Coastalsurvey

July 1999

Thanks Al and Pete for cleaning up the apartment. I guess I owe you guys a dinner, at least. Just didn’t leave enough time to get it all done. London was cool. We had dinner in Brixton last night, which is sort of London’s Williamsburgh. This morning I took the train to Edinburgh, which is were I am now, in an internet cafe on Hanover St. After a few days here, I’ll take the train to Wick and start biking. Already shipped the gear ahead. Hope things are going well with you two. Post ya later. As ever — Rob

Hi Dad, I’m in Stornaway now on the Isle Of Lewis. I’ll probably camp at a beach on the west side for a few days then work my way south through the islands — Harris, Uist, and Barra. Then it’s a ferry to Oban and a train back to London. I should be in London by September 5. Still don’t have telnet access, so I set up a webmail account. Hope things are well with you and Mom. Talk to you soon (I got another phone card). Love rob

Hey Benn, Back in London now after biking and surfing my way through Scotland. Looks like I’ll buy a car here in London to continue the coastalsurvey. Biking was cool, but too fucking slow. Wales and then Ireland are the likely next stops. Then France then Portugal and Morocco by November. Since I’ll probably get to Portugal by October, it would be good to get the addresess ASAP. That way I can forward a Portugal address to Allison and she can mail me a package there. You didn’t tell me how the Moroccan wedding went. What was your favorite part of the wedding, did they serve booze, and what was the best part of Morocco? Looks like I got out of NYC just in time, before they started fumigating. Try not to breATHE while you’re in town. Hope M. and the girls are well. As ever, Rob

Hi Al, Hope your classes are going well this semester. Are you settled into the new apartment? Did you get my card from Scotland? Did you get a check from Two Jakes for the couch yet? How’s Pete doing in Farmville with the freelance life? Did he hook up that scanner yet? (I may need to send you some photos for scanning, if I can’t get them digitized here). It’s raining again in London and things are moving along. Two days ago I bought a 10-year-old red Nissan van. Yesterday was spent cleaning and customising the van and today I’ll get back on the road. First stop will be Oxford, just to look around and maybe get those photos scanned. Then I’ll continue west to Wales, where I plan to camp this evening near Swansea. After a few days surfing the Gower Peninsula and Pembrokeshire, I’ll drive north to Hollyhead and the ferry to Dublin. I should be in Ireland by Tuesday night. From Dublin I’ll drive west to Sligo to surf Easky Bay and the west coast of Eire south of Sligo. After a week or 10 days, depending on the waves, I’ll return to Britian at Fishguard. I’ll revisit London for a day to pick up mail and then drive south to Poole and the ferry to France. Still working on the website; still behind schedule. But I have the laptop with me, so I should be able to hammer away at it between surf sessions. I’ll keep it with me through France and send it to you before I reach Spain. I’ll also e-mail you shipping information, once I sort out the best carriers. That’s all the news. Let me know what’s doin in VA and I’ll post you back when I can. Love, Rob

Hey Julie, Back in Praha? How was your summer in the USA? Awful country, isn’t it? I’m in Wales now, the Pembrokeshire region, staying in a youth hostel near the remains of a Norman castle. Tomorrow I’ll surf a break in the shadow of the castle, then roll northwest, scoping out other spots. I’ve been travelling exactly two months now. Six weeks and 500+ miles were spent pedalling around Scotland and the Outer Hebrides. The rest of the time was spent in London. Five days ago I bought an old Nissan van from a friend of a friend in London. It’s got a lot of miles on it, but runs really well — and it’s a hell of a lot easier than towing my surfboard behind the bike. In a few days I’ll drive it up to Hollyhead and the ferry to Ireland. After a week surfing Eire, I’ll return to London briefly then turn south for another ferry to France. With a bit of luck I should be able to drive it all the way to Morocco. The travel thing is starting to slip into a groove, but I probably won’t be fully nomad for another few months yet. Meanwhile, I’m working to update the website so that it can attract more paying ads. Even with the laptop, it’s tough to set aside big blocks of time for the webwork … You can see the results at www.coastalsurvey.com. If you or JM are planning to holiday anywhere on the west coast of Europe this fall, post me back at the above address — maybe we can meet up. I’d love to visit Praha, but it’s just too far inland. So let me know what’s new etc. As ever, Rob

