Stevo and the Romper Stompers escape north for empty perfection

All words and photos by Uncle Lip.

Mostly father and sons trip including my old man, made a trip to remember. Like minded lads that enjoy solo perfection, a few beers at night, plenty of banter, plenty of sleep and a good old time.

Conditions/Forcast

Back to back solid south swells with light winds. Peak season has begun!

A session to not be forgotten

April perfection

Chris locked and loaded

Chris one of many off the tops

Empty drainer

Friction free

High vibes when your paddling out and seeing this

Hully taking on a the inside

Joel on his handshape twinny

Somewhere in Nias

Stevo chasing that pool room shot.

Stylish approach from the Swain Man

Swain Man on barrel 5 for the session

Swain-man off the bottom

Welcome to Sumatra Cal

What a way to finish a trip

When was the last time you forehand grab railed

You ask you shall recieve

Standout Sessions

With a mix of goofy and natural footers on board The Mighty Mango everyone would have a different opinion on the standout session. The vibe was at an all-time high when the goofy’s and I headed out on a “Foxy Lady” mission to find ourselves sitting at a perfect clean left running close along the reef. At first it didn’t look very surfable but the sun was shining, and the conditions were silky smooth so there was nothing to lose if one was to paddle out. Within 10 minutes the session started pulsing and the boys were trading barrels before they knew it. High fives all round!

With two solid back-to-back swells and great weather we managed to tick off a few unicorns which is always a great feeling.

We finished off the trip with pumping lefts, epic back drop and very satisfied, surfed out guests. Definitely a trip for the books!

Mal not on his knees

Was always great to see Dong Dong having a crack in his infamous stinger suit

Wave of the trip

Wave of the trip as always is hard to pick and most likely the camera wasn’t rolling at this point but generally always witnessed. Knee boarding seems to be the hot topic at the moment on The Mango. All though Malcom isn’t a knee boarder…Wave of the day had come through and Mal was the only one out the back but in an awkward position. He had no choice to go as everyone was cheering him on. Being a bit late but committed, his best option was to take the bomb set on his knees. A late drop, on to clearing his eyes of water, then found himself in the barrel as the wave doubled up. A bit of a concerned look on his face when he found himself in this position but he rode it out with true style. Best thing his son Chris had a front row seat.

Any wave Dong Dong managed to tackle was always entertaining and would end up with a lot of yahooing from the lads.

Always high vibes in Bintang Alley

Blury nights in Sumatra's number one beer garden

A trip ill never forget. Old boy and myself somewhere in Bintang Alley

Genni at the helm

Most valuable player!!! Dong Dong

Post surf vibes

So fresh so clean

The Hullys

Young Kal finding love in the tropics...

Personalitys

Where do I start?

Stevo - A slow start to the trip but by the end he was hungry and all over everything.

Swainman - tube pig!

Joel (junior Swainman) - most positive bloke on the boat. Unfortunately young Joel dislocated his shoulder early in the trip which put him on the sidelines. That didn’t stop him from cheering on every session, fishing and being involved in anything else that was going on.

Hully - a good family friend, didn’t disappoint with his early afternoon antics. Brought a lot of laughter to the party.

Kal (junior Hully) - the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Young Kal got his first taste of West Sumatra and fell in love on day one. He didn’t only fall in love with the area…he found love in the tropics. Tried to anyway ha!

Mal & Chris – father/son and are tight as brothers. Constantly pushed each other to get the best waves possible.

Rod - the silent assassin.

Donald “Dong Dong” Snodgrass - MVP (most valuable player)! Dong Dong was a great addition to the adventure. From his wisdom to bizarre antics he had everyone laughing and engaged. The trip definitely wouldn’t have been what it was without the great Dong Dong on board.

No complaints here

Rod, versatile

“You know the difference between goofy footers and natural footers? natural footers don’t complain when they have to go backhand”

Rod

Food

Chef Situ was cooking up an absolute storm this trip. With a fresh supply of sourdough bread from town Situ was able to get extra creative and add a nice touch to a lot of his meals that blew the guest away…as always.

Chef Situ's famous chicken roast with a side of homemade sour doe garlic bread

Fresh stock

Post surf sour doe toastie

Ready for the oven

Special Thanks:

Special thanks to the crew who don’t miss a beat, our on-ground team who never stop and Stevo for rounding up the troops for an all time trip through North Sumatra.

Surfing Village for accommodating us when Joel’s shoulder had to be popped back in and The RSL (Retired Skippers Lounge) for putting on the live NRL and a session to remember.

Yours truly Uncle Lip