The 1%’s Treasure

The east wind had been howling all night, carving through the air with the kind of cold that

Portugal rarely sees, dropping the wind chill to nearly 0º. And if there’s one thing I’m not known

for, it’s enjoying cold mornings. For most, it was the perfect excuse to stay wrapped up in

blankets, waiting for the day to warm up. But for us and for the one percent of portuguese who

surf, the first sips of hot coffee weren’t just a comfort—they were the signal that the chase was on

for the next few hours..

This story begins with the alarm clock kicking us out of bed and onto the road at 4:30 AM. With me

were Simon and Gui. In different cars, we shared our locations; whoever arrived first would break

the news of our mission. We had been tracking the swell for a few days, and it looked promising,

but as with any surf trip, it was impossible to know if we would be lucky - especially because none

of us have ever been here before.

Because of this uncertainty, I packed a 9’7 log, a 7’11 mid, and a 5’8 fish. I knew Simon likes to

shoot the log, but the forecast wasn’t exactly inviting for a big, heavy & classic board—something

that, after three hours on the road, proved to be true. The ship lights were still on, and just before the

sun cast its first beam of light, long lines slowly approached. Still in the dim light, it was hard to

know what to expect. Then, the first wave hit the reef, followed by a second, identical to the first.

The third, slightly bigger, followed the same perfectly defined path drawn by time.

Simon and Gui were still 20 minutes away. I thought about waiting—but quickly failed. It was

impossible just to stand there watching those empty, flawless waves, getting better with the tide. I

jumped in with the fish. I caught four waves before the biggest set of the morning rolled in and

wiped me out of the lineup. From the outside, the waves had seemed smaller—who hasn’t made

that mistake before?—and the current was stronger than expected. I didn’t think twice. Just as I was

walking back to my car, they arrived. As expected, their reactions mirrored mine.

In the blink of an eye, Simon, camera in hand, was already shouting:

"Look at that set! What the *****.. Go, Pedro, go!”

Meanwhile, Gui and I were scrambling across the rocks.

With the mid, everything changed. I had been testing this board for a few months: a 7’11 with a roll

entry to V, soft-to-hard rails, and a sleek S-Deck. The Space Pin by Wavegliders, masterfully shaped

by Nico, is inspired by the McTavish Tracker and Skip Frye’s K Model, while incorporating more

modern refinements, making it a highly versatile board—fast, smooth, and with effortless rail

transitions.

As the shaper himself puts it:

"It’s a longboard, a midlength, and a shortboard all in one."

Everything I needed for that session, where the waves and the board met in perfect harmony—and I was blessed to be right there in the middle of it.

Hours went by, wave after wave, under Simon’s ever-watchful eye, who, with his artistic mastery, immortalized it—not just for himself or for me, but for these very pages that now hold this memory,

one that blends with the dream of that cold day.

For most, it was just another ordinary day—but for us, it became a memory we’d chase for

years to come.

And as the old saying goes— "A picture is (definitely) worth a thousand words."

From this humble traveler of fate.

Pedro Scansetti