John John Florence about to cross line, top ten, in world’s most prestigious open-water yacht race!

"My goal is to sail around the world," says John John.

The annual 600 nautical mile Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race ain’t for sissies or cry-babies.

As those precious hunks of carbon and aluminium and fibreglass move off the coast and mainland Australia they hit Bass Strait, an irritable body of water known for its “high winds and difficult seas.”

Boats sink, people disappear.

In 1998, five boats sank, six people died. Of the 115 boats that started the race, 44 finished.

This year, the two-time world champion surfer, John John Florence, who turns 27 next birthday, joined the crew of Winning Appliances, a fine sixty-footer that was built in Dubai.

The boat is currently 50 or so nautical miles (57 regular miles. See, nautical miles are based on the circumference of the earth, each mile equalling a minute of latitude) from the finish line where it is expected to finish ninth.

John John ain’t no stranger to boats.

Earlier this year, he bought the snowboarder Travis Rice’s totally off-the-grid, 48-foot catamaran, Falcor, a boat Travis once sailed from North Carolina to Hawaii via Panama and Tahiti.

“My goal is to sail around the world,” says John John.

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Rumpelstiltskin
Rumpelstiltskin
7 years ago

i said it 8 months ago “john john to start a nomadic tour, where they have to race/sail their own boats to the corners of the earth searching for the best wave to hold a comp in , no managers, coaches , or entourage, just your girl and your dog, old school alby mangles world safari style surf exploration / tour, The new tour Comminsioner is Martin Daly and the CEO is Peter McCabe

Jen See
Jen See
7 years ago

Open water sailing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lemoore. LIke, times infinitely cooler. I’d be curious to know how much actual sailing our dude was doing and how much like, celebrity visit vibe this thing was? Idk.

I tried to shimmy into writing about sailboat racing, but couldn’t quite swing it. Seems pretty rad on the whole.

Otto
Otto
7 years ago

Good idea!

Beating to Win d war D (ez)!

Aaa tack!!!!

Sunova_New_Zealand
Sunova_New_Zealand
7 years ago

yep,thatll be gold

JJ is awake
JJ is awake
7 years ago

Looks like WSL lost the #1 surfer….JJ is not ever going on the shit show again…never.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  JJ is awake

Won’t be missed. Noone is!

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

Wheres the rush crawling around a boat and getting yelled at.
Get a foiled moth
That’s hectic!

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
7 years ago

Or those foiled catamarans. Those things are insane.

The Bitchy Crab
The Bitchy Crab
7 years ago

Oh I never do! That would be criminal!

The Bitchy Crab
The Bitchy Crab
7 years ago

Expressed in a mysterious knee injury with photos of Ross Williams staring forlornly at John John being wheeled into MRI.

Otto
Otto
7 years ago

Sweet jeebus, can you imagine Australians having to say “ahoy mate” instead?!
Planks would be flying off home depot shelves!

Paulo De Tarso Duarte
Paulo De Tarso Duarte
7 years ago

So…
No JJF x Medina rivalry?
No rivalry like AI x KS…?
No rivalry like Asing x Igarashi…

disqus_Ns5INJFnMy
disqus_Ns5INJFnMy
7 years ago

paulodetarsoduarte important

Julian's receding hairline
Julian's receding hairline
7 years ago

Still waiting for a JJF photo in navy blue polo and caqui pants

Mastershaker
Mastershaker
7 years ago

What a bunch of losers, high end yachties, can’t stand em. If your going to wear NAUTICA clothing then you need to grab a few paint cans a packet of Winnie blues and go tag your local Depot, lad.

Abscessed Llama
Abscessed Llama
7 years ago

Hey John John!

I’m sure your inbox is full with request to join your crew. FYI the “Llama” is immune to seasickness. So if you need help with your goal. My resume is descent and have spent more time in blue water than most. Would be happy to join your team!

Warmest Regards,

A.L.

Menehune Champ
Menehune Champ
7 years ago

That’s a serious rotation

bruddah
bruddah
7 years ago

But John John! What about the tour!?! C’mon they’ve got Wave Systems™! And #beachvibes! The opportunity to be a Value-Led Athlete! Lemoore! Get Sent™! Equal pay w/ the women! The Jeep Yellow Jersey™! A fellow Hawaiian hassling the shit out of you in a heat!?! Kanoa Igarashi! Not to mention all the emojis you could ever want in the WSL instagram posts! Plus offices in Santa Monica!?! And maybe an event at Pipeline too!?!

