Hello to all,

            I slept so well that night that I thought Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 was a dream.

We, as East Coast surfers, were fortunate enough to have pro surfers Pancho Sullivan, Taylor Knox, Mick Fanning, and Tom Curren (The Rip Curl Right Coast Raid) visit our hometown of Nags Head, NC. This as we should all know, NEVER happens!

It was my "Sunday" due to job seasonality so I tried to make the best of it... not everyday these guys come and surf our shifty beach breaks of the Outer Banks. I gathered a cooler of my favorite soda, Budweiser, a beach chair, and my favorite shredstick and set off to claim my spot in the sand and lineup.

Joining me on the beach at Bonnett Street were some of my family down on vacation from Maryland; Matt Lusk, local photog and good friend; Dave, friend and brother of Matt; John, another stoked friend/ husband/father; and numerous other locals.

We patiently awaited the arrival of these surfing legends. I saw most of the local pros -- Noah Snyder, Jesse Hines, Jeff Myers, Brett Barley, Lynn Shell -- and a handful of other local shredders who made an appearance on the beach throughout the early afternoon.

So my anticipation and curiosity were at an all-time surfing high without there being actual sick waves to surf. But, you never know surfers, so I was a little wary as to whether these surfing legends would even show. Even my family began questioning where the famous pros were. At this point it was already 3:30 p.m., an hour and a half past the rumored arrival.

After a few sodas (!!) and some minor prodding from Aunt Barb, I was off to the truck to retrieve my board and catch a couple of waves to pass a time. As I approached my red Chevy in the beach access parking lot, I could see the large Rip Curl bus across the street.

Then I spotted Tom Curren with a shiny white new Merrick K board walking solo directly towards my truck. Honestly at this point, I felt like an awestruck little grommie, and I probably looked like one too.

With surfboards in hand, Curren and I cruised up the dune together before more and more surf-crazed grommies and adults alike mobbed him. I stood off to the side and stared at the three-time world champ besieged by fans snapping photos and asking questions.

My friend Matt joined the small gathering to get a few shots. A couple seconds later Taylor Knox and Mick Fanning came strolling over the dune with their shiny white Merrick and DHD surfboards respectively. Tom started to make his way to the water, giving Matt and me an opportunity to converse for a moment with Taylor and Mick.

"Anybody have any wax?" asked Mick in his Oz drawl as he came towards us. Nope, not me or Matt. But as soon as those words came out of Mick's mouth, we noticed some young guy take off to retrieve his stash of wax.

So for the next few seconds (what seemed like minutes) Matt and I had our photo op and small talk with an undeniable legend of power surfing and the '07 World Champ. What is one to say to guys of such acclaim at your local break on a small onshore day?

            "You guys ready for a surf!?" I offered.

I knew the feelings would be mutual as they explained they'd been in a bus all day. Plus I had yet to get wet (I mean by getting in the water to surf, not like the dream). Matt was able to relate to Fanning because he'd been to Australia before and surfed Mick's home break of Duranbah. Mick thought these were very similar conditions to what summertime surf was like at home.

I walked over to my stuff on the beach and proceeded to watch and prepare myself for a surf with Pancho (who had snuck out into the water already), Taylor, Mick, and Tom. As I paddled out into the 1-3' onshore waves, I looked at everyone's expressions - priceless -- as I'm sure mine was. Shit-eating grins on everybody from ear to ear. Splitting peaks in Nags Head with legends, EPIC!

For me, Taylor was the most personable out in the water and I relaxed a little from my star-struck syndrome. I guess we kind of both felt more in our element. Taylor said while we were in the water, "It's nice to be a surfer again."

I guess, like most of us surfers, he's more comfortable in the water than standing around socializing with strangers on and around the beach.

We were soon flagged in to allow for the small arranged contest to start. I wasn't totally sure of the format but I knew the teams were broken up into local surf shops and each shop was allowed one Rip Curl pro per team.

Regardless, sitting back in my chair with a cold one, me and the rest of the spectators on the beach enjoyed a show never before seen here on the Outer Banks. These guys effortlessly tore apart the same waves most of us struggle to get one turn in on.

One could just see the level that these guys surf was much higher than even our local pros, even though they all surfed very well given the conditions. Yeah, I've seen our local pros rip into some unbelievable waves firsthand. But the waves on this day were far from good, so just watching the Rip Curl pros rip was undeniably epic for Outer Bankers.

At the conclusion of the contest, the evening shifted to the OBBC, where Lynn Shell and company provided some true southern hospitality. Jesse Hines opened the evening with some acoustic melodies to set a wonderful ambiance under local foliage and a beautiful sunset.

We all -- now including my girlfriend and some tardy surf buddies -- were then treated to a delicious supper of black bean salad, collard greens, cole slaw, pork and tuna bbq (banging), and iced tea.

All the while Pancho, Taylor, Mick and Tom mingled with the super-stoked fans. As supper wrapped up and Jesse's tunes hummed, all the Rip Curl guys did a very generous signing session, visiting (even just for a few seconds) with each passer by. They provided the opportunity for us attendees to take home a little piece of story to share with unfortunate friends and surfers who could not make the trip.

My friend John had gone to get some photos from the earlier beach session developed, which allowed us the opportunity to have pictures with Tom Curren signed. John told me that Tom remarked that signing freshly printed photos may have been a first for him. A totally cool surfing legend and technology combined to allow the two of us an unforgettable memory.

I also remember my friend Dave telling me that he had asked Tom to sign his poster with the word "OBX" to get that personal and regional touch. Tom's response: "How do you spell OBX?"

We all had a laugh off to the side and realized what the guy had been through in the past couple of days. I guess he wasn't too aware of the Outer Banks - "OBX" abbreviation on bumper stickers you see on most tourist vehicles. He doesn't need to be aware.

As the signing concluded, a small awards ceremony took place for the day's contest where Pancho politely handed out the respective awards. Shortly after the end of the awards, the live jam of Tom Curren, on acoustic and vocals, and Jason Andre on percussion became the focus. They only played a few songs, but it only proves how talented Tom really is. Not many people in this world can ride a bus all day to some place they've never been: surf the meager waves of an onshore contest, sign tons of autographs, and then play a beautiful set of music -- all the while maintaining his level of stoke.

After Tom and Jason jammed, the pros slowly dispersed back to the bus and the remaining folks were treated to a screening of the new Rip Curl movie, "The Search." At any other point on the Outer Banks, a premier of a Rip Curl movie would fill me and many others full of excitement, and the movie was very good.

But nothing compared to having these guys in our hometown, hanging. I truly feel sorry for local surfers who didn't make the Right Coast Raid, because Aug. 20 was a day that will go down in Outer Banks surfing history.

Thank you Pancho, Taylor, Mick, Tom, Rip Curl and the rest of the people for making this happen. I wish we had more time to show these guys the Outer Banks macking, but some southern hospitality can go a long way. You guys rock and are always welcome here on the Outer Banks.

Peace, Love, Cheers and Aloha,

Prescott