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Hijinks On The High Seas… And Beyond
Category Archives: Travel
Bugbee Surf Adventures
If you happen to…
- be in New Jersey and in the market for some surf lessons
- have a hankering for an expertly guided excursion into the wilds of Costa Rica
- find yourself in search of quality Mexican foodstuffs, Dark and Stormies, or sunglasses
- prefer embarking on adventures (such as those listed above) in the company of knowledgeable, entertaining, and gorgeous ladies
…Dot Bugbee is your girl. Check out her newly updated site: Bugbeesurfadventures.com.
Retroactive Blogging: The 51st Rip Curl Pro Bells Easter Comp
I wrote this post about Bells a few months back…
Day 2. The sun is piercing the super translucent remnants of the marine layer mixed with wildfire haze; a virginal veil over the pristine beauty that is Victoria’s rugged coastline. It hits the gold-grey sand and wheat-coloured cliffs, refracting off of the glass-smooth faces pounding Winkipop with a deceptive grace. Overhead sets wrap ‘round the point at Rincon. Thousands of millimetres of lens are trained on the Bowl. Jet skis rear and climb peaks, dive down their spines. Julian snaps, hacks, cuts.
Day 4. Gale-force winds ravage the contest site shortly after an emotional Mick Fanning is presented with his bell trophy. As he gives an interview to Channel 9, the gusts apparently level every section of fence bearing a past champion’s photograph. Except one: Michael Peterson. Talk about eerie. The late legend was the very first champion of the Bells Easter comp in 1973.
The weather had been warm and sunny all week–atypical for Easter in Victoria, and it actually began turning during the men’s final. The clouds rolled in as the crowd on the beach shared a moment commemorating MP. “Hells Bells” played on the loudspeakers and goose bumps rose on our arms. Someone said, “It would be fitting if a ‘Cooly kid’ won this year.” This 51st year. Kelly flew and spun and stuck, but Mick rode Bells as Bells likes to be ridden–with power, style, control. And win a Cooly kid did. Continue reading
The Yankee Beer List
This is what happens when you don’t eat dinner before a Friday night at BK Brewery. Photo: Ms. Megan Whitney Moore
In my five legal (and absolutely zero illegal) years of beer swilling, I’ve had quite a few American-made concoctions. I feel it would be painful to retroactively track down each and every one of them, so I’m just going to start anew and add as I imbibe/recall. As usual, they’re in vaguely alphabetical order and the newest additions will be in bold. Enjoy…
- 16 Mile Brewing Company Harvest Ale
- 16 Mile Brewing Company Inlet India Pale Ale
- 21st Amendment Brewery Hell or High Watermelon*
- Abita Amber
- Abita Purple Haze
- Allagash Black
- Allagash White
Allagash Brewery. Portland, Maine.
Allagash Saison
- Allagash Dubbel
- Allagash Tripel*
- Allagash Golden Brett
- Allagash Session Brett Ale
- Allagash Curieux
- Allagash Confluence
- Allagash Coolship Cerise (2014)
- Allagash Victor
- Anchor Brewing Co. Steam Ale
- Anchor Brewing Co. Liberty Ale
- Anchor Brewing Co. Summer Beer
- Anchor Brewing Co. Our Special Ale (Merry Christmas 2012)
- Atlantic Brewing Company Bar Harbor Real Ale
- Atlantic Brewing Company Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale*
- Atlantic Brewing Company New Guy IPA
- Atlantic Brewing Company Coal Porter
- Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
- Bar Harbor Brewing Company Thunder Hole Ale
- Baxter Brewing Co. Amber Road Amber Ale*
- Baxter Brewing Co. Phantom Punch Winter Stout*
- Baxter Brewing Co. Stowaway IPA
- Baxter Brewing Co. On The Count of 3 Imperial Hefeweizen (Anniversary Ale)
- Baxter Brewing Co. Tarnation California-Style
- Baxter Brewing Co. Pamola Xtra Pale Ale
- Baxter Brewing Co. Summer Swelter Ale
- Baxter Brewing Co. The Daughters of Poseidon Black IPA
- Baxter Brewing Co. Maple Pecan Porter
- Baxter Brewing Co. Trail Mix Ale
- Baxter Brewing Co. Lime XPA
- Baxter Brewing Co. Orange Blossom Honey Pale Ale
- Bear Republic Brewing Co. Racer 5 IPA
- Bissell Brothers Brewing Company The Substance Ale*
- Bissell Brothers Brewing Company Baby Genius
- Blue Moon Belgian White
- Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat
- Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
- Blue Point Toasted Lager
- Blue Point Blueberry Ale
- Blue Point Summer Ale
- Blue Point Oktoberfest
- Blue Point Pumpkin Ale
- Blue Point Oatmeal Stout
- Blue Point Winter Ale
- Boston Beer Company Tenacious Traveler Shandy
- Breckenridge After Rakin’ Autumn Ale
- Brooklyn Lager
- Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
- Brooklyn Brown Ale
- Brooklyn Centerfold
- Brooklyn East India Pale Ale
- Brooklyn Blast!