October 1999

Hi Nina, It’s been tough getting connected to the net in France. So I’m writing this offline at the moment. Tomorrow (Nov. 1) I should be able to upload it. For the last five days I’ve been camped by the beach in Anglet, SW France. The surf has been good. Really good: yesterday I rode a 15-foot wave near the tiny Basque village of Guethary. Also met an Aussie who is doing the same thing. We’ll probably travel down into Spain together in a day or two. Seems like there’s a lot of other surfers doing the southern migration. Likely I’ll see a lot of them on the road south thru Spain and Portugal. OCTOBER 26: Now I’m in a town called Hossegor in SW France. Lovely area with big waves. Although I haven’t been in the water since last Wednesday — I’ve been working on a site update. I rented a little apartment by the beach to write in. This issue’s done, now I’ve got shift over to marketing. I’m looking forward to sending this laptop home so I can spend more time in the water. Will probably stay in this corner of France until Nov.1 then cross into Spain. There’s a Halloween party in Biarritz I’d like to attend. Then I’ll work my way west along the north coast of Spain and drive south through Portugal. The van’s running well, although the front wheels could use some alignment. If all goes well, I’ll cross into Morocco in early December. What’s happening in Iowa? How’s Year 2 so far? What’s your teaching schedule like? How’s the new romance? What are you working on lately? Post me back when you can and I’ll try to do a better job of staying in touch. As ever, Rob

Karl , Three months into the surf trip and things are going well. In August I biked 500 miles through the Highlands and Islands of Scotland with a surfboard in tow. In September I bought a car. It’s a little, red Nissan van with a lot of miles on the odometer, roof racks already rusted in place and a high funk quotient. Since then I’ve surfed Wales and Ireland in relative comfort. But it’s getting cold up north, so I’m heading south. Camped by the beach in Anglet (France, near Biarritz) now, where the waves were head-high and just about perfect for three days. Yesterday the real swell started coming in. It’s too big to get off the beach in Anglet, but further south on the Cote de Basque, there are some reefs and points that can handle a big wave. It’s the right season to be here — the southern migration is beginning. I’ve found an international tribe of surfers in campervans headed south from France along the coasts of Spain and Portugal to Morocco. Might as well join them . . . You can read about the adventure to date at www.coastalsurvey.com Ciao, Rob (aka Barney)

December 1999

Manish, Maroc c’est cool. The trip down through the Rif and the Middle Atlas was way scenic; Marrakech was a circus and now I’m on the coast in a little town called Essouaira. This is where the surf begins. This is also where Orson Welles shot the opening scenes of Othello and later rock luminaries like Hendrix and the Airplane used to hang out. Today Essouaira is a funky stew of ancient Africa and the modern world. This morning, for instance, I was in the souk bargaining for lentils and figs and this afternoon I’m logged on at the local teleboutique while the muezzin’s chanted call to prayer echoes off the city walls. Between here and Agadir is where the good surf is, so I’ll camp on this section of coast until the New Year. The exit plan for Africa may involve going through Mauritania to Senegal, but I have to get some more info before trying it. Obviously, I won’t be in India until January at the earliest. How are plans going for Jaipur? If you sent me an email earlier at the coastalsurvey address __ sorry; it was down for November. Post me back at this address. Ciao, RBC

Thanks Al, (and Benn), Surf has been firing here in Maroc. Just came off a five-day swell. Looks like I’ll have to spend another month here to ride some breaks south of Agadir (where I am now). Then it’s either south to Senegal, or back up north to sell the van in Spain or Portugal. Benn: Any of your portugese friends want a used Nissan Vannette with 150K on the clock and a great motor? Anyway, best of luck for the new year. Love, R