NEWSLETTER

Nev's Update

Hi to you all.  I guess this is a good time to say "thanks" to all the crew who came on tour with us this year and to all you seaweeds out there "Merry Christmas and a Happy, full of good waves, New Year.”

We had a good year, started off slowly, particularly up north after the tsunami. But by June/July Andi and Rinal were busy transporting you all around to various destinations. While I'm on it all the boat crews, losmen staff and the rest of the Freeline crew would like me to pass on a big “Thanks!” They enjoy meeting you all, and over the years some good friendships have developed.

It was a good season for swells, several big ones coming through and even when it was a bit small the quality was still good. There was an un-seasonal onshore rainy stretch in June courtesy of a low in the Indian ocean. Everyone was going nuts but one good thing came out of it...the losmens sold a lot of Bintang! And those onto it scored some nice rights which were offshore all day.

Stu had a few trips this year getting waves from Timor to Simeulue. Lucky bugger, while I was getting covered in foam dust he was getting covered by some hot barrels.

This year Ani & I relocated from Sydney to Bali to establish a permanent and overdue base here for Freeline Indonesian Surf Adventures. I'm shaping Freeline and Naga boards for the Bali market and for our travelling crew as well as for the Online factory and other local brands.

At the time of writing news has spread about the demise of Clark Foam, the worlds biggest supplier of surfboard blanks. Nobody is too sure where it'll lead but it's going to be bad news for the surfboard industry in the States in particular. We're a bit protected here in Bali as most of our blanks come from OZ. Already my internet orders have picked up. Time will give us a clearer picture of the situation but it's sure to have long term ramifications.

Freeline Surf Shop in Kuta

We opened a surf shop in Jakarta early in the season and recently another one here in Bali. So Freeline is well represented in Indo now. Not only for tours etc but we can now cover you for boards, accessories, clothing and WAX.  The Jakarta shop is located in Jalan Jaksa, and in Bali in Gang Ronta, just off Poppies 2 in Kuta, around the corner from Bagus Pub.

It was a bit scary opening after the recent bombs in Bali but we figure surfers will always want to come here for the excellent waves and warm water and hospitality. We'll be here ready to look after your surfing needs.

Bali and Indo in general is a bit of a sad place at the moment. It's so quiet! But I always have faith in the power of the surf and I'm proud of the way surfers aren't easily put off nor scared to get out of our comfort zones to find waves. Like my wife Ani says, surfers don't care how hard it is to get there or how bad the road, as long as they're waves at the end of it, surfers are happy!

Well, that's about it from me for now, hope to see a few of you in Indo this year and I'll hand over to Stu.

Stu's Update

I'd also like to say thanks to everyone who came away with us in 2005. It's been an eventful and busy year and I can't believe how fast it's gone. The surf here in Sydney has been extremely fickle, as usual, and I'm hoping next season comes around just as quick as 2005 has passed…

Simeulue

Late July I spent a week in Simeulue staying at Willy's Baneng Island resort. It was my first time this far north and I was really keen to check out the place, not just for the surf, but to see first hand the aftermath of the Dec 2004 tsunami and quake in late March 2005.

The flight from Medan to Simeulue is amazing as you get a birds eye view of the islands and setups. Willy's place is very comfortable and the food & service is outstanding. Simeulue is a really beautiful place. Some of the waves were lost after the reef uplift but there are still half a dozen waves in the area, with more being discovered. I mainly surfed a perfect right hander a few minutes from base, and there is a heavy right for chargers a just a short boat ride away.

The combo trip which includes the Banyaks aboard the Sjalina was popular, so if you're into doing some discovery, this is the place. We are also changing the structure of the packages to allow greater flexibility and maximise surf time and will update you with details in the January newsletter.

Sumba

Hawaiian Sri Noa Noa regulars did a late season one way Roti-Sumba trip and scored big time. After flying from Bali to Kupang, they spent 6 days cruising around Roti, getting the rights that break off the nearby small islands working, then another 6 days at ‘Millers Right' on Sumba. The surf ranged between 5-10ft, and captain Heri snapped some rare pics of this place going off!

Fuel Price Increase

As some of you may already know, fuel prices have more than doubled in Indonesia this year meaning some prices will be going up, mainly boat charters. The fact that there was hardly a murmur from the people goes to show how the political climate has changed since 1998 when the Jakarta riots were triggered by a much smaller fuel price increase, not to mention decades under the Soeharto dictatorship.

Surfboard Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to return their backwash questionnaires. We're always keen to get feedback from everyone about what they thought about their trip. For those of you who haven't sent one back, you're missing out on the good chance of winning a new surfboard. There's still time.

We'll announce the lucky person in the next newsletter.

Photo Competition

A reminder to the photographers out there that we'll be drawing the annual photo comp shortly. We are giving away 5 prizes to the best pics sent in. Each prize is a AU$100 voucher redeemable at Freeline surf shops in Jakarta and Kuta, or on a Freeline tour.

The pics must have been taken on a Freeline trip, can be prints sent by mail or digital images emailed, and only one prize per customer. You can send in more than one pic to increase your chances.

Season's Greetings

Well that's it for now. Have a great festive season. We'll be in touch again early next year with a pre-season update, new package details and of course more pics from 2005. Start planning for your 2006 surf trip, and come back to Indo! We need you but so do all the battlers and the little people who're struggling right now. 

It's safer than Iraq or Afghanistan, and from recent news from OZ, Cronulla and Maroubra! It's got heaps of smiles, warm weather and "great waves".

See you in Indo in 2006, cheers and good surfing ...Nev & Stu