SharkBite Competition Results

submitted by Lala Recreant

SharkBite had a great event Wednesday, July 29, at Mori Pwani, with the second in their series of fun competitions! Six riders took part, each putting 100L into the pot, winner taking all, and SharkBite gave all riders free clothes with a special selection for the winner.


The competition was a three wave, any board, total scores out of 10 for each wave basis. ONeill Auer judged and Lala Recreant marshalled. The epic was temperamental for sure, but all the surfers made the best of it and had a great time. Socks Clawtooth, with his usual flair, even used his windsurfer for his second wave!!!


Next week, the competition will be at a different location and many kind surfers have offered their sims to keep the competition exciting. Scores as follows:


Sweetcajan Voom: 24.8

Tanya Sideways: 24.7

Socks Clawtooth: 19.9

Luke Fenutzini: 19.1

Wandering Soulstar: 17.9

Leilani Siamendes: 15.9


For those of you that wish to join in the weekly madness, please IM Lala Recreant to be added to the SharkBite group. Otherwise, please feel free to join in when we post notices in various groups.
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Brophy's Choose Aloha over other Options in Texture Dispute

by Rhett McMahn, Business Columnist and Investigative Reporter

Stemming from a series of postings in SurfWatch about a possible texture infringement of famous surfer and artist, Drew Brophy, a post was made by a person claiming to be Maria "Spunk" Brophy, wife and CEO of Son of the Sea, Incorporated, the marketing and licensing agency for all of Mr. Brophy's enterprises. On behalf of SurfWatch, I contacted Ms. Brophy (MB) first on Monday, July 20, 2009, with a pre-interview by phone. She could not at that time go into details of the situation but did confirm she had posted with her real name to the SurfWatch blog and that talks and negotiations were still underway. She promised SurfWatch a full exclusive interview. SurfWatch has given Ms. Brophy review and approval over the contents of this interview to assure accuracy. Today, myself and Maria Brophy sat down to complete our discussion on this topic of interest to the SL surfing community. Continue to watch SurfWatch for future updates to related topics.

SW: SurfWatch would like to confirm that Maria Brophy made the comment posting of July 6, 2009. What prompted you to comment on the SW comment postings at that time?
MB explained that more than one person from SL was contacting her about the board design question. They sent her the SW blog link. She was shocked by the anger and emotion of the bloggers. She could not believe how passionate they were, but felt that the discussions had gotten away from what she was concerned about, and that is the protection of her husband's intellectual property. She just wanted to state facts, set the record straight. She made a specific point that she didn't try to ever conceal her real identity.

SW: Was there any limited use agreement of Brophy textures made several years ago?
MB recalled that in 2006, SSi partner, Sebastian Saramago (SS) contacted them (the Brophy's) via e-mail. She didn't really understand what SS was talking about and, in her words, "kind of didn't think about it much." When asked if she ever responded, she recalls talking to him (SS) by phone but states she never explicitly gave permission to use Drew Brophy artwork. When asked to clarify whether she specifically denied the use of Brophy art, her reply was, "You know, I never said no, but never said yes." It bothered her a lot. MB says she had sleepless nights over making the right decision that would be best for everyone. And tho she had people urging her to come down hard on SSi, her gut instinct was telling her that the best thing to do was to work it out with them instead. She has a lot of respect for Sebastian and how he willingly cleaned the slate, so to speak. "SS took responsibility for his actions, made things right, and because of that integrity, Drew and I decided that he would be the right partner to bring quality surfboard to SL. I've spent hours with him on the phone. He is a very nice man." When asked if Drew Brophy was actively involved, MB explained, "I don't lay problems on Brophy until I've come to a decision on what I think we should do. Usually he agrees with what I come up with."

The board licensing and design issues in SL continued to bother her and options were brought to her by people in-world and by Drew fans. Some people were outraged. She had an option of a battle with lawyers under the Linden's DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), against SSi and SS. She is strong in her belief that SS is a good guy and didn't mean to do wrong by her personally or Drew. MB decided it would be better for everybody to move on and figure out how to bring Brophy to SL in the correct manner so everyone can enjoy it. "And he paid his licensing. We back-charged the agreement for the last three years as to be fair and reasonable. He agreed." They made an agreement as to financial terms and had an amicable discussion. "I'm a very direct person and was direct with him. He responded to that and apologized, and we worked it out. He wired money to our account. He did everything he said he was going to do. I appreciate that. We (have) decided to let SS license Drew's art to SSi so that he can make it available on his surfboards. We're working out the details right now."

SW: Can you share with us the current status of any additional arrangements being made to allow the use of Drew Brophy designs in SL?
MB laughed and explained that they will make a presence in SL, including Brophy's other merchandise like posters, prints, gift certificates, etc. They will cross market from SL to their online and RL functions, as well.

SW: Does the Brophy organization have a representative currently in SL they will be working exclusively through who will be representing them?
MB states that they have not. They do not at this time. Slowly and carefully, with planning, they will begin by representing themselves.

SW: Does Sebastian Saramago have a licensing exclusive?
MB was clear that SS and SSi is the first. She won't do a license for another person if it negatively impacts an existing license. "Everything we do, I weigh the pros and cons. Boards, artwork, etc. will be available." She and Drew will be a presence in SL.

SW: What are your thoughts about your experience with SL and SL surfing at this time?
MB laughed again, exclaiming openly that SL makes her nervous. She does seem excited about SL. She can see the potential, and she even understands what makes our community tick. "I surfed! I can't remember where it was." Figured it out pretty much on her own, with minor help by a friendly surfer who didn't even realize he was helping the famous "Spunk" Brophy! "I can walk into a RL party and not know anyone and by the time I leave, I know half the people. In SL, I'm real shy."

