Friday, April 22, 2011

new things to come!

Source: http://www.fishbrotherhood.net/2011/03/new-things-to-come.html

Post Tsunami Stress Disorder (REPRINT)

The tsunami disasters unfolding in Japan are forcing me to revisit my experience with tsunami relief work in Chile last year. Below is a "web reprint" of an article I wrote for The Surfer's Path magazine. (Issue #79, August-September 2010) I can barely fathom what's going on in Japan because I know it's thousands of times worse than what we had in Chile, and Chile was difficult enough! All my love and prayers for the people in Japan.

Post Tsunami Stress Disorder: finding oneself amidst fear and hope in Chile?s coastal devastation.

By Josh Berry

Rushing to Chile immediately after the 8.8 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country?s coastline on February 27, 2010, on a mission to distribute water filters and medical attention for survivors at the epicenter?s most devastated coastline, Save The Waves Coalition?s environmental director Josh Berry recounts his surreal, traumatic and profoundly moving experience on the still-trembling shores of coastal Chile.

I haven?t even gotten to the earthquake zone and I?m already freaking out. Fresh off the airplane I shaved my head after being stuck in traffic hell in the brutal Santiago sun ? golden surfer locks ruthlessly transformed into militaristic brownish stubble by my firefighter friend El Diplomatico and his trusty, rusty hair clippers. It?s fitting for our emergency mission bringing water filters and medical aid to the most stricken survivors in post-tsunami Chile. For now it?s merely too hot in Santiago as the murderous sun burns stark through an ozone-depleted sky. I miss the ocean already, but this time the ocean bit back hard with a tsunami of biblical proportions. Bienvenido a Santiago, gringo.

The anonymous generosity of countless individuals, foundations, and surf industry companies has brought us back to Chile. Less than 3 days after the earthquake we rallied hundreds of donations, formed an informal partnership with Waves for Water to distribute clean water filters to tsunami survivors, and established another partnership to bring medical professionals from REACT Worldwide and Operation Rainbow directly to the disaster area. Tons of supplies are being donated and shipped to Chile on behalf of Save The Waves to distribute and help wherever it?s needed. And the need is deep - my shock at the magnitude of the problem, and the meaning of everyone?s incredibly humane response, is giving me deep wells of inspiration and energy to get things done, quickly and without complaint, for the courageous people of coastal Chile who desperately need help.

Before moving back closer to home in California last year, I spent over 7 years in Chile working as an advocate for water quality issues around surf spots. As fate would have it, exactly one year after I left Chile, a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the same area that I had spent years working and surfing, precisely where Save The Waves Coalition has invested so much time and resources fighting development, sewage, forestry and coal pollution.

On February 27, 2010, this area was clobbered by the earth?s most violent force: an earthquake and tsunami one-two wallop. Information is sparse but reports slowly filter in, of three tsunami waves of 10, 15 and 30 feet tall hitting several hundred miles of coastline. As soon as I learned of the catastrophe I booked a flight from the USA with El Diplomatico who also loves Chile, and somehow we made it into the country. In spite of 90% of flights being cancelled due to the widespread destruction of infrastructure, we managed to sweet-talk our way into beloved Chile and landed in Santiago 5 days after the disaster struck.

So we?ve made it back to Chile and here we are, tripping out in Santiago where life seems to be going on as if nothing has happened. We cross a few cracked highways and the airport is mostly closed, but the incessant city life is business as usual. What the fuck do we do now?! A huge natural disaster has devastated hundreds of miles of coastline and after a day of purchasing truckloads of supplies in the city we need to get to the coastal epicenter. We have a plan to distribute water filters, supplies and medical aid in refugee camps. But first we must survive the mean streets and insane traffic of Santiago. The doctors we?ve agreed to guide into the epicenter aren?t in the country yet and who knows when they?ll arrive.

We?ve also joined forces with big wave surfers Ram�n Navarro, Greg Long and Kohl Christensen, who were all surfing the Todos Santos big wave contest when the earthquake hit Chile and who also heeded the overwhelming urge to get to Chile, pronto, and do whatever it takes to help. They arrive two days after and hit the ground running ? with El Diplomatico I head further south to the epicenter, while the big wave team sprints to Pichilemu and Ram�n?s hometown. Our plan is to meet halfway after distributing help in our respective coastal zones.

Waves for Water got us a ?bro-deal? on 1,000 simple yet highly effective water filters for emergency use in disaster areas. The filters are already proving their worth in Haiti where ?W4W? distributed thousands of them to the millions of homeless. After a massive natural disaster, water and shelter are two very limited and valuable resources. We know what we have to do, and although the mission is simple we know it?s not going to be easy.

