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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Oct 20, 2012 - 04:49pm PT
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OK, so here's a nautical question. What's the origin of the term "grom"?
Nevermind, I missed the "nautical".
It's an evolutionary outgrowth of gremmie (gremlin).
post Ted Turner
Gremmie is the little green guy
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 21, 2012 - 02:58pm PT
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 22, 2012 - 04:00pm PT
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Oct 22, 2012 - 04:25pm PT
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I noticed sufers calling the kids (or anyone younger than you) "grommet" some time in the late 80s. Sometimes surfers with less status or seniority would try to assert this appellation on boogie boarders, even if the boogie boarders were older and more capable in the water, before the more universal slur of "sponger" came into vogue.
I assume it would be a reference to a ring fastener for ropes on the edge of a piece of fabric or sail, indicating a tiny "inconsequential" part of a bigger thing, intended to form a derogatory diminutive.
To maintain some pics and psych, here's a video of the place that was my home break when I was growing up (but I just stole this video). So many memories from a lifetime ago in this place:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
I've been out there in every condition from crazy solid whitewater chop going in every direction, to 6am hot offshore winds spraying back the lip, to pure obsidian glassy clean. Powerful back-twisting waves in two feet of water, to 5 foot hollow close-outs that were weak enough to go over the falls on purpose doing 360s on our knees on boogie boards. Days when it would take 45 minutes of furious paddling to get outside, or jump off the pier, and other days where it was so flat we could only skim board with our boogie boards, or just paddle around to be doing something. Lazy crowded summer days with hoards of brown pelicans diving for anchovies and humpback whales breaching, to lonely winter days at sunset after the last of the other dudes went in, and maybe pulling into that thick-lipped black tube close-out wasn't such a good idea but I did it anyways. Ok back to work.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Oct 22, 2012 - 04:27pm PT
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Grommets are small things, kids in the modern vernacular.
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 23, 2012 - 01:16am PT
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Oct 23, 2012 - 08:26pm PT
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According to Samuel Eliot Morison, who knew more about maritime history than any of us, gromet is a 15th or 16th century term for a ship's boy. Adapting the word for an apprentice surfer seems fairly consistent.
Columbus had several gromets on Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria on his voyages. All going well, with experience and training they'd become seamen, then able seamen.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Oct 23, 2012 - 09:33pm PT
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The odd thing is, I remember calling others grommets, and being called a grommet, in the 1970s. A sort of friendly insult, used at school or maybe scouts. I wonder where we got that? You'd say to someone "You grommet!" when they did something klutzy. The word's etymology is interesting.
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 24, 2012 - 03:00pm PT
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After surfing windless and often large waves every day this past week the wind came back two days ago and delivered one of the most delightful wave sailing seshs of the season.
It was one of those seshes that put a big smile on every face on our beach.
I’m not talking epic in any way other than steady perfection 4.7m wind and plenty of head to logo high waves. There were a few nearly mast high waves later in the day. Most of the waves that day had good size and shape but very little power in them. Other than the late day makers that came through that is.
Yesterday’s sesh proved to be a different ball game. Most of the sets were producing waves in the mast high and better range. I must admit that I took my time launching in that I enjoy the later seshes after most of the sailors have tried out. Many of our core group sail at that time as well.
I chose a 4.7m sail with a 78ltr wave board instead of a 5.0m sail. The 4.7m sail worked well but was on the low end of the power range.
The wind had backed off the shore and I had to swim with my rig all the way out the channel and I had difficult time water starting in the turbulent area we fondly call the toilet bowl due to the mixed up hydraulics caused by conflicting currents and a very shallow reef.
The 4.7m sail worked well but it was on the low end of the power range. It actually delivered plenty of power for me to place myself in a perfect position to catch an uncountable number of juicy mast high waves with very little penalty.
I did get worked pretty good a couple of times but that is to be expected when wave sailing in those conditions.
The weather was far less stable than the day before. The passing rain squalls often nearly shut the wind down completely. These pesky squalls also produced some of the most brilliant rainbows. I wish my and ME limited powers of description would allow me to describe this dynamic setting to the level it deserves.
At one point I was a fair ways off shore on my way back in. I had very little wind in my sail and I was just barely planning when two 7’-8’ dolphins decided to cruise along with me for a while.
The dolphins, rainbows, warm and clear water, just enough wind, magnificent waves, a dynamic Maui landscape, and some good friends to share it with! What a blessing!
The sub planning conditions made up wind progress difficult. Every time I gained a little ground another nice wave would present its self and I would have to take it. This kept me down wind of the narrow channel that I had to navigate in order to make it back to the rocky launch site.
I made one attempt at coming in and made it through the impact zone but when I did the wind shut off and I fell in the same area that I described earlier. I had No wind in very confusing currents. All the while I was drifting away from any chance making my destination.
At this point I was still in a position to possibly swim in, but, it would be very close. I didn’t like the odds so I decided to try to water start and sail back through the impact zone. I hoped to gain a better angle on the approach to the narrow channel. Luckily I made it out through the waves during a pause in the sets.
This time I worked my way up wind to a point that I felt that I could make another run at it.
I was hoping for another lull in the wave action long enough to slip inside the impact zone without taking one of the giant waves from behind and losing my balance falling in and not being able to water start.
Well, Lady Luck was not with me! When I entered the impact zone a large wave came up on me from behind. It plowed over me from behind. I was violently swept up and I plunged free falling over the falls with my gear!
This must have been very entertaining to the peanut gallery that was assembled on the beach.
Before I recovered from the beating that the last wave dealt me, I had to take the next two equally sized waves of the set on the head!
After catching my breath I swam over and retrieved gear. I was once again out of position for the channel.
This is not the first time that I have been in this situation and course of action was clear.
I had to drift with current around the rock point and then swim with my stuff to the extreme back of the bay,
Once the point had been cleared it gets peaceful and there was time to reflect on the day, the rainbows, the dolphins, and BEER. I knew that I was going to a friendly place and I made good progress up until I about 150 meters from my chosen destination. With an outgoing tide the undertow was at this point inhibiting my progress to land. This can be very frustrating and extremely exhausting.
My friend Dean had been watching my progress from over on the point with binoculars and saw that I was in the grips of the strong rip current. Dean waked 300meters of jagged rocky shore barefoot to where I was trying to get in. The next thing I knew he was putting on his fins and started swimming out to me. He made it to me in no time at all. With his help the two of us were able to break the lock that the current had on me.
The rocky landing was sketchy but all went well with no injury to body or gear.
I wasn’t the only sailor that had a bit of an epic getting back to the beach last night.
All in all that’s the game we play at Kuau.
We have no winners only survivors!
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 25, 2012 - 05:25pm PT
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About a decade ago I was hired by a Brazilian movie production company to help with the filming of the “Tow-In World Cup” a surfing competition being held at Peahi "Jaws".
My initial assignment was establishing two separate camera stations on the sheer cliff above “Jaws”. In addition to the camera platforms, a trail system with safety rails also needed to be constructed in order to safely transport the equipment and protect the crew that were positioned on these steep and awkward perches.
The film was to be shot with 35mm movie cameras.
This required a person constantly running freshly loaded film canisters from a production vehicle on top down the cliff down to the camera station below and transporting canisters of exposed film back to the production center for processing and reloading.
While I was working on my camera station and trail project, there was a lot going on out on the ocean.
In addition to the usual surfing activity at Jaws, another production crew was at work.
Laird Hamilton, Derrick Doener, and Dave Kalama, were towing in to waves in the 30’ range. They were wearing camouflage print wetsuits, firing weapons at each other with all three of them surfing the same wave. This was an action stunt for an upcoming James Bond movie.
After the trail construction was completed the swell on the north shore dropped drastically causing the contest to be postponed.
Two weeks went by before I received the call telling me that the contest was on and we were going back to work.
The majority of the contestants and film crew had left the island and gone back to their homes.
They were now on the first flights back to Maui!
Also on its way to Maui was a giant swell!
With all the logistics of a live film shoot, something had to go wrong, and things did!
One of the rented 35mm movie cameras went down at another very important camera spot.
Mercer Richards our assistant camera man was moved to that station to continue the shooting using his personal movie camera equipment.
Cameraman Greg Huglin received a radio call from the producer (Mike Slattery) asking which of the backup camera men he wanted to fill in as his assistant. His response was, "I already have a man, Olaf is taking care of things quite well and all we need is a film runner to take his place"
This resulted in my a*#isting Greg Huglin while he filmed “Jaws” at over50’ with the best big wave "tow–in” surfers in the world competing for a $70,000 first place prize!
The footage that was shot that day was later turned into the feature film “ Billabong Odyssey”
[Click to View YouTube Video]
(Greg Huglin wrote this about that shot.)
"Hey Olaf,
Yup this amazing shot keeps on popping up and I think it's the most widely watched shot online.
It was shot by Pete Fuzard in Super18 from the helo.
I was shooting from the spot you built me and ran thru twenty 400' film mags (80 minutes) that day, the most I ever shot in one day, ever.
I begged Pete to let me do the helo shooting since I had already done almost 200 hours in the past but he was the director and it was his call.
It was Pete's very first time of using the Tyler Mount in a helo and he friggin nailed it!
The shot of Parsons is jaw dropping and will live as one of the best ever.
That was an amazing day we all had courtesy of the Brazilians.
I just ran into Ricardo Fonseca, the Brazilian producer of that event here in Santa Barbara.
He was visiting a rich Brazilian surfer who is a mutual acquaintance and Ricardo came over to my house and visited.
He still has a surfing TV show in Brazil.
How’s the Maui life for you?
Cheers,
Greg
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 26, 2012 - 03:13pm PT
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 26, 2012 - 11:23pm PT
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Oct 26, 2012 - 11:37pm PT
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Probably a repost but I don't care.
I like this shot because it reminds me of countless evenings spent here.
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Oct 27, 2012 - 12:49am PT
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[quote it reminds me of countless evenings spent here.
[/quote]
That's what I'm talkin' about Cozen
!
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Oct 27, 2012 - 11:57am PT
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I was going through Kickstart to support Ed Padula's El Cap film restoration project, and I noticed that there is a film about Rick Griffin in the works.
His imagery influenced me tremendously as I grew up in the Bay Area in the 60s and 70s.
Here is a snip of the outline at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/49615095/griffin-the-film?ref=thanks.
The Film: “Griffin” is a feature-length documentary that explores the art, life and eccentric spark of one of the world’s least known and most influential 20th Century surrealists. Over the time-warped span of the 1960's, one-time teen cartoonist Rick Griffin created defining icons for three pillars of west coast counterculture: surfing, psychedelic rock and underground comix.
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east side underground
climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Oct 27, 2012 - 01:13pm PT
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fnally got back in the water last week at Jalama. Fun sholder to head high with clean conditions. Felt so good to get some waves after long lay-off due to injury and work. RIP to Fran Solorio who was taken by Whitey at surf beach. (one of the spookiest spots I've surfed, not a good idea during Oct. it seems}
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