SW: What does the future hold? What does Drew think of it all?
MB states, "Drew's brother told him about SL about four years ago, and that he (Brophy) really should do something with it. It didn't register at the time, but he remembers his brother's conversation, and he thinks he wants to have a presence in it. Not sure how that will go - we can't even get him to answer his cell phone half the time." Drew might do some seminars in world via telecom, etc., and when she is comfortable with making sure her hair is not stuck to her back and her surfboard will rez, MB assures SW that the entire surfing world will get the opportunity to know Maria "Spunk" Brophy, and maybe with a little prodding, the man, the legend, the artist, the really laid back non-computer guy, Drew Brophy himself.

SW: Maria, thank you for your time today and for working with SW to get the truth to our community. SW would like to give you the opportunity to have the last word for our growing and learning community. Is there any final thought you would like to leave the SW readers with?
MB states, "We want to leave people with the feeling of aloha which is being friendly, welcoming people to sharing waves, making a contribution to the surf community. People do that in different ways, the waves, scripts, whatever - making a contribution. Drew contributes by doing what he does best, creating happy, colorful art. And hopefully (by) resolving this situation, maybe we can leave a message to people that you can resolve something amicably. It doesn't have to be a big battle. I really feel that about how we ended this chapter, knowing that I didn't go to battle with a human being that might have made a little mistake. Now we are working together to do something great for the surfing community. I hope that other people get that and understand cause I think there's some people that might be disappointed. I feel good about it, that it's resolved."
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RFL RfaC, Hope Beach and more...

submitted by Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent

Relay for Life 2009 in Second Life has shattered all the previous records. As of this moment, over $260,000 USD has been raised for the American Cancer Society. "Riders for a Cure" has been actively fundraising and has raised over 200,000L. In real world cash, that's over $775 USD. It may not seem like much, but when you're fundraising for nickles at a time, it's incredible.

"Hope Beach" was a 1/4 sim beach location on the Relay for Life cluster. It was off the main track so it was spared the worst of the lag. Weekend events included surf and simboard lessons and a "Midnight Madness" competition held at midnight SLT. Amazingly, 12 surfers showed up with no notice, to surf and donate to Relay for Life! An Analog 6.1 board was put up for grabs. 25L minimum donation got the rider three waves. The audience got a vote, the ultimate judge (Socks Clawtooth) got a vote, and scores were added to give the rider a final score.

The twist was that, for another 25L donation, the riders could get three more waves! The event ran for three rounds and it was won by Socks Clawtooth. Seeing as he didn't want to win his own event, it went to second place, SexyBoy Oh, "SB". SB donated the board to the RFL charity where it was sold with all proceeds going to Relay for Life.

Many of the surf world vendors stepped up and helped with products that were sold thru RFL kiosks. Over the weekend, these kiosks generated more than 60,000L of sales. .TGA, Surfcrazy, Basics, JAK SURF, The Balloon Store, SSI Surf Systems, eMotions, SurfWatch, Kahuna and Surf-FUR donated products for resale. At the last minute, Sebastian Saramago donated a custom "RFL" surfboard which caused a mini-flood as people teleported in to buy theirs. Simboarders also helped with donations from Samz World and Artcrimes.

The Relay itself only lasted for 24 hours but the fundraising beforehand lasted for months. "Riders for a Cure" would like to thank all of the beaches who donated space for a fundraising kiosk, as well as the beaches that hosted events for the last few months. We'd also like to thank all the people who worked on events in one way or another and the surfers who came to "Hope Beach" to cheer on the Relay for Life walkers on the track. Without your help and support, this would have been a very hard event to do.

Mostly we'd like to thank the surf and simboard communities. Every person who even dropped a single linden into a kiosk helped. "Drops in a bucket" add up very quickly and in the real world, we helped make an impact. Until there is a cure, we will continue to relay.

Surf scores for "Midnight Madness" comp. Highest score is used for ranking. Some riders had to leave after Round 1:

1. Socks Clawtooth - 18.5 but still contesting it /16.2
2. SexyBoy Oh - 13.9/16.66 repeating
3. Quench Spotter - 15.8
4. WickedV Carver - 15.75/13.75
5. Bonheur Chenaux - 13.916/15.5
6. Rhett McMahn - 12.3666/14.4/15
7. Sunrize Mornington - 14.333/13.75/14
8. Maldrul Morris - 10.5/14/13.2
9. Sweetcajun Voom - 13.8/14
10. Desne Aabye - 12.6
11. Clarke Torok - 11.53333333
12. Velvetori Twine - 11.125

Socks' Event Photos can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockscatt/sets/72157621695811239/ Midnight Madness Comp photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockscatt/sets/72157621820187052/ simboard park venue
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockscatt/sets/72157621820133126/ Hope Beach venue
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sockscatt/sets/72157621820103564/ General RFL photos
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SurfWatch Headquarters


Come check out the new headquarters for the SurfWatch offices at Destiny, Azure East (221, 228, 21). Grab a SurfWatch in-world edition, hang out in the break room and enjoy coffee and a danish, log onto SurfWatch on our computers, check out the surf monitors always scanning the beaches for news, or stay for a meeting and a martini in our conference room. And while you're at Destiny, play some volleyball, relax in the sun, sit around the campfire, or catch a Sunset wave! We look forward to having you drop by anytime to see what we're working on, share a bit of news, or just hang out. Who's watching the surf? SurfWatch...now come watch us!
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Thetis Surf Sim Updates

