Industry News

Waterman's Weekend to help enviro groups via auction

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 20 August, 2008 : - - Aliso Viejo -- A one-on-one surf lesson with Occy at J-Bay, tickets to the first 2009 season’s Lakers vs. Celtics grudge match, or a surf trip to the epic mecca, Tavarua.  These are the things surfers dreams are made of and the auction items that will contribute to the 19th annual Waterman’s Weekend goal of raising $500,000 for 17 ocean-environmental organizations this week.

The annual environmental fundraiser hosted by the SIMA Environmental Fund, returns to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point, Calif., on Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22.

“The SIMA Environmental Fund Board of Directors is proud to offer limited edition surfboards, one-of-a-kind exotic trips, art masterpieces, and items that you would not see at any other auction,” said Paul Naudé, president of the SIMA Environmental Fund Board of Directors and CEO of Billabong USA.  “Guests’ involvement in the auction demonstrates the continued support the entire surf industry gives to ocean environmental causes, and the SIMA Environmental Fund and its beneficiaries are eternally grateful for this support.”

Surf industry leaders, friends, and environmental supporters will gather at the Monarch Beach Golf Links for a day on the greens on Thursday, August 21, to kick-off the weekend with the Waterman’s Classic Golf Tournament. The tournament will be followed by an auction and dinner with golf awards. 

2008 Waterman’s Classic Golf Raffle & Live Auction 

Hawaii Dream Trip Raffle
           Feeling lucky?  Enter the Waterman’s Classic raffle at $25 per ticket or five tickets for $100.  The winner and five friends will experience one of the best Hawaiian vacations possible.  With coach class airfare included for six to Oahu, they’ll spend one full week at a private, fully-furnished, seven-bedroom house that sleeps up to 20 people and is located at Off the Wall on the North Shore.  As an added bonus, this package also includes one of Andy Irons’ own personal boards.

Lakers vs. Celtics Grudge Match
            You and three friends will be seated in premium section seats to watch the 5pm, Christmas Day grudge match battle between the Lakers and World Champion Boston Celtics.  The package for this historic sports event includes four premiere seating tickets to the game, dinner for four at the Staples Center Arena Club and round-trip limo transportation from Orange County or Los Angeles to the Staples Center.

Ultimate Nike Golf Package
           Perfect for the true golfer, or hard-working amateur, the winning bidder will receive a full set of Nike’s top-of-the-line SQ Sumo woods and irons. Nike Unitized Leo blade Putter; Xtreme Sport II carry bag custom embroidered with the Waterman’s Classic logo; Air Zoom Elite golf shoes; Tiger Woods Platinum Dri-Fit polo shirt custom embroidered with the Waterman’s Classic logo; and one dozen Nike Power Distance soft golf balls. Top it all off by using all your new gear with an included foursome at the Monarch Beach Golf Links.
 
Celebrating Sixties Surfing
           This package includes not one, but two surfboards that honor surfing’s sixties roots. First is a special edition 9’8” Dewey Weber Performer 68. It is the high end of high-end. You can hang it on the wall or have the coolest board on the beach - your choice!  The second board is a very limited edition 1969 Wayne Lynch replica board from Evolution Surfboards. This is one of only 15 boards made replicating the board Lynch surfed in the 1969 surf movie Evolution. This is a true collector’s item as the board was first produced in 2001 with plans for 100, but only 15 were produced. Now’s your chance to own a piece of history.

