RATMAN dancing!

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Gold yet again...

We FINALLY got some surf again..Just Johan and I, all alone.It was 8 degs out when we got there and 8 degs in the water..No probs with the great wetties we've got.. it's almost too warm in them actually!! See Johan in the background just about to cutback on the outside wave??!!
Friday the 19th oct..we left from Östersund at 1pm and got to Sundsvall at @ 3pm.Jay and Andrew had to work and Frexi is studying in Uppsala (I think).This is what greeted us when we arrived..Although it looks small it's a zoomed camera shot.they were about shoulder high with the occasional overhead set.
When we arrived it was light onshore and not a footprint on the whole beach..(note Johans footprints in the sand!!)..we were alone again. No-one had walked on the beach for a month.. The boomgate on the private road was closed so we had to get changed and walk the last 600m
This shot is of our other secret spot ...yet to be surfed, by anyone, EVER! We checked it before hitting our other spot.We'll wait for bigger surf and then we'll hit it and name it..haha DISCOVERY.!! a car shot from the jourmey there..
Another shot of our new secret spot..clean and knee to waist high..can't wait for a big swell!!

Out of focus..and the camera was as well..haha

there's the date
Johan about to hit it
self portrait on a really nice sunny but half chilly day..still light onshore
a little peak hits while johan waits for a set wave
merry xmas to you all from the cold country
check out those muscles mate
head's really ugly though
We surfed alone on an empty beach for 3 hours till it got dark..at about 4.30 the wind died and it got cleaner..it even went offshore..both johan and I got small but incredibly good fun tubes..not the aussie type tubes but a tube up here is worth gold to us..it was heaps of fun in a year that hasn't offered much in the way of favourable surf conditons..last year we were surfing almost every week 'till the ice hit the ocean up here..this year it has been blowing westerly in some form almost all the time and that means that the waves are getting blown over to Finland..this year I wish I was living in Finland..Might have to hit Norway and get some real surf soon..Hears to surfing totally alone..I like it ..I don't care about the cold..the wetty's are so good the cold water's no problem at all..it just means less people surfing..hahaha..go the icewaves..

Peace from the midnight runners..Pray for surf

Hey! It's Jay, do you think he's Gay? What do you say?

RAT, without the HAT, doing the CAT

NOOOOO suuuurf

Well fellow bloggers. It's been westerly for like a whole month..it's crap...I can't stand it any more..

here's some pics of me in oz, before I moved here.Above, sitting at Tallows, 35 deg in the shade.

Below a normal sunday on Clarke's beach Byron Bay, that´s me, in the hat.

Small day at tallows..hot as hell but nice clean water

Yaaaaahooooo

We got some really good ones today, 9 degs outside and 9-10 degs in the water. First we went on a little search mission again to look at a few more possibilities!!

We found a new spot that looked pretty good (see the first few pics of the right point) but we decided to go surf our normal spot 'cause we wanted a bit more size..It has potential though, it could get pretty good if i gets bigger !!

a bit out of focus but well overhead

we were the only ones out, again

Jay had to work, so he couldn't make it..poor fella...When we paddled out(me, Rat, Johan and Andrew it was great,for about 20 mins, then all of a sudden the point just died!!After a while we discovered that the inside reforms were reeeeaaaallly good..power size and form..I paddled over first and then called Johan and Andrew over...then we had fun..Johan and Andrew got some great ones..I got the best waves I have had this year..it was really crunchy and powerful..then it got dark and we had to get out...Bummer...

It hasn't been very consistent this autumn..bloody west winds ..blowing all the swell to Finland.. pray for some nor'easters or sou'easters brothers

Peace to all you bloggers..love RAT...

No-one's writing anything!!!

There hasn't been any surf for a week or 2 again..aaaaarrrrgggh.. but no-one else is writing anything so I'm gunna put in 3 pics of when we had a go-cart comp last Xmas with work..I came 3rd..I'm a legend..hahaha.

looks like waves tomorrow..(tuesday) at gvn and friday at nvs boys...keep your fingers crossed..I have put in a big order with Göran from backdoor and we'll see what happens..the goods should be arriving this week....Peace brothers..RAT

September 14, 2007

September 14, 2007

(Jay) After what seemed to be an eternity, we finally got some waves. We had been waiting and anticipating for something, anything to come our way since our last session together (some 5 weeks earlier). In fact, the last time we all paddled out together, it was pretty much just that... paddling. The waves were small and barely ridable. Today, however, changed all that.

Grant sent me a message on Wednesday saying that Friday looked as though there might be some waves so get on standby. We watched in anticipation and decided for sure that we'd commit to a trip over to the coast. My wife was eager to take me so she could visit a childhood friend of hers who lives nearby which was good so I didn't have to wait around for Grant and Johan to get off from work. In the late afternoon we were off.

I arrived at the surf break around 14:00 and right as I did, Grant called (surfer's ESP). I hadn't yet seen the condition but there were definite signs that there was something stirring in the waters nearby. I told him I'd call him back with a report. I got out of the car and made a B-line straight for the break. When I got there, the wind was howling onshore and this is what I saw.


Now, I know it doesn't look like much but for a group of surfers who haven't seen waves in months, this was a welcome invitation. I immediately sent a picture to Grant and described it as mushy but worth the drive. I then ran back to my car and suited up, while Grant sent a picture back of "3 angry guys ..hangin' for a surf and with 1½ hours drive still left to go...hahaha".



Around 14:15 (+1 GMT) I was in the water. Grant and Johan picked up Andrew (another SoCal surfer) and Jonas (a friend of Johan's) and they were off. 2 hours before the crew showed up, I had the waves to myself. Although it was lonely, I didn't mind the solitude since I haven't had many sessions where I've surfed alone in my life. The waves were actually quite good and I was suprised from what I briefly witnessed before I suited up. The average wave rolling in was about chest to shoulder high. The biggest sets brought in head high to slightly overhead rollers. The wind made the water's surface pretty bumpy and the fact that I'm riding a SoCal shortboard, in a 5 mm wetsuit, 6mm gloves and 6mm booties and a dang hood, I got pretty worn out by the time I finally made it out into the line up. The waves were a lot of fun and each one I rode, I constantly had the thought that I had to paddle my sluggish ass back out. Surfing shouldn't feel this way so I either need a thicker board or I need to start training more.

Around 16:00 the guys showed up and they were greeted by Frexi and Dan (who are our local bros). I paddled in to give them the low down as well as meet Jonas. When they all got suited up we were back out. By this time however, my super human strength and awesome abilities became weakend by my previous workout so I caught a few more waves (with the ever present thought of the paddle), came in and got changed to take pics.

I have to appologize to the guys ahead of time that these pics do not give them any credit at all to their abilities. I took these pictures with my phone camera and with delays in the camera's mechanics, I missed all the choice shots and got the crap.. So sorry dudes...


I'm not sure, but I think this is Jonas and Grant.







This is Jonas~>
(This session was his 2nd surf session in Sweden and his first in Norrland)














<~Here's Johan after a nice right.



Here's Andrew on the rainbow longboard.~>








<~Just one of the set waves that rolled in.


The guys got worn out pretty quickly too as I did and were out after being in a few hours. The waves had died down about an hour and a ½ after they got in so they got a good taste of the swell. We hung out a bit and my wife called saying she got me some grub from Max's and was on her way. When she arrived, the guys were all changed and boards mounted up for the LONG trip home.

All in all, this was one of the good days although not many rides will be remembered. I think the only one who had a great ride was Grant who came back to the car hooting and describing his floater on the inside section. Thanks for the head's up Grant and thank you guys for the company on the surf sesh. Keep praying for surf.