(Posted on) February 27, 2006, 8:10 AM
I went to Chiba to surf with Christian Fletcher.
Christian was in Japan this week at Interstyle (a surf exhibition) in Yokohama to promote FAB and their new sponsor, Flavor Six wetsuits. He and I were teammates about 20 years ago when we were sponsored by Ranti wetsuits, but now we are teammates sponsored by FAB sunglasses.
So, we all headed to Kamogawa Marquis Point, which seemed to have good waves that day, to take some photos for our sponsor. The wind was right and the waves were in good condition with head-high sets. Local surfers Kawai and Naohisa were there, as were pro surfers Izuki and Masaki. But the waves just didn't seem to get Christian excited. Despite being led by Tsuji, the local marquis guard, and getting out of the rocks without getting wet, Christian only managed to catch two waves... And one of them was a drop-in, his signature move... There were photographers and videographers on the beach, and a gallery gathered... But I guess that's just typical of him.
Another thing that is typical of him is that he wore different shoes on each side while he was in Japan (see photo). It suits him, but it's rare to see someone pull this off. Also, he smokes cigarettes, doesn't care about littering, and I would think it would be a miracle if Christian were to help clean up the beach.
Recently, he's into motorbike racing, speeding along the circuit and scraping his knees. He also enjoys riding bulls. He said it was difficult, but I think it's probably dangerous. Afterwards, he had lunch at Denny's, and headed home full. Photos of this and his time riding the waves will be published in the Surf Trip Journal, so please keep an eye out.
So, we all headed to Kamogawa Marquis Point, which seemed to have good waves that day, to take some photos for our sponsor. The wind was right and the waves were in good condition with head-high sets. Local surfers Kawai and Naohisa were there, as were pro surfers Izuki and Masaki. But the waves just didn't seem to get Christian excited. Despite being led by Tsuji, the local marquis guard, and getting out of the rocks without getting wet, Christian only managed to catch two waves... And one of them was a drop-in, his signature move... There were photographers and videographers on the beach, and a gallery gathered... But I guess that's just typical of him.
Another thing that is typical of him is that he wore different shoes on each side while he was in Japan (see photo). It suits him, but it's rare to see someone pull this off. Also, he smokes cigarettes, doesn't care about littering, and I would think it would be a miracle if Christian were to help clean up the beach.
Recently, he's into motorbike racing, speeding along the circuit and scraping his knees. He also enjoys riding bulls. He said it was difficult, but I think it's probably dangerous. Afterwards, he had lunch at Denny's, and headed home full. Photos of this and his time riding the waves will be published in the Surf Trip Journal, so please keep an eye out.
