Latest Update: July 18, 2001 by Ben Marcus

10:45 PT WEDNESDAY JULY 18, 2001 THE CABIN BY THE LAKE

MONEY
Cat food and canned milk at the local store: Three scratchers (won $2)

Well, well, well, sometimes omens and portents take a while to kick in. Looks like my chance meeting with Yvon Chouinard in Idaho, and that show on Siberian Tigers that night, was a good omen after all. Looks like IÍm going to Russia, after all. Keith Malloy is fiending, Ruffo wants to go, Perry Miller is going and is getting free roundtrip tickets on Alaska Airline to Anchorage (I hope). George Nikitin will let me know tonight, and if he doesnÍt want to go, then some other photographer will. I still have to find Brock and Evan wants me to bring one other Santa Cruz guy. Josh Mulcoy would be ideal, but I donÍt know if heÍs going to have the bucks. I still have to reserve tickets on Magadan Airlines, but the tides for August 18 and 19 are perfect for the tidal bore, and we will fly out on Sunday. Things are lining up, but there is work to do. Have to get visas, have to send $970 to Yegor Churakov, have to see if I can bring in my shotgun (doubt it) Have to find somewhere to put Ike for two weeks. This is going to be fun.

It all started with an innocent e-mail from an Andrew McLester. He must have been reading Sacklunch and saw that I was trying to get to Kamchatka.

This is the e-mail he sent, with my responses:

In a message dated 7/16/2001 8:04:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, amclester@earthlink.net writes:

Hi and greetings

I'm a nobody anonymous surfer

ME TOO.

Who is planning a SOLO trip to Kamchatka for surfing in August 2002........info is scarce and I know the only remedy is just to go...so I will go! Might you have any directives? Thanks in advance a fan

I'VE FAILED TWICE TO GET THERE. REEVE ALEUTIAN AIRLINES USED TO FLY THERE FROM ANCHORAGE BUT DOESNT ANY LONGER. I WAS PLANNIN A TRIP FOR THIS FALL BUT IT FELL THROUGH BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO FLY THE OTHER WAY AROUND. TOO SKETCHY. TOO FAR.

THERE IS A VIDEO CALLED "YANKEE IN KAMCHATKA" YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEE. IT'S AN AMERICAN GUY WHO WENT KAYAKING THERE BEFORE IT OPENED. IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE INTERIOR LOOKS LIKE, BUT NOT THE COAST. IT'S A TRULY WILD PLACE. IT'S ONLY BEEN OPEN TO THE WORLD SINCE 1991. BEFORE THAT IT WAS MILITARY AND OFF-LIMITS.

I STILL DONT KNOW IF THERE IS ANY SURF THERE. I ASKED YVON CHOUINARD, WHO HAS BEEN THERE TWICE, AND HE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW EITHER, HE SAYS THE EAST (PACIFIC) COAST IS "CLIFFY" AND THAT THE RIVERMOUTHS WOULD BE THE BEST BET. YOU'LL NEED A CHOPPER TO GET THERE, BUT THEY ARE AVAILABLE: H2'S AND H8'S.

GOOD FISHING THOUGH.

WE WERE GOING TO GO WITH A GUIDE NAMED YEGOR CHURAKOV. YOU CAN CONTACT HIM AT: YEGOR@WILDRUSSIA.COM. I THINK YOU HAVE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A GUIDE TO GO THERE.

LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES. KAMCHATKA BEAT ME AND THAT'S A DRAG.

Andrew McLester

So that was that, but then Andrew McLester sent me another e-mail with a link to some photos. The second photo from the top got me revving again.

Here's the URL where I got the Photos; I was sending you the second one on the page ((check that left, head-high or overhead? And down the beach looks like a rivermouth...it looks pretty temperate to me, must be in August and I'd venture to say that it's the East Coast mid-morning). They got the photos from the Russian Dive magazine "Octopus".....I emailed them for details but no response and "Octopus" online is all Cyrillic......... http://www.diveworld.com/russia/kam/coast.htm

I'm not sure how to convert jpeg into wordfile on an imac but I do have a few more fotos of Kurily. I'd love to see that map. I read about that photographer. Apparently he camped in a foolish spot on a warm night and was naked thereby spreading more scent ((so I read).....