This is crazy. The only reason I?m here is because of love. I love this country and I know the epicenter zone as well as anyone. And others? love for Chile has helped us get here, too, and it?s supremely humbling to read the long list of anonymous strangers who only want to help. In this type of hugely devastating natural disaster, that?s enough for a place that needs all the support it can get. By the time we leave Santiago we?ve already managed to get several truckloads of supplies out ahead of us, on their way to numerous coastal surf towns that took the brunt of the tsunami hit. I fear what lies ahead, but I know it?s nothing compared to what my Chilean friends are already facing at the epicenter ? it?s survival and recovery at our most basic level. It?s a Herculean effort that easily brings out the best of humanity: help your neighbor.

My face starts breaking out in the worst acne I?ve had since I was 14 and blind with hormones. It?s a combination of work stress - it took us days of non-stop travel to reach post-tsunami Chile in spite of the officially closed international airport and that?s just the beginning of the logistics nightmares ? plus the pressure of the searing late summer heat, and the dreadful anticipation of our impending immersion in complete, heart-breaking destruction at a beloved stretch of coastal Chile.

The drive towards the epicenter is uneventful and underwhelming ? a few collapsed bridges, damaged rooftops and cracks in the road. This is all very photogenic and newsworthy but it?s not why we?re here. The worst is yet to come. Our first real taste of the harsh tsunami-induced reality is at the coast near our destination: in Pelluhue, a fishing village and summer tourist town, we drive through 2 kilometers suffering from a direct tsunami hit. The equivalent of over 50 square blocks is completely erased ? nothing is left but piles of broken beams, crumpled tin roofs, crushed cars, and chunks of cement foundations scattered where entire neighborhoods once stood. The cars are unrecognizable except for a tire or exhaust pipe poking out of a crumpled mass of steel. Entire homes are gone, sometimes leaving nothing but the portion of a broken brick wall and a bathtub standing oddly alone amidst sand and torn-up trees. Everything swept away by the mammoth forces of enraged water. Nature?s destructive force is unbelievable even when facing it as a direct witness.

At the coast the devastation is crushing ? literally, emotionally and physically. My friends and I are speechless ? there?s nothing to do but put our heads down, get to work, and quietly ponder a strange mantra: oh my god? oh my god? oh my god. What happened?

So this is the aftermath of a tsunami. Up until now I?ve only been able to wonder and scratch my head about the unbelievable wrath it entails. Words cannot do it justice. My stomach churns from what I see, but we?re also strangely energized to get things done and help as much as possible. Sleep is secondary. This is a unique and meaningful opportunity to truly help other humans in the time of their direst need. Shell-shocked people wander about in a daze. Everything helps, and everywhere I look there?s something positive to be done: sweep up debris, hug a stranger, make someone smile, give away something useful to someone who has lost everything.

Training locals in how to build and use the water filter is incredibly simple yet very helpful: most people who?ve fled the tsunami zone don?t have a reliable source of clean water. They are empowered and energized to assemble something that guarantees them a level of health that is at times unobtainable in the difficult conditions of a natural disaster. My fear and anxiety lessens with every filter we build, and my peace grows with every person we train to build their own community?s filters. We?re also healing ourselves as we complete our mission to help the local community.

Entire towns have fled the shoreline, terrified by what the tsunami did to their tranquil lives. Dozens of refugee camps have sprung up in the hills above the coast here. We travel slowly but surely to many of these camps, with filters, doctors, and supplies. But we?re learning that much of what we have to give is immaterial: just showing up is a form of granting hope and inspiration for people to stand up, get well and dust themselves off.

The earthquake and tsunami double-whammy is nature?s ultimate knockout punch. Oddly enough, the tsunami news has barely reached international media networks. But Chilean news is all over it, and during our first weekend at the epicenter there are hundreds of Chilean volunteers pouring in to offer help at cleaning up, rebuilding, and restoring energies for the coastal communities. We meet dozens of professionals coming from the city to offer their services. The destruction is so vast that it will take many months of concerted volunteer effort to rebuild the hundreds of miles of coastline that are reeling from the blow.

The Chilean military is the only organization that is prepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Even so, during the first few days after the earthquake the military was barely able to deploy because they, too, had to dig themselves out and recover before they could help their country. At first they had the unsavory and well-publicized job of restoring order, arresting looters, and enforcing a curfew. But it?s a week after the earthquake and the military is doing an incredible job of rebuilding, cleaning up, and giving people hope. Unarmed platoons of young soldiers march down the streets singing songs as they escort trucks full of tsunami debris. Military brass bands roam the larger towns playing live renditions of their unique blend of inspirational tunes. And hundreds of energetic young soldiers swarm over the landscape with wheelbarrows, tractors, shovels and dump trucks. Everyone that isn?t shell-shocked is working and it?s inspiring.