2008 Waterman’s Ball Live Auction

Guests at Friday's sold-out Waterman's Ball will enjoy an eventful evening with a live musical performance during the silent auction by singer/songwriter Tavis Bohlinger, followed by the dinner and awards program. The competitive bidding is expected to be kicked-up a notch on Friday with the Waterman's Ball Auction.  The silent and live auctions will feature a wide array of items celebrating the surfing lifestyle from collector surfboards to exclusive surf artwork and travel packages.  Live auction items include:

Big Wednesday Replica Board
           This limited edition board is one of only one hundred in the world.  The replica is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic, surf-cult classic surf movie, Big Wednesday. There’s a scene in the movie where the character Jack Barlow, portrayed by our own Peter Townend, is going for his last surf before he heads off to Vietnam - a solo session to collect his mind. In that scene, Jack/PT rides a board that was a hybrid of shapes from that Sixties period and shaped by longtime Malibu area resident Mike Perry. That board has been masterfully re-created by legendary craftsman Roger Hinds as a limited edition collector’s piece. On Friday, the SIMA Environmental Fund Board of Directors is proud to feature #1 of this limited edition series, signed by the “real” Jack Barlow, PT.

50th Anniversary Men’s Rolex Submariner-Date Watch
            As a courtesy of our friends at PacSun, the special edition 50th Anniversary Rolex Submariner-Date watch is one of the finest and most sought after watches in the world.  It features Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual movement, 40mm stainless steel case, special edition green time-lapse bezel, black dial, and Oyster Fliplock bracelet. It is also water resistant to 1,000 feet making it the perfect luxury watch for an active outdoorsman. Produced in extremely limited quantities to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Submariner, this is a rare and hard-to-find watch. 

Tavarua Surf Trip for Two
            Block out your calendar for the week of October 23 to November 1, 2008. You're taking the surf trip of a lifetime to Tavarua Island in Fiji. You’ll surf world-famous breaks such as Cloudbreak and Restaurants during your seven-night stay. Package includes coach class airfare for two on Air Pacific from LAX, all meals, and accommodations.

Exclusive Dinner for 10 with Chef Justin Monson of VINE
            Enjoy a four-course dinner for 10 guests at your home including paired wines by Chef Justin Monson of VINE, Wine Country Cuisine in San Clemente. Chef Monson and his sous chef will come to your home with all the ingredients necessary to prepare a seasonal four-course dinner and wines personally selected to accompany your meal. Your guests will not only be treated to a gourmet meal, but a culinary experience as Chef Justin discusses with your guests the meal he has planned and its preparation.

Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Hawaii VIP Package for Two
            A trip to the North Shore in winter is always special, but Vans has put together the ultimate North Shore package worthy of the Triple Crown title. This package features a trip for two to the 2008 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing with two round trip tickets from LA to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines; six nights and seven days at the luxurious Turtle Bay Resort; rental car from Dollar; two VIP Credentials to the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. As if that weren’t enough, you’ll also receive a $1,000 gift card to use at any Vans retail location and a one-of-a-kind Al Merrick (Channel Islands) surfboard with custom artwork by Dane Gudauskas, as well as signed by all three of the Gudauskas boys: Dane, Tanner and Patrick.

Original Diptych by Wolfgang Bloch
           Sky, water and earth are the elements common to every session a surfer enjoys and, as such, are the primary elements depicted in Wolfgang Bloch’s art. This framed 57” X 29” untitled diptych of oil on vintage wood is another classic example of Bloch’s connection to the elements he has grown to love through surfing. On top of it all, Bloch is also a staunch environmentalist which is just one more reason Waterman’s Ball is honored to again feature his work in the live auction.

“Elouera Marked” by Pete Tillack
            Amazing original 5'6" x 3'6" oil on wood tribute to world champion and 2008 Waterman of the Year Mark Occhilupo by the “Master of Mood” artist Pete Tillack, who also happens to derive from the same beach in Australia as Occy. The concept of the piece was created so that it spanned more than two dimensions, after painting the original works, it was then cut up, and re-organized to be built on many different levels of depth giving a third dimension quality.