I guess the thing is to figure out how to do the trip without spending thousands on helicopters.

It's funny, after surfing my whole life what I crave aren't perfect waves but unique situations within which to surf and reflect...but surfing has to be included. I'm really going to make it to Kamchatka. I feel totally driven to get there. What I really am looking for now are annual weather charts that might show me the local gradients etc but I've not been able to locate that info. I do believe there are flights from Alaska again....

Time to study some Siberian Dialect!

Best

Andrew

I checked that link and there was a photo of an empty beach with an empty river and empty mountains in the background. There was something of a wave breaking in the photo, but it was enough to tell me that I needed to press harder on this trip. I made phone calls and sent e-mails to Aeroflot, asking about airfares from Seattle to Petropavlovsk. The guy at Aeroflot in Seattle didnÍt have a clue. He asked me to spell Petropavlovsk, and never called me back. That wasnÍt encouraging. I called the Anchorage airport and found out that Magadan Airlines flies to Kamchatka once a week. They leave on Sunday and itÍs a four-hour flight on a Tupelov 154, which I take to be a three-turbine engine prop plane. WeÍll probably make it. CanÍt imagine why anyone would want to blow up a Russian airplane, eh?

So that got me going. The airfare was $1312 roundtrip, and I started frantically e-mailing and phoning Brock and Ruffo and the Malloys and George and Evan and anyone else who would listen.

Hello everyone

That photo of the beach in Kamchatka got me going:

http://www.diveworld.com/russia/kam/coast.htm

That looks like surf, and that looks like a rivermouth and that looks like steelhead.

I did a little poking around and found out that Magadan Airlines flies from Anchorage to Kamchatka. A round trip ticket is $1312. They leave every Sunday from Anchorage and it's a four-hour flight.

The plane is a three-engine turbine Tupolev 154.

It leaves Kamchatka every Sunday and gets back to Anchorage non-stop, non-splash, god willing.

Sounds like a go, but I need to know who is going because we have to book the tickets fast, and we need to organize the visas.

This won't be cheap: Airfare to Anchorage, airfare to Kamchatka, helicopter flights in Kamchatka, most likely, plus vodka expenses, bribes, whatever.

But it's an adventure and a first and even if we don't get surf we're definitely going to get some fish.

Let me know, soon. That photo was intriguing.

Here's the link.

Ruffo called back right away and was all over it. Just by chance I called Perry Miller to ask about any response to the SurferÍs Journal article. ItÍs out and causing problems, and the Journal published the first page of the story on their website. Perry had heard a few things. I told him about Russia and he was all keen to go and said he might be able to get free stand-by airfares on Alaska Airlines, which would get our whole crew up to Anchorage for free. That was good news, as the several thousand dollars weÍd save would go toward helicopter time in Kamchatka.

I telephoned and sent e-mails well into the night, worrying that I was pestering Donnie and Lee a bit, but also feeling good that I was working on my hot tub campaign. These guys need a hot tub and so I sent an e-mail to the Friends of Don suggesting that everyone pitch in CAN$200 or CAN$300 to buy them a hot tub. HavenÍt had much response, but it would be a nice thing to do. TheyÍre good people and a lot of people use the cabin. A hot tub would be just the thing after a ñfootingî session. TheyÍre going to a wedding tomorrow in Calgary and then will be back next week for a barefoot water skiing camp. These people are serious about everything they do.

So, as of last night I had only talked to Ruffo and Perry, but it was eagerness and good news from both of them. I worked on retyping Fin and have it done to about page 30, so I have 35 pages more to go until the first half is done. IÍm going to print it and send it to people who have traveled and been around and see if I can get some ideas for the big finish.

In other movie news, I e-mailed this suggestion to Premiere and Movieline and Variety and anyone else who would listen.

