To have an opportunity to work on the Quiksilver Crossing is a once in a lifetime opportunity. To get a second go at it is implausible. That is why I was so stoked to get a call from Quiksilver, just weeks before the West Coast tour was due to begin, asking me if I would be the boat's host once again.

My first stop on the boat was Ensenda, Mexico. And there I was reunited with some of the old family - Captain Jay, Luke and Ty and bittersweet reunion with the absence of Guy and Dovi. Within minutes it felt like I was home once more. I set up home in the same cabin as last summer and laced it with a feminine touch that the other cabins surely lacked. (That was evident whenever I took people on tours around the boat. They would always identify my berth - more often than not because it didn't have the same...pungency as the boy's rooms).

The West Coast tour involved promotional events at San Diego, Dana Point, Newport, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. Once of the most common questions was "which has been your favourite stop". It's such a difficult question to answer as they all had their hidden gems.

San Diego was the first stop for the Crossing on the West Coast and was met with fervor and excitement. We were reunited with Dave Barnett - legend and builder of the vessel and Martin Daly (owner) paid us a visit as well. Reef Check Dovi showed us around his local town and although he wasn't crewing the boat this summer - assumed his role aboard once again. We hit up 'The Wavehouse' and surfed the man made wave and we cruised with the local accounts under the gentle direction of rep Pat Artukavich who was a big part of our family.

Dana Point, who we decided was named after famed Crossing Coordinator Dana Messenbrink (who we couldn't have lived without). This was another great stop with the highlights being the Quiksilver Foundation dinner. The dress code was formal and it was funny to see the boys usually in paint ridden board shorts turn into knights in shining armor. It was also humbling to spend time with Bob McKnight and Bruce Raymond who are instrumental to this entire project. Chad Mitchell was the local rep in the area and he too became a pseudo member of the crew.

Newport was next on the list and of course this is Quiksilver's backdoor step. Members of the Quik family who escorted us in their boats celebrated our entry into the harbor. We had many of the head office employees come and see the boat which sent a buzz of excitement though the building. The main event was a riot at "The Cannery", and although the Surfrider foundation dinner at the Nautical Museum was a much more poignant and intimate affair, it too was a great celebration of The Crossing.

We might as well have sailed right into the pages of People Magazine when we sailed into Malibu. We moored at the Ritz Carlton Marina, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. We had full use of the facilities and a crew hot tub was a nightly ritual. Venice Beach became a local haunt and the party at Zuma Beach was amazing. The boys had the boat anchored right in front that night, and they showed true commitment by paddling in with a dry bag and changing on the shore - not wanting the ladies at the party to be disappointed by their absence.

It was at this stage that the trip peaked with a switch from Promo Mode to Exploration Mode. Willy was our guide and our mentor and we explored the rugged Californian coast for the wave less ridden. It was an incredible few weeks where the vessel was entirely remote. We fished, surfed, hiked and frequented "Club Lexie" (Willy's boat along side us provided us with amenities such as a fish hold converted to hot tub and surround sound).

The back deck that in the weeks previous had held sushi laden VIP cruises with accounts now served hungry surfers and laudable divers such as Cappy and Miles with feast prepared by Stone. Perhaps one of the most memorable nights was when one balmy evening the wind picked up to almost 55 knots and as it howled through the decks of the Trader. It was eerie yet beautiful and after torturing us for hours within a heart beat it was flat and calm once more.

From there the boat steamed southwards to anchor in front of the US Open in Huntington Beach. It was pretty amazing to watch this coveted contest from the outside looking in.

With two of my closest Brothers Luke and Tyler being from Carpinteria it was essential that we stopped there. So Santa Barbara was the next port of call. Our arrival coincided with "fiesta" so partying was the order of events. We had some great characters swing by the boat and some great press received with Fuel TV doing a segment on The Crossing.

Morro Bay and Monterey sort of gelled together without too much out of the ordinary. We did lots of VIP Cruises and motored the Trader to Half Moon Bay to pay homage to Mavericks. But we were all eager to get to Santa Cruz. And she didn't let us down. Santa Cruz was an amazing promotion with the likes of Pete Mel and Anthony Tashnick being great hosts to their hometown.

From there we were off toward Frisco. Steaming under the Golden Gate Bridge on a calm sunny day with an amazing crew on board would have to be one of the highlights of the trip. From there we anchored at McCovey cove and watched the baseball from the water. The crowd were roaring not only at the home runs but at the Trader as it regularly showed up on the big screen. And if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, we had the main event party at Kelly’s Mission Rock that night. Lots of sightseeing ensued…over the Golden gate bridge, down the most crooked street, surfing at Ocean beach, laps around Alkatraz in the tinny and generally lots of VIP Cruises with the local rep Steve Baker and his salty bunch up there.

Seattle was the second to last stop and it didn’t let us down. With heading north, the demographic changed to a more skate/snow scene. We met some of our extended Quiksilver family (the Lib Tech crew) and our VIP cruises were guided back by the city lights and the famous Space Needle. The highlight of Seattle was definitely the whole punk rocker band scene and the crew made numerous sojourns to see bands like ‘Black Rebel Motorcycle club’ and ‘The Black Keys’.

Of all of my travels on the Crossing the Pacific Northwest is undoubtedly some of the most beautiful scenery ever. We surfed some of the coldest yet clearest water imaginable and the fact that you had to hike through a blackberry coated rainforest trail just added to the experience.

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