2017 SANS Log Festivus
We weren’t prepared when the squall hit.
Somebody in the crowd hollered “Look back there!” and we all spun to see a dark wall of cloud rushing across Lawrencetown Lake. It smelled like rain. Then it was on us. Spectators up and down Right Point scrambled for cover, contest volunteers huddled together under the cock-eyed SANS tent, judges in fold-up chairs slumped over their drenched clipboards, and a big black dog took advantage of the chaos to bury his head in a bag of sandwiches. As the rain lashed, we craned our necks around bodies to see the corduroy lines peeling in. A woman in a blue jersey paddled into a set wave and trimmed high on the glassed-off face, stepping to the nose of her longboard before waltzing back and throwing a smooth cutty. Someone let out a “Yeeooo!” in the Nova Scotian style.
Then, as quickly as it went dark, the skies cleared.
Other than that five minute tempest, the 2017 SANS Log Fest went off without a hitch. The conditions were universally agreed upon as “classic.” Dean Petty, the eventual winner of the Men’s category, hailed the waves as “the best I’ve ever seen for a longboard contest in Nova Scotia.” Offshore winds sculpted shoulder high sets that peeled forever, creating the perfect canvas for the province’s best log rollers to decorate. It was a genuine smorgasbord—everyone scored waves. Dozens of sun-roasted spectators perched on the rocks to watch the show. If we didn’t know better, we might have mistook the scene for Malibu. It was that good. The grins on surfers’ faces told the story.
There were plenty of in-the-water highlights. Caralee Murphy had one of the longest rides; young Sam Julien turned heads with his fluid confidence; Nico Manos had a legit cover-up early on; Sara Lou Moore was an absolute wave magnet; 12 year old Matthew McCarthy showed courage as he got rumbled in the whitewash; Adele Boudreau hot stepped on every smooth wave; Jill Manos threw down some textbook bottom turns; Dean was vintage Dean; Chris Smith shot for a double digit wave count in every heat; Justin Huston owned the buttery high line; Logan did not one but two hot dog headstands; and Lesley Choyce tied it all together with his uncanny eye for the pocket. And that’s only a few. Every surfer had a contest to remember, whether they advanced or not.
In the end, nobody got chaired up the beach, but we almost held Claire Parsons aloft—our new SANS coordinator—to thank her for making the Log Fest happen. As she handed out the swag bag prizes she’d assembled, we clapped in exhaustion. As always, grassroots surf competitions like the Log Fest couldn’t happen without dedicated volunteers and sponsors. Big ups to all who contributed time, energy, and goodies.
Here are the official results:
Women’s
1st – Sarah Lou Moore
2nd – Jill Manos
3rd – Adele Boudreau
Men’s
1st – Dean Petty
2nd – Nico Manos
3rd – Justin Huston
Youth
1st – Sam Julien
2nd – Jake Hines
3rd – Nora Adham
4th – Matthew McCarthy
And, last but definitely not least, our faithful sponsors:
East Coast Surf School, Rose & Rooster Bakery, Billabong, Xcel, FistFullaFives, Jamieson’s Irish Pub, Anchored Coffee, Food Intuition, YeahYeahs Pizza, Pro Skate/Snow/Surf, P’lovers Canada, Maritime Surf Company, Chris Costa, OluKai, Kaenon Urbanbutter Creative Group Inc., Post Your Pals.
See you in October for the SANS Shortboard Comp! Pray the Surf Gods are still in a generous mood, dude.
