ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International, the global controlling body for professional surfing, is auctioning a unique surfboard signed by former World Champions, many of the world’s Top 100 surfers, local surfing legends and others to raise funds for surfing development on the African continent.
The surfboard is shaped by Johno Hutchison of Hutchison Handcrafted and has been signed by the likes of 2000 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood, red-hot ASP World Tour surfers John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Julian Wilson and Josh Kerr along with SA surfing legends Shaun Tomson (1977 World Champion), Greg Emslie, Shaun Holmes and Jordy Smith, amongst others. (See picture and full list of signatories below)
History was made this year when three surfers from Ghana funded themselves to compete in the ASP Africa rated Billabong Pro Junior at Victoria Bay. With help from Brett Davis and various projects this trio became the first surfers from another country in Africa to attend an ASP event in South Africa.
ASP Africa intends to raise funds to support similar development ventures that will foster and encourage the growth of the sport on the continent and all the money raised via the auction will be split between KwaZulu-Natal surfing development and the Ghanaian surfers.
If you are interested in surfboard collectables and would like to help raise money for a good cause, email a silent bid for the surfboard to Colin Fitch at ASP Africa on colin@aspafrica.com.
All bids must be in South African Rand and international bidders will need to cover the cost of the freight themselves. No feedback will be given on whether your bid is in the ballpark or not. E-mails along the lines of “how much should I bid” will not be answered.
The value of surfing collectables is escalating rapidly (Gerry Lopez’s Big Wednesday Lightning Bolt recently sold for US$ 30 000 – approx.R250 000). Given the unique set of signatures on this surfboard, it could be worth a small fortune in less than a decade!
Make your bid now as the auction closes a week from today, at midnight GMT on Tuesday 20 December 2011.
Signatures on the surfboard (see corresponding numbers on photo) include:
1. John John Florence
2. Messias Felix
3. Gabriel Medina
4. Jihad Khodr
5. Josh Kerr
6. Austin Ware
8. Kiron Jabour
9. Dion Atkinson
10. Jay Quinn
11. Heath Joske
12. Maxine Huscenot
13. Junior Faria
14. Blake Thornton
15. Damien Hobgood
16. Shaun Tomson
17. Wiggoly Dantas
18. Raoni Monteiro
19. CJ Hobgood
20. Jean da Silva
22. Greg Emslie
24. Billy Stairmand
26. Sean Holmes
27. Julian Wilson
28. Jano Belo
29. Kieren Perrow
31. Adam Robertson
33. Aritz Aranburu
34. Jordy Smith
St Francis Chronicle 