page 2 of 8

On the weekend of the 2nd March, TJJ went to the first surf contest in Trinidad in the past three years. This, the first of a series of events put on by the Caribbean Surf Network (C.S.N), a Barbados based organization, was held at Sans Souci or Beachbreak as it is commonly known. The other three events are scheduled for 6-8 April at St. Michael in Barbados, June 1-3 at Lighthouse in Jamaica and the End of Summer Beach Jam from the 21-23 of September at Soup Bowl in Barbados, so if you are in the area, definitely check these out.

While on the way to Toco on the Friday night we got a surf report that there were huge waves with only two surfers paddling out leaving fifteen odd on the beach, but we were more concerned with the two cases of Stag in the trunk, the wild meat we would surely be getting in Toco and the performance of Orange Sky at the Surf Jam Explosion on the Saturday night.

On Saturday morning, the well organized C.S.N. Crew were set up and heats starting on time at 11am, with DJ Robin laying down a sound stage of rock, house and chilled Caribbean vibes, the perfect mix to two days of surf and sun. The waves had stayed big on Saturday and made the contest easy to judge but hard on the eyes since contestants had to pick and choose between large, blown out and often closing out waves. There would have been quite a lot of good wipe out footage as surfers were punished for mistakes and poor wave selection. Generally the expected names went through into the third round on Sunday.

After a rest and a pot of food, it was on to the Surf Jam Explosion with four live bands and bad man Toco DJ Gummy. In typical Trinidad style nothing happened till 11:30pm when the music finally started, and then the rain started, so by the time the first band came on at 12:30am, there were less than 200 people but they enjoyed performances from Burn, Anti-Everything (who really have a lot to say), and a special acoustic/instrumental performance from the Sky.

Day 2 for us started quite late, by the time we got down to the beach the third round had finished and it was down to the final 16. The waves had also dropped off and so did the breeze which resulted in cleaner, more consistent, but still quite heavy surf, perfect for competition. Several heats later and Chris Dennis from Rampanalgas, Toco was declared the Open Men's winner in the inaugural C.S.N. surf contest in Trinidad & Tobago.

The end of the competition was capped off by "The Ultimate Bikini Contest" held by Carolina Swimwear. HOT HOT HOT swimwear and models!! The contest was won by some 'body' but to us, all the 'bodies' were winners!! Blessings to the Caribbean Surf Network (C.S.N) and their sponsors for a well run contest and a fun weekend.

TJJ signing off from San Souci