INTERNATIONAL VERSION
FEBRUARY 2017 | #21
Tristan Boxford
SUP Adventure
French Polynesia
Competition
Surf Art
The man behind APP World Tour to bring the sport to the masses
From the source to the mouth of Nansa River in Cantabria
Raiatea, the heart of the polynesian migration, by SUP
All about the first event of the APP World Tour 2017 in Sunset
Colleen Gnos and her personal style in music and surf art
EDITORIAL
New year, new challenges Hello SUPING Magazine readers, As you can see, now we have an English version of the magazine in a separated file. Since we have so many international readers, we have decided to publish it Independently of the Spanish version. Our mag exists since 2010, and today we can state that we truly love our work, writing and compiling adventures and original stories,
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bringing the most exciting news about the latest events, featuring inspiring riders, visionary shapers and artists that find the way to create motivated by the ocean. In this issue, you will find the first event of the year in the APP World Tour, the Sunset Beach Pro, which just finished a couple of days ago! This year the conditions have been really epic, as you will see in the pics!
Philippe Calmels
In the trip section, we are really proud to tell you in first person about a journey through the French Polynesia, to the Raiatea Island, where the colors and the landscape are almost unreal.
You will get to know a little bit more about the Waterman League and the new APP, with the man who is behind it, Tristan Boxford, pushing our sport to make it more popular, and attractive to the masses and the media.
Carolina Seth-Smith brings us a river SUP adventure, combining paddling and skiing. Travelling through the Nansa River from the source to the mouth.
In the last part of our magazine, we feature one of our most beloved sections, the art section. In these pages we flood the paper with the colors of Colleen Gnos and her
MarĂa AndrĂŠs
peculiar surf art, authentic and seafaring, personal and salty. So, dive inside and enjoy your time with us. Be amused by the waves, paddling, routes and big smiles! Keep SUPING SUPING Magazine
INDEX
12. 28. 36. 54. 62. 66.
Competition: APP Sunset Beach. Competition: PRO-AM Costa Mogรกn. Raiatea, an escape to Never Land. Tristan Boxford, the man behind the APP. Nansa River, from the source to the mouth. Art: Colleen Gnos, music and surf art.
COVER
Kai Lenny
Brian Bielmann
12 66 54
36 62 8
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Eduardo DÃaz
STAFF
EDITORS
Emilio Galindo María Andrés PHOTOGRAPHERS
Brian Bielmann, Rodrigo Jiménez, Philippe Calmels, Karim Mahdjouba, Yann Macherez, Sam Rodgers, APP World Tour, Fini Castillo Muriedas, Carolina Smith-Smith, Caron Krauch - Slocoastpix. COLLABORATORS
Eduardo Díaz, Anne Schindler, APP World Tour, Carolina Seth Smith, APP World Tour, Tristan Boxford, Lena Erdil, Colleen Gnos. TO GET FEATURED
If you are interested in collaborating with SUPING Magazine you can send us your material and / or your proposals to our e-mail. WE ARE SUPPORTING
Surf Rider Foundation Europe CONTACT US
maria.supingmagazine@gmail.com ADVERTISING
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www.issuu.com/supingmagazine SOCIAL MEDIA
www.facebook.com/supingmag instagram.com/supingmagazine twitter.com/SUPINGMAGAZINE RESPONSIBILITY
SUPING Magazine is not responsible for the opinions, comments and ideologies of our collaborators. We believe in the free expression of each individual and we give the opportunity to express it, but we do not necessarily share those opinions. 10
Brian Bielmann
Iballa Ruano
COMPETITION... Sunset Beach Pro APP World Tour 2017 APP World Tour
Brian Bielmann
The iconic, 8th annual Sunset Beach Pro kicked off the 2017 APP World Tour season in style out there on Oahu’s North Shore, as pumping swell perfection and the world’s best ensured the most spectacular start to the year. Sunset Beach has been a revolutionary stop on the World Tour since its inception back in 2010, with victory here boding well for athletes gunning for the World Championship Title, as Maui’s Kai Lenny and Brazil’s Caio Vaz have clearly shown over the past 7 years.
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and then led into Main Event competition for the Men.
Day 1
The weather remained challenging to say the least, with a large NW swell in effect with remnants of the past days winds, coupled with thick cloud cover and intermittent rain that made visibility a real challenge.
With crazy weather for the opening 4 days of the Sunset Beach Pro, competition finally got underway at the morning with the Trials event,
This forced competition to go on hold twice, before finally being called off for the day after heat 2 of the Main Event.
Poenaiki Raioha & Keahi de Aboitiz
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Izzi Gomez
Bernd Roediger
However, the Main Event action, or what there was of it did not disappoint, with Caio Vaz putting on a clinic in Heat number one, followed by the young wildcard from Peru, Sebastian Gomez, who also put on an impressive performance. Day 2 After one of the more challenging days filled with heavy cloud cover, rain and challenging conditions on the opening day, the opposite was the case of day two at the 2017 Sunset Beach Pro, with clear blue skies and groomed, beautiful surf for what was to be an epic day of competition for both Men & Women. Kicking off with Main Event competition for the Men’s division, we saw dominant 16
performances from the majority of the top seeds, as they stepped up to the occasion and posted solid scores in pumping Sunset Beach conditions. Standouts through the early heats included Giorgio Gomez, Benoit Carpentier and Bernd Roediger, as all three advanced directly onto Round 3, skipping the repechage format. Poenaiki Raioha did a stunning display of performance surfing, a performance that exuded a polished, powerful and exceptionally fluid approach to the wave that earned him the equal highest scoring heat total of the day (17.24). However, what made the heat even more entertaining was the show that Keahi de Aboitiz put on to battle for the heat win.
