Caffeine and James McKean - video
"Shipstern was slow last season, says Tasmanian surfer James McKean of the local photo studio. "However, this Autumn is beginning with what's starting to seem like endless swell."
James and and his videographer mate, Simon Treweek, put together this clip of early season swells. In it you'll see Jimmy Mac has got the early entry to speed stall down pat, handling the Shippies steps with stylish aplomb.
And the name of the clip - Caffeine. Bit obscure, no? "I remember a couple of winters back" says James by way of explanation, "after bobbing around behind the bluff for most of the day, near hypothermic, Iain 'Wombat’ Chalmers pulled out a thermos of hot black coffee. To say it was good would be an understatement."
Caffeine...yeah!
Comments
Seriously poor form from James Mckean. Perhaps Swellnet should not be giving tossers who tow through crowded line ups any publicity?
vic-local_2 you are obviously a heavy local somewhere and have done lots of tow surfing cause you are giving your educated opinion on the matter. but if you where tas-local_1 or understood that its not bird rock or rye back beach. like always, down there paddlers have right of way if they want the wave which in this case paddling in 12fters is near impossible hence getting towed in. you kook, poor poor form by you
Nope Mr Dolphin. Niether heavy local nor tow surfer. Just someone who has been around long enough to see some disturbing trends in surfing. The reality is, when people watch videos of people towing around paddle in surfers, some wannabes will think it's legal and acceptable and start doing it themselves. It's a terrible example to set, especially if the session is getting filmed and uploaded. There really needs to be an obvious "line in the sand" that tow surfers can't cross, and IMHO that should be no tow surfing if there are paddlers in the water. If people want to tow, do it for the pleasure of riding big waves on empty waves. Film and upload your session if you want recognition, but don't go uploading tow surfers dropping in way before a paddler even starts his or her first stroke. (Even in the unlikely situation where the tower has agreements with every other surfer in the water)
Yeah, I think you'll find most of the crew know each other and anytime Shippies breaks 'round that size both paddlers and tow teams operate out there. Seems to work well.
Pretty wussy looking brew there at the start.
No doubt that the Shippies crew know each other, but that doesn't make towing around people legal or safe. We had a couple of complete muppets towing (on a mini mal) in 3ft surf right through a crowded kids break over the long weekend. When I told them it was illegal, and they had already been photographed by other locals and reported, and should now piss off, their response was as follows: it's not illegal and we are being really careful. Maybe it's time to clarify the laws and not glorify people who break them.
Geez give it a rest, nearly every bit of good footage you see of shipsterns is guys towing when there is also a paddle crew in the water. Anyone that puts their head down and paddles definitely has right of way and on any given session there is a distinct line between what you can and can't paddle.
And trust me with or without a ski it is a mission to get there and you have a local contingent that is well on top of it and these guys know how to keep people in there respective place