- Brooklyn Winter Ale
- Brooklyn Summer Ale
- Brooklyn Oktoberfest
- Brooklyn/Post Road Pumpkin Ale*
- Brooklyn Radius
- Brooklyn Gold Standard
- Brooklyn Monster
- Budweiser
- Budweiser American Ale
- Bud Light
- Carton B.D.G.
- Cisco Brewers Winter Shredder
- Cisco Brewers Indie Pale Ale
- Cisco Brewers Grey Lady*
- Coors Original
- Coors Light
- Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre
- Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale
- Dogfish Head Festina Peche
- Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale
- Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
- DuClaw Brewing Co. Sweet Baby Jesus! Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter*
- Dundee India Pale Ale
- Earth Eagle Brewings William Wallace Scottish Gruit
- Earth Eagle Brewings New England Gangsta’
- Fat Tire Amber Ale
- Fat Tire Somersault
- Flying Fish Belgian Abbey Dubbel
- Flying Fish Exit 4
- Fort Collins Brewery Major Tom’s Pomegranate Wheat Ale
- Foundation Brewing Company Blaze Farmhouse IPA
- Founders Brewing Co. All Day IPA
- Founders Brewing Co. Porter
- Founders Brewing Co. Breakfast Stout
- Geary’s Pale Ale
- Geary’s Autumn Ale
- Geary’s Hampshire Special Ale (HSA)
- Geary’s Winter Ale
- Geary’s Hudson Red Ale
- Geary’s Wee Heavy Scottish Ale
- Geary’s / Mac’s Red Ale
- Geary’s Summer Ale
- Gneiss Brewing Co. Gneiss Weiss
- Goose Island Honker’s Ale
- Goose Island India Pale Ale
- Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
- Green Lakes Organic [Amber] Ale
- Gritty’s Best Bitter
- Gritty’s Halloween Ale
- Gritty’s Mt. Abram [Red] Ale
- Gritty’s Scottish Ale
- Gritty’s Red Claws Ale
- Gritty’s Vacationland Summer Ale
- Harpoon Ale
- Harpoon IPA
- Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen
- Harpoon Summer Beer
- Harpoon Octoberfest
- Harpoon Chocolate Stout
- Harpoon The Long Thaw White IPA
- Harvest Moon Full Moon Pale Ale
- Harvest Moon Jimmy D’s Firehouse Red
- Harvest Moon Dark Side of the Moon Black IPA
- Heartland Red Rooster Ale
- Heartland Smiling Pumpkin Ale
- Josh’s Maple Brown Sugar Cranberry Xmas Ale
- Josh’s Vanilla Porter
- Kane Brewing Co. Cloud Cover
- Keegan Mothers Milk Stout
- Keegan IPA
- Keystone Light
- Kona Brewing Co. Longboard Island Lager
- Kona Brewing Co. Koko Brown Nut Brown Ale
- Kona Brewing Co. Pipeline Porter
- Lagunitas Brewing Company A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale
- Left Hand Milk Stout*
- Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss
- Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy
- Leinenkugel’s Berry Weiss
- Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest
- Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark
- Leinenkugel’s Snowdrift Vanilla Porter
- Lively Brewing Company HESTER
- Long Trail Brewing Co. Long Trail Ale
- Long Trail Brewing Co. Double Bag
- Long Trail Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale
- Long Trail Brewing Co. Summer Ale
Continue reading
ESPN Gear Review: NSP Coco Mat Longboard
Some superfluous info for ladies interested in the 9’2″ Coco Mat:
The best thing about longboarding at Snapper is that you can, basically, surf all the way down to Kirra. Which is about 1 km and it’s amazing. The walk back, however, will leave you disinterested in lathering your shampoo and shaving your legs. On a side note, a whole bunch of good-lookin’ dudes will offer to help you, which is good for your girl self-esteem (if, in fact, you’re a girl) and bad for your surfer ego.