The duel saw Poenaiki come out on top, but clearly showed that Keahi is back and is a serious threat. Kai Lenny took to the water in Heat 10 and did not disappoint. While his heat did not feature the best sets of the day, he put on a solid performance that clearly stated his intentions. Fiona Wylde was putting on the performance of a lifetime out at Sunset, equaling Poenaiki Raioha’s overall heat total and stunning both judges and audience alike with her wave selection, positioning and surfing. Picking off one of the most beautiful waves of the day just as it seemed as though conditions might be slowing just a little bit, Fiona drove down the line and complete a series of critical
Fiona Wylde
turns to secure the single highest wave score of the event so far (9.57). With 2017 being the first year that the Women are given Sunset Beach as an arena for their Opening stop on the APP World Tour, it seems fitting that they should step up so impressively, as we not only saw these leading women set a new bar of performance surfing, but we also see a host of talent behind them. Day 3 With the level of performance surfing once again hitting a new high, the World’s best stepped up to the Challenge and proved their worth in the groomed Sunset Beach line up to put on a great show for the assembled spectators. Through the tail end of the repo, it was the Brazilians who made their presence felt, with Lucas Medeiros and Marcio Grillo both charging their way back into the running for Round 3. Poenaiki Raioha continued his assault on this year’s Sunset Beach Pro,
Giorgio Gomez
with some of the most powerful and fluid surfing of the event. Having posted the two highest heat score totals in his two performances so far. Also showing a marked improvement this season is the young Giorgio Gomez who was looking sharp in both Rounds 1 & 3 and despite an interference that cut his 2nd wave score in half, was still able to amass enough points on his last wave to advance on into the quarterfinals.
Champion Nicole Pacelli, both who showed that significance of their respective titles with notable performances. Also stepping up once again and impressing the judges and spectators alike was Shakira Westdorp, who despite being on her backhand at Sunset (traditionally tougher than being on your forehand at this particular break), was looking dangerous every time she hits the water.
However, as the sun came up and athletes and organizers ramped up for the start of the quarterfinals, as if by cue, Sunset turned on and delivered what was a magical day of competition, propelling the performance from the last 16 Men and Last 4 Women to a whole new level. Kai Lenny reasserts his winning form, making a clear statement to the world at the start of the 2017 APP World Tour Season.
Day 4 It was another crowning achievement for the women’s athletes on Day 3 of the Sunset Beach Pro, as the repechage was completed and semifinals got underway. Stand outs from were clearly 3x World Champion Izzi Gomez and 2013 World 18
The day started out with anxiety for organizers as there was only small surf on offer at daybreak, with the next swell scheduled to arrive the following evening, too late for the contest to capitalize on with the closing of the waiting period the 24th.
While Kai Lenny has 4 Surfing World Titles under his belt as well as 4 Sunset Beach Pro Titles, it has been two years now that Kai hasn’t found his winning edge on the Tour, with the Title going to Caio Vaz from Brazil in both 2015 & 16.
Kai Lenny
“Kai Lenny took to the water in Heat 10 and did not disappoint. While his heat did not feature the best sets of the day, he put on a solid performance that clearly stated his intentions.�
Bernd Roediger
However, as we kicked off the 2017 edition, it was clear that Kai Lenny had well and truly showed up and meant business, building momentum through the rounds on his way to the Final, and with a stunning and crisp display of performance surfing. While his performances through the rounds were impressive, it was as if he found a whole extra gear in the final, comboing the field within the first 10 minutes and putting on a clinic of next level surfing.
has once again surged forward, taking all his experience from his pursuits across the complete spectrum of sports he excels in and channeling them into a stunning performance. Bernd Roediger continues to go from strength to strength and confirms that he is a major contender in 2017.
With a perfect 10 and an 8.5 in his scoreline, he posted not only the highest heat score total, but secured the well deserved victory at home in Sunset Beach.
Bernd Roediger has always been exceptionally talented and shown moments of brilliance on Tour, but this year at Sunset Beach he demonstrated a new level of maturity in his approach to competition and was without doubt one of the form surfers at every step of the event and one of the clear favorites for the win.
The message was clear: Kai has been at the forefront of the sport since the beginning, but
His wave selection, positioning and fluid, well timed approach earned him high score after
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high score, propelling him all the way through to the Final 4. However, grace under pressure and hard earned competition savvy saw Bernd pull off the score he needed to move from 4th to 2nd in the dying minutes of the heat. Giorgio Gomez puts on a clinic of backhand surfing at Sunset Beach to secure an impressive 3rd place finish. Giorgio Gomez has stepped up his game this year and is looking stronger, fitter and more prepared than ever to take on the best of the best on the APP World Tour. Sunset is a tricky wave to surf on your backhand at the best of times, so to make it all the way through to the final and give the best natural footers in the world a run for their
Giorgio Gomez
money on their own turf was an impressive achievement by the young Floridiant. Like Bernd, Giorgio capitalized on a late flurry of waves in the final to leap frog Mo Freitas to secure 3rd place for the event, and with that, a great start to the 2017 season. There is no doubt that Giorgio’s fast paced critical surfing style will suit the beachbreaks of New York impeccably, which is the next event in the APP World Tour. Mo Freitas puts on an impressive display at the 2017 Sunset Beach Pro, with full rail, committed turns to secure 4th place overall. Ever since Mo Freitas broke onto the scene at just 16 years old back in 2012 (when he won the Ubatuba Pro in Brazil).
