Passengers:
Ian Lyon, Tony Warrilow, Adrian Quilter-Harvey, Brian Murtagh, John Bennett, Brett Parr, Peter Smith, Murray Wilson
It was always going to be interesting with the Wildebeast, the Lyon, JB, Adrian, and The Life Of Brian returning. A ceaseless swell had been pulsing back and forth for most of the year with a particularly strong push headed our way. Time enough to warm up with perfect lefts and rights that stood a couple of feet overhead. The Lyon was still licking wounds from last year and all the years before but the Captain kept reving him up till he was forced to take off deep, get tubed, hit the reef, and come out grinning Bintang in one hand, sunset searing on the other hand, and a handful of stories. Wildebeest paced the deck before every surf. He surfed with abandon, throwing caution to the offshores and reliving the halcyon days of an Angourie winter. JB was styling through the lefts,getting tubed, not catching enough fish and generally having a ball till the Captain skulldragged him out to The Thing at the peak of a new raw swell. My Gosh were they humbled with 8 by 8 of sheer terror if you did not make the wave. JB was unceremoniously caught under the biggest set of the morning and driven like a watermelon into the reef, board and body smashed. Blood on the deck. They ran, tails between their legs, the whole boatload of 'em, searching for something, anything a little more user friendly. Adrian found utopia in an obscure left and a few rights. It was all he needed and his surfing showed. Muzza needed the hollow lefts to stuff his big frame into. He got 'em and put on displays of incredible tube finess. Brian, Pete, and Brett just kept grinning, whatever came their way. Pete would sneak sessions by himself, crack a beer around 4pm, sit back, laugh and say "I'm on holidays"
Second year running for the lads. They wanted different waves and got them. They are the classic bunch of wisened travelers. No expectations. Just stoked to be out on the BJ relaxing from the grind. And none of us will ever forget The Thing!!!!