And may I make a suggestion?
You are certainly well aware, by now, of the current stalemate on Oahu between Honolulu’s mayor Kirk Caldwell and our own World Surf League. At issue is the current allotment of permits. The WSL, which has traditionally held its Pipeline Masters contest in December, wants to move the event to January and the slot held by Volcom for its Pipe Pro. The mayor’s office denied the WSL’s request leaving the league “very disappointed” and “exploring all possible options for our schedule moving forward.”
Now, I don’t mean to poke my nose in other people’s business but “all possible options” is a very exciting proposal and would it be too bold of me to make a suggestion?
Yemen.
Oh bear with me here and please let me explain. Yemen has nearly 2000 miles of coastline, a good 1200 of it surfable, and this does not include the nearby island of Soqotra. The climate, though slightly warmer than most stops on tour, is pleasant enough especially when enjoying a cheek full of qat on the veranda of an old British outpost. The largest coastal town, Aden, is a very good time and I think the surfers on tour would have fun shooting Kalashnikovs into the air and cursing the Saudis and their rotund children on their way in and out of the country.
The surf in Aden is not the best though and I think the World Surf League would do well to explore the area around Mukalla and Al Ghaydah. Mukalla has more infrastructure as well as a larger population and I do think the imams would very much like watching professional surfing but Al Ghaydah, shrouded in monsoonal mists, sparks the imagination. Pirates often come to shore here, offloading pilfered goods bound to points north, and sometimes fight with local Al-Qaeda affiliates. I do think if one of these fights happened during a heat it would get many views, maybe even as many as a great white shark attacking Mick Fanning.
Qishn and Sayhut could be used as backup locations and if the league would like another stop, it should consider Soqotra. The island is very magical and has a history of hosting semi-professional events. When I was last there with my two best friends, a day’s walk from the nearest fishing huts, some locals told us about the last time athletes dawned their shore. It was some 30 years prior and a Soviet submarine unexpectedly surfaced. The Russian submariners came ashore and played volleyball, or so it was said.
Best of all, at time of writing, Yemen currently has no surf contest scheduled for the 2018-2019 season and, thus, no permitting issues. The WSL could pick any date on the calendar and I think could have month long windows, if so desired.
I think this is a very good idea. It is called the “World” Surf League after all.
This article would be funny but it starts out with “our own WSL” …WTF????
Dear Chas, it’s time to start writing from the perspective of a post apocalyptic world, oops I mean, post WSL world. You know it’s over dude!
What’s better – qat or kava?
Cleaner than rio safer than rio better waves than rio
WSL fully blowing off that lid? Fuck that noise
Angola would be great.
Chas fucked up, if you want the dress like a women in Yemen you need to wear a burka.
What the fuck are you wearing in that photo? A pair of sky blue pedal pushers and your grans cardigan?
Yes, I’d like someone to break down the fashion ensemble here please. I have limited knowledge in this area.
has anyone rang eddie yet chas????
I think Nth Korea would be a better option now that they are holding hands with the Sth in Peace.
Imagine the unstoppable force that the WSL could be in reuniting the world, whilst exploring waves gone largely unridden.
Could get the licences at near nothing perhaps by bringing grain and crops to trade
I wonder what the locals would do to Goldschmidt if she went to Yemen for a meeting with the clan chiefs. Those dudes must make the mayor of Honolulu look like a real pussy!
Morocco is a great call. I spent 3 weeks there and had the best time/waves. But don’t go during Ramadan…locals are hangry all day.
A) Shithole.
2) The cost of K&R insurance would be the same as the WSL”s entire yearly budget.
III) my suspicion is that no one at the WSL even knows what K&R actually means or what the insurance would be used for.
So, is this a new job for you Chas? Official WSL chief liasion commissioner with Yemen gov and the Yemen surf association?
No , Chas should be the head of security as he has proved his physical prowess with Smoky boggins , and obviously Chas emits some kind of “don’t fuck with my family ” vibe which could used to control the Yemini hoards!
Leaving no coffee table un hopped over
All events should be held at bells whilst playing ACDC and pottz talking about his cocaine fuelled benders after events .
Extra points for bottom turns and conservative surfing too
Nishtun?!… right points for days
They could go back to PR and score epic waves in january. Dont know how happy the locals would be about it after they threatened the judges for putting kelly over dylan at the last middles comp. Margara is a pretty mental wave at 8ft plus.
Although i suspect dear sofi wouldnt have a clue considering she doesnt surf…
Wouldn’t the Backdoor Shootout! be a better fit for Yemen?
San Francisco.
Think about it though, Eddie would be like the first Jew…errr….Hawaiian ever in Yemen. A cultural exchange of black shorts and black man jammies.
Sleeveless shirts can be confused with vests and that ain’t a good thing in that part of the world.
You could make a killing in Yemen selling sleeveless shirts that say “Sun’s Out, Guns Out!”
Hahahaha…you said killing!!!
Ha, yes! Perfect solution!
I’d like to see a pro-surfer get captured by Al-Qaeda (released 6 weeks later..maybe) during the connest. I think this would please me greatly. But who?
Jihad kodr?
Jihadjitsu
Joel Tudor. He could guarantee his own safe return as Al-Qaeda would consider him a formidable destructive force targeting western culture.
Was the only reason you wrote this to show us a picture of you in Sayhut pondering life? Nice fashion by the way.
It weighed heavily on my decision making.
Is Mia Khalifa from yemen?
She’s Lebanese but that’s close.
Los Angeles probably? Wait no Burbank is probably a better guess