“Like Bernd, Giorgio capitalized on a late flurry of waves in the final to leap frog Mo Freitas to secure 3rd place for the event, and with that, a great start to the 2017 season.”
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He has shown himself to be one of the most progressive, dynamic and competitive surfers on Tour. Furthermore, born and raised on Oahu’s fabled North Shore, Mo is no stranger to the power and complexities that Sunset Beach serves up on any given day. It was therefore no surprise to see Mo make it to the final 4 and once again make a statement with his unique brand of full rail, powersurfing. Mo was sitting in 2nd place until the final minutes of the heat, when the same flurry that got Bernd and Giorgio their final scores came through.
Mo Freitas
Unfortunately for Mo, his two competitors got the better of the exchange, with Mo unable to capitalize on his wave, pushing him back to 4th place when the buzzer sounded.
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Kai Lenny
Izzi Gomez
Izzi Gomez, starts the year off as she means to continue: on top, as she kicks off her campaign for a 4th World Title in 2017. Izzi continues to hold the reins at the top of the Women’s ratings, a position that she has held now for the past 3 years, and a position that she seems unwilling to relinquish any time soon, despite her competitors best efforts. While the competition was certainly no walk in the park for Izzi (she had to go through the repechage to make it back into the Main Event and faced formidable competition in the Final), there is no doubt that the young Floridian’s surfing continues to develop at an astonishing rate. For a first year event for the women out at 26
Sunset Beach in 2017, the APP World Tour was proud to witness its leading ladies not only taking to the water at Sunset, but put on a show to remember, and make a statement as to just how far the women’s side of the sport has come over the past 4 years. One thing is for sure, Izzi is still leading the charge, but right on her heels are some of the fiercest and most talented competitors imaginable, a fact that only further qualifies her incredible winning form. Fiona Wylde is a serious contender on the APP World Tour and will be vying for multiple World Titles in 2017. Fiona Wylde had an incredible year in 2016, winning the Racing World Title and finishing 2nd in the Surfing to position herself as one of
the most well rounded athletes in the world. In 2017, she has started her year off with a bang, as while she wasn’t able to secure victory at the Sunset Beach Pro, she was within inches of it and caught one of the best waves of the event and made a statement with her fearless, but calculated attack in the Sunset line up. With the Overall World Title now Official in 2017, Fiona is one of the principal contenders and she will be looking to consolidate on this great start to the year at stop 2 of the APP World Tour on Maui next month. Shakira Westdorp once again demonstrates that she is a major contender on the APP World Tour with a 3rd place finish.
Fiona Wylde
Shakira Westdorp approached every heat with maximum power and commitment, making her presence felt throughout the early rounds to propel her into the Finals. Once in the Finals, she navigated the tricky line up to find some solid scores, but was unable to match the output of Izzi and Fiona, forcing her to settle for 3rd place overall. However, one thing is for sure - it will not be long before Shakira gets an event win on the APP World Tour and she remains one of the fiercest competitions on Tour and one of the most dangerous draws. Nicole Pacelli finishes in 4th place at the 2017 Sunset Beach Pro. 2013 World Champion Nicole Pacelli was
looking dangerous throughout the early rounds of the Sunset Beach Pro this year, clearly reveling at the opportunity to compete out at this iconic North Shore wave that she loves so much. While she was clearly disappointed with her performance on the final day, Nicole once again showed just how talented she is and that she is every bit the Title Contender that she has been since securing her World Title in 2013. A 4th place finish still allows Nicole the opportunity to build momentum throughout the year and to have a real shot at the 2017 World Title, something that is without doubt a major focus for this Brazilian talent.
MEN RESULTS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5.
Kai Lenny (HI) Bernd Roediger (HI) Giorgio Gomez (USA) Mo Freitas (HI) Caio Vaz (BRA) Poenaiki Raioha (PYF)
WOMEN RESULTS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5.
Izzi Gomez (USA) Fiona Wylde (USA) Shakira Westdorp (AUS) Nicole Pacelli (BRA) Annie Reickert (HI) Mariko Lum (HI)
II Gran Canaria Stand Up Paddle PRO-AM Costa Mogán Anne Schindler
Rodrigo Jiménez
From the 15th until the 18th of December, Costa Mogán hosted the second edition of this race, with points counting towards the overall result for the Spanish Championships and for the Long Distance European Championships sanctioned by the Waterman League. The event had 70 participants hailing from the Canary Islands and the rest of Europe. A special mention goes to the 31 young competitors under the age of 18, which makes us think that the future generations are here to stay. During the days of the competition the organizers set up a free test for all visitors to the 28
beach in Mogán who wanted to try Stand Up Paddle. BD Surf School organized 20 boards and paddles and 2 monitors for this initiative. More than 50 people tried the sport and we are sure that most of them are now hooked on SUP as they experienced perfect December Mogán weather, 25C and sunny and calm days, showing Europe what winter can be like in Gran Canaria.
