It's 4:30am,: The sun won't rise for another three hours. My mind is in complete turmoil, 4 more team videos due, a shop loop edit, and 9 rider profiles more to go. Hawaii, Mexico, Europe and a select few days at home all lay on the five different scattered hard drives that surround my monitor. All the pressure in the world is weighing down on my shoulders. Open my email, Mindy cleared the music track, a sigh of relief fills my head. It's cold better grab a hoodie this could be a while. Come back with a cup of coffee and and fox hooded sweat shirt, life improved just a little bit more. Open another email, Pete needs that europe article, the mags are hot for the story. I hate writing, more so than anything in the world, I guess that's why i shoot video and edit. I start to have a panic attack, well not really but it feels like it at times. There really is no need to rush or feel overwhelmed I say to myself, I need to stop thinking about the future and live in the moment.
5:30am: Where did the hour go I think to myself. Batteries are fully charged, wetsuit is dry,I have an empty cf card, and all my water housing parts. Life is good again. Phone rings, Josh is calling, f@&$ I'm already late. "Mulcs, talk to me brucie what's going down?" Josh has a distinct child like manner when he is fired up about something. After 5 minutes of being heckled about how lazy I am, and I'm blowing it even though there is no light anywhere to be found, I pack the car and head out. The routine is simple, phone call the morning of, agree not to tell my east side buddies, show up and capture the moments. Josh is a ghost, I often wonder that if I didn't work for Fox (his main sponsor), would he even call me to tell me where he was going to be surfing? Not, that Josh and I arn't good friends, but Mulcoy has that mysterious enjoyment for solitude. While most of us, myself included, shy away from the thought of surfing cold, shark infested water by ourselves. Josh has made a name for himself by venturing alone into the unknown waters that lay north of the comfort zone of Santa Cruz.
6:15am : Get into Santa Cruz, need to stop and pick up a coffee, Powerbar, and a Red Bull from 7-11. Another phone call, it's josh again. "Mulcs I'm down the street, I'll be there in five." I lied, I was nowhere near the wedgy "Mid-Town" right, nor would I make it there in five. I rush out of the store as fast as I can. S#&$ I think to myself, the sun is rising and rising fast, maybe if I hurry I'll only miss one wave. I frantically drive like a maniac to get to the final destination, good thing no one is on the road this early in SC. Pass the Santa Cruz Harbor, the sand has nearly completely filled in the harbor's mouth. I really don't want to leave next week to go down south, it could be firing. Rounding the corner of 17th avenue I am merely seconds away from being able to set up and shoot.
6:30am: Found Mulcoy's truck and parked behind it. Grab the tripod and camera bag head out to set up. FIrst sight, the lanky figure in the water executes a perfectly fluid cut back into the pocket, stalls, and stands tall as the wave looms over head. He gets, covered up and as he starts to make his exit from the green room barley gets clipped by the lips of the crashing wave and falls. Another sigh of relief overcomes me, today must be my lucky day. I probably would have lost sleep for a week or two if he would have made that wave. There will be another opportunity I tell myself, and finally set up and am ready to start capturing these rare moments a surfer enjoys. Josh has already made it back out into the line up, alone waiting patiently for the next opportunity to become one with mother nature. Session goes by like clockwork, paddle, stand up cutback into pocket, stall, get tubed, make it out. Josh would every now and then would get loose as he likes to call it and throw a little variety into the session by releasing his fins out of the back of the wave.
8:30am : Josh exits the water, asks me why it took so long to get down and set up to start filming. I could say nothing more than I needed a pick me up. "Junior would have been here and ready to go 15 minutes before I even suited up. Ha, just kidding!" There is something about Josh's laugh that eases all the harsh constructive criticism that comes out of his mouth. It's true I should have been there earlier, and I probably could have survived without that "pick me up", but that's why Josh is Josh and I am me. I live for the comforts of home, while he endures living without these unnecessary perks in order to achieve a greater bliss. Josh informs me that he has to go help his step dad move some items and that the harbor could be good later. "Keep it real". Is the only words I am left with.
8:35am What the hell I am supposed to do for the next 6 hours of my life until the harbor gets good as the tide switches? Time to call the usual suspects. Calling Matt Myers, no answer. Calling Bud, doing laundry will stop by soon. Austin, probably still sleeping. Nat Young, out of town in OZ. Sh@^# it's Rosie's birthday, better call her and wish her a happy birthday.
