RoryFreakinGregg

In partnership with Ghive, SurfJaxPier and the PBR Pro, RedBull offered up a full VIP Nascar Experience for the winner of the contest along with a guest invitation to the GHive crew. With Cormican unable to make it due to being stuck in the barrel in El Nino' conditions in Cal (who can blame him, it's his job, and it has been blowing up out there!), we were happy to bring you a full recap and coverage of The RedBull Nascar Experience from the Dual 150's at the Daytona International Speedway leading up to the famed Daytona 500. When RedBull throws out the VIP invite, you know they are going to roll out the RedBull Red Carpet all the way!

8:30 am and, chilly outside, we rendezvoused at the Ritz in Jax Beach with the crew from RedBull, Local Industry guests, Musicians, and local Venue Owners. A luxury coach bus awaited loaded with snacks, and all you could drink RedBull to get charged up on the 2 hour ride to Daytona. During the ride down the excitement was growing, and with the RedBull pumping through our veins, Surfing and B-Boy vids on the tv's, meets and greets, old friendly faces, and networking throughout the bus.

The boys from RedBull (Sefton, Brian, and Chuck) keeping everyone briefed on the day ahead handing out sick media kits and VIP badges for the day. Some of the guests included Scott Holmes from Aqua East, Paco from Sunrise, Travis Ajay from Arnette, and the band Dark Horse Saloon. Arrival at Daytona and some serious security checkpoints with the dogs sniffing around the bus perimeter and the whole 9 yards. Daytona doesn't take any chances being the epicenter of the racing world. We pulled in down under the track through the tunnel and into the infield through RV Land to another checkpoint, and front door service to the VIP Pit area.

After check in and credentials were checked the party kicked off in full gear! Of all of the VIP areas track-side RedBull's was the most lively, branded, visible, and closest to Victory Road and all the action! They truly know what they are doing when it comes to product positioning, visibility, and an all around experience.

A couple of bloody marys in from the open bar, music pumping from the DJ, a guest appearance from RedBull's top driver #83 Brian Vickers. He fielded a few questions of the crowd, snapped some picks, and headed off to prepare for his race. Then we gathered in tight select groups split up in 3 to head off to guided Garage and Pit Row tours by the RedBull Racing Team pit crew members. What a thrill to actually stand right on the track at pit row watching the practice runs zip by and envisioning what goes through the drivers mind while in the car.

Lunch time arrived and the buffet was insane! RedBull laid out 3 in total during the day with everything from chicken and ribs, to bacon wrapped shrimp and crab dip! Guests began to settle in for the first of two races in lounge areas with plasma screen tv's, plush couches, and the VIP seating up the stairs to view the races front row! Right before the first race began the RedBull girls began handing out Sprint "FanView" Headsets where you can actually listen in to the car of your choice as well as view the race from different camera angles from inside and outside the cars! It truly made you feel like you were right there in the action between the crew chief and the driver.

With race one in the books, the RedBull crew along with all of the guests were really pumped up for race two with both RedBull drivers, Brian Vickers, and Scott Speed taking part in the action. The upstairs section was packed, people on their feet cheering the drivers on for 60 hardcore laps! With 47 of 60 laps down Vickers took the lead for RedBull and the crowd was amped, after a short lead he was bumped out of control by good 'ol Tony Stewart, but maintained control to a strong finish.

After the race was over, and the fans had departed, all of the VIP areas along pit row were ghost towns, all but RedBull that is, the party carried on for a good couple hours after with people dancing and having a great time! Last call sounded and it was time for everyone to head to the bus for a fun ride home to J-ville! On the bus ride home is was a festive atmosphere with people dancing in the isles, jamming to music, and enjoying the ride to finish out one heck of an experience, and one awesome day courtesy of RedBull! 

Many Thanks goes out to Sefton, Chuck, Brian, Pam, and all of the rest of the crew from RedBull for the RedBull Nascar Experience!