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The first day, Friday the 16th, saw the competitors get ready for the downwind competition. The athletes left the harbour in Mogán by boat and arrived in Arguineguin, which is a little village north of Mogán. Once there, they started the race from the beach and paddled towards Mogán for more than one hour. DOWNWIND RESULTS: 1st Martino Rogai (IT), 2nd Moritz Mauch (GER), 3rd Stano Hubacek (CZ) & 1st female: Susanne Lier (GER). On Saturday, the 17th we had the technical races on the beach of Mogán, which showed all the public on the beach how much fun SUP can be. Starts and finishes on the beach made the different races a great show for the visitors. We saw some great “battles” on the water as the riders in this discipline were fighting for 32
the last points of the Canarian and Spanish Championships.
he is the champion and managed to arrive at the finish line with a very confortable lead.
CANARIAN AND SPANISH TECHNICAL RESULTS: Winner 14ft: Martino Rogai (IT) with only 36:39 min, Winner 12,6ft: 1st Esteban Medina (ESP/ in 39:02 min) 2nd Jaran Rodriguez (ESP/ in 40:54 min), 3rd Eduardo Diaz (ESP/ in 42:08 min), Female: 1st Susanne Lier (GER/ in 42:40 min), 2nd Esperanza Barnera (ESP/ 44:32 min), 3rd Ana Maria Ojeda (ESP/ in 46:46 min).
EUROPEAN LONG DISTANCE RESULTS: Martino Rogai won the overall race and the 14ft category in only 1:46:43h. The winners of the 12.6ft category were: 1st Moritz Mauch (GER/ in 1:52:17h), 2nd Esteban Medina (ESP/ in 1:58:28h), 3rd Jaran Rodriguez (ESP/ in 2:06:26h). Female: 1st Susanne Lier (GER/ in 2:08:46h), 2nd Esperanza Barnera (ESP/ in 2:14:19h), 3rd Ana Maria Ojeda (ESP/ in 2:28:28h).
For the last day of the event, Sunday the 18th, the organization had everything ready for the main discipline, the European Long Distance Championship. A hard discipline that demands the maximum effort from all the riders.
The event was a success and all riders and public in general confirmed that they will be back next year again for the 3rd edition.
After more than 16Km paddling and fighting with the ocean and the other riders, the Italian SUP racer Martino Rogai showed why
Amazing atmosphere and surroundings, warm waters and sunny weather make of Costa Mogán one of the best places for SUP racing. Next year’s dates will be published soon, so we will be on it!
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Raiatea An Escape to Never Land
Lena Erdil / MarĂa AndrĂŠs
Philippe Calmels, Karim Mahdjouba, Yann Macherez, Sam Rodgers
From the moment we first set foot on this island everything was like a dream, the scenery, the people, the sea and nature, everything was incredibly beautiful! Pretty soon we were convinced that, somehow during our 48 hour journey to Tahiti, we had managed to sprinkle some fairy dust upon us and land in Never Land.
Raiatea
An Escape to Never Land
Mesmerized by the beauty and mysticism of the island we were ready to take on a never-ending childhood having adventures whilst interacting with fairies, pirates and mermaids.
heaven,� was once the cultural and religious center of the Society Islands. Today French Polynesia and its many islands are known as sanctuary for marine life, especially its pearls, many shark species and beautiful reefs are famous! THE TRIP
To give you an idea of how incredible everything was, I would just like to mention here that we were actually picked up from the airport by boat!
As professional windsurfers, we were lucky enough to be invited to Raiatea as the ambassadors for the Tahiti Freeride Cup, but, as SUP passionate, we obviously saw the opportunity to take our boards to explore around the lagoons and surf the Tahitian coast and reefs.
Raiatea, which actually translates to “faraway
The Tahiti Freeride Cup is a unique windsurf
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event, where we have to cross from island to island all along the lagoon, sailing full speed over corals. The competition atmosphere is relaxed, it is a fun event where professional athletes get to meet with local sailors to share the experience of racing all together, enjoy the sport and get to share the culture and the place. Being surrounded by this amazing nature and sharing it with locals that really appreciate where they live was a great opportunity for the visitors to fully get into the culture. You can see in the way they speak how much they love their land. There are many ways to enjoy this little piece of paradise in the Pacific Ocean, and our
friends do know how to do it and were happy to share their stoke with us. Lying in our bed at night we still had vivid images of crossing this lagoon and being able to see the sea bed almost all along the way flashing at us through the crystal clear waters sparkling in the sunlight in this beautiful lagoon. DISCOVERING RAIATEA After the event we had another 10 days to discover the island and all its beauties, we were really lucky to be hosted by an avid surfer friend Lena had made the year before. Like about 50% of the houses on the island were based beachfront with a little aluminum
“Being surrounded by this amazing nature and sharing it with locals that really appreciate where they live was a great opportunity for the visitors to fully get into the culture. You can see in the way they speak how much they love their land.�
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“... Raiatea, known in legends as Hawaiki, -the homeland-, is in fact believed to be the place from which the great Polynesian migration began. From here large double-hulled sailing canoes set out to colonize Hawaii and New Zealand.�
boat in the garden (ocean)! Joan, our host, quickly became not only our host but also our tour guide showing us lots of amazing spots all around the island reefs and Motus –mini islands-.
