Blue Darr
/This is G-Mat 244 (AKA Blue Darr), a mat built for the supremely talented Nick LaVecchia. If you aren’t familiar, Nick is an amazing photographer hailing from Maine on the US East Coast.
I spoke with Nick some time ago about mats after he was pointed in my direction by Trevor Gordon and Will Adler. We spoke about mats and Nick signed up for my mailer and, after a few miss-outs, managed to nail a spot this time around.
Nick is a very experienced surfer and spoke about his journey into mats:
“I am a lover of the ocean and all ways of riding waves. If I’m not out swimming and making images, you can usually find me with the van loaded up with cameras, housing, fins, wooden log/single fin/fish and a mat of some sort for all kinds of conditions.
I’ve found myself never wanting to be caught at the beach without a pair of flippers and a mat. That first started back in the 2008 or so when Dave Rastovich came for a Maine visit and had his Krypt mat. Once I witnessed him lock into a nice long wall and fly by me with a smile....that was it.
Then in 2010 on a trip to Nicaragua with Tomo, he had one of his Dad’s mats rolled up in his board bag. After that trip ended he left the mat with me, and I’ve been heavily hooked since.
Headed into Winter here in Maine, my favorite time. Looking forward to getting this new mat into some waves with energy while the snow flies. Nothing like skimming along the face of a wave through a blizzard Nor’easter.
Thanks for all you do Graeme. Hope we can share a few waves in the Atlantic someday.”
So when we got to talking it became clear that Nick knows how to ride a mat, enjoying the feel and performance of riding with lower inflation levels. We settled in the end on a RB-JMC with super-free-breather venting and negative rocker. Full steam ahead! Nick was keen to look at a teal colour scheme for the bottom skin and the logo. Acid dye can be funny stuff and pigmenting sealants for the logo is far from an exact science so we went into that from a “let’s have a go” perspective. All in all… pretty pleased with the match!
I’ve already had some feedback from Nick from his initial session where funnily enough he bumped into Ryan Kleinert on his new mat! Nick said:
“Just got out of the water with Ryan. Some big beautiful rights this morning. Had an amazing vision of him coming flying around the whitewater on big overhead barreling right. So good. That pink mat
I got a few amazing rides. Totally different feel. Waaaay lighter and way faster on the water. The hold felt really nice. I sideslipped down the face on a couple late large ones(my own wrong-doing) then it grabbed and really locked in. The wave was really fast this morning. Just felt amazing to make a few and beat the section with not a ton of effort. Just skimming across the top!”
Music to my ears right there! I love building mats for people who take the time to learn to ride them well. It is easy to pump up a mat, jump on it and catch waves, but it is hard and takes true commitment to explore the nuance of these craft. A lifetime of learning which gets into your bones… Just ask Nick!
Thanks again Nick. Here’s to sharing waves one day.
See Nick’s amazing work on Instagram @nick_lavecchia at his website at nicklavecchia.com and in surf mags everywhere.
Cheers
G