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NEW DISCOVERY
The Indies Trader comes to Orange County
Back in the early '90s, when Martin Daly was busy discovering perfect surf all through remote parts of Indonesia, he came up with an idea. There seemed to be a limited number of perfect waves, he reckoned. At least perfect waves we knew about. Why shouldn't some surf company start exploring for more undiscovered waves? And who better to man the ship that him?
Well, timing, as they say, is everything. He pitched the idea to Quiksilver's Bruce Raymond back in '91, but the global recession was affecting surf companies same as everyone else. Not possible. So Daly spent the middle and late '90s cruising around the Mentawais and other remote Indonesian islands, and in the process, discovering more perfect surf breaks than anyone else, ever.
And as the global economy started booming in the late '90s, Quiksilver decided it was time to revisit the idea. They commissioned Daly and his Indies Trader to embark on a worldwide quest for surf -- which is showing no signs of slowing down. Fast statistics: More than 360 people have joined the boat since March 1999. They have discovered and surfed 98 new world-class waves. The boat has traveled approximately 84,000 nautical miles since leaving Cairns (the distance around the Equator is 21,638 nautical miles). They are not screwing around here, in other words.
And now, for the first time, the boat is sitting in Newport Harbor, smack in the middle of SoCal's booming surf industry. Couple that with the current surf art history show "Orange Peel" at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, and you've got a the perfect place for a party. Which is exactly what went down on Wednesday night.
The Surfrider Orange County 2000 club -- a group of folks who've donated above and beyond to surfing's oldest and most popular environmental group -- decided to show their appreciation to its members. Quiksilver and the Quiksilver Foundation made it all happen, inviting a almost a hundred folks to check out the Indies Trader, meet former world champ Tom Carroll and hear Quiksilver's Bruce Raymond speak about the history of the Crossing and where it's all going.
And right next door, the Orange Peel surfing exhibit offered a little surf history and culture to the party. Hundreds of famous old surf photos lined the walls, from Leroy Grannis, to Dennis Junor, Art Brewer and Woody Woodworth. Dozens of old boards were on display, from all eras, including some classic Velzys and Harbors. Dick Dale's guitar was on the wall, some early Quiksilver clothes were shown, as were some multimedia surf flicks and presentations. A fine time was had by all.
The Orange Peel Surfing Exhibit runs through early September at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. The Indies Trader will be cruising around California for the next few weeks. See website below for details.
RELATED LINKS
Orange Peel Info
The Crossing website
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Marcus Sanders
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