9:25am Bud finally comes down checks the waves and convinces me to go get some breakfast with him while we watch the harbor break.
10:45am Bud and I go film the same spot Mulcs had surfed earlier. Myers shows up and they both are killing it.
12:45pm Receive email from Mindy, some video that was supposed to be on the server never made it up and people need it now. Nothing I can do about it right now, I tell myself I'll deal with it when I get home tonight.
1:45pm Bud and Matt get out of the water, Bud and I head over to the harbor.
2:45pm Mulcoy calls, asks me if I'm with my "Eastsider Buddies", even though Bud's with me I say, "No" and that the harbor is getting good.
3:15pm Mulcoy shows fired up to surf, and also to heckle me about being with Bud. It's funny to think that Mulcoy and Bud are not that far apart in age, because I swear sometimes when I'm with both of them at the same time it's like watching a father with his mischievous son. Bud grew up with Mulcoy as his mentor and still now that he is far out of grommet hood, he still is like a little kid idolizing his superstar hero.
4:00pm Bud and Mulcoy paddle out together. Today is making my life so much easier. I can get Chris Wyman, the Kaenon Marketing Manager, all the clips of Mulcoy he needs, as well as help Patrick Trefz with his movie about Josh's life and still have extra footage for a fox web video.
The harbor is a unique wave, and when it's on probably the best wave in Santa Cruz. The wave is created by all the sand that flows out through the river mouth that is locate just west of the Harbor jetty. When the rain pushes all the sand out and the big west north west swell hit, it pushes all the sand into the mouth creating the wave. the wave starts behind the harbor jacks, violently breaking like a Waimea shore-break wave from hell. The wave stays hollow all the way through the tip of the jacks and into the boat harbor channel. In some rare cases during heavy rains and big storm swells, like we have been having a lot of this year, the sand will fully cover up the channel in the harbor entrance and the wave will connect through all the way to the beach. When the wave gets like this, it is usually a super tight packed line-up with a distinct pecking order. Josh of course, is at the top of this surfing food chain. Josh's dad was the infamous "Harbor Bill" Mulcoy, who for many year was elusive to the authorities and harbor patrol. It's funny to think that only in California where surfing has been such a corner stone of Californian culture that it is a crime to surf one of the best waves in the state. It is not only Josh's history with the wave, but also the style and gracefulness and ease that he surfs the wave with, that puts him at the top.
6:00pm I'm tired, cold, and Bud has exited the water 30 minutes ago. The sun is setting and Josh is still out. He broke his favorite board, but has an exact replica of it as a back up. He has gotten more than enough great tube rides to make even the most experience Santa Cruz surfer content and not need to surf for the next week. He still wants that one last wave. A set is arriving on the horizon, Josh sits and waits. First wave goes by, Austin Smith-Ford spins around and gets a good one. Second wave comes, josh holds his ground. Dylan Moon spins around and takes a heavy wipe out on the take off, but luckily didn't hit the jacks. Third wave, Mulcoy calmly strokes inward towards the jacks. he gets to his feet with ease, stalls and lets the wave throw over head. It's a long one, I can't help but write him off and want to stop filming but I continue to track the camera on the lip of the wave. The wave is halfway through the channel when his head pops up and out of the tube. Well, I'm glad I didn't write him off, the spectators from the jacks roar loud with applause. Mulcoy merely rides the wave into the inner harbor and exits the water. You could see the grin on his face a mile away. It's time for me to go back to my busy "real life". Emails, need to be answered and videos need to be edited.
On my way back to my car, I take a moment to stop and realize how truly fortunate and lucky I am to have this life style. I show up, film my friends, and make videos for a company that believes in me as much as I believe in them. I guess Josh is starting to rub off on me a little bit every day. I silently find the fire to wake up earlier and earlier, and endure the cold a little more without the comforts of home. It is the little things in life that make the difference, that's the only way I can begin to understand Josh. It is those little battles, and moments in life that truly define a person's character. I know I'll be up till 3am tonight, not because I have to be, because I want to. I want to be able to relieve the memory of today, because tomorrow it may not still be there. Live in the moment, enjoy the little things, be more like Mulcoy.