Editors

Movieline Magazine

July 17, 2001

To whom it may concern

This is a suggestion for an ongoing column in Movieline, which I would call Dreamcast.

Imagine you are casting a remake of a classic movie: Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, West Side Story, and you have all the power in Hollywood and could hire any actor you wanted.

Using West Side Story as an example, imagine this cast:

Anita = Jennifer Lopez (Actually Puerto Rican)

Maria = Christian Aguilera (More Puerto Rican than Natalie Wood)

Bernardo = Ricky Martin (Puerto Rican, again)

Rif = Mark Wahlberg (He can sing. Can he dance?)

Graziella = Madonna (Riff's chick. Good dancer.) T

ony = Enrique Iglesias (Play up the rivalry with Ricky Martin)

Chino = Freddie Prinze Junior (Sweet and innocent. No singing or dancing)

Anybodys = Jennifer Love Hewitt (The tomboy who wanted to be a Jet)

Doc = Woody Allen (Old Jewish guy who owned the pharmacy. Comic relief)

Office Krupke = Steve Harwell from Smashmouth.

Get the picture? You use photos from the original movie of the original stars, then compare them to the modern casting choices.

You could even have your choice of director, cinematographer, producer. Imagine a modern version of West Side Story that stayed true to the music but updated it with all the modern dance steps and camera techniques.

You could have fun with this idea, I think: DreamCast.

Let me know if you use it. I'll dream up some more.

One of the last things I did last night was look up tide charts for the Anchorage/Turnagain Arm area for August. I wanted to see if there was an extreme tide around the end of August, so maybe we could do the Tidal Bore project before we went to Russia. And just by chance, it worked out perfectly.

I also found an e-mail about the bore, and sent it and the tidal information everyone who was interested.

Hello comrades,

One of the sidebars to this trip will be a surf session at the world famous Turnagain Arm tidal bore. The tidal change in Turnagain Arm, a few hours south of Anchorage, is more than 35 feet, the second largest in North America. When the tide comes in, it comes in as a rideable wave. I saw the Turnagain Arm bore last year on October 28, the same day Peck Euwer was attacked at Mavericks.

It was a small wave, but it was eerie because it had the whole ocean behind it, and it JUST KEPT GOING, all the way up this giant fjord, a hundred miles from open ocean. The ocean filled in behind it and the tide came up like a glass was being filled. There were whirlpools that could have sucked down small children. It was great.

Flea would have had a field day with it. Grant would have struggled.

Just looked at the tide charts for Anchorage for August and September. From Thursday August 17th to Tuesday August 21st are the most extreme tides of the month. The most extreme is on Monday the 20th, with a high tide of 33.2 at 8:41 AM and a low tide of -4.9 at 3:49 PM and another high tide of 31.8 at 9:24 PM. I would imagine the Turnagain Arm bore would be peaking on this day.

Since the flight to Kamchatka leaves on Sunday the 19th, we should try to get the bore on Friday or Saturday. The tidal range is almost as extreme on Saturday:

31.3 at 7:03 then -3.7 at 15:06 then 31.1 at 20:46.

With the tide filling in in the afternoon on Friday and Saturday, there could be a good chance to catch the bore. We should all plan on flying into Anchorage on Thursday the 16th, to be ready for Friday and Saturday. On Sunday we will fly out of Anchorage for Kamchatka. Not sure what time the flight leaves

How does that sound? The bore could be a blast.

Here is an article I found about the tidal bore on Turnagain Arm, and the dangers inherent.