HISTORY
Maria:
On our days off hiking across the island and visiting the main historical sight we got to visit the sacred place known as ‘Taputapuatea Marae”.
“We went few times to Le Marae. The first time the weather was grey and I remember feeling too impressed about these stories.
Since we spend most our days on the water, we got to see an abundance of water life; blacktip sharks, Mantas, Whales, Dolphins all sorts of little reef inhabitants and unfortunately also got to feel that reef slightly too much on a few occasions…
A marae serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. It is an area of cleared land roughly rectangular, bor-dered with stones and in some cases –like in this one-, a big central stone.
Of course on an island nation with such strong ties to the Ocean, naturally the sea takes center stage, but in fact, the whole island is truly picturesque and home to lush green mountains, waterfalls and historical sites.
During the 1994 restoration of Taputapuatea Marae, human bones were discovered under some of the structures. It is possible they were the remains of sacrifices to the Polynesian god Oro, revered in Tahiti...
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However, the next times we went to the Marae, we had our SUPs and the sun was shyly peeking out between clouds to end up being a sunny and blue sky day. Paddling along this coast with big sacred stones and structures all around and just sitting on my board contemplating the scenery I truly could notice that this place was extraordinary peaceful and beautiful. This little treasure of Raiatea became one of my favorites.”
We found out that Raiatea, known in legends as Hawaiki, “the homeland,” is in fact believed to be the place from which the great Polynesian migration began. From here large double-hulled sailing canoes set out to colonize Hawaii and New Zealand. One of the reasons for the migration to begin here was that Raiatea is also home to the only navigable river of French Polynesia, called Faaroa. This was the ideal place to start building sea vessels in sheltered fresh waters because the river enabled them to easily transport down high quality woods from the tropical forests of the higher latitudes. Our friend Joan not only surfer, but also quite keen on the history of the paradise he now
“... just sitting on my board contemplating the scenery I truly could notice that this place was extraordinary peaceful and beautiful. This little treasure of Raiatea became one of my favorites.”
“On the Island, people live with the sun, this means that everyone gets up around 5:30 am and goes to bed at around 9pm We really enjoyed being so in tune with nature and the simplicity of life on this island.�
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calls home, told us that what gets left out of many occidental history books is the fact that captain Cook’s main navigator was actually indigenous to Polynesia.
“It was because of him and the fact that he embodied the Polynesian culture, that many times when they set foot on new grounds indigenous people did not attack them but were able to communicate with them on a basis of shared origins and roots.” 46
NATURE AND LIVING SIMPLY On the Island, people live with the sun, this means that everyone gets up around 5:30 am and goes to bed at around 9pm, we really enjoyed being so in tune with nature and the simplicity of life on this island. Within a week we felt that we had made many new friends and were especially taken with the families who had sailed all around the world and had chosen to simply stop in Raiatea and settle there, continuing to live on their boats but never leaving again! In fact the main industries in Raiatea now are sailing charters and cruise ship tourism. What makes Raiatea even more special is the fact that it is connected to the island of Taha’a
by the same outside reef, both islands therefore share the same lagoon, the lagoon which we were crossing during the long distance race. It’s easy to cross between the islands even with smaller boats and one of the highlights of our trip was actually a visit to the infamous coral garden in Taha’a.
“There is a place were between two Motus the current is strong above a shallow reef which is home to thousands of colorful fish species.”
You can walk up to one end of this reef and then let yourself float down with the current.
“Careful to lie flat on the water surface you have to put your snorkels on and then you literally drift through a surreal labyrinth of corals and fish.”
Our friends advised us to take some bread to feed the fish here which lead to an experience beyond belief; hundreds of fish of all colors were eating the bread right from our hands!
“Within a week we felt that we had made many new friends and were especially taken with the families who had sailed all around the world and had chosen to simply stop in Raiatea and settle there, continuing to live on their boats but never leaving again!”
You can’t paddle over the “coral garden” itself, but you can cruise around with your SUP right next to it, it is also full of water life, it feels like paddling over an aquarium! When we were there on our SUPs, the wind picked up quickly, accelerating between the motus.
“Maria had the chance to plug a sail on her SUP board and sail all around and in front of those floating bungalows…” She couldn’t stop laughing, it was such an amazing place! 48
ACTIVITIES A day, in what we now fondly call our Neverland, normally consisted of waking up to a beautiful sunrise, feeding the fish from the pontoon in our Garden, while having a cup of coffee looking at the mystical mountains of Bora Bora in the distance across the sea. Next we would take our SUP’s and paddle across to some Motus or Reefs exploring some of the many beauties of the island.
Driving around the island actually takes only a few hours and depending on what condi-tions you want you can find whatever you need on most days. From cruising, to long distances, small fun surfing or downwinders inside or outside the lagoon. In a place with a big and rich lagoon like this one, taking your googles on your SUP cruising is a must! You can always jump in and snorkel around!