But it?s only a week after and the shell shock continues to be as devastating as the tsunami was. First, an earthquake of massive shaking forces total system collapse. Then, a giant ocean wave of steamrolling destruction sweeps the debris into chaotic mountains of junk. And finally, endless set waves of emotional trauma sweep the land. Every day we feel huge aftershocks registering up to 7.5 on the richter scale, sending everyone into a panic.

Our doctors finally arrive, and they?re going full-time from awakening in the pre-dawn until falling into bed at midnight. Burn victims. Shell-shocked kids. Freaked-out parents. Fishermen wandering the streets, crying, who have lost everything: the wave took the boat, nets, wetsuits, truck, knives, bait and more. Working class people have lost their jobs along with all their belongings, because industry and economy have slowed to a crawl. But everyone has time to rebuild and recover.

One day my doctor friends from Santiago who specialize in healing emotional trauma take an ambulance into the remotest hills of the epicenter. A middle-aged woman has been sitting in a chair, trapped for two weeks inside her head in her own home. She is unable to move ? she is completely terrified from the 2-minute-long earthquake and the numerous aftershocks. She won?t get up and she won?t leave the house due to the emotional trauma that?s taken over her body and mind. Her family, friends and neighbors don?t know what to do.

So the doctors speak with the paralyzed woman for over an hour, coaxing her to open up about the experience. She weeps and cries and thumps her chest. It?s cathartic and healing. The doctors massage her legs and encourage her to stand up. She stands, and step-by-step with the coaxing of the doctors, she slowly makes it to the front door of her home to survey her street. Then, with friends and family surrounding her she tearfully steps out the door to walk down her street for the first time in weeks. Everyone in the neighborhood thinks it?s a miracle and they send the doctors home with countless blessings, gifts of garden fresh vegetables, yerba mate, homemade woolen knittings, and pleas for them to return and visit soon.

As a result of this catastrophe Save The Waves Coalition is a better version of its former self: the larger international community chose us to coordinate a multi-agency effort to support the recovery of a beloved surfing coastline. We are not alone and the list of supporters is too long to mention here. This mission will take years as we commit our resources to reconstruction projects, small scholarships for local students, organic educational gardens, and material support for local artisan fishermen to get back to work. But we?re learning, and inspired by the locals around us. Their recovery and their courageousness are incredible and are driving this grassroots recovery. Sergio ?Pocha? Salas, the first surfer in Constituci�n who lost everything to the disaster, is a fireball of nonstop energy as he takes our water filter mission to new heights in his ruined city. His example of selfless action is repeated in every town where we stop to help: offered a spark, the locals turn it into a bonfire of inspiration and cheer.

We?re still working with shaking ground all around. We stop to look up, make sure nothing is falling on our heads, then put our heads back down to focus on the work before us. This brings out the collective unconscious of millions of years of humans being terrorized by, coping with, and surviving calamitous earth tremors and natural disasters. To stand up, dust off, and survive with our neighbors is a natural condition carved into our DNA. And we?re becoming better humans as a result: more humane, more humble, and more aware of the great big picture drawn by our cosmos, the universe and shifting tectonic plates. The only constant is change: the earth changes, we adapt, we change into better versions of our former selves as we help our friends, our neighbors and ourselves survive the fear and rise up from the ashes. Ultimately, we?ve survived the biggest wave that nature can throw at us and it?s brought us closer together. We look forward to the future as we work tirelessly in the present.

About the author: Raised the son of a firewood cutter and a bush-walking mystic in the coastal wilds of northern California, Josh is presently on a break from environmental nonprofit work to build a cabin in the woods and grow his own vegetables.

Delivering water filters & basic supplies for earthquake survivors in Chile.

Source: http://greensurfing.blogspot.com/2011/03/post-tsunami-stress-disorder-reprint.html

This One Goes to Eleven!

Join us at the Malibu World Surfing Reserve on October 9. It's going to be an epic day full of incredible activities:

www.savethewaves.org/malibu

Source: http://greensurfing.blogspot.com/2010/09/this-one-goes-to-eleven.html

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Save The Waves Film Festival: Friday! Nov 12

Together with my good friend, Chilean actor/filmmaker Angel Marin, we will be "on the mic" as MCs of our 2nd annual Save The Waves Film Festival:

Join us on Friday, November 12: www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival

This 1-night-only film festival features Chris Malloy's 180 SOUTH, Dave "Rasta" Rastovich's TRANSPARENT SEA and Mickey Smith's DARKSIDE OF THE LENS, as well as several other short films to be announced soon.

