Bouncing along in a panga is perhaps one of the most exciting feelings you can have as a surfer. Exploring a new coast by sea, being un viajero in this functional craft used by fishermen all over the world with a shallow enough draft to run up onto the sand and load up surfers, boards, live bait, coolers or spearfishing gear and a captain in a threadbare shirt who speaks just enough English but knows every rock and trench of his coast. And then motoring into a channel to see swell lines bending around a point. It’s adventure at its best. Jetty was founded by surfers. It was all about our love for riding waves and adventure, New Jersey buds with a love for travel. And this year we’re really focused on hardcore year-round surf – the sessions earned right in our backyard or those found on far off beaches. This past Spring, we dove into a weeklong wave feast on Nicaragua’s Central Coast – warm peaky beach breaks and cerulean point waves complete with fried plantains, laughs, hammocks and sunburns. Across the board, Jetty folks remain committed to a life in pursuit of waves and contributing to the culture of surfing, specifically in the steadfast communities of the East Coast. "A surf trip for us 20-plus years deep into the business is full circle. When you're young you typically have more time and less responsibilities, so you surf more. We've been so head-down at the desk the last six years and so focused on growing the company that we really needed this trip. And it delivered,” offered CEO /Partner/Co-founder, Jeremy DeFilippis, who logged dozens of sessions in Nica. “We started the company to enable travel and time in the water. Last week we fully stepped outside of the office, surfed enough to get rashed up and take naps, and truly lived the most important aspect of The Jetty Life which is working hard to play hard." The trip brought together different departments across the company – design, Jetty INK personnel, the sales team, and the three operating partners. And it happened to coincide with the first big Pacific south swell of the season with well overhead days. In between marathon sessions, Jetty partners DeFilippis, John Clifford, Cory Higgins, as well as key staff were able to discuss ideas and strategies, all with a clear perspective on their passion for surf. “It was the kind of experience that inspired us to take this path in the first place,” said Director of Jetty INK, Bill McLennan, who helped found Jetty, sold his share and then came back to the company years later to oversee print operations. “I personally enjoyed every second of it, from dragging board bags through the airport to the panga rides with the crew. One minute we were watching our buddies fly down the line on a wave and the next we were bouncing business ideas around the boat or dinner table. It was simply a dream trip.” The pre-cursors to the swell arrived as we did. And as we took off a little deeper each day and put more rail into each turn, the swell came up to meet our excitement, topping out at 8-foot for a session with just our crew at a famed Central American left. We drew our own line across each peeling face, filling our tanks with inspiration for the busy season ahead. ~ Words by Jetty Ambassador Jon Coen Below: In-house Sales Manager Dustin Henry