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With the swell fading this morning it was time to hit the creeks! Another great day at Porpoise Point, as we call it now. We started out at a couple of ambush points way up the creek waiting for the tide to get just right! I told my co-captain to bring his favorite float rig, because we were going to float all day, and possible mix in a couple spinning rods. You all recall the Saturday Red Slay a couple of weeks ago, and the tide presented itself to be the same setup for the day. At our first spot we started getting bites right away, good sign. Quite a few rat reds and having fun, but losing bait. Worked our way to the Redfish Motel, and got a couple of nice drifts in, tide was moving lazily and perfect. On our way Aaron saw a creek mouth calling his name and reeled in the first keeper of the day, 16" flattie. It was time to go! We headed down to Porpoise Point, dropped in some hog sized shrimp, first drift zip zip zoom! It was on AGAIN! We were stoked, sat there for almost two hours and hauled in red after red, and it gets even better... After each having bagged our one keeper each of reds, a nice flounder, and a random but tasty keeper mangrove snapper, my fishing mate threw out another drift on his popping cork (I was using the "Mayor's" special drift and retrieve setup), he put his rod in the holder for a second to work on a spinner shad rig and I was eyeing the corks. "Hey! You're down!" Wouldn't you know, the biggest trout of his life 24"! We've been going at it all summer, long hot days roasting in the yaks, hitting all the creeks, earmarking the tides, weather, bait etc etc etc.... We finally have hit our stride, found some new and great fishing locals, Aaron caught his first slam, and a life long fishing partnership is forged. Nothing will ever replace my fishing relationship with my father (Mayor Chicopit), but just as he has his fishing buddy Uncle Richard, I have found a true fishing partner in crime that is dedicatd, passionate, and as persistent as I am. Today was your day Aaron, Congrats on Your First Slam! I was proud to put you on to 'em! Maybe there would have been some mushburgers out there to grovel on, but you know what it's time to do, only on the Flat Days!

Well, where do I begin... The depleted swell starved Lago Atlantico didn't deliver the Tropical Depression we expected. Yeah, there was a little wave, and a contest at the pier, but the tide was perfect and we had some Bigger fish to fry. We started out at 6am, first "spot" by 6:30am. Slow start, one small drum, and losing bait to trash fish. Headed around the corner with time to kill until the low tide Monday Night action "spot". Couple hits, one nice keeper red 19", let him go. Our guest got a call from a Capt. friend going off shore for cobia, in town for a few days, he bailed. Back to the launch, cleaned up, locked down his gear, took his bait, said goodbyes, headed back to meet my fishing partner at the honey hole just in time. Couple hits, couple misses, not what we expected. Decided to head out to the deeper water in the ICW. Crowded out there, 5 boats, couple yaks, 2 guys in a canoe, not much action.. One small flattie, decided to head back to our last "spot" trolling in with the tide. On the way in, couple of hits, passing by a fickle but occasionally productive oyster rake, threw out a mudder and the bite was on! Caught a 21" red, then lost another. We did 3 drifts with good hits and another in the yak same size. Tide was moving so the anchor wasn't holding. Strategically made the decision to go around the back of the island patch near the oyster rake and beach the yaks and wade fish. Proceeded to catch 5 more slot size reds, and my co-captain caught at 42 spotter! The craziest event beyond the 42 spotter was a passing porpoise breached in front of of less than 10 yards away and snagged himself a 20" red for breakfast, never seen anything like it in all of my years of fishing! The fishing gods were with us this day, if it wasn't for our guest leaving to go off shore, we wouldn't have had any bait left when the slaying began.. It just goes to show you that you have to stick with your plan, sometimes have a plan B, and as my father always taught me "luck is when preparation meets opportunity"! Sometimes it's catching, but that is why they call the sport fishing, especially "Only on the Flat Days"! 

Waves sucked so we snuck out for a quickie on the yaks at my old stomping grounds near the Mayor's mansion (aka: Dad's house) in Chicopit. Dead low tide and nothing better to do than blow off a case of the Moondays by going out fishing after work. The bait was running everywhere, and the reds were busting all over the place near one of our favorite oyster rakes! Saw 2 reds beach themselves chasing bait on a nearby mud bank! Caught a nice keeper flounder on rootbeer gulp and lost one red on a mudder. Aaron caught 2 keeper reds and a small flatty, lost another nice flatty.. All in all not a bad mission until dark, nobody around but us, slow moving tide, perfect sunset, and used every mudder in the bucket. All in a days work. And....Only on the Flat Days!

Went on a great yak mission with Co-creator of Ghive & SurfJaxPier.com, Aaron Meisenheimer last Sunday 6/14. We had a sick time hitting Chicopit Bay, Marker 9, and Sherman's Creek. We didn't catch any hog reds, but we caught over 15 fish. Heaps of trout, a few ladies, a cat, and a rat red. Just enough to bend your pole. More to come, especially this time of year, "Only on the Flat days"!

Hurricane Season is here! One down and hopefully many more to go! So.......if a spinner is upon us, the swell is pumping, and the sun is shining, get your crew together for a photo session if you want shots for your own portfolio, your sponsors, or to help me flood ESM with more shots than they know what to do with for the Hurricane Issue later this year. Wax 'em up and give me a shout. Pier, Poles, PV, Redneck Rights, and those other not so secret spots anymore, we'll get the shots! Stay tuned to www.SurfJaxPier.com for my new 2008 Hurricane Season Gallery, new pics from Bertha to be posted in a few days! Step up, and make this the year that North Florida finally gets the cover!

Rory "Freakin" Gregg

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