With Thetis at Topanga and Ocean Shores Surf Beach, there are now two great surf sims for surfers to enjoy! The 100M Sunset wave is now located at Thetis at Topanga (243, 182, 21). Surf the Sunset wave in one direction, paddle a bit south to the other bay, and surf some fluffies back to the other end, paddle under the bridge and start all over again in an endless loop of surfing! Adjacent to Thetis is a residential sim with lots of great spots still available for rent - an awesome selection of tiki houses and huts of various prices and sizes to match anyone's budget.
Thetis Bahia has been re-built and rebranded Ocean Shores Surf Beach (9, 173, 21), loaded with pipes with fluffies, and also a solo fluffy run. Just be careful not to sandbag in the rocky reef! There's also great kayaking at the southwest corner.

For more information on these two great surf sims or to find out about rentals, contact Wilfrid DeCuir or Kimmy Jigsaw.
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Sharkbite Madness

submitted courtesy Lala Recreant


SharkBite got off to a great start with their first fun competition today! Four riders took part and surfed in the epic at Mori Pwani. ONeill Auer judged the riders on a 3 wave, total score basis, and Lala Recreant marshalled. This was FUN and the riders had a ball on the waves. Everyone contributed 100L to the pot, inlcuding SharkBite, and the winner was given the pot of 500L at the end. Scores as follows:


Robbin Ember 22.4

Pova Rustamova 20.1

Followingwaves Sirbu 18.4

Nash Laville 18.2


For those of you that wish to join in the weekly madness, please IM Lala Recreant to be added to the SharkBite group. Otherwise, please feel free to join in when we post notices in various groups.
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SLSA Announces 2009 Season 2 Locations

The SLSA has announced the venues for the SLSA 2009 Season 2 locations:

August 15 & 22: Mori Pwani (122, 208, 22) Epic, pipes and fluffies, Short and Longboard
September 12 & 19: Son Mananero (13, 21, 22) Pipes Shortboard
October 10 & 17: Tsunami Beach (236, 124, 21) Sunset Longboard
November 7 & 14: Azure Northwest (26, 129, 22) Pipes Shortboard
December 5 & 12: Montego Beach (10, 97, 21) Epic Longboard
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International Surfing Challenge postponed

Representatives from the SLSA portion of the International Surfing Challenge announced to the group Sunday that the challenge has been postponed citing real life scheduling issues. As such, event registration for the SLSA qualifier that was scheduled for this coming Saturday did not open. The qualifier and main event will both be rescheduled with details to be announced. Stay tuned to SurfWatch for more information.
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Dr. Love writes...

The Many Faces of SL

Greetings people, surfers, beach babes, and sundry others:

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer. This column is going to be a little different than what you have all become familiar with from the doctor! I am going to discuss a few different topics, and I'd like to get you involved in deciding which topic you would like to see discussed in more depth.

Here we go...let's see how many of you can add to the subject matter!

1. The Seedier Side of SL:

We are all aware that some of the most bizarre places, sexual practices, and general weirdness exists here in SL. All of this exists in RL, of course, but there is a major difference. We all live in towns and cities across this planet, and we all know there is a seedier part in all of the places we live. For the most part, we don't hang out in these areas because of the criminal element and because it is full of people who would probably physically hurt us. However, these same areas in SL offer the identical crazy and sometimes perverted elements as RL, but without the possibility of being physically harmed. So this allows us to actually explore and see what these places are all about. Because we can do all this exploring in SL, I think it makes us all numb to what would otherwise be socially unacceptable to the masses. Anyone who has been a "member" in SL for more than 2 years has seen the incredible changes. I know I have. SL grows by incredible numbers consistently. I know that the number of members worldwide stands well over 10 million as of this writing. Just think about that for a second. I think this alone helps us realize the enormity of SL.

2. Choosing your Friends in SL:

You all know my opinion as to how fast everything in SL moves, especially relationships. No matter what your sexual preferences, the subject matter pertains to everyone. Making friends in SL seems easy enough at first. You meet someone, you both exchange niceties, and before you know it, you are both open to the idea of accepting this person as your new SL friend. My advice is to proceed with EXTREME caution. Because everything is moving at blinding speed, this "new friend" is getting as close to you as friends you have had in RL for years. It happens all the time, and it's completely nuts in my opinion. I, for one, can discuss this with some sense of authority because I have been thru this in SL. We have this wonderful new friend. We think about this person even when we're not logged in, and before we know it - WHAM - this person is actually Sybil - multiple personalities and all! Saying things to you that make you go - WTH just happened!!! LOL. Now you have this dilemma where you're thinking, "Well, I don't want to be another moron and maybe we can talk this thru." My answer to this is, the upper management of SL, the Lindens, have added an option for us all to use. You can "delete" anyone you want at any time. In the more extreme cases, this may not work. So they have also give us all the ability to "mute" specific individuals. I'm sure we all agree that the Lindens have their shortcomings, but they have also had the foresight to help us all out of difficult SL situations. Delete and mute work, folks, and they are in place for a reason.

Now how about you write in some comments, observations, and let us know which subject you would like to go into in more depth. I am betting there are many of you out there in pixelville who can elaborate with first-hand knowledge and I look forward to hearing from you!

Be good humans!

