In one way or another COVID-19 has adversely affected us all. From lost jobs and opportunities to situations much, much worse. But there’s been a silver lining for some, including Jimmy Wilson, Ross Howatt and myself. All three of us bailed on California (temporarily) to spend time with family and friends back home in Saint Augustine, and our trip has coincided with a series of fun, early summer swell. It’s basically been a surf trip, which is not something we expected, especially this time of year.
With Tropical Storm Arthur swell in the water, Jimmy snapped a few photos in-between sessions, and while boating and biking in search of surf. As always, he documented Saint Augustine in a way that few others can, and below are 10 highlights from last week.
Intro and captions by Zander, all photos by Jimmy
1. It’s not often the backs of waves are this big in Saint Augustine. This was a special morning. Jimmy and Ross took Ross’ boat out in search of surf, but underestimated the size and power of Arthur’s swells. While they did manage to anchor out and score surf, they actually lost an anchor this day, and had a few nervous moments when legit sets feathered way out the back.
2. This silent lightning storm last week was one of the craziest I’ve ever seen. Jimmy’s Dad and dog admiring Florida’s wild tropical weather.
3. This is Jimmy’s sister, Kristin, and myself, on the second day of a two-day surf bender where we spent 12 hours one the beach and at least 8-hours in the water. An unforgettable pair of mornings. Surfing doesn’t get better.
4. Chris Ropero. This is the same day, 5 or so hours later. Chris was the last person in the water and had a really hard time walking away. You can see here he’s admiring this perfect, glassy set over his shoulder. Chris is one of the fittest surfers on earth and still had to throw in the towel after this two-day marathon.
5. Is this the year 2000 or 2020? Jody Davis hasn’t lost a step.
6. Same goes for Gabe Kling. He’s gotta be the most ripping Realtor in the world. While he’s not on the Championship Tour anymore he could still make plenty of heats.
7. Ross, linking up with Jimmy on Vilano. Ross was one of Jimmy’s first subjects 20 years ago and they’re still making it happen today.
8. The future! Chris’ twins and Jimmy’s daughter. That’s a talented trio right there. Talk about good genes.
9. If you surfed anywhere in North Florida last week, you saw plenty of this.
10. Justin Quintal is from Jax but he’s worth featuring here. A longboard World Champion and one of the coolest, stylish, and most humble dudes you’ll ever meet.
