Zigzag August - September 2019

Traveling is never easy. For starters, unless you’re a trustafarian or professional surfer, riding on your sponsor’s dime, money is hard to come by. So, if it means delivering pizzas into the heartland of the Cape Flats ganglands in a beat up VW Beetle for R30 a shift to get your travel fund going, so be it. At least that’s what I did. I once did a delivery deep in Grassy Park at 10:30pm with around R1000 in takings pouched in my moon-bag. Big money back then. I passed a burnt out car, flames still licking the paint work and thought I even heard the rattle of gunfire in the distance. There were no street lights and there was no one around. It was dead, dead quiet. The type of quiet…

DROP THE ZAG A LINE ON LETTERS@ZIGZAG.C0.ZA AND BE HEARD AN ODE TO THE A TO Z OF SURFING I’m a long time British surfer, who has spent many years surfing the cold waters of Britain and more recently the warmer seas of Asia. I love the iconic films of Bruce Brown, the beautiful cinematography of Alby Falzon’s, Morning Of The Earth, and over time have turned my love of all things surfing into an art form. I wanted to introduce you to A Surfing Alphabet, a series of surf-inspired linocuts relating to surf history and trivia. Some of the subject matter is iconic in relation to surfing and where I have used other peoples’ images, I have sought their permission. This was the case with Alby Falzon for both ‘I is for…

In many respects, tube riding is the Dark Art of surfing. Dangerous, habit forming and a skill reserved for a select few who know how to tap into the power source and manipulate it. Everything is on the line, all the time. Get it wrong and the consequences are painful and embarrassing. Get it right and you feel like the world’s best magician performing to a sold out show. Josh Redman and his Cave Rock disappearing act. If tube riding enthralls the crowd with its mystery, then the air is the ultimate half-time show. Countless variations, mid flight adjustments and tweaks, seemingly impossible heights, all without a safety net. People love a show and both the air and the tube deliver. Adin Masencamp provides some aerial entertainment of his own for…

Unpacking with Mikey February Michael February travels more than most in search of exotic canvasses to draw his lines. Alan van Gysen caught up with the maestro and rifled through his most prized possessions. 1. Freedom Rhythm & Sound It’s pretty much just a collection of African and old jazz cover album artwork from 1965-1983. It’s got some really rad artwork and some cool information behind each one of them. I find it inspiring. The messages behind the artworks are pretty epic too. One of the best books. 2. Hydro Flask I take this thing everywhere with me. On a hot day I’ll put water with ice in and the ice will still be there hours later. And on those early morning missions to freezing cold spots in Cape Town I’ll put hot water inside…

Jerome Mosetic, he’s an absolute hond at sniffing out an Indo tube as well as a badass behind the viewfinder. With roots along the Garden Route, more specifically, Vic Bay, Jerome has since adopted a more transient way of life than most. With no real local break, he bounces between Cape Town, Durban and the world as he floats about the ocean aboard superyachts, chasing coconuts, barrels and good vibes. Travel has undoubtedly shaped the man as much as the ocean has influenced him. When your job’s a constant adventure and your motto is ‘where to next?’ Life seems to never give you lemons. Name: Jerome Mosetic. Age: 43. Nickname: Had a few random nicknames over the years but none that’ve ever stuck… so leave it at that. Occupation: Marine engineer. Favourite board: My Dutchie 6’2” Reaper…

On the 16th of December 2017, the Two Oceans Aquarium released a loggerhead turtle named Yoshi, back into the big ol’ blue abyss. Given her age, excellent health and display of certain behaviours, it was decided that it was time for her to return home. Weighing in at 183kg or roughly 3 x Mikey Februarys, Yoshi was released 27 nautical miles off Hout Bay to embark on the trek of her life. This is her story. Dial it back to 1997, Yoshi arrived in Cape Town aboard a Japanese fishing vessel as a light weight 2kg juvenile with a very distinctive injury etched into the side of her shell. It was the captain of the vessel who dubbed her Yoshitaro, after the cook onboard who resembled a stocky little turtle. Yoshi the…