Our favorite lunch was soon ‘poisson cru’ also referred to as Tahitian salad that is raw fish with a dressing of coconut milk and lime mixed with carrot onion and cucumber…
We highly recommend to explore also the river side, since it is such a unique one, where the beginning of the Polynesian culture emerged.
In Raiatea, Stand up Paddle can actually be a great way not only to explore the islands coastlines but also a kind of vehicle, like other people would go on scooter trips looking at shorelines. Making huge downwinders from one place to another or perhaps all the way to Taha’a for them seemed nothing that needed much preparation, an idea we found very appealing! To finish a day in Neverland, our favorite was watching the sunset from Miri Miri or one of the Motus… This is exactly what you need to start believing in magic and fairies if you haven’t yet ;)
“To finish a day in Neverland, our favorite was watching the sunset from Miri Miri or one of the Motus… This is exactly what you need to start believing in magic and fairies if you haven’t yet...”
TAHITI, SURF AND TEAHUPO’O Of course, as two perfect tourists and surf enthusiastic, we also wanted to visit Tahiti and go Stand Up Surfing, and so we did! Tahiti Island is well known already in the surf scene, so there is not much new we can add. However we found that Tahiti is a rich island with great diversity and very different landscapes to explore. Teahupo’o is of course another must. There is no way Teahupo’o is breaking and you are in Tahiti or Raiatea and don’t jump in a boat to see it from the sea. It was probably one of the best experiences of our lives. You feel like watching a surf movie! 50
We also had the chance to surf some different waves. We SUP surfed beautiful peeling reef waves and rode some together with locals, happy to share and show how awesome their place is!
“We surfed probably some of the biggest waves we have ever ride… of course, no photos… but we have it in our memories forever, cheering each other and surfing the biggest party waves! “
Something cool we learnt: some surfers use big inflatables SUPs to paddle all the way to the outer reefs with their tiny surf board on top of the inflatable! Smart, isn’t it? The beach breaks in Tahiti were so much fun as well! It was fully packed in the line up! All kind of surfers were mixed up: body boarders, long boarders, SUPers… Once, we counted 60 people in a very very small area!!! And even though, the atmosphere was absolutely peaceful and relaxed… all smiles… What a great way to enjoy the ocean by sharing… After an amazing last sunset session, we were sadly ready to leave French Polynesia…
Time goes very quick in this latitudes we found out!
“Once all checked in, we say goodbye to our local friends, who gave us some shell necklaces, what in French Polynesia means, “thanks for coming” or “we hope that you will come back”… “
Our Polynesian adventure ended up once again being a learning trip. We got to share
so many experiences, got to live the culture, meet amazing people, surf the best ones of our lives, we swam with fishes all around…
...But be careful, many people do not return from Neverland and an endless childhood here seems possible ;) Maruru –thank you- to:
“Many of this images and moments will live in our memories forever. So all in all we strongly recommend this destination to anyone who’s looking for a little piece of heaven on earth...“
Tahiti Freeride Cup, Tahiti Windsurf Association, Air Tahiti Nui, Christophe and Miki, Alex and friends in Tahiti, Joan and Philippe, Moeata and Bep, Karim and Karine Mika and all of our local friends who made this trip so amazing!
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION: How to get there: Fly via Tahiti (Air Tahitinui) and then take a flight (Air Tahiti) to Raiatea. You can’t fly all the way to Raiatea with SUP equipment longer than 8’0’’ (double check with the airline anyway), the interisland airplanes are too small. You need to put it onto a ferry (Hawaiki Nui) which will take it across to Raiatea for you. Make sure you know the dates and times of this ferry as it goes only 3-4 times a week. What to take: Lots of sunscreen, only shorty wetsuits or Lycras needed. The sun is super strong here so be sure you have enough protection. A light jacket for the evenings is enough. If you enjoy hiking there are some great treks which can however get really muddy so take good shoes. To get the most out of the reefs we recommend snorkels for in the sea and polarized sunglasses for when you’re above! Our Top To do: - The Coral Garden in Taha’a. - Cruising around in the Lagoon. - Visit the mystical Marae. - SUP down the famous Faaroa River. - Try paddling on a Pirogue, the Polynesian version of a sea kayak. SUP and surf shop in Tahiti: La Quincaillerie NAHOATA, in Pirae. Activities on Raiatea: www.raiatea-activities.com Surf ans SUP lessons/rentals in Tahiti: @ Ecole de surf Itinui. @TahitiPaddleboard with Karine. Video and photo: @MahdjoubaKarim in Tahiti. @PhilippeCalmels in Raiatea.
Tristan Boxford
The man pushing professional paddle boarding APP World Tour, Tristan Boxford
APP World Tour
Tristan Boxford is a man on a mission. The Hawaiian-based CEO, formerly a professional windsurfer, is now focused on growing paddle boarding worldwide through his exciting new enterprise – the Association of Paddlesurf Professionals (APP). The APP, operating under the umbrella of the Waterman League, is a natural progression from Tristan’s two well-established stand up paddle boarding competition circuits – the Stand Up World Tour (surfing) and the Stand Up World Series (racing) – now merging to form the APP World Tour. The man behind this project is determined to bring the sport to the masses. 54
British-born Tristan is no stranger to the ocean, having grown up sailing and swimming before he took up windsurfing. “I started sailing boats when I was about 4 and have always loved swimming, so windsurfing was sort of a natural path for me,” he recalls. Tristan spent most of the ’90s and early ’00s travelling the globe to compete in the World Windsurfing Tour, earning a career high of 5th and enjoying the titles of British and European Champion.
