We're being plagued by minute to no swell at the moment, but perhaps it was a good thing as, free of distractions, I spent a good part of the day with Luke and Wes from Nalu Productions in Torquay, filming an interview with Maurice Cole and Ross Clarke-Jones.
The intention is a series of webisodes on Maurice's website, documenting the where, why, and how he got to where he is today, with a shaping direction very different to most boards out there. They may be thrusters, but Not As We Know Them.
Just ask Mike Machemer. The recipient of one I took over to him last year, I gather he Loves It. I hope not in a creepy way.
Because what MC is doing has evolved out of the experiences and developments made tow surfing, the stories will break down how they got where they are, beginning with first forays into tow, and the discoveries they made. How length kept reducing, weight increasing and the realisation that certain curve combinations did very surprising things.
Later, we will be filming the results of Maurice's attempts to translate what they have learned into boards for you and me.
It was a fascinating day, listening to tales of 30 foot waves in the neck, hitting the bottom at Jaws, and see just how minimal, and high tech, the boards are becoming. Carbon kevlar, nano carbon, riding waves at water speeds around 100kph, fun dialled up to 11.
Maurice is pretty unstoppable when he gets going, except occasionally as Ross piped in or rolled his eyes at some outrage from the hairy one. Poor old Luke on camera was getting worn out as there were very few pauses. My job will be a big one as I try to make it brief, as it was all interesting.
The interviews were tempered later by Maurice talking of his battle with cancer, and how the prospect of more imminent than expected mortality has spurred him on creatively. It was great to see not an ounce of defeat in his eyes. That he is in remission and the battle looking promising means we'll be seeing a lot more from a Mr Cole on a roll, and no doubt Ross, half man, half brick that he is , will continue doing his XXL best to keep us entertained.
Picks today: Ross checking out a bit of history while Luke films, Maurice giving me heaps and also in the shaping bay, tidying up the next tow experiment.
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