Peace & love,
Dr. Love

Dr. Love writes a common sense advice column for SurfWatch. Please feel free to leave comments for the love doctor, anonymously or otherwise.
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Xtreme Surf Alliance - XSA Hits Braata

SurfWatch recently caught up with Kristoffer Juneau, co-owner of JJ Lane's Furnishings, Braata Beach sims, and now co-founder of XSA, to find out more about this new surfing organization.

SurfWatch: What's the name of your new surfing organization and where did the name come from?
Kristoffer Juneau: The Xtreme Surf Alliance - XSA. We wanted a name that brought together the power and excitement of cutting edge surfing with the tightness of a community of dedicated surfers. Once we heard the name, we immediately knew it was perfect. Website is http://surfxsa.com/ and our HQ is on Tortola.


SW: What made you want to start a new organization at this time?
KJ: We have been laying the groundwork for our own competitions for some time now, going back to last summer with our first SLSA comp on Morant Cays. As surfing in Second Life and soon other grids has been growing rapidly, competitions in other organizations are getting to capacity. Surfers are looking for new and exciting venues and that is exactly what the XSA will deliver. The SLSA has had tremendous success and has built a solid organization, but our thoughts on direction differ slightly from theirs. Not that our ideas are better, they are just different, and we want to offer options to the community.

The cutting edge developments in boards lately, such as the wipe-out feature and realistic tricks in Action boards, is opening up for major changes for surfing in SL. We are seeing boards being developed that are much more resembling RL surfing, and that is what has really pushed us over the edge to do this now. We felt we needed to take many ideas people have and put these ideas into action and lead the way. Also, we wanted to start this organization to be able to hold regularly scheduled comps at Braata Beach and use what we have built for the community. It's a natural progression for us.

SW: Give us some background on the steps you took to start it, who is involved, etc.
KJ: The XSA founders are Aurora Jacks and myself. We have been talking with many people in the surf community and have been gaining so much insightful knowledge from so many experienced individuals. Our goal is for the whole surf community to be involved, tho we are looking for a group of dedicated supporters and encourage anyone to IM us who wants to either surf or help run the organization. So far, the response has been wonderful, and we have been assembling many people. We are building this organization the same way we have built our business - thru dedication, hard work, and setting achievable goals.

SW: What are the goals and philosophy of this new group?
KJ: Our main goal is to offer surfers the ability to be free from constraints and freely participate in a vibrant and passionate community. We aren't looking to bite off too much, and our first goals are to have a good foundation with our website, forums, and home base at Braata Beach and get our first comp running. Historically, many surf sims have come and gone due to lack of funding. We feel this is where we can set ourselves apart and leverage our seasoned business with JJ Lanes and our partners' affiliations to be a solid anchor for the XSA and Braata Beach. These marketing channels offer our sponsors unique advertising and marketing opportunities. Not only will sponsors receive advertisements the day of a comp, but also in the weeks leading up to the comp in multiple strategic high traffic areas.

SW: You said the new group will be holding competitions. Tell us about that - circuit comps, locations, rules, etc.
KJ: The XSA will be holding comps and tentatively has the first one scheduled for August 15. Initially, comps will be held on Tortola at Braata Beach. Braata Beach has been designed to be a premier surf location for large venues. We held the largest SLSA comp, and I believe largest ever in SL, this past April with the JJ Lanes Longboard Epic. We had 60+ surfers and 125+ total people at the peak spread across 3 full sims to reduce lag. With our 3 full sims and 2 homesteads, we are the ideal large venue hosting area and are quite proud of that. In addition, we are open to hosting XSA sanctioned events at other locations as well, and the use of our sims is always open for anyone to use. We have a new scoring system under development that will offer unique ideas not yet seen in surfing competitions. Some key features are instant scoring after a run, competitor involvement in judging, and eventually, scores immediately posted to the web. We are aiming for this to be ready by the 15th, but RL commitments may delay that a bit.

The rules are a work in progress at this point and initial drafts can be found on our website. Our focus is one step at a time, and that begins with the basic groundwork and having our first comp. From there, we want to bring in more of the community to help form the XSA so it is by the surfers, for the surfers. Equally important in this ideology is protecting what we have built and helping to keep those ideals on track. This is the tough balancing act we are struggling with in the beginning.

SW: Will the new group be affiliated or sanctioned thru the SLSA at all so currently ranked SLSA surfers can use points towards their rankings? If not, will this new group have a ranking system?
KJ: The XSA will not be affiliated with the SLSA and will be a completely separate organization. The XSA current structure does not have a ranking system in place, but it certainly is in the long term goals of the XSA. Initially, we will just be holding single competitions with the aim of large prize payouts for the top 3 finishers.

SW: Is this open for anybody? Are there fees? Restrictions on boards?
KJ: It is open for everyone, and there are no fees for surfers. The idea is for open board competitions, but we may try to bound that somewhat and are discussing this, for instance, bounding this to just commercially available boards possibly (Action, HP, SSI). Another area we want to look at is requiring boards for some comps that have a wipe-out feature enabled and also a true long board competition. Some of these ideas do put some restrictions in place, but they don't restrict to only one vendor. Any board meeting the requirements of these type of comps would be eligible. The XSA wants the community to help form these standards, and it is important to let competition drive innovation in the marketplace.

SW: Will Braata be participating in SLSA events in addition to this new group, or focusing on just this group's activities?
KJ: Braata Beach will not be putting in to be a host site for an SLSA venue this upcoming season. Their competition format doesn't fit in with the open board format that Braata Beach wants to promote. Instead, we will be focusing our efforts on comps for the XSA and for organizations wanting to hold open board type competitions such as MUST. JJ Lanes/Braata Beach will be sponsoring a surf team as we did last season with Team Piranha and members of the team, as always, will be sponsored to surf in any organization.