“A lightbulb went off in my head. Surfers and windsurfers were doing it, kayakers and longboarders were doing it. SUP was a sport that seemed to embrace every other.“
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However, early in the millennium Tristan felt a hunger for something more. “
his new home in Maui, Tristan switched his focus from competing to business.
One of the things that frustrated me,” he says, “was how the sport of windsurfing was portrayed in the media. I wanted to do something about this so I ran some other projects parallel to competing.”
“I was certainly less keen to run off on tour to places like the island of Sylt in the North Sea!” he laughs. This new focus and industry experience was to lay the foundations of what would become the Waterman League.
Tristan worked on projects for media channels, including MTV Europe and Transworld, and wrote articles for the likes of GQ. He launched the hugely ambitious ‘Ocean Games’ (essentially an X Games for watersports) in Maui in 2007 and produced for NBC.
Driven by his vision to unite the whole ocean sports family, Tristan searched for the thing around which he could build his new multisport organisation. He found it in stand up paddle boarding (SUP).
With his new-found exposure to the world of sports entertainment, and having settled in
“A lightbulb went off in my head. Surfers and windsurfers were doing it, kayakers and longboarders were doing it. SUP was a sport that seemed to embrace every other.”
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Tristan. He recalls spending most of his early days with the Waterman League educating people on what SUP was.
“We didn’t know how popular the sport was going to be,” he says “We had to do something that was a complete departure from the preconceived notion of stand up paddle boarding to grab people’s attention.” The Waterman League announced itself with an exhibition at the infamous Teahupo’o, a brave idea that needed braver participants.
“The guys were getting incredible barrels,” Tristan remembers. “It led to the launch of the World Tour in 2010 and we’ve been growing ever since.”
“We’re going to be careful not to forget our core audience and the integrity they give us,” says Tristan, “but we’re very excited to put the APP World Tour in front of new, larger markets.”
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It’s this desire and ability to innovate that has allowed Tristan’s project to flourish. In 2012, the Waterman League added stand up paddle racing to the surf competition. This opened many doors for Tristan, who saw the potential to take the competition to new territories, as can be seen by this year’s APP World Tour stops in New York, Tokyo and San Francisco.
“The unique selling point of SUP is that it’s the first form of surfing you can take literally anywhere there’s water,” he says. “I think of it as bringing surfing to the city.” Tristan is quick to praise the athletes involved in the APP project. In recent years, the surge in the popularity of paddle boarding has been 60
greatly helped by the rise of athletes such as Kai Lenny and Izzi Gomez, young stars of the sport who are successfully tapping into the growing trend of general health and well-being.
“There’s a real emphasis on fitness and core strength,” adds Tristan. “Paddle boarding complements other activities like yoga and its focus really is on the versatile athlete. At the elite end it’s one of the most physically challenging watersports, but at the beginners’ end the barrier to entry is zero.” SUP boarding has the potential to bridge the gap between the comfort of mass involvement that comes with traditional sports and the irresistible allure of lifestyle sports.
“We’re going to be careful not to forget our core audience and the integrity they give us,” says Tristan, “but we’re very excited to put the APP World Tour in front of new, larger markets. In a few years, I could easily see thousands of people on the start line.” It’s been a tough slog for Tristan and his team to arrive at this point. Like all new and growing watersports, stand up paddle boarding has had to operate within the long shadow of traditional surfing. But now, strengthened by a clear vision for the APP World Tour, paddle board competition is finally ready to step out and enjoy its time in the sun.
Nansa River From the source to the mouth Carolina Seth-Smith
Fini Castillo Muriedas y Carolina Smith-Smith
Our friend Carolina surprises us again with her adventures. After paddling the Gambia River, now she discovers us the Nansa River –Cantabria- from the source to the mouth, combining SUP and ski. This is the kind of story that makes you think about planning new projects and about how many different options you have to enjoy SUPing. The Nansa River is born in the Peña Sagra Mountains, limiting of the provinces of Cantabria and Palencia, at an altitude of 1100m.
The options as to how to enjoy nature around the Nansa Valley are both infinite and fascinating.
Its total length is approximately 46 km until the mouth of the river at Tina Menor estuary.
And that is what Chore, Nico, Angel and myself set to do with “climbing ski skins” from the
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source of the river and Stand Up Paddle Boards paddling to the mouth of the river. We accompany the river until its end in the sea through 7km of enchanting and picturesque scenery during which we discover magical towns such as Pechón, Pesúes and Los Tánagos.
“The three of us take advantage of the high tide on our 12,6 foot inflatable boards not without incidents! ”
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With an outdoor temperature of 0º Celsius, the coldest day of the year one of us falls into the water (I will not mention who) as the fin gets stuck in a sandbank.
“I have the feeling the day is going to go by very quickly.”