Nick Carroll
Nick Carroll
7 years ago
Reply to  bruddah

Well this is the problem, he’s not #AllIn

Julian's receding hairline
Julian's receding hairline
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

Yeah.. but I guess he’s still interested in the tour for Olympics purpose, do you reckon?
He’d get mainstream polularity and could do his shit without having to worry about wsl anymore

Nick Carroll
Nick Carroll
7 years ago

Can I tell you, I think John is the all unintentional head boy of a significant group of the top gun men who are extremely dubious about the current direction and leadership of the WSL. They know it’s kind of a gift horse and have resisted looking it in the mouth, so to speak, but they’re surfers like the rest of us and their livelihood depends on it succeeding, and I think they are beginning to wonder. That whole Pipe permit fracas was sorta the start of the doubt I suspect, the Pool thing, the sense that its track is away from the core spectacle and toward some other vision, that it’s all being run by people they don’t know that well. But they’ve got no power as individuals in it other than that being exhibited by JJF — and lets face it he is pretty protected by his bank balance and unimpeachable rep.

Otto
Otto
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

What do you foresee in 2019? Can the WSL landscape accommodate both the narrative of a 2019 WSL Men’s World Champ and the who’s who is gonna make the Olympics?

Nick Carroll
Nick Carroll
7 years ago
Reply to  Otto

I foresee exciting new last minute naming rights sponsors! (Beachwaver!) And ongoing sexual tension between the WSL and the ISA. Remember — more than half the Olympians will come from beyond the CT ranks. And all the CTers who want to compete will have to go in the ISA World Surfing Games.

Other than that I have no fucking idea.

Otto
Otto
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

2019 Shark Watch Pro Margaret River

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

Wait til the Gold Medallist is from outside of the WSL ranks and fails the drug test.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

I’ve heard he’s connected to 911 too. But I doubt it.

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

Whenever I see that hashtag, I think of GG Allin. Not necessarily the role model Woozle is looking for.

https://www.youtube.com/wat…

Owen's Outgoing Tide
Owen's Outgoing Tide
7 years ago

sailing is fun, but too exy for moi. what a horrible name for a boat. i realise it’s a sponsor thing, but what a stupid name for a company. it basically says “we make appliances and we’re cunts”. so while being stupid. it’s most likely very accurate.

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago

my buddies parents sailed the world in the 70’s and 80’s in their 35 foot wooden boat built in NY in the 20-30’s.. boat still is a beauty.. they broke their mast off the coast of Australia, a few hundred miles off coast, his dad fucked up his back pulling it back on the deck and then they got back to Australia for repairs. Crazy oceans off the coast they say.

Nick Carroll
Nick Carroll
7 years ago
Reply to  mine.mine.mine

Where were they? Australia’s pretty big ya know.

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

the sydney to hobart run or something is what he just told me 7 gales in a row.. its broke the bolts to the hull, they had to have the boat rebuilt or something or other in Opua NZ (I aint the sailor, only done one over night run in the gulf of maine with him and almost puked my guts). His old man and mom (and he for that matter) are pretty resourceful fuckers them sailor people.. nothing can’t be fixed if you get my meaning. He just told me I guess off of South Africa the mast broke as well. They buy a house on land, rebuild it and sell it for a profit and then they move into the boat and travel the world. Met a guy years ago, who would retire every 5 years, then work, then retire, on and on… loved the concept.. guess the boat life is the same.

Eddie Haiku
Eddie Haiku
7 years ago

Far as I can tell
Boats are totally off grid
Coz, um, there’s no grid

Bleach'd Git
Bleach'd Git
7 years ago
Reply to  Eddie Haiku

Unfortunately
Nowadays you get email
and all sorts of shit

Frontwards Fin Frank
Frontwards Fin Frank
7 years ago

But..but..Gabby goes on cruise ships with Neymar while wearing his speedos! Someone please tell me that I can’t step foot in Brazil now and blah blah blah. That is becoming quite cliche no?

Julian's receding hairline
Julian's receding hairline
7 years ago

Wat

Doobalachy
Doobalachy
7 years ago

More fun than hanging around pipe during the comp for a couple of weeks.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  Doobalachy

You reckon?
I’d rather stick needles in my dick than spew my way to hofart.

Doobalachy
Doobalachy
7 years ago

Depends if you grew up surfing pipe everyday of the week

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  Doobalachy

Fair nuff
I it’s like when you get tired of banging models all the time
Sometimes it’s nice to just bang a civilian.

The Bitchy Crab
The Bitchy Crab
7 years ago

Forget needles, clamps! And rings!

frank
frank
7 years ago

He’s gonna be so fricken StOKed when he sells that thing! Beers for the crew !!!!

frank
frank
7 years ago
Reply to  frank

I meant the boat, he’s gonna be stoked when he sells his boat! ; )

The Bitchy Crab
The Bitchy Crab
7 years ago
Reply to  Doobalachy

Hanging around Pipe watching Medina suddenly being touted as best in world etc. No fun!


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