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Coal coast autumns bring crisp, cool mornings and plenty of swell. Sand banks form and deliver consistent fun waves, sometimes for months at a time, often to the delight of well-informed masses. This morning was no different: three kneelos got out among the crowd, caught a few waves and had a few laughs. When Troy and Chayne Simpson first made an impact in kneeboarding circles back in the 90s, it was as a double act, blowing up big-time on the South Coast. While Chayne still blows minds with his surfing, Troy’s more visible these days as a photographer, (at least to those who read the fine print in the current crop of glossy surf rags). Last weekend the boys put aside time to revisit one of their old stomping grounds. South coast autumns at their best bring clear skies, all-day offshores and lined up swell. On this trip the coast delivered, Chayne ripped and Troy nailed it. As the boys would say: YEWW!! Photos: Troy Simpson Words: Rob Harwood Suddenly I am Free Again After 30 hours of travel I arrived in Bali to the welcome of fellow kneelo and part time Bali resident, Paul Duquet. 4 hours later I was sipping beers at Paul’s favorite Uluwatu warang after surfing, no responsibilities or cares. It was the same freedom I felt 35 years ago when I first escaped to the North Shore. Add to this new-found sense of freedom a seemingly endless supply of epic waves. Five days of solid surf sessions in Bali followed by a rendezvous with my bros in Sumatra. We boarded the Samundra Biru and proceeded to score several days of Mentawai perfection. So many times we sat exhausted on deck saying over and over, “This is exactly my dream of perfection- perfect shape, good size, perfect colors, surrounded by incredible beauty, no one out!! Cya in the H2O, Edited: Rob Harwood Lines drawnJethro Cooney’s just back from a boat charter through the Mentawais. It was a full kneelo jaunt with Albert Munoz, James “Pommie” Anderson, Paul Mannix, Jim Brown, Neil Owen and Travis Sutton. Somewhere in that blissful zone between surfed out and comatose, young Jethro managed to keep a journal. We’re glad he did. Here’s a sneaky peek at what went down. Post by Jethro Cooney Words by Jethro Cooney and Rob Harwood Images by Josh Symon www.sevenliquidfour.com 
Bruce Hart from flashpoint chats some finer details with Justin Crawford (Peter Crawfords son) Pic: steeno Our legend Spanish contributor Jesus Fiochi Alonso gives us some more insight into his kneeriding world Thanks Chus 
70s Kneerider, Mat Surfer, Photographer, Snowboarder…….Richard “Nat” Palmer Pic: Steeno When you Indo, there will be days that will stay with you for a long, long time Albert and Pommy having one of those days Pics: Josh Symon
Talk
Been talking about a new board for a while. Something old school: a no- rocker fish with a flat deck, blocky rails and glassed in keel fins. Jamie’s going to build it for me. He’s a friend who makes a few in his spare time. He surfs a lot, much more than I do at the moment, which is kind of ironic because when I first met Jamie I was the one getting waves every day. Things changed though, as they do, and sometimes we laugh about how that can happen. Now he lives across the road from the sea, surfs a lot and builds boards in his garage. Jamie builds boards because he likes to, not because he makes any money out of it. If he covers costs he’s happy, but he’d still build boards if he didn’t cover costs. He loves the process of starting with an idea, translating it into a shape and then riding the finished board, feeling how it goes. He reckons he learns a lot with every board he makes. He hasn’t ridden anything bought from a shop for a couple of years now and can’t see that changing. Jamie’s a quiet kind of guy, purposeful. Talks slow, means what he says and mostly smiles when he says it. We talk about my new board a few times a week. Dimensions, contours, fins and their placement: it’s been going on for months but it’s finally about ready to emerge from inside the blank. Seems like it’s taken ages, and sometimes we laugh about how that can happen. It’s going to be worth the wait. Someday soon I’ll share a session with Jamie. I’ll paddle out on the board he’s built me. I’ll be riding it for the first time and he’ll be riding one of the quiver he’s created for himself. We’ll share a few waves and talk about how the new board goes. I already know the memory of that session will last and last and last. After all, you only get out what you put in. Rob Harwood Surf trips with mates are worth their weight in gold, when the surf co-operates and gets better and better, well……..gold aint worth enough. images: Josh Symon More to come……. Some up close and personal moments with a legless crew on a recent trip to the Mentawai. Thanks to Josh Symon, from www.sevenliquidfour.com More to come on this trip, stayed tuned.
Progression
Surfing good waves with good friends - arguably the ultimate surfing experience - can sometimes open up aspects of our surfing never before explored. When this happens, the lessons learned make us better waveriders. Recently, at an idyllic Indo pointbreak, a rare set of circumstances aligned: three friends shared the line-up, taking turns riding waves, pushing the progressive side of their surfing. This was a unique session in which each individual’s performance provided instant inspiration for the others’ progression. For those three friends in that place and time, surfing, rather than being a series of individualistic expressions, became much more: a spontaneous product of their interactions. During this session no photos were taken, nor video shot. All that will ever remain for those lucky three are the memories and the realisation that their maximum waveriding performance lies just that little bit further than they ever imagined.
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