After paddling round the sandbank we head for the open sea, the Cantabric Sea. This beautiful area is surrounded by cliffs and white sand beaches where we take a break before surfing the small waves back into the crystal clear and calm waters of the estuary from where you can even see the snowy peaks of the Picos de Europa. The estuary is surrounded by forests of eucalyptus, birches, hazelnut, beech and oak trees. The silence is only broken by the singing birds and our paddles entering the water.
To our left is the fish farm recently renamed Naturix Cantabria “Sonríonansa”, a very clever play on words created in the latest advertising campaign to promote the area and the farm. We continue towards a bridge where a river track has been designed dedicated to the water heritage associated to the industry in the area of the Nansa River Valley. It is pedestrian with viewpoints and points of
interest relating to the valley´s hydrology. Along our tour we appreciate the animal and plant diversity, the presence of Atlantic salmon and otters.
“ In the unevenness of the peaks there are still remains of ancient glaciers.”
You can sometimes see wild boars at the waters edge. I was right, our day has become very short.
“The surprise will come during the mountain expedition of the source of the river where the mountain scenery is absolutely breathtaking.”
The slopes are carpeted by impressive beech, oak and birch trees and large extensions of heath. Giants of the skies such as eagles and vultures as well as smaller hawks are circling the blue sky. Further down live wolves, deer and foxes. We descend skiing alternating with our crampons.
This time it´s Angel who has the luck to spot the wild boar running downhill in front of him. In total, more than 11 hours of adventure and contrasts along the River Nansa Valley and the reward of a well deserved dinner in front of a giant chimney in the town of San Mamés.
“ In our conversation the size of the wild boar increases with every beer! ¡Cantabria infinita!” Collaborations: Ocean For All Luis Von Kobbe EIE
ART GALLERY Colleen Gnos Surf, music and mermaids Shell Beach artist, Colleen Gnos, is best known on the Central Coast of California for her gold-scaled mermaids painted on surfboards or her idyllic scenes of surfers and breaking waves. Stories of her Portuguese grandfather running a tugboat out of Avila Beach, CA, hunting abalone, and training navy divers in the 1930’s contributed deeply to Colleen’s fascination with the sea. Colleen studied painting and drawing at UC Santa Cruz before moving to Florence, Italy for a year. There, she studied figure drawing, 66
colleengnos.com, thetribunenews, facebook
painting, etching, and sculpture at L‘Accademia di Belle Arti, an art school founded by Michelangelo. She has painted large-scale theatrical backdrops for plays, concerts and conventions and has accepted mural commissions for over 30 businesses and private homes around the nation. These include an underwater ocean mural featuring a giant kelp forest and all of its aquatic inhabitants at Castillo High School’s aquarium in Lompoc, a mural of three dimensional marble columns and filigreed
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Caron Krauch - Slocoastpix
”Colleen’s 2016 milestones include winning the Downtown Avila Beach Public Art Project to paint the lifeguard towers in Avila.”
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Caron Krauch - Slocoastpix
altars inside St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Dixon… After battling a rare form of bone lymphoma in 2013 and earning a clean bill of health a year later, Colleen felt awash with gratitude and possibility. She picked up her life again and it was soon brimming with a steady flow of art commissions, shows, and graphic design work, teaching art to school children, supporting local cancer survivors, and surfing every week. Despite this full life, she wanted to include more music, so picked an upright bass and joined a jazz band, scene that you can also find in her art, as she has a series of jazz paintings, featuring musicians that pulse with color you can almost hear. Colleen’s 2016 milestones include winning the
Downtown Avila Beach Public Art Project to paint the lifeguard towers in Avila. “A lot of people go to Avila nowadays and they see this city by the sea that’s very upscale”, “I remember the old Avila. It had a lot of character. It was a very salty fishing village for over 100 years.” Avila Beach’s transformation from funky fishing village to trendy beach town came in the wake of the Unocal Corp. oil spill, discovered in 1988. During the lengthy cleanup project, the downtown area was demolished, causing the community to completely rebuild its commercial center. The target was to capture the history of Avila Beach … its heritage, its culture, its industry. Colleen’s proposal captured all that. Gnos turned to social media for inspiration, she hopes to the murals will encourage conversations about Avila Beach. She’d like to link them one day to an app that could
teach users about the area’s history, “I really want to create that connection to the past. I don’t want it to be lost”. Murals on one tower seek to recreate Avila Beach’s past, on the other one celebrate its present and look forward to its future “as I want to see it”. Since the artist anticipates eco-tourism becoming a big driver of the community’s economy, she chose to portray “the natural beauty that Avila has to offer.” She painted an ocean scene with whales, dolphins, sea urchins, and… a mermaid… “I had to sneak a mermaid in there!” A great artist involved in many great projects! Follow Colleen: @colleengnosart colleengnos.com colleen@colleengnos.com
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In our next issue of
Discovering
Norway White and blue Kai-Nicolas Steimer & Lena Albrecht
Lars Jacobsen
In January, in the middle of winter in Europe, the two Fanatic riders Kai-Nicolas Steimer and Lena Albrecht decided to discover Norway, not scared of fighting conditions with temperatures far below zero degree. Follow their adventure-trip to Europe’s biggest glacier with their iSUPs on the next issue of SUPING Magazine.
oceaninitiatives.org/ES/ # OcEanInitiatives
Paris 2016. CrĂŠdit photo : PalacePalace_. 642 016 778 RCS Nanterre.
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