Welcome to summer everyone.
Some would argue this is the most favorable season in the lineup. It's hard not to get excited about the prospect of summer. Fewer office hours, longer days, warmer temperatures, and a general shared sentiment of good times ahead. Road trips to the coast, extended time with friends, long awaited vacations to anticipated destinations, and our cherished time on the water are all coming up in short order.
We've got another packed issue for you this quarter! The pages that follow will get those juices flowing and hopefully create a little additional inspiration for those of us who are looking for that connection to place.
Place plays a critical role in any experience — often defining elements that are most memorable and creating particular qualities that make an experience so unique. The stories and adventures captured in this issue have a particular emphasis on special places and how those places inform and shape the outcomes on those that are fortunate enough to participate.
Our friend Dylan Stott checks in with Tom Lowe during a visit to Mullaghmore. The two of them find time to catch up during a sauna session to discuss topics ranging from tattoos to frigid cold giant waves that test your resolve and expose your intentions as a big wave surfer.
Marcus Paladino heads out to Tahiti with four powerfully unique women in surfing to capture the essence of the sessions held between pro tour stops where athletes re-connect with themselves and refine their instinctual connections to the ocean. Otto Flores sits down with Pepe Garcia to lay out the plans to leverage his success as a professional surfer to support his home island of Puerto Rico to realize it's full potential in producing the best competitive surfers in the world.
This winter we saw a new kind of surf contest from the minds at Natural Selection by extending their portfolio of sporting events into surf. The visionaries of NST trekked to the far away reaches of Micronesia where they put a few of the most dynamic surfers in the world on the most dynamic waves they could find. The results produced some of the best waves of these young riders’ lives during an expression session format that felt more like a surf trip than a contest. Jen Murphy was on the scene to capture the vibe and tell the story.
Adventure travelers Jamie and Francesca Hockley continue to find their way around the globe recognizing the challenges of a life devoid of roots and attachment to any given place. These two traveling kiters follow up on a tip that lands them in a quiet little Panamanian beach town to explore the flat water lagoons and waves of Punta Chame.
And finally, Leah Dawson travels to the Mentawai's with a crew of long time friends and childhood idols to a tiny remote island oasis for a "wake up and see" type of forecasting ideology that delivered more than favorable conditions for this group of devoted loggers.
The past few months have brought about plenty of uncertainty and calamity in the world. It's hard to tell where things are headed with a shaky tiller and inconsistent winds that seem to change direction on any given day. For those seeking solace, I suggest a temporary departure from your typical daily routine. Instead, put some energy toward finding a place that's perfectly suited to delivering the temperament you're looking for. While you're there, take notice of the way it makes you feel and try to understand what it is about that place that makes you feel that way. Take some time to soak it in and remind yourself of how you got there knowing that you can return whenever necessary to get out of the gale and get into calmer seas.
I hope to see you there,
Russ
