigans began. Although he arrived at 11 pm we both knew we wouldn't call it a night and pass out we would have to go out and check out the scene in town.
After a quick stroll around the marina we found a bar rightfully called the Zoo Rock Cafe & Bar, and decided to grab a few pints.
Kicking back a few brews we got to catching up and telling stories from the past few months we have been both away doing our things. We got to talking to the bartender who ended up being a kiter himself and he gave us some insight on where the best spots to ride would be here on the island and he stressed the fact that we should get up early tomorrow and catch the wind at a spot not too far from where we were. The bartenders name was Dume and he was in fact the owner of this fine establishment. So we kicked back a few more took a few shots and called it a night. Heading back to the boat I was stoked to have a good forecast for wind for the next two days.
I awoke to the sound of wind passing through the mast...dope!
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| Yes thats overproof rum and Yes the GoPro caught on fire!.... and Yes we have the footage |
Grabbing a bite to eat Matt and I loaded up the dingy for the day to come filled with the camera gear, kites, boards, and our fat selfs we were ready to jam out in style.
As we left Meercat, we saw that Dume was getting some fuel at the fuel dock and stopped over to see what was good.
He told us to throw our gear in his boat since it was much more sea worthy than our dingy and we did. I drove the dingy up to the island about 2 miles from where we were docked. As I got closer to the island I could see that the spot and the conditions were just right for a good photo sesh.
We pumped up and got out for a warm up ride. Matt was on his 11m Slingshot Fuel and I was on my 12m Naish Torch. The power in the Torch is exactly what I needed. After having a great warm up sesh I grabbed the camera and started shooting, producing some great shots, with a sick background. Matt was throwing down reppin our St. Pete and Fl. Crew!
Since we are here in St. Francis right now I will be back a little later with to fill you all in with the rest of the trip this was just the beginning and first day, as well as post some pics.
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| Yeah you should be here and you CAN!!! |
Cheers!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Arrival at Guadeloupe
Aight so less than an hour ago we arrived here in Guadeloupe. After a long 24 hour trek up the Caribbean island chain I am happy to be on land.
Taking watch shifts between Susy, Ged and myself we managed to make relatively good time. We took off from St. Lucia around 11 am... as planned, and headed north luckily for us the wind was at a perfect direction giving us a strong beam reach to the leeward side of Martinique. During this time sailing we made our best time at a rate of 9+ knots we were cruising. After reaching the Martinique we put the sails away and in turn motored the rest of the way here.
In between Martinique and Dominica we had some rough seas and sure enough this was my chance to sleep... Dank.
As we reached the middle of Dominica Susi woke my up and I took her place at the helm, with the 3-6am shift. Which in all honesty is one of my favorite times of the evenings...SUNRISE.
The stars out in the ocean with only a few little islands there to create light pollution are magnificent. I saw a few shooting stars and one that went from the southern tip of the sky all the way to the northern, encompassing the entire night sky. The sea at night is a dark reflecting pool that glistens with insight from the lights ahead.
As I approached the northern tip of Dominica the sea began to come alive with rolling waves and the sun began to rise from its daily kip. I sat in contemplation of the trip thus far.
Ged awoke giving me the go ahead to chill out and go back to my bed. Werd, much needed since I barely slept before with some lucid ass dreams.
Laying down the boat began to slap harder and harder on the surface of the ocean i knew we were in some big surf. It was some of the biggest seas I've seen since I started voyage back in sept. big oll rollers with us getting clobbered from our stern. but in the end we made it with some good footage ill nput up in our next flick.
Since Matt Sexton and Will Bennet are comin here to join us for some wave shinnanigans it is certainly going to be a great week here in Guadeloupe, the land of Merci!!!
Jah Bless!
Taking watch shifts between Susy, Ged and myself we managed to make relatively good time. We took off from St. Lucia around 11 am... as planned, and headed north luckily for us the wind was at a perfect direction giving us a strong beam reach to the leeward side of Martinique. During this time sailing we made our best time at a rate of 9+ knots we were cruising. After reaching the Martinique we put the sails away and in turn motored the rest of the way here.
In between Martinique and Dominica we had some rough seas and sure enough this was my chance to sleep... Dank.
As we reached the middle of Dominica Susi woke my up and I took her place at the helm, with the 3-6am shift. Which in all honesty is one of my favorite times of the evenings...SUNRISE.
The stars out in the ocean with only a few little islands there to create light pollution are magnificent. I saw a few shooting stars and one that went from the southern tip of the sky all the way to the northern, encompassing the entire night sky. The sea at night is a dark reflecting pool that glistens with insight from the lights ahead.
As I approached the northern tip of Dominica the sea began to come alive with rolling waves and the sun began to rise from its daily kip. I sat in contemplation of the trip thus far.