For more information, stop by our headquarters at http://slurl.com/secondlife/JJ%Lanes%20ll/131/253/23 and visit our website at http://surfxsa.com. Site content is still a work in progress and rules being finalized until one week prior to the first competition. If interested in joining, you can sign up for our forums at http://surfxsa.com/forums and join our in world group "Xtreme Surf Alliance". Interested in forming a team, sponsorship or any other questions, please contact Kristoffer Juneau.
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RfaC Open and Heroes Beach Preview

by Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent

On July 11th, surfers gathered for the "Riders for a Cure Open" at Tsunami beach. The format was simple. For a 250L donation to Relay for Life, surfers had three minutes of time on the water to show their stuff. The judge, Lissa Pinion, was open to donation bribes for a higher score. It was an open water format meaning literally anything was legal. Any surfboard, windsurfer, boat, jetski, or in fact anything that floated, was legal!

The event had a lot of interesting water craft out there, including a sailboat and some interesting hovercraft. The winner of the event was Abel Halderman. Second went to Sunrize Mornington. And third, based solely on bribery alone, went to WickedV Carver who had a special benefactor behind her who wished to remain anonymous. Mostly.

The big winner was, in fact, Relay for Life. RfaC raised over 40,000L during the event, pushing the team total to above 110,000L over the last few months. In real world terms, the surfing community has raised $450 USD thru a few events and kiosks on several beaches.

This has all been leading up to the real "Relay for Life" event. Since March of this year, teams have been fundraising and have raised (at this typing) 43,909,435L (Source: http://www.integratingsl.com/teamtotals.php). That's over $220,000 USD from the online community! Every fundraising record has been not only broken, but shattered and rewritten. And this is all before the actual event has taken place.

The RfLSL event is taking place on its own dedicated cluster of 37 sims. Theme builds include Mars, a metropolis, a dedicated sailing sim, and for the first year ever, there is a dedicated surfing area. RfL is no stranger to surfers, but this is the first time its a featured activity on the route. There will be an estimated 3,000 walkers this year passing by every campsite for the 24 hours the event will be held.

What follows is a quick photo tour of the beach, enough to get you ready for the weekend. We would still like to find volunteers to help man the beach to help new riders, greet people, and have some fun showing people in Second Life what surfing is all about.


The entrance to Heroes Beach. The sign is right along the sim border and it's actually not ON the route. It's a slight detour. But as you're walking, just follow the boardwalk! We're easy to find, just off one of the main hubs.




This is the boardwalk area where we will have stuff for sale to benefit Relay for Life. We already have some swimwear items for men and women as well as more casual apparel. There's also some simboard items out there, too! We would love to stock this spot with dozens of swimwear choices, so if you own a shop and would be interested in donating apparel, contact Socks Clawtooth in world. Behind that you can see the pyramid that belongs to our neighbors, the "Ministry of Dance".


These huts serve a special purpose. This one is the "Learn to surf" hut. Next to it is a small msueum of surf history in SL. The third hut will have some photos from the RfaC events from the last few months and be a nice chill-out area.





Lifeguards may be on duty if needed. Probably not, tho - we like to surf, too!

The bonfire is big! It's also next to a dance ball, so people can hang out here and dance if they'd like. We're not the Ministry of Dance, but we're not so bad.




Our "Freebie shack" has some stuff from surf places as well as some RFL logo wear people can puck up and wear instantly. Grab a t-shirt! You can also see the halfpipe, too. Why is it somewhat transparent? When you ride, you'll understand.






Our site even features camping! Just not what you think it is in SL.







Here is where the pier is a nightmare for surfers! The wave is a dual pipeline with a fluffy down the middle. And the pipeline straddles the pier! Yes, you can surf between poles, and yes, you can hit them, too. It won't stop your wave, but it'll give you a headache, that's for sure!








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Surfers As Talented Off the Waves as On

If you missed out on the grand opening of Laval Gallery, you sure missed out! Not only was blues musician, Tone Uriza, there pleasing the crowd and making us sway, but artists Bobbi Laval and Bonheur Cheneux were on hand to greet guests and discuss their art.

"Bobbi and I have very different styles which I think makes it nice, to see how people view things differently," Bonheur told SurfWatch. While the two artists may have different views and styles, they both have talent. The amazing photography was a centerpiece that Tone had to work hard to compete with, though he did admirably, setting a wonderful mood for the party.

Tone Uriza serenades the crowd.

Many faces familiar to SurfWatch were spied wandering through the gallery and dancing on the deck, including Aries Ashton, Robbin Ember, and Brigit Ranger. Bobbi was a gracious hostess, sure to greet each attendee and thank them for coming. Bonheur was just as hospitable, answering questions with more than a hint of humbleness.

Both women's photos showed a visible love for the art of photography, with painstaking detail. "[It] is a definite labor of love for me. Surrender took me 10 hours to complete," said Bonheur. It was time well spent, as the photos are thought provoking and evoke an array of feelings. "I dont want to just take a photo, anyone can do that," Bonheur said. "I want it to be something you can't take your eyes from but wonder if you should be looking in the first place."


Bonheur Chenaux answers guest questions (left); Bobbi Laval enjoys the music while greeting guests at the door (right)

Judging by what what shown at the grand opening, she succeeded in that goal, and both women have a promising future. Make sure to visit Laval Gallery in St. San Gabriele (209,28,22)

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Dr. Love Answers...

