sheepalign: November 2008

mister ewan donnachie,
i first met this traveling booger on the west coast of oz and then again on the east coast where he resides, then BANG!!!

cover shot on the newest edition of movement, with the sickest picture at "the stern" ever, what followed are these 7 questions to a man who deserves credit.

1) so ewan you must be stoked off your melon with the covershot ? please say something about that special day

Yeah mate... it's seriously a dream come true! I know that saying gets thrown around rather frivolously, but it's something I never really thought possible and certainly never expected to be coming to fruition so soon.
The whole week leading up to that swell was so special; I'll truly never forget it. I surfing Shipsterns 4 or 5 times, which is extremely rare in such a short period of time. I got to hang, laugh and share some awesome moments with a bunch of good mates. I got to see the beauty of Tasmania in its rawest form. I dunno... it all sounds like a bit of a wank, but it was genuinely the best trip I've ever been on.
The Cover was really just icing on the cake... very, very sweet icing though; tonnes of sugar in that shit! And to get it out Shippies, a wave I've wanted to surf for years and years, made it that much sweeter. Sugar OVERLOAD!

2) sick man, so do you ever go down to aussie pipe and get all tech, what are your views on the balance between tech surfing and charging ?

I think a balance is essential! For me personally, I’m not happy unless I feel I’m excelling in ALL facets of my bodyboarding. So surfing waves like Aussie Pipe, beach breaks, wedges etc is super important to me, although I must admit, I sometimes lose focus and find it hard to get motivated to surf sloppy crap.
I’d say surfing big, heavy waves favours my style of free-surfing but I by no means view myself (or want to be viewed for that matter) as a big-wave dude only. If I ever feel my small-wave, tech surfing is falling apart, I dedicate myself pretty seriously to getting back in form

3) do you also find that from driving so much you become addicted to it, it becomes your meditation or am i just tripping from all the driving ?

Haha nah you’re definitely right in some respects. I wouldn’t say I’m “addicted” to driving. In fact, I’d HATE to think I was ever addicted to anything. But I definitely find it quite a peaceful experience, provided I’m not rushing to get somewhere. Driving long distances by myself is often a time of valuable reflection... I definitely think about a lot of important things, stuff I probs wouldn’t consider just sitting around at home.

4) traveling is an art , knowing how to interpret the charts and applying previous experiences accordingly , its about timing , everything we do is about timing , do you agree with this statement (if no give your opinion) and would you like to add anything else ?

Yeah man, I’d definitely agree with that! Being able to effectively read charts and compare forecast conditions with those in which scored you incredible waves last time (or alternatively got severely skunked) can be the difference between a valuable use of time and wasting big $$$, energy and the opportunity to do something else.
You’ve gotta put in the hours to understand how the elements all come together and if you can get the timing right, it can result in the most rewarding experiences of your life, in both a personal and professional sense.
Having said that, I think “timing” can also be interpreted as “fate” to an extent. I hate to place all my faith in fate, as that negates any responsibility on my behalf. But sometimes you just have to acknowledge and accept fate for what it is... and roll with it.
To me, good timing is always a result of hard work, whether it be directly (via a conscious decision/evaluation) or “randomly” (fate acknowledging and rewarding your efforts).

5) i find that there are a lot of religious fanatics in the bodyboarding world, do you think this fanaticism stems from the danger element that comes with surfing waves of consequence ?

Hmmm... that’s an interesting point I’d never really considered. To be honest, I don’t think so. I’ve known guys like Brendan Newton and Glenn Thurston for some time and they were friggen charging long before religion became a prominent aspect of their lives. At least, that’s an assumption I’m making based on the fact they didn’t preach or show any obvious signs of being heavily involved in it.
Plus, there are plenty of riders out there who charge stupidly hard who have no religious inclinations whatsoever. Having said that, if guys like Brendo and Glenn do feel more at ease in hectic conditions as a result of their faith, surely that must play some part in them charging harder and harder.

6) after seeing some of the waves on this blog , would you say that south africa has become an option as a surf destination ?

Oh dude... some of those shots look amaaazing! I’d be keen aaas bru haha. I gotta be honest though... I am sooo fucken scared of Great Whites... like petrified! And I know you guys have a couple of the things truckin around. Hmmm... it is tempting though haha.

7) heheheheeee, i hear you. one more thing though , what core did you ride on that special day at the stern ?

I was riding a Polypro core board with a tri-stringer system... sooo one main stringer with 2 mini-stringers on either side that run from a bit below the elbow down the bottom half of the board. All 3 stringers were filled with sand, so it was fairly weighted, as I was planning on towing-in that day. However, the board itself was old as time itself and seriously DEAD! So despite all the stringers etc, it was still super flexy out of the water. In the 9 degree Celsius Tasmanian currents, however, it stiffened up a bit and ended up having an ideal amount of flex for the waves.

shout out to sponsors.........

Thanks heaps to my sponsors Manta, Bodyboarders Surf Co and Peak for providing me with the best support and products I could imagine. That cover would not have been possible without your continued assistance. Thanks also to all the guys down in Tassy for their incredible hospitality... you know who you are! And finally, thanks to family and friends for EVERYTHING you guys do to make my life as good as it is... love all yawl haha

thanks bud so there you have it , straight from the man himself
and before i forget, you can go to mickey's blog for some sweet angles of mister ewan