Ged awoke giving me the go ahead to chill out and go back to my bed. Werd, much needed since I barely slept before with some lucid ass dreams.
Laying down the boat began to slap harder and harder on the surface of the ocean i knew we were in some big surf. It was some of the biggest seas I've seen since I started voyage back in sept. big oll rollers with us getting clobbered from our stern. but in the end we made it with some good footage ill nput up in our next flick.
Since Matt Sexton and Will Bennet are comin here to join us for some wave shinnanigans it is certainly going to be a great week here in Guadeloupe, the land of Merci!!!
Jah Bless!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Off to Guadeloup
After a long and arduous stay in the boat yard Meercat is back in the water!
We are setting sail at 11am today bound for the French Island of Guadeloup. I'll be trollin' some new lures that some locals and I believe will be a great success.. we'll see.
We have been on St. Lucia for over a month now and it is going to be a great journey to our next destination. The forecast looks good with some steady trades and a small ground swell approaching. With Meercat back in her element.
I cant wait to be back in Mine!
and shall the Epic Journey truly begin.
We are setting sail at 11am today bound for the French Island of Guadeloup. I'll be trollin' some new lures that some locals and I believe will be a great success.. we'll see.
We have been on St. Lucia for over a month now and it is going to be a great journey to our next destination. The forecast looks good with some steady trades and a small ground swell approaching. With Meercat back in her element.
I cant wait to be back in Mine!
and shall the Epic Journey truly begin.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Meercat gets a facelift
So we are / have been on the hard(boat out of the water in the marina) for over a week and a half and it is honestly...
Not cool.
We are out of our element and we haven't been able to explore the endless swells and wind that have been coming our way during this time. Although we are slowly upgrading Meercat it is never an easy task getting things done in the Islands. The new teak deck had some setbacks and is now in the process of being re caulked due to the inefficient manner it was caulked the first time.
All in all she is looking pretty tight though, we have completely fitted this boat for kiting with board racks in places you would never guess. Currently housing 11 complete kites, 2 surfboards, 1 skim and 5 twin tips. Yeah you heard me right we gots da gear!!
Were lookin' at setting sail early monday morning and sailing through the night to reach Guadeloupe to pick up the boys and shred the nar. Right now a decent swell of 2.8m is hitting Guadeloupe so I'm hoping it builds for our arrival. I would love to get barreled in some of the Caribbeans finest!
The 2011 Naish Torch 12m I've been flying has been keeping me pretty stoked throughout our stay here and I'm really lookin forward to seeing her true potential in Guadeloupe, along with the 6'0" custom fish we got!!!
In the end as long as Meercat is ready to bounce out of St. Lucia for monday I will be a happy bro.
Cheers and stay tuned for more to come!
I'll be posting pics notes and videos of the Guadeloupe extraviganzah!
Not cool.
We are out of our element and we haven't been able to explore the endless swells and wind that have been coming our way during this time. Although we are slowly upgrading Meercat it is never an easy task getting things done in the Islands. The new teak deck had some setbacks and is now in the process of being re caulked due to the inefficient manner it was caulked the first time.
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| Our glorious surf rack |
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| View from the pit |
The 2011 Naish Torch 12m I've been flying has been keeping me pretty stoked throughout our stay here and I'm really lookin forward to seeing her true potential in Guadeloupe, along with the 6'0" custom fish we got!!!
In the end as long as Meercat is ready to bounce out of St. Lucia for monday I will be a happy bro.
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| When are we leaving? |
On another note heres a little jam my boy Evol threw up in São Paulo Brazil reppin our crew DVES!
DVES(De Vagar E Sempre) (slow and steady always)
Cheers and stay tuned for more to come!
I'll be posting pics notes and videos of the Guadeloupe extraviganzah!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
09 Trip to Jeri Revisited...Gaff Krew What What!
Yesterday I got the opportunity to to fly the new 2011 Naish Torch 12 m2 and the new 134 Momentum.
Chezarinos buggy Yamming down the coast.
The Gaff Krew 09 was an eclectic bunch of individuals all with an idea, have a good time no matter what trails ahead.
Dave, Lev, Josephine, James, Kirk, Leo, Kelly, Astrid, Joe, Dudu, Alex and Myself certainly all enjoyed this trip and the many more times we shared together.
If your thinking of planning a trip to Brazil make sure you do it in style with the Gaff Krew!!!!!
Check them at http://www.endless-wind.com/
Let the good times Roll!
Cheers,
Honestly I was caught by surprise. I had been flying a 08 Torch in NE Brazil for two years while living there and I was all about my kite C kites.
After I returned stat side, I decided to give the Helix a try in the waves and was impressed. They as well are wonderful kites but don't have the sheer grunt the Torch has. So in this revelation I figure the best way to show what I mean is to post some photos of the glorious trip we, the Gaff Crew took to Jericuacuara Brazil. This was certainly a trip for the books!