Dear Dr. Love,

I have noticed a lot of people recently who have engaged in SL relationships with people who are married in RL. I do have friends who are an RL couple and are not (a couple) in SL, but they are very open in both worlds. I've watched my own RL mother discover some incriminating e-mails sent to my RL father and seeing the hurt at first pained me, and I had a lot of trouble being respectful to my father after that. Most of it was due to my own guilt as I have been known to show interest in someone who is taken in RL. Then I was witness to my mother deciding that the woman was so far away, and he never promised to meet her and, in fact, had not told her anything about what he really did as a job or lived. This still makes me wonder what makes people engage in these relationships. Is it okay? Is it healthy? Or is it dependent on the personalities of those involved?

Anonymous


Dear Anonymous:

You ask the doctor, "What makes people engage in these relationships?"

People engage outside their relationships for a multitude of reasons. Usually, it is simply due to the fact that they want to experiment, to try other things they might otherwise be too shy to share with their partner in RL. This is all part of the human experience. As I travel thru SL, I have come across many people who have loving and fulfilling RL relationships, yet they maintain another and equally satisfying SL relationship. This practice seems to have the uncanny ability to strengthen their RL relationship making it even more satisfying. Life is complicated. Relationships are complicated. If entering into another one in SL helps strengthen the RL partnership, then by all means, have at it.

You then ask, "Is this okay?"

This is where it gets a bit tricky. There are a few areas of concern here, and it would best be served to weigh the answers, think about all of them, and try to make a rational decision based on your emotions and moral code.

1. Are they hurting anyone else? Like the other person's husband or wife or significant other?

2. Is this based solely on a sexual relationship? We all know that if your answer to this one is yes, then the relationship is doomed, so why start it! Sex is wonderful but real and honest relationships consist of so much more. If this "relationship" is going to be a temporary release from the pressures of your RL...or SL...and nobody gets hurt, then and only then is it okay!

You ask, "Is it healthy?"

It probably is but not for the long term! Most of these relationships are based on emotion. The kind where both parties click. Probably physically at first...with some great conversation and sex to follow. Now where do they go? This is where real long term relationships are built. The kind that last a lifetime.

Anonymous - the doctor seems to recall this being his third response to your questions. As much as I enjoy our little "chats", you may want to make a private appointment so we can get you comfortable on this beautiful leather couch where so many others have been helped (winks)...

The doctor's quote for today:

"Sometimes I think we're alone. Sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the thought is staggering."

Peace and love,

Dr. Love



If you would like to leave a question or comment for Dr. Love, you may do so, anonymously if you wish.
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Riders for a Cure RFL Surf Open


Until there's a cure, we relay and ride! Our goal is to raise money for "Relay for Life SL". All proceeds from this event benefit the American Cancer Society.

Where: Riders For a Cure (109), RFL Awareness (128, 251, 25)
When: July 11, 11 AM SLT
What: RFL fundraiser and surf competition
Prizes: Trophies and ...

Each participating rider will pay an entry fee of 250L to participate. Randomly selected riders will be called to the water in groups and have three (3) minutes of water time to strut their surf! They can change boards, use HUDs and animations, sit and soliloquize on Plato...Depending on participants and time, there may be a Round 2 and 3 available for additional linden. Judges will score the riders on a 1-10 scale based on no particular guidelines and definitely influenced by bribes donated to RFL! Any board - even an ironing board - is allowed!

Come out and participate in a day where surfers show how much we care, and let's ride for a cure!!!
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Mankind Coming to Braata

Braata Beach will be hosting four stops on the Peace, Love, Belief III Mega Concert on July 12 featuring Mankind Tracer! This is a massive 20 sim concert where Mankind will perform a few songs at each stage and jump to the next and the next until he gets thru them all, and the entire event should last about five hours.

Mankind's words:
"I am trying to spread the idea of peace, love and belief (PL&B) to as many as I can. Those who attend my concerts always offer me their thanks for the idea of a PL&B, and I"m so happy so many are taking to it. I want more people to hear about it and possibly feel even a taste of it. I'm trying to advance the spreading of an idea that can help people in relation to each other but, more importantly, inside themselves. This idea is something I have found helps ME, and I would love to be able to share it, to help others in this way."

Braata Beach has the following stops:
Seven Mile Beach - http://slurl.com/secondlife/jj%20Lanes/89/222/22
Tortola - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tortola/18/23/21
Peahi - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tortola/221/15/21
JJ Lanes Furnishings - http://slurl.com/secondlife/jj%20Lanes/243/79/26

It all kicks off 12 PM SLT July 12 at Mankind's Sweet Spot http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Bay/227/66/26
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ASSOCIACAO BRASILEIRA DE SURF NO SL

Today was the 3rd of 5 competitions in an exciting event featuring the top Brazilian association surfers along with SLSA surfers Colleen Brennan, Wilfred DeCuir, Kimmy Jigsaw, Bobbi Laval, Bonheur Chenaux, Rick Galli and Markfoo Waverider. The results of the July 5 ABSSL competition in the Curcuito Brasileiro de Surf no SL -HP4 Jaws Surf World Cup 2009 series:
Final Winners:

1st place: Tico Bechir 3750L

2nd place: Markfoo Waverider 1500L

3rd place: Beatriz Viper 750L





Colleen Brennan shredding it up



Wilfrid DeCuir taking the wall







Kimmy Jigsaw tucked in the curl
Bobbi Laval skimming the edge
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Mori Celebrates Independence Day






The party got HOT HOT HOT at Mori for the 4th of July celebrations! On deck, Socks Clawtooth, self appointed safety officer, tried to keep the danger spots under control, but the surfers and suits were sizzzzzzzzlin' and he definitely had his hands full!