Occy Tribute Package – Trip to Africa and Surf Session at J-Bay with Occy
            A trip of a lifetime for two! You and a guest will receive airfare for two to South Africa to surf the world-famous Jeffrey’s Bay and Cape St. Francis, as well as tour a private game reserve. While at J-Bay you’ll also surf with world champ and 2008 Waterman of the Year Mark Occhilupo. This package includes coach class airfare for two, accommodations for two for seven days in Jeffrey’s Bay where you’ll surf with Occy, two days in Cape St. Francis and two days at an Eastern Cape game lodge where you’ll see Africa’s big game up close and personal. This is a dream trip and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Company Theme Week on Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit”
           FUEL TV is offering one company the opportunity to be featured for one full week on the only daily show in action sports — FUEL TV’s “The Daily Habit.” Your brand will get five consecutive weekdays of prime editorial coverage by having sponsored athletes, or company representatives featured on the show each day. “The Daily Habit” will be themed around your brand for that week, with features such as company and athlete profiles, product reviews, video/movie highlights and more. This package will also include on-screen branded billboards and graphics during episodes, and logo inclusion in a branded promo spot prior to your theme week. “The Daily Habit” airs four times per day totaling 20 total airings, giving your brand maximum exposure.

2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
           There's no better way to drive “green” than buying a hybrid automobile. Thanks to our friends at Surf City Nissan in Huntington Beach, the Waterman's Ball is proud to feature for the first time a high-demand hybrid vehicle in the live auction. The 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid is a four-door sedan that gets great gas mileage (35 mpg and up to 600 miles on one tank) while featuring the superior handling of the infamous Nissan Z. The 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid is a limited availability vehicle that's offered in nine states and surpasses Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) standards. It is also 90% cleaner than the average new model year vehicle. The vehicle's Advanced Technology classified hybrid system of shared gasoline and electric motor also meets the ultra-stringent Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) requirements, including the near-zero evaporative emissions and 15 year/15,000 mile warranty on emissions control equipment.

19th Annual Waterman’s Ball Centerpiece
           Following Waterman’s Ball tradition, the anticipated and uniquely designed Waterman’s Ball dinner table centerpieces will be auctioned off at each table.  One lucky individual at each table will have the opportunity to bid on and win this year's special centerpiece.  The centerpiece features a handcrafted replica surfboard, personally signed by the 2008 Waterman’s Weekend Honorees: Mark Occhilupo, Waterman of the Year; Jackson Browne, Environmentalist of the Year; and Eduardo Arena, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. 

The SIMA Environmental Fund is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation formed by the surf industry to provide support in the form of grants to environmental organizations. The annual Waterman's Weekend serves as the primary fundraiser for the SIMA Environmental Fund through the Waterman's Classic Golf Tournament and Waterman's Ball and Auction.

In addition to raising money for the environment, the Waterman's Ball will be the venue for the surf industry to honor surf icon Mark “Occy” Occhilupo as SIMA Waterman of the Year, musician Jackson Browne as SIMA Environmentalist of the Year, surf contest pioneer Eduardo Arena with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and The Surfrider Foundation and Sierra Club’s Friends of the Foothills Campaign with the Special Achievement Awards. 
 
For media inquires please contact SIMA Communications Coordinator, Mandy Johnson at Mandy@sima.com or 949.366.1164 x7.
 
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) is the official working trade association of more than 300 surf industry suppliers. Founded in 1989, SIMA is a non-profit organization that serves to promote awareness of the surf industry and participation in the sport of surfing through public relations efforts and a variety of services, educational programs and research. In addition, SIMA actively supports oceanic environmental efforts through its 501(c)(3) charitable environmental foundation, the SIMA Environmental Fund.

In the past 18 years, SIMA's Environmental Fund has raised more than $4 million for environmental groups seeking to protect the world's oceans, beaches and waves. The SIMA Humanitarian Fund, also a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, was established in 2006 to award grants to various surf or boardsport related social and humanitarian non-profit organizations whose efforts are focused on improving the quality of life, health and/or welfare of people.

www.sima.com

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Mandy Johnson

Industry - Surfersvillage