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 On
July 5, 2004, the Quiksilver Crossing
made her maiden voyage to "The Big
Apple."
You might be saying to yourself, there's
no surf in New York City, and you're
right. But we weren't there to do any
surfing or exploration, we were there to
bring our experiences and knowledge
about surfing and exploring to the
general public, and give them a little
taste of our world.
Our location at Chelsea Piers had us
bordered on one side by a multi-level
golf driving range, on the other with a
wooden skate park, and various
gymnasiums and restaurants, all built
upon the docks and looking over the New
York harbor. Just over the dock and onto
the street and you are in downtown New
York City, and a scenario of so much
movement and activity, one may describe
it as controlled chaos. On the first day
of tours, we had visits from many
curious onlookers, Quiksilver retailers,
and various surfers who have spent time
at sea on The Trader, making the trips
that have made the vessel famous
worldwide.
Casually lounging on the deck of the
boat were Kelly Slater, Danny Fuller,
Jon Rose, Strider Wasilewski, Mark
Warren, Veronica Kay, and Sarah
Gerhardt, mixing it up with The Indies
Trader crew and various surprised
passerby's who just wandered by for a
look at the boat known far and wide for
it's history of exploration, discovery
and education. Kelly gave a reporter
from the New York Post a tour of the
boat he has spent so much time on, and
showed her the best bunks, where to find
possible hidden snacks in the galley,
and how to flush the toilet (fill the
bucket with sea water, and pour it in
the bowl) and other facts about life
onboard The Trader. He pointed out that
if the boat is moving, he is usually
fishing off the aft deck, as the boat
travels at a perfect trolling speed. The
surfers and public had a nice
opportunity to connect and once again,
The Indies Trader has the opportunity to
transcend barriers and unite.
 On
July 7, The Indies Trader treated
various accounts, pro riders and Quiky
family members to tours of the infamous
New York harbor, gliding past the most
rebound symbol of freedom on Earth, the
Statue of Liberty and the
all-encompassing Manhattan skyline. The
New York stop definitely went out with a
bang; a party at the ever-so-trendy
Delancy. Where surfers chatted it up
with musicians and all types of people.
The "salad bowl" theory can really be
applied to New York City, as people from
every walk of life enjoyed each other's
company.
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