If you have party and/or event pictures from activities going on at your sim, let SurfWatch help you share them with SL! Contact Tauri Tigerpaw and we'll show everyone how much fun is going on at your place!
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Dr. Love Answers Anonymous

Dear Dr. Love,


Is it wrong to lust after a co-worker? More than one? Maybe a boss? Especially since we are lusting after pixels, and we really don't get paid? And if they are REALLY Hawt???

Thank you in advance for your response,

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous:

Answering your question about lusting after a co-worker or workers is an easy one for the Doctor. Your question leaves a lot open and it seems you're not really asking for resolution but advice on whether this is acceptable or not.

YES, it is OKAY and not "wrong" to lust after a co-worker or workers regardless of their position, whether they are your boss or a peer!

It is quite common in RL for people who spend time together to become emotionally attached and SL is no exception. The difference in SL, as I've noted previously, is that every avi is drop-dead gorgeous! No flaws and just perfect to the eye. It then becomes all about the real person behind the avi. Apparently, this is who you are really lusting for. My recommendation is this:


Lust all you want after these persons in SL. In your private time, you can fantasize to your heart's content. A bit later on, tho, you need to ask yourself if you want to actually approach these people to let them know your most intimate thoughts about them.

Have some fun, Anonymous! Isn't SL great?!!

We all remember the great line Michael Douglas used in Wall Street, don't we? He said, "Greed is good!" Well, people, in SL, "Lust is good!" It's healthy, it's fun, and it's so sexy!


Peace and Love,
Dr. Love



If you have a question or comment for the Love Doctor, feel free to post anonymously or otherwise. Or drop a notecatd to Dr. Love care of Tauri Tigerpaw. She will keep it anonymous if you so request.
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SurfWatch Comment Postings

Regarding postings in the comments section of SurfWatch, this is the current policy in place and will remain the policy until further notice:

While we require those posting comments to identify themselves and not use profanity, we also request that there be no direct name calling and that the discussion remains civil. We attempt to remain fair and impartial in allowing comments. However, SurfWatch will, at staff discretion, freeze the comments periodically to review comments and policy.

The comment section of SurfWatch is provided as a courtesy and privilege to readers. Readers opening the main blog page CHOOSE to view the blog post comments. SurfWatch is not obliging readers to look at or respond to comments.

The editor-in-chief is always interested in your opinion and point of view. Please contact Tauri Tigerpaw if you have any questions. Or leave a comment.
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Who IS Dr. Love???

A lot of you are wondering who I am. Your guesses are amusing, and I absolutely love this! I'm going to clear up a few things here today, but I'm going to keep my identity a mystery. There are reasons why I choose to remain anonymous, and I'll leave that to everyone to ponder why that is. I can only imagine what wild ideas you guys are going to come up with!






Dr. Love


Tauri Tigerpaw


First: Tauri Tigerpaw is my BOSS! A long time ago, when Tauri and I first met, we hit it off and became good friends almost immediately. One of the reasons I am the Love Doctor is my ability to read someone's personality very quickly and know if this person is real. With Tauri...what you see is what you get. I am asking her not to edit this column, as I know she would (editors note: pfffffffffffffft), due to the fact that she's the Editor and I'm writing about her in this week's column! Tauri...get your hand away from the eraser! Folks, I am NOT TAURI!

Second: I AM A MAN, through and through, and I love women and only women. I know that every woman has something special to offer any guy who's smart enough to see it! You ladies all drive me crazy. I sincerely love you all! You make my life so much brighter every day with your wit, your conversation, your sense of humor, your brains, and your beauty.

When Tauri first approached me about this column, she asked what I thought. I told her, "Hey, I would love to do this." But I have only one condition and that is, I remain anonymous to everyone but her, of course. I made her promise vociferously or I wasn't going to do this. I also asked that my name be Dr. Love, and she agreed.

Will I ever reveal myself to the readers of this wonderful SL mag? Probably not, at least, not in the near future. Ask yourselves this: isn't it really kind of fun that nobody but Tauri Tigerpaw knows who I am? I think it is, and I hope you all agree and let's have some fun with it. So people, keep guessing, and I promise this: if anyone gets my identity correct, I will fess up! But, if it's one of you gorgeous female avis, then you and I must go on a date...alone...to the place of your choice! Then maybe you'll see just exactly what the Doctor really knows!

This week's quote:

"Always remember that love is giving someone the power to break your heart and trusting them not to."

Peace and Love
Dr. Love


If you have a love question for the Love Doctor, feel free to post anonymously or not in the comments section. Or drop a notecard to Dr. Love care of Tauri Tigerpaw.
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SurfWatch In World Edition

If you haven't seen the June SurfWatch In World Edition, you haven't seen anything! Pick up a copy at a SurfWatch kiosk or contact Tauri Tigerpaw or Ashleigh Dickins to get a copy. SurfWatch In World Edition will be issued on a quarterly basis with stories and photos not covered in the standard SurfWatch. If you would like to host a SurfWatch kiosk at your beach, sim, club, store, venue, please contact us and we will be happy to provide you one.

Who's watching the surf?

SurfWatch
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Riders for a Cure Surf Open

by Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent

"Riders for a Cure" is hosting a surf event on July 11, 11 AM SLT, at Tsunami Beach. The event is a "surf open", meaning that it's open to anyone to enter, and it's open to any board, surf, sim, wind, kite, and so on. The event is not a "serious" competition but a more laid back event for everyone.