Thousands of years ago, glacial movement carved out what is known today as Turnagain Arm. Extending 43 miles southeast from the head of Cook Inlet, this long body of water with a depth in excess of 1000 feet cradles the southern portion of the Anchorage Bowl, ending near Girdwood, AK. Glacial fed streams and rivers originating in the Chugach Mountains empty their waters into the Arm, and over time, this natural wonder has mostly filled with sediment, transforming what was once a deep fjord into a shallow basin with an ever-changing maze of channels beneath its waters. The draining tide is a sight to see as water rushes towards Cook Inlet, revealing a silt filled gorge with a network of rivers and streams flowing through channels cut by the waterÍs movement. However, because of the narrow and shallow Turnagain ArmÍs length, it is still draining its waters into the Inlet as a new tide begins to rush in. This, along with Cook InletÍs large tide range of 35 foot plus, creates a phenomenon known as a Bore Tide. Water from the extreme tidal flux in Cook Inlet floods into Turnagain Arm, overriding the outgoing water and creating an abrupt edge to the incoming tide. This forms a wall of water, resembling a wave, which travels up the Arm at 10- 15 miles per hour. Depending on the depth and width of the channels within Turnagain Arm, Bore tides can range anywhere from 6 inches to 6 feet in height. Turnagain Arm is a rich wildlife habitat, attracting many species of birds to its shores. Of course, salmon enter the Arm during spawning season to reach their breeding grounds farther up the rivers that meet these waters at the base of the Chugach Range. Spring brings migrating Beluga Whales to Alaska, and they can be seen swimming in Turnagain throughout the summer. Seward Highway, the only road connecting Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula, travels along Turnagain ArmÍs route, allowing easy access for people to enjoy the scenic views and recreational activities this area boasts. Yet, many are unaware of the danger posed by the thick layer of sediment, most of it around 1000 feet deep,

exposed during low tide. The silt is best described as having the consistency of peanut butter. Unfortunately, this layer appears stable, coaxing some of the more adventuresome folks to walk out on its deceptive face. But, it is too late once one has realized the mistake, and many flounder in an ooze which acts much like quicksand. A few have lost their lives, being trapped in the silt when the tide began filling the Arm again, drowning the victims before they could be saved. As with all outdoor activities, caution and common sense should rule every step. Spring has arrived in Alaska. ItÍs a time when the Turnagain Arm area beckons all who want to shake off winterÍs embrace and begin enjoying those first spring hikes on the lower snow-free trails. To catch a glimpse of bald eagles soaring the skies or perching high in a treetop. To watch the snow recede higher up the mountains. Or watch and listen as a bore tide rumbles down the Arm like a freight train. IÍll be there. If not to spy a Beluga Whale in the Arm, or watch mountain goats come down to graze next to Seward Highway, IÍll be there just to drink in AlaskaÍs beauty.

Ben Marcus

So I had trouble getting to sleep last night, which was nice. I was excited about Kamchatka, glad it was back on and a little nervous about where we were going and how we were going there. I wanted to nail down the players and the air seats as quick as I could, but that tidal chart gave me some parameters.

I also thought about calling CNN or the local Alaska news stations to do a show on surfing the Tidal Bore. CNN loves this kind of stuff. IÍll contact them today. If anyone out there has any CNN connections, please let me know.

Woke up this morning feeling good. Checked e-mail and had good news and bad news. I got a response from Patagonia on my ñThat Was Then, This is Nowî idea.

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the message and your interest in Patagonia. Our ad plans are complete through Summer of 2002, and creative is already set. You have an interesting idea, and something we can possibly look into for next year's ads. If something develops along this line, we'll definitely let you know.

Thanks and have a great summer. You're in the right place to enjoy the fishing, that's for sure! I know my husband is certainly jealous!

Best regards,

Vickie Achee

Well, they liked it anyway. IÍll send it to others, but it would be nice if Patagonia used it. Still havenÍt heard anything from Chota about the sandals. Oh well.

Called George Nikitin and he was still waffling, the dingaling. How could any photographer resist a pioneering expedition to Kamchatka, not to mention 25-pound steelhead. If George doesnÍt want to go, weÍll get another photog. But George should definitely go. He said heÍs have an answer for me tonight. I asked about his F.B.I friend, but George said the hassles he would face on the way back would be too much: polygraphs, suspicion, etc. Hopefully George will see the light.

Called Keith Malloy and he practically jumped through the phone. HeÍs in.

Called Evan to see if I could get a credit card number to reserve the air seats on Magadan, but Evan wanted a little more reassurance that enough talent was going and it wasnÍt going to cost $20,000.