The Definitive (Maybe) KIWI Beer List
Malthouse in Wellington.
- Boundary Road Brewery The Chosen One
- Boundary Road Brewery Flying Fortress
- Boundary Road Brewery Jack The Sipper
- Dead, Twisted, and Good Black Forest Bitter
- Emerson’s London Porter
- Lion Red
- Mac’s Black Mac Dark Beer
- Mac’s Hop Rocker Pilsener
- Mac’s Sassy Red Best Bitter
- Mac’s Gold All Malt Lager
- Mac’s Shady Pale Pale Ale
- Mac’s Cascade Parade IPA
- Mac’s Ginger Brew
- Mike’s Organic Pilsner
- Monteith’s Pilsner
- Monteith’s Celtic Red
- Monteith’s Doppelbock Winter Ale
- ParrotDog Bitter Bitch
- Queenstown Brewers Steam Brew
- Speight’s Summit Lager
- Speight’s Gold Medal Ale
- Speight’s 5 Malt Old Dark
- Speight’s Chocolate Ale
- Speight’s Distinction Ale
- Steinlager
- Stoke Lager
- Tui East India Pale Ale
- Tui Dark
- Winnie’s Ale
- Wild Buck
- Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black. (Best beer in history? Probably.)
- Yeastie Boys Gunnamatta Tea Leaf IPA
Dear Gold Coast Family
Please forgive the forthcoming sappiness.
I always seem to meet the most incredible people when I travel. And I always seem to be traveling, so fortunately, I’m always meeting incredible people. People who walk me to cafes instead of merely explaining how to get there; people who lend me wetsuits and surfboards and warm coats; people who welcome me into their homes, who make their homes my homes, whose friends open their homes; people who actually consider whether their homemade meals clash with my morals; people who share their Coronas, their whiskey, their Milo, their wine; people who pick me up at the airport, who drop me off at new breaks, who reveal hidden waterfalls; people who give me birthday cards and Christmas cake; people who show me things I’d miss on my own. People, in short, who make me feel like I’m not on my own. Who make this big world feel small.
Not so many places that I’ve been have felt like “home.” There have been a few: I instantly felt like I belonged in Paris. New York has always been “the City.” My city. I never seemed to make a wrong turn in Glasgow. And I still think I’m a Californian who just happened to be born in Jersey. I didn’t fall in love with the Goldy the first time I came here. I felt comfortable, but that’s different than feeling right. And that’s still different than feeling at home.
I don’t believe home is a place. I believe it’s a person. Sometimes, it’s people. As a constant wanderer (and hopeless romantic), I conveniently pin “home” to movable being[s] . I have found family on the Gold Coast, and it’s for that reason that it feels like home.
My family in the States will probably tell you that I have no trouble–at all–leaving people behind. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fought back tears while boarding a bus. That’s a lie; I can tell you that it’s happened twice in recent memory. Ask Yudi about the bus ride we shared. I’m terrified of walking away. I hate leaving people I love nearly as much as I love leaving. Nearly. So, I choose to believe that we’ll run into each other at Versailles, at The Pass, at the QT Hotel. It wouldn’t be the first time. Because it is a small world, after all. And, of course, you’re welcome to come with me. If not, until next time, at least we have Facebook. But seriously, thank you. For everything. And see you soon…
Sin.
Well, that was a regrettable decision.
I began the session at Snapper. That’s not the regrettable part. That part turned out to be satisfactory. At least. That part was all fun drops and successful bottom turns and speeding along deep green walls until my legs were tired. In the rain. You know I love it.
I got out of the water at Greenmount feeling pretty content. I was going to find some grub, some caffeine, some motivation. I turned around and scanned the shoreline. Hmm… I wonder what Kirra’s doing down there. I started walking in that direction. Just out of curiosity, really. It looked alright. There appeared to be some good sections, and there were like four guys out. I spotted a rip and started paddling, thinking I’d get a handful of fun shoulders (no barrels, thanks) and then go eat lunch. So, yeah, I was paddling, paddling…
Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink 