The O'Neill Mission moves into the water at La Torche > Francaise ci-dessous
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 21 May, 2008 : - - La Torche, Brittany, France - - A small swell at La Torche was a big welcome for nine professional surfers suffering from varying degrees of hangovers as The O’Neill Mission got into the water.
Whilst it wasn’t perfect conditions in which to demonstrate the skill levels we have on offer here in the northwest of France, the two foot clean swell provided enough entertainment for the likes of Jarrad Howse and Hugo Savalli to at least manage a headstand on a paddleboard.
“I was just showing off,” said Jarrad. “It was a good day today to get in the water. So far it has been about driving and getting lost. Nothing in the world annoys me except for being lost. Adam Robertson and I have been lost three times – every time we get on the road. Today was great,” Jarrad said. “It was a bit of paddle boarding, a bit of footy on the beach and a bit of teaching people how to surf.”
Matt Wilson, contest director was another member of The O’Neill Mission excited to get in the water today. “We are pretty much biding our time waiting for the predicted swell to come in,” he said. “But be it on paddle boards or whatever, every surf is giving the guys waves that they can choose to use on their final video… or not.”
La Torche campsite : phot O'Neill
“This is not a competitive event in the standard sense,” said Matt. “The contest calls are based on a desire for exploration and adventure to be brought into The O’Neill Mission. There are endless bays and beaches to explore up here.”
According to Jarrad Howse, the fact that the whole coast of France is open for exploration means: “This is almost even better than The O’Neill Mission in Tahiti last year...I love the fact that we can jump in our campers and drive a few 100km and end up somewhere completely different,” he said. “The only thing it is missing now is some good swell and a masseuse!”
Despite the lack of swell, the guys have been in surprisingly good spirits. A warm welcome into Brittany saw local surfer, and founder of the first ever surf school in Brittany, Didier Tirilly, open his field for camping. Describing the spirit of Brittany, where we are awaiting the new swell, Didier said: “there is a strong spirit up here. This is an area of France where it rains a lot, so we have hardened to that.”
For now, as The O’Neill Mission camps out on the coast waiting for the swell, it is the sunshine and blue sky keeping everyone in strong spirits.
Surfers List 1 Ian Walsh USA 2 Michel Bourez TAH 3 Jarrad Howse AUS 4 Julian Wilson AUS 5 Justin Mujica POR 6 Cory Lopez USA 7 Tim Boal FRA 8 Hugo Savalli REU 9 Adam Robertson AUS
Program 17 May Arrival & Kick-Off, Anglet 18 May First surfing day in the Basque Country/Les Landes 19 – 25 May Travel & surf the French Coast from Biarritz to Brittany 25 May Judging Session, Prizegiving & Closing Party – wherever we are!
The O’Neill Story: From Ocean Beach to the Highland Open & The Mission
Jack O’Neill created O’Neill in 1952, after he had moved to San Francisco and discovered the cold-water joys of surfing Ocean Beach. As much a sailor, hot air balloon pilot and serial inventor as a surfer, Jack always knew instinctively what his fellow ocean lovers were looking for. Jack’s pioneering development of the wetsuit meant that before long surfers were riding more waves, and riding them better, in large measure because they could enjoy longer sessions in cold water.
By 1980, Jack’s shop, which began as the classic surfer’s garage outfit, had metamorphosed into a leading global surfing company. Remarkably, even now - at the age of 85 - Jack’s energy and passion for the ocean continue to define O’Neill. The company’s ethos is born of its Northern California roots, as Jack continues his mission to pursue and popularise the environmental projects that have become synonymous with O’Neill.
Chief among them is the O’Neill Sea Odyssey programme, begun in 1996. In the US, this is a free, educational cruise aboard the Team O’Neill catamaran that acquaints children with the microbiology of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. For as Jack says: “The best thing I have ever done in my life was to bring those kids to the ocean.”
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 21 May, 2008 : - - Une petite houle sur le spot de la Torche a permis ce matin aux neuf surfeurs professionnels du O’Neill The Mission de se rafraîchir les idées après plus de 900 km de route sur les deux premières étapes.
Bien que ces conditions de vagues n’ont pas offert la possibilité aux surfeurs de vraiment montrer toute l’étendue de leur talent sur le spot breton, les vagues de 60cm ont tout de même permis à Jarrad Howse et à Hugo Savalli d’assurer le spectacle sur des stand up paddle boards.
“Je crânais tout simplement,” a déclaré Jarrad. “C’était une bonne journée pour se mettre à l’eau. Car avant cela nous n’avons fait que de la route et nous perdre. Adam Robertson et moi, nous nous sommes perdus à chaque fois que nous avons pris la route depuis le début de semaine alors pouvoir prendre quelques vagues, jouer au foot sur la plage et donner des cours de surf, cela fait vraiment du bien.”
Matt Wilson, le directeur de compétition a été l’un des autres membres du O’Neill The Mission à s’enthousiasmer pour cette première mise à l’eau. “On essaye vraiment de s’occuper en attendant la houle prévue pour les prochains jours. Mais que cela soit en stand up paddle board ou sur tout autre engin, chaque session donne la possibilité aux rideurs de surfer des vagues qu’ils pourront inclure, ou pas, dans leur montage vidéo.
Ce n’est pas une compétition dans le sens strict du terme. Les décisions sont prises en fonction du désir d’exploration et d’aventure comme le veut le concept O’Neill The Mission. Car il y a un nombre impressionnant de baies et de plages à explorer dans la région,” a conclu Matt.
“C’est presque mieux que O’Neill The Mission de l’année dernière à Tahiti,” a déclaré Jarrad. “J’apprécie vraiment que l’on puisse monter dans nos campings cars, faire 100km et arriver dans un endroit complément différent. Il ne manque plus que les vagues !”
Malgré le manque de houle, le moral est au beau fixe. Et l’accueille chaleureux de Didier Tirilly, un surfeur local qui a créé la toute première école de surf bretonne, a été très apprécié tout comme la présence d’un pub de l’autre côté de la route. En attendant la houle, O’Neill The Mission découvre la magie de la Bretagne sous des températures clémentes et un soleil radieux, sans l’ombre d’un nuage de pluie à l’horizon!
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