Stillbay, “Waar Jy Will Wees”

Guys and Gals at checking the surf at Kak Gat

Over the weekend of the 3^rd and 4^th of March the Maties Surf Club made its annual Stillbay mission. Once again the swell pumped, Puffies pumped like December holidays and needless to say some people’s hangovers pumped while others surfed.

The usual mix-up with the busses delayed the departure time of the, supposedly, early bus, setting them back two and a half hours from their original two o’clock Stellenbosch exit plan. It didn’t matter too much however as the South Easter picked up on Friday afternoon rendering the points and beaches of the Southern Cape unsurfable by three pm.

Those on the early bus claimed one vital advantage however. With the biggest turn-out I’ve seen at a Stillbay weekend since my first trip in 2008, beds and even mattresses were in short supply at Casa Auditore. The situation was so extreme that grown men were forced into spooning three to a double bed, while another member dragged a mattress onto the landing between the ground and first floor in order to get some sleep.

The second bus only left Stellenbosch after six, which rendered any thoughts of a surf useless so they devised other ways of keeping themselves entertained. Most of these cannot be named for reasons of common decency, but I can tell you they went straight to Puffies on arrival in Stillbay, where they gate-crashed a twenty-first.

Now for those of you who have never been to Stillbay, Puffies is the only semi-decent pub in town and has the unwittingly ironic slogan: “Waar jy will wees” (Where you want to be).

Crowded much?

The club members on the second bus were in high spirits as they walked in and took over the party in a matter of seconds, dominating the only two forms of entertainment not solely based on alcohol in the pub. They were shocking at both, the rather bizarrely located, Deer Hunter arcade style game and pool. Fortunately the other club members soon joined them took over the pool table before any significant damage could be done to the felt top.

The mayhem didn’t end there though; the vice chairman proceeded to get completely out of hand. After a few unmentionable social blunders, one of which was perpetrated on the club chairman, who was in no fit state to defend himself, the vice rounded off his night by illegally and permanently borrowing a concrete bird’s bath. He then set it up in the Auditore’s bathroom before wedging himself into a bed already at capacity.

The next morning the wind had swung South West and the surf was looking good, so before the masses could make a move we headed off for a surf at Jongens. Alas after only half an hour, we were spotted from the Auditore’s balcony which overlooks the bay at Jongens and our uncrowded surf was over. Soon there were around thirty surfers in the water, paddling around in various states of consciousness, hoping to get a decent wave or five.

The stand-out of the morning session was undoubtedly Kurt Dreyer on his longboard. Kurt seemed to be a wave magnet, catching wave after wave and styling it through all the way to the inside on most. Also looking back to his best was Devon Ramages, who had taken a lengthy sabbatical from surfing in the last few months.

Kurt Dreyer styling it up on Saturday morning

With the tide pushing it was time to move the surfing to Kak Gat for the afternoon session and the all-important trials. So while the competitive made their way there the ex-club members and those unwilling to take part in trials went looking for waves at the point. Though the surf was small and the neap-tide made for a few rocky moments the point didn’t disappoint. The highlight of the session though was when Andrew was startled by cries of “Seal” from the parking area. He took off on the next foamie and made his way to dry land in a rather undignified manner. It was a cheap trick, but too funny to resist.

While this was going down, at Kak Gat the early rounds of the men’s trials were completed along with the ladies event. Winning the first trial for the Maties Ladies was, the host Lisa-Marie Auditore, she was followed in second by the departing Sarah Havard and in third by another holiday local, Julz Buchanan. Still in with a shout in the men’s event and making it through to the semi-finals were: James Lowe, Christopher Kenneth Fauré, Devon James Ramages, Roche Roach de Villiers, Michael Cowell, Kurt Dreyer, Peter Thorpe, Ruan Kruger, Arne von Delft and Calvin Quirke.

Devon Ramages taking to the air

Saturday night proved to be a slightly toned down version of the previous evening with the Stormers, Sharks Super Rugby game providing the impetus for the beers to flow. This coupled with a full day in the sun meant that on Sunday morning the crew was slow to rise, giving those of us who stayed elsewhere a chance to surf Jongens on our own again, this time for over an hour.

The Jongens session was a short one for most, as the men’s trials still had to be finished. So the guys trooped off to Kat Gat again, while those already knocked out or not taking part made their way to the point, where the swell was jacking in perfect timing with the pushing tide.  Soon the two to three foot sets became four to five and with the South Wester sculpting the faces an epic session ensued.

Back at Kat Gat, the pushing swell played havoc with the rip adding an extra dimension to the proving ground of the men’s final. But, as the last two USSA surfing events have been held in sizey conditions at Victoria Bay the rip wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Eventually though Kurt Dreyer prevailed, taking the top spot in the first of what will hopefully be four trials to determine the 2012 Maties Surf Team.

The final results of the trials were as follows:

Devon Ramages, throwing the tail but unable to make the final

Men’s:

1. Kurt Dreyer

2. Peter Thorpe

3. James Lowe

4. Arne von Delft

5. Chris Fauré

Ladies’:

1. Lisa-Marie Auditore

2. Sarah Havard

3. Julz Buchanan

The next trial date will be announced soon so stay tuned to the club Facebook page. If you’re keen to join in the fun at USSA 2012 in Vic Bay, you’ve got three opportunities left to make the final teams of eight men and four ladies, so get involved.

James Lowe, off a Jongens lip

Finally, I’d like to thank Lisa-Marie Auditore and her family on behalf of everyone who made the trip for bravely letting the club take over their amazing house. Then the bus drivers also deserve a courtesy mention, despite the complaints of erratic driving, everyone made it there and back in one piece, thanks guys, without you we’d all be sitting in the Neelsie parking area dreaming of surf.