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Day 1:
The Right Coast Raid has officially been unleashed on the East Coast, as Fanning, Knox, Pancho, and Curen have already made their mark on the states of New York and New Jersey. Straight off the plane, the boys were busy “enjoying” the nightlife of NYC. A top shelf dinner with super account UnsOund and a night of good times at Epstein’s, New York was quickly in the books! Is it any surprise? “The question isn’t if I am ready for the east coast,” quipped a mustached Taylor Knox. “It’s ‘is the east coast ready for me?’”
Day 2:
Navigating a luxury 43’ beast through America’s most happening, jam-packed city is not an easy thing. Despite some close calls, some wrong turns, some confusion, and a mild hangover- the boys escaped the labyrinth known as NYC. First mission of the day, New Jersey’s Brave New World at high noon. 100’s of Jersey’s next generation came out of the woodworks to press palms with the world’s best surfers. A huge turnout, an epic lunch from Surf Taco, an abundance of stoked groms, the boys were out. Next stop, Ocean City’s Heritage Surf Shop: sleeveless shirts, barbwire tattoos, hair gel, gold chains… you have to love Jersey! The boys posted up for an hour blew through a ton of posters to the big crowd there, and voyaged on to Maryland. A showing of Somewhere… the movie at Castaways, another big night, and the legacy continues…
Day 3:
The boys mix it up with the mid-Atlantic’s finest at the Outer Banks. As the Right Coast Raid coach approached the charming surroundings of Kitty Hawk, you would have thought the boys were about to paddle out for a Round 1 WCT heat. As the heavy sounds of TOOL (Mick’s pre-surf band of choice) resonated through the speakers, the boys geared up for the Right Coast Raid Shop Exhibition. Reps from Whalebone, OBBC, 17th Street, The Pit, and WRV all showed up with game faces on, as each Right Coast Raid icon was assigned to a shop. Insane performances went down, as local talent Noah Snyder, Brendan Petticrew, Brett Barley, Jesse Hines, amongst other standouts lit up the small, punchy surf. When the dust settled, WRV, led by team captain Knox, narrowly defeated an in-form 17th Street. The madness then relocated to OBBC, where Lynn Shell and the crew hosted over 400 people to some quality BBQ, a Right Coast Raid autograph signing, a special live musical performance by Tom Curren, Jesse Hines, and Jason Andre, as well as a premiere of RC’s new flick “Somewhere…”. The boys enjoyed their visit to the OBX to say the least, “I’ve never met such genuine, polite people in my life,” said Mick Fanning. “It was awesome to see such support.”
Day 4:
The Right Coast Raid invades the ECSC, as Virginia Beach is treated to a full day from the World’s finest. VA Beach was full of electricity as the boys put the bus in park at the longest running east coast event, now in it’s 46th year, the ECSC. The boys were greeted warmly to say the least, as nearly 1000 spectators lined the beach of 1st street to get a glimpse of the boys in action. The competition was called to a halt, and Mick, Taylor, Tom, and Panch were given the green light to put on a 45 minute expression session to show how the world’s best do it. After demolishing every corner, lip, and crevice that presented it self to the boys, they treated the beach to a 2-hour autograph signing in conjunction with WRV that drew 100’s. From there, the crew nabbed a little downtime before blowing up 17th Street surfshop with a huge autograph signing. Immediately from there, we kept the party moving to Mahi Mahs, where the 17th Street crew were treated to a solid dinner before getting a taste of the VA Beach nightlife. Next stop, tropical storm dodging in Florida….stay tuned!!!
Day 5:
The boys arrived to a very soggy Sunshine State. Despite the drizzle, Maui Nix hosted the largest instore signing the boys had ever seen. “I was blown away by the amount of people there,” said Fanning. “20 inches of rain, tropical storms, natural disasters don’t stop these people. It’s epic.” After 2 hours of signing to nearly 300+ people who turned up, the Maui Nix entourage dined it up with the boys in style. However, nothing could have anticipated the energy that lit up New Smyrna Tavern after. A guest musical appearance by Tom Curren had a mob of people completely engaged, as the 3x World Champ jammed: 1 song, 25 minutes, 1 ecstatic crowd!
Day 6:
When you think of gameday in Florida, you picture fresh cut grass, a pigskin, and some meatheads ready to do battle. However, gameday took on a whole new meaning, as Quiet Flight, Red Dog, Maui Nix, and Inlet Charlies assembled their squads to do battle for the 2nd Right Coast Raid Shop Exhibition at the Inlet. After assigning a Right Coast Raid icon to each team, things heated up quickly in the windy, sloppy surf. Local talent, such as Jesse Heilman and Sean Poynter represented their soil with pride, as they remained on pace with the world’s best. When the final horn sounded, Maui Nix had claimed the victory, again being represented by T. Knox! “I let them know,” joked a stoked Knox, “that I’m going 2 for 2 (laughs)! No, but it was epic. Our team all surfed unreal, and the vibe down there was killer.” With a great Shop Exhibition in the books, the boys jetted up to Cocoa Beach for a massive signing at Ron Jon’s. Amidst at least a couple 100 amped-up surf fans, the boys funneled out posters, hats, tees, and signing cards until the start of the premiere of “Somewhere…”. With the final promotion for the Right Coast Raid done and dusted, the boys were in great spirits to clink some glasses and celebrate an amazing week over sushi with super sales reps, Paula Hatton and Larry Glenn.
Day 7:
A quick surf out front and a hearty breakfast deep, the boys jetted off to the Airport. “I don’t think this this could have gone any better,” reflected Taylor Knox. “I think our team has the best chemistry in the industry. We’re all genuine friends, which makes something like this that much more fun.” The Right Coast Raid is a officially a wrap. 7 Days, 4 icons, 2 World Champions, 1 Bus, 1 Coast, and a lifetime of memories for thousands.