IÍm going to do the math of the costs right now. Evan will be paying for George and I. I went high on a lot of these, because I really donÍt know what weÍre getting into:

Fee for Yegor Churakov: $ 970
Two roundtrip tickets on Magadan: $2600
Passport and visa costs X 2: $ 200
Food and lodging X 2 X 2 weeks: $2000
Helicopter time: $2000
Misc. (tips, bribes, e-mail, phones) $ 500
Total $8270

ThatÍs probably a bit high, but who knows. I want to bring lots of presents to Russia: Marlboros, toilet paper, condoms, Smith sunglasses, some Leathermen. And IÍm going to tell everyone coming to get good swag from their sponsors. I want to land their like Santa Claus and flow a lot of stuff to a lot of good people.

IÍm going to send an e-mail to Vickie Achee right now and see if Patagonia will send me some swag that I will use on the trip and then give away. IÍm also going to call Leah Butler at Smith and see how many pairs of good sunglasses I can talk her out of.

IÍm also going to contact all the fishing magazines and see if there is any story they would be interested in.

Well, I hope this all happens, because itÍs going to be a blast. Hope we arenÍt hijacked or held up by gangsters or eaten by bear.

As for the bad news, I just got kicked off one of the projects I was working on by a prematurely irate editor type who said I ñwasnÍt functioning well within the surf industry.î Hmmmm. A 32-page article in SurferÍs Journal. A great tribute to Jay Moriarity in Surfing and IÍm organizing the first-ever surf trip to Kamchatka. Bologna, but IÍve come to expect bologna. Right now IÍm so jazzed on this trip, I donÍt care.

Now itÍs 11:55. I just sent a BLATANT REQUEST FOR SWAG to Vickie Achee at Patagonia, and kind of a mean e-mail to the above-mentioned prematurely irate editor. Ike is rubbing up against my legs, and IÍm wondering what I will do with him while I am in Russia. If indeed I am going.

HereÍs the request for swag:

Vickie Achee

Patagonia

July 18, 2001

Vickie

I am organizing a combined surfing/fishing trip to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Eastern Siberia for two weeks at the end of August.

This trip will be for a daily journal on swell.com and a feature in Surfing Magazine. Brock Little, Keith Malloy, Anthony Ruffo and Perry Miller will be the surfers. The photographer will be George Nikitin, a San Francisco-based AP photog who speaks Russian. We are flying from Anchorage to Kamchatka on Sunday the 19th of August. Prior to that, we are going to attempt to surf the Turnagain Arm tidal bore, which breaks up a fjord south of Anchorage. The tides are extreme and perfect that week.

We'll be in Kamchatka for two weeks, exploring a pristine wilderness for surf and steelhead. No one has ever surfed this place before, and few outsiders have ever been there.

It's going to be a blast, if we aren't kidnapped or eaten by a bear.

Why am I telling you all this? I want to go to Kamchatka like Santa Claus, with a bag full of swag I can use for presents and bribes. The Russians love high-quality American gear, things they could never afford on 6 roubles a month.

I'm wondering if I could work some kind of deal with Patagonia where I would get a reduced rate on boots, waders, vests and whatever else you think the Russians might like. I would probably use the gear during the trip, then strip it off as I saw fit and give it all away.

In the past I have given a Patagonia surfboard to Anton Figg, the drummer for the David Letterman show, and I gave another Patagonia surfboard to Roberto Moura, a Brazilian gazillionaire who showed us ridiculous hospitality in the Angra Islands of Brazil. I left another Patagonia longboard in Norway a few years ago.

I like spreading the Patagonia gospel. I'll be taking a Patagonia longboard to Russia, and you might want to send us some gear for a potential photo for the catalogs. Keith Malloy just got a beefcake photo in Sports Illustrated, and Brock Little photographs well, too.

Let me know by e-mail.

Thank you.

Ben Marcus

Maybe it will work, maybe it wonÍt. I do like giving things away on trips. Spirit of hands across the sea and all that.