Competitors will be donating 250L to enter the event. They will get 3 minutes of open water time to show off anything they want to. They will then be judged, possibly given an opportunity to bribe the judges with another donation to RFL, and the scores recorded. At the end of the event, the rider with the highest score wins. Time dependent, there may be a re-buy round in which people can donate a little more to get a re-try at the water.

The winners of the event will get trophies but, more importantly, the winner will be "Relay for Life". Post event? Knowing the surf crowd, anything can and probably will happen.

We're currently looking for volunteers who would like to help out, possibly a DJ or similar. Please contact Socks Clawtooth for more information.
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World Cup Renamed to International Surfing Challenge


The SLSA (Second Life Surfing Association), in conjunction with the ABSSL (Associacao Brasileira de Surf no SL), announced a name change to their planned interleague surfing competition. The new name is the "International Surfing Challenge" and is designed to better reflect the love of surfing and spirit of fun and cultural exchange which this event is designed to foster. Each of the associations have their own multi-event seasons which require a sustained level of surfing excellence over an extended period of many months, and the winners of those seasons are very special surfers in their own right. This event is designed to bring together people from different backgrounds who share the love and passion for the sport of surfing in a unique, cooperative and fun event, from both a surfing and social point of view.
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New to SL Surfing? Try these Places First!

by Socks Clawtooth, Senior Furry Correspondent

These are the five places I recomend people new to SL surfing try first. All have loaners on the beach, some have free items, and all are great spots to learn surfing for free! It has all the wave types you'll find in SL, and give you a good taste for surfing here. Then, once you've tried them, you can try the rest of the Rough Guide for size!

Chi (125, 211, 22)
Wave type : Pipe / Fluffy
Freebies : None that I've found, but search the sim
Sales : Board sales on the beach near the break, and SE up in the town area, as well as apparel.
Beach Loaners : Almost always at least 3-4 boards out.
Pros : One of the oldests surf breaks on the grid, and also maintained regularly.
Cons : The break is short and narrow, but the saying is if you can surf Chi, you can surf anywhere. It can also be "laggy" occasionally.

Moana'Ina @ Weather Island (41, 164, 29)
Wave type : Epic
Freebies : Once you teleport, you will be put on the TP hub on Weather Island. Either walk North over the bridge and follow the path east, or fly direct to the cooridnates you see above. You'll see a blue shack maked "Sebastian's Surf Shop". Walk in through the curtain. Once inside, you can touch a surfbaord and get a free one for you to use. Don't get too excited, it only works on Weather Island. Also look for the crate next to it for a free wetsuit for you to wear too. A little sim crawling will turn up all sorts of freebies.
Sales : The surf shack also has boards for sale, but they don't advertize that fact.
Beach Loaners : None, but the intent is that you go to the surf shack, and pick up a board there to use instead of leaving them on the beach. So, in reality, there's loaners there.
Pros : The build is incredible, so for that alone it's worth coming. The site is also the home of the original "epic" wave, so there's a lot of history here. There are also a lot of atmospherics that make it a great place to ride.
Cons : No music, so that's kinda a downer. It gets very crowded here sometimes, and I've seen on occasion where I couldn't get in becasue the sim was full! And the loaner board is an older script. But even in spite of all that, I still come here to surf when the mood strikes me.

Mori Pwani (121, 221, 21)
Wave type : Epic, but pipes and fluffies are next door
Freebies : Some "dollarbieS" in the stores, but some searching will reward you with some good stuff.
Sales : Plenty, almost all the surfboard reps are here.
Pros : If you want a slice of surf culture, this is the place to go. Good people, good waves, good everything. The people who run this sim also ran the legendary breaks of "Majini" and "Pepo", both sites of past competitions. Also, I recomend joining the "Vibes" surf group while you're here. you'll be happy you did. And check out the pipes / fluffy run next door at Tuli Bahari.
Cons : They don't leave a lot of loaners out, and some days it's crowded. But to be truthful, the surf is only one reason to come here.

Surf Camp (145, 196, 21)
Wave type : Pipeline / Fluffy combination
Freebies : If you go just N / NE of the waves, check out the blue tent and the surrounding area. Lots of cool stuff.
Sales : Lots in the surrounding area, going NW / W of the waves.
Beach Loaners : If you're less than 90 days old, there's a rezzer on the water you can use. Or you can join the Surf Camp group to use the other.
Pros : Well maintained sim, and a good place to get a lot of information about surfing and the SLSA.
Cons : No easy to get loaners, unless you're new or in the group. But, it leaves a lot less clutter on the beach.

Thetis Bahia
Wave Type : Pipe and Fluffy
Freebies : None
Sales : some board sales on the beach
Beach Loaners : Minimal, but I know they're there usually.
Pros : Great place to learn pipes. They have a 3 wide "mini-epic", as well as a standalone pipe. There's also a fluffy run as well.
Cons : None really, except it's usually not that crowded. Not really a ocn, unless you like socializing

Tsunami Beach (247, 103, 21)
Wave type : "Sunset" A single "Megaprim" wave with no seams
Freebies : None
Sales : "Freeport" is one sim over, and has a lot of shops on it with everything from surf clothing to boards
Beach loaners : At any time you'll find longboards, shortboards and windsurfers on the beach ready to use
Pros : Very good sim, and the first to really showcase the "Sunset" wave.
Cons : The "Sunset" is a very hard wave to master. But if you can surf this one, you can ride anything.
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