To be honest, we were imposters at The Summit 1770 last week. We tried to hide it from fellow guests at this stunning new hilltop accommodation overlooking Agnes Water, but it didn’t take long for them to notice that in the matter of man’s best friend, we were seriously canine-deficient.
It was a nice twist, being on the outer for NOT bringing your dog to an upmarket boutique resort, but owner Chris de Aboitiz insisted that four-legged friends were optional. That said, if dogs aren’t your cup of tea, you might want to think twice before booking, but after a few days spent at The Summit, I can honestly say that one of the great pleasures of being there was seeing so many dogs having an actual holiday – not just waiting around while their owners had one! This is a dog’s paradise, no two ways about it, but you need only visit the twice-weekly sunset “dog run” on the 40-acre property to see that a holiday here is as much about human bonding as it is about getting to know your dog better.
This is all down to Chris de Aboitiz, the former Noosa resident and businessman, world tandem surfing champion and one of the leading all-round watermen in the world, who has perhaps become best known in recent years for his dog-surfing exploits, seen at events like the Noosa Festival of Surfing, and on numerous hugely-viewed clips on social media. Chris has managed to combine his passions for the surfing sports with his love of dogs by teaching them to surf with him, and in so doing he has singlehandedly created a booming surf-dog culture around the world.
But while teaching dogs to feel comfortable on an ocean wave, Chris discovered that he also possessed an extraordinary ability to teach dogs a broad range of behavioural patterns and skills. In addition to first-rate accommodation and a wilderness experience close to the pleasures of town, this is what he offers at The Summit.
So let’s get back to our dog-free stay in a cottage appropriately named “Wine Down”. We did exactly that. We surfed the point, paddled the estuary at 1770, walked the trails, and drove up the hill exhausted to sip a few wines on our private deck while watching the waters of Bustard Bay twinkling in the moonlight far below.
Never heard a dog yelp or yap, because they too were in paradise. Check out The Summit’s new website at thesummit1770.com.au
Keala stands up for equal pay
Keala Kennelly didn’t luck into her big wave world title this year. She’s been one of the gutsiest surfers – man or woman – in the world’s biggest line-ups for well over a decade now, and her indomitable spirit has seen her get back up and pull in again after some horrendous wipe-outs.
But that’s just how Keala approaches life. Never a backward step. I’ve loved her since her dad Brian phoned me from Kauai and asked if I’d keep an eye on his pride and joy while she competed on the European leg of the women’s qualifying tour. That’s how the feisty little teenager came to stay at our flat overlooking the break at Guethary in the Basque country of France almost 20 years ago.
Keala was wild, reckless, very funny and full of fierce determination to make it big in the surfing world. And she certainly did that, after several false starts, culminating in her gay and proud acceptance speech at the big wave awards this year. But, never want to rest on her laurels, Keala was making the world sit up and pay attention again last week, when she and fellow competitor Bianca Valenti, founders of the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing, launched a GoFundMe campaign to make up the shortfall between the men’s and women’s prize purses at the big wave event the Puerto Escondido Cup in Mexico.
The girls’ campaign reached its $US9000 (about $13,000) target within 48 hours, giving the sexist event organisers something to think about. But as The Inertia website reported, the committee’s campaign is novel because it didn’t set out to get an already-meagre prize purse redistributed, it set out to raise the women’s purse up to the men’s by whatever means it took.
And Keala ain’t done yet. The campaign for equity continues, so look at anyone who hasn’t already followed the WSL’s lead in introducing equal pay.
FOOTNOTE: Another good man down last week, with the passing of gentleman surfer Ronny Silcock on the Gold Coast. Originally a knockabout lad from Sydney’s eastern beaches, Ronny was one of the most consistent performers in amateur longboard comps for much of his golden years, and although he was full of wit and charm on land, he didn’t hesitate to paddle you up the point and pull out all stops to win. A smooth stylist in his surfing, Ronny was also a stylish painter of portraits and land and seascapes. Vale Ronny, a quiet legend of Australian surfing.