>> Get your tickets here to Save The Waves Film Festival

Tickets are for sale: $20 general admission or $60 VIP admission (VIP includes a limited edition hand-printed 13"x21" original letterpress print by acclaimed Brooklyn-based artist Mike Houston and his Cannonball Press, two free drink tickets, a VIP gift bag from Patagonia and CLIF Bar, and reserved seating.)

At the historic Victoria Theatre in San Francisco. All proceeds benefit the non-profit environmental programs of Save The Waves Coalition.

* Save The Waves Film Festival features very special filmmaker guests, as well as live music by San Francisco legends MY PEOPLES (formerly Kapakahi).

-- www.savethewaves.org/filmfestival --

Source: http://greensurfing.blogspot.com/2010/10/save-waves-film-festival-friday.html

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Showtime

Surf was alittle too blown out for a surf at the cornerbowl so I opted to shoots for an hour or so.

Interesting once the helicopter showed up with the camera on board how a pack from the main break split off down the beach to the next break down. These were definately some of the better surfers and they put on quite the show.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/BWOV/~3/7E9WGCAgK34/showtime.html

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Windsurfing 1000 Nautical Mile for Donation to Charity

Meet Lea Spencer, windsurfer/speedsurfer from United Kingdom, his blog http://redsurfbus.blogspot.com/ about the 1000nm windsurfing challenge. I asked more about his interesting challenge.

What made you decide to raise money with windsurfing?
At the start of 2010 a windsurfing friend of mine kindly gave me some of his old speed kit in return for a donation to charity, I thought this was an excellent way of introducing new people to a different aspect of the sport while also benefiting others. Before he gave me the kit I suffered a heart attack while sleeping on February 13th, it lasted over 8 hours and I have still not been given a good reason why I have had one other than genetics. If I compare my lifestyle and my eating habits to my father then we have lived as complete opposites, but have to accept this reason as we were both around 35 when it happened, I am fortunate that I did not kill me like it did with him. Perhaps I am very fortunate in that I was fit and had a strong heart which has suffered little to no scarring.

When I recovered and got back on the water about 5 weeks later I decided to do something in 2011 for a heart charity with a windsurfing challenge. As 2010 drew to an end I finally decided to try to complete 1000nautical miles and raise �1 per mile - giving me a good target to do over a year, and a way of extending the target and raising more money.

I chose windsurfing as it has taken over my life in the past 3 years, going from a few sessions per year when I started about 5 years ago up to 74 last year and a target of 100 for 2011. I chose the distance aspect so it gave me an achievable target over the year, either with good winds or some long distance slogging this summer in the event of light winds.

The mental recovery after a heart attack takes a lot longer than any physical recovery in both my experience and that of others I have talked to. This challenge has helped me overcome the long dark moods that occur quite regularly, it gives me something to look forward to and work towards. I guess in the long run I want to help younger people overcome this side of heart disease and lead normal lives as I have met a few who have become very withdrawn and depressed after suffering. Windsurfing absolutely eliminates any depressed feelings both when on the water and when looking forward to the next session / recovering from the last. In the future I would like to write a small book about this with the hope of helping others in similar situations, this challenge and the people I am meeting along the way will give it some storyline.

What does windsurfing or speedsurfing mean for you?
Windsurfing means freedom and escape to me. I love the sea and was a strong swimmer as a youth. When I changed jobs to become a teacher I took the chance to move from Manchester to the south coast where I could start more hobbies that were water based. I did the usual thing, took a lesson, bought some kit and had a few sessions when the wind was suitable.

Over the first couple of years the sessions were few and far between but then about 3 years ago I changed schools and now drive past my local spot (Portland Harbour) every morning and evening. This forced me to buy a van so I was always ready with kit, and of course the quiver has increased exponentially in size to fill the van! Last Wednesday evening in the cold setting sunlight it may as well have been mid summer as I cruised up and down, relaxing and exercising at the same time.

I work with a couple of recreational windsurfers like myself, but due to family commitments they do not get as many sessions. Every session with them pushes me forward even more, one of them has windsurfed for years and is very competitive. Due to getting a lot more time on the water than him it means he now gets very frustrated that he is always from 1 knot to 6 slower. This competitive side along with the banter the following day about dropping gybes or rigging the wrong kit brings the child out in me which is no bad thing and breaks the working day up nicely.