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| Day one at Jeri Kirk getting ready for a Shweet cutback |
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| Yeah Kirk! |
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| Backsideee |
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| My "How are we fitting everything in here" face |
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| Levs strapless raily |
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| Speed Racer |
Chezarinos buggy Yamming down the coast.
Dave, Lev, Josephine, James, Kirk, Leo, Kelly, Astrid, Joe, Dudu, Alex and Myself certainly all enjoyed this trip and the many more times we shared together.
If your thinking of planning a trip to Brazil make sure you do it in style with the Gaff Krew!!!!!
Check them at http://www.endless-wind.com/
Let the good times Roll!
Cheers,
Friday, November 19, 2010
Whats next for Meercat...
We are finishing up work here in St. Lucia and will hopefully be setting sail by mid next week. Our destination, Guadalupe. I've spoken to some local surfers and it seems we will be in for a treat, if we get some swell and wind. I've got my fingers crossed and always, feel like the wind will be in our favor.
This is going to be a special trip since Billy Parker, Matt Sexton and Alex Fox are all going to be coming on board to take part in this maiden Pro rider trip. Since we all came from the same area kiteboarding in St. Petersburg Florida there's no doubt about the good times that lie ahead of us.
One of the reasons I even got into this sport was watching Bill go bigger, faster and passing the bar higher than anyone I have, still to this day seen kiting. Matt and I were roommates our first year at Eckerd College and we got into the sport at relatively the same time. Matt was a Freshman and I, a transfer sophmore from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Fox on the other hand was killing it when we got into the sport. At that time he was a young grom, throwin' down on the water & chillin' out at the beach with the crew.
One thing that must be said about St. Pete is that it certainly is a Kiteboarders paradise. Although the season is mostly during the winter months as long as you have a 4.3 or 5.3 wetsuit your good to go. You can kite in any wind direction due to the nature of the St. Pete peninsula and its surrounding barrier islands. From waves to flat water whatever your vice in the sport you can thoroughly enjoy in St. Pete.
So my natural inclination when I was thinking of who to bring on this trip was simple.
St. Petes Finest...
We have got a lot of enthusiasm for this trip and some pretty wild ideas to play with kites and the boat. I'll be posting updates less frequently since we will not always have internet connections while sailing.
One things for sure I'm sure no one has ever tried the sort of things we will be doing meshing kiting and sailing to another level.
Be stoked for the footage to come.
We will also have Will Bennet on-board representing Kite Surf Magazine UK. He was just Champion in the BKSA Wave Masters Sessions, Ireland. I'm pumped to see what he'll be bringing to the table style-wise and hopefully learn a trick or two from a master.
Here's a video of Bill and Matt doing their thing out in Hood River
Here's a oldie but goodie from Fox tearin up the St. Pete scene
Stay tuned for more!!
Cheers,
This is going to be a special trip since Billy Parker, Matt Sexton and Alex Fox are all going to be coming on board to take part in this maiden Pro rider trip. Since we all came from the same area kiteboarding in St. Petersburg Florida there's no doubt about the good times that lie ahead of us.
One of the reasons I even got into this sport was watching Bill go bigger, faster and passing the bar higher than anyone I have, still to this day seen kiting. Matt and I were roommates our first year at Eckerd College and we got into the sport at relatively the same time. Matt was a Freshman and I, a transfer sophmore from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Fox on the other hand was killing it when we got into the sport. At that time he was a young grom, throwin' down on the water & chillin' out at the beach with the crew.
One thing that must be said about St. Pete is that it certainly is a Kiteboarders paradise. Although the season is mostly during the winter months as long as you have a 4.3 or 5.3 wetsuit your good to go. You can kite in any wind direction due to the nature of the St. Pete peninsula and its surrounding barrier islands. From waves to flat water whatever your vice in the sport you can thoroughly enjoy in St. Pete.
So my natural inclination when I was thinking of who to bring on this trip was simple.
St. Petes Finest...
We have got a lot of enthusiasm for this trip and some pretty wild ideas to play with kites and the boat. I'll be posting updates less frequently since we will not always have internet connections while sailing.
One things for sure I'm sure no one has ever tried the sort of things we will be doing meshing kiting and sailing to another level.
Be stoked for the footage to come.
We will also have Will Bennet on-board representing Kite Surf Magazine UK. He was just Champion in the BKSA Wave Masters Sessions, Ireland. I'm pumped to see what he'll be bringing to the table style-wise and hopefully learn a trick or two from a master.
Here's a video of Bill and Matt doing their thing out in Hood River
the fantastic NA blend crew from Benoit Paillard on Vimeo.
Here's a oldie but goodie from Fox tearin up the St. Pete scene
Stay tuned for more!!
Cheers,
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