What is the Drouyn name associated with in the US? Have you guys heard of him? I am from Oz and doing a feature story on him and interested to know if America or the rest of the world has even heard of Peter Drouyn.
cheers
AndrewC
Would have been Nat, if Nat hadn’t have been Nat, but I’m Australian so I’ll leave it at that.
I’m in US and only know of him through magazine articles. Whenever I hear of him though, this asymmetric fin setup comes to mind…
Thats a cool photo…i have heard about that board…DROUYN took it too the 1980 surfabout contest and everyone wrote him off about it and apparently he surfed it unreal.
thanks for the image mate…
AndrewC
Drouyn,
Invented man on man competition. Great Surfer. I think he worked for Cheyne at his surf school back a few years. I think he surfed in the masters events of the late ninties.
Whats up Hodaddy?
In the Autumn '97 edition of the Australian magazine, “Deep”, writer Tim Baker reported his conversations with Peter Drouyn on a number of subjects, notably the shortboard revolution and Nat Young. Drouyn says that Nat got the concept for “Sam”, his world championship board, from him, Peter Drouyn.
"Him [Nat Young] and Mctavish reckoned theyd invented power surfing." Drouyn said, "None of them have ever told the truth about that." Them being Nat, Witzig, McTavish and Greenough, scammers all, in Drouyns mind.
… the mystical alliance between Nat, McTavish and California kneeboarder George Greenough. This says Peter is evidence of a sinister media conspiracy… Drouyn breaks into hearty laughter at the apparent absurdity. 'A bloody kneeboard rider! Its bloody crazy! Its unreal. So, in America, it all comes out that George Greenough, Bob McTavish, Nat Young are the total new power surfers. Changed the world. John [Witzig], he`s the man who writes it all for them, the script writer. It was a perfect coup." [“Too Long in Exile: The Haunted, Shadow World of Peter Drouyn”]
“Drouyn believes there was a conspiracy to minimalize, even erase, his name from the history books.”
“As far as Im concerned," Drouyn continued in the interview, "the story that John Witzig concocted about Nat and George Greenough inventing power surfing at Noosa is a complete hoax. A myth! And ironically the Australian and American surfing public swallowed it hook, line and sinker- Its a myth that has gained acceptance only because it’s been perpetuated for thirty years now, until most believe it`s the truth.”
(excerpts from “Animal Tracks, The 50 Year Journey of Robert Harold Young”, by Drew Kampion - The Surfer`s Journal, Vol. 7, No.2, Summer 1998.)
gudday
yeah drouyn did ‘invent’ the man-on-man competitive framework that is still used today. that was at the first stubbies at burleigh heads in 1977. Drouyn was an entrepreneur, and quite intelligent…had the vision and pulled off one of the most successful surfing events our ‘sport’ has known…they all said he couldnt do it…much they said he couldnt do a lot of things…but he did, the event was a huge success and unreal waves and the final was MP and MR a classic sceanrio which MP won with his outstanding tube riding of the day.
Yes Drouyn is the classic ‘conspiracy’ type scenario in some ways, BUT its all ok…the truth remains. I think he is bummed that when the stubbies was a success and he got thousands of people to pay at the gate on their way in…i mean it was s sucess…but drouyn saw none of that…‘THEY’ took his idea and ran with it… and it is interesting listening to drouyns long term vision for competitive surfing …it is quite awesome.
he was a great surfer too…australian champ…makaha champ…in fact in 1970 after two oz titles in the juniors and also a second to Nat in 1969 opens…he won the OZ opens…then won the makaha, came 4th in the smirnoff…and also second to hackman in the Duke, where many people thought he won…he did win the “international surfer of the year” though in 1970…as a consolation prize i guess.
Anyway there is some info. He is a bit of a cult hero in some peoples eyes, particularly in australia where he still lives and surfs… in others peoples eyes he is a whinger that never made the most of his opportunities…Bob Evas flew around the world with him on the bog screen movie “Drouyn…and friends” circa 1973
keep surfing
AC
I’ve only seen Drouyn once, out at Laniakea when I was a grem. It was kind of big for me at the time, 5-7 ft. a bit stormy, I should’nt have been out there. But there was this one guy on a blue board just nailing it. Deep bottom turn, off the lip, cutback…I really did’nt know who he was, but it was like watching a surf movie. I recognized his face in a magazine a few months later and thought to myself that was the guy…
I’m french. I know Peter DROUYN by name, that’s all. Read a few articles in Surfermag about him in the 70’s. For me, it’s just another name like Migget FARRELLY, or Keith PAUL (anyone remembers him? He travelled to Europe with Nat in 67 or 68, he was credited to be the first to ride roundtails at the time if I remember well…).I -just like everybody else- always thought that the shortboard revolution was a Mc TAVISH/GREENOUGH/YOUNG/WITZIG thing. Didn’t even know that DROUYN had a part in it…
Hey cheers for that, nice to hear from a french person.
Farrely and keith paul are other names too that are largely unheralded. Keith Paul died recently, so have other Australian surfing heros…
It is good to get word around about Drouyn though, i mean he is still alive!
AC
Drouyn,
Called it like it is and I respect that. 95% of what you read in any surf magazine has been made up or changed to fit the person writing it. Those things are nothing but hype and propaganda machines. I still enjoy the photos, but cannot take anything written in a magaizne seriously.
I am constantly amazed at how serious many in the surf industry take themselves. They get offended at the slightest question of their greatness. I don’t know Drouyn, but I bet this is what he is talking about. One thing for sure, I sport sure has some characters in it.
I neglected to mention the source for that photo - one of my favorite sites…