Since September last year I have sailed with the Portland Pirates who are usually near the top of the GPS team challenge, several of the team members are local and national legends in the windsurfing scene and its thanks to them that I am now learning the speedsurfing side of the sport. Even though I felt I had not much to offer other than distance sessions for the team rankings I found that on 3 occasions from September to December my scores counted to the overall team score for the month which has made me happier than winning anything for myself. It is the first time I have participated in a team that I have truly enjoyed it.

So far this year I sailed my first 30+ knot average and have learnt how to watch for and gain speed with the gusts, bear in mind that at the start of 2010 I was only making about 1 out of 5 gybes!

In short, the freedom and satisfaction windsurfing gives can only be understood by someone who has experienced the feeling of being in harmony with some of the biggest forces nature can throw at us.

Could you tell what equipment will be used to reach the 1000nm goal?
My quiver of boards is as follows -
? A Starboard Carve 133 which is my lightwind cruising board and should really be replaced with a dedicated slalom of around the same size.
? A Starboard Kode 112 which is a great board but again not dedicated slalom, it does however keep up with any board of the same size across the wind and will be used to clock up the most miles I think.
? A Mistral 95SL RD, this is a pure slalom board for advanced sailors, it has taken about 5 sessions and I am now a lot more comfortable with the change in stance and the difference in feel the board gives. I hope to use this board a lot more as I build in confidence with it.
? On top of this I have 2 wave boards and a custom speed board which will rarely get used for this challenge.

The sails I have -
? A 7.0 Tushingham x15 which will be the workhorse for this challenge, it is brilliant for overpowered conditions but also gets going in light winds unlike my other speed sails.
? A 6.3 Simmer XC Race and a 5.8 Tushingham X15 for higher winds, but these do overlap quite considerably in my experience on them, the Simmer needing really overpowered conditions to work, or even get going!
? Severne Gators (5.5 - 6.0 - 6.5) which are great all round sails, working both in waves and flat water very well.
? Finally I have a 7.8 North Xtype which will get used when there is not enough wind for the 7m, and two North Ice's (5.0 - 4.5)
This should cover me for all conditions, although I would like a bigger cammed sail for the lighter winds and more time on the water but will only get one if I also get a bigger slalom board or replace my Kode with a slalom, the Kode struggles with anything above a 7m due to a short mast track that is quite far back.

If all the above fails I have a paddleboard with mast track that I can use in less than 10knots for clock up some miles if necessary.

Out of it all if I could choose then I would opt for the Mistral 95 and the Tushingham 7 x15, as these will force me to perfect my laydown gybe and give me good hour speeds along with a lot of miles.

Kind regards and good winds
Lea
--
http://redsurfbus.blogspot.com/

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SpeedsurfingBlog/~3/eVOTbkzdOFY/windsurfing-1000-nautical-mile-for.html

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Adventures in Fiji

In November 2009, I spent an incredible ten days on the Tui Tai exploring the Northern Fijian atolls. We had so many adventures that I scored a ton of footage and epic photos that I haven't even finished getting through. Here are a few of the highlights. For your own adventure, check out the Tui Tai!

Source: http://hollybecksurfs.blogspot.com/2010/01/adventures-in-fiji.html

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Naish 2011 & Speed

I was looking to all new windsurf equipment on www.windsurfing44.com and was reading the Naish 2011 topic. There is a (big) change because the Stealth is gone!! I remember the stealth always has been a big name, a fast sail, a world speed record sail, FINIAN MAYNARD Now its little brother the Grand Prix will take over as top-of-the-line racesail. I read the Naish Grand Prix page, I bet this sail will go fast, but my conclusion from the naish page would be the sail is designed to have fun. I think the main target is a big group getting the best performance, and not a sail for only the best ultrafit or strong windsurfers on the planet. It could be the sail works actually quite good for speed for a big group, since it is most likely softer.

I have to admit to be a little disappointed the Stealth is gone, and some serious doubts the Grand Prix 2011 can do what the Stealth achieved in the past. But we will see :)

Naish 2011 Grand Prix

Naish Grand Prix racesail

About Naish boards, the slalomsizes are the same as last year, funny fact both the sails and boards have the same name GRAND PRIX. To bad Naish stopped with speedboards, but slalomboards can go fast too. There is something written about a Grand Prix 4.6... Maybe there is a secret comeback in speed ;)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SpeedsurfingBlog/~3/wjre0463g5U/naish-2011-speed.html

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