Mr. Richards’ world: the South Carolina native had a huge day. Photo: Capitulo Perfeito
Cam Richards didn’t squander a last-minute call to fill in as a replacement for the Perfect Chapter (Capitulo Perfeito) tube shootout in Portugal. The 29-year-old South Carolina surfer jetted off to Europe for his debut appearance in the event and now heads home with a heavier wallet after earning the €25,000 prize ($26,000 USD) for first place.
Hawaii’s Noah Beschen took home €6,250 ($6,500 USD) for second place, New York’s Balaram Stack took €4,000 for third, and Brazil’s Pedro Calado €3,000 for fourth. The Portuguese local Miguel Blanco took €2,500 for the best tube, an 8.83 ride in round three that was the highest score of the day.
The 11th edition of the event kicked off with rough conditions: punishing, messy waves, pesky rip currents, and the occasional gem of a tube sprinkled in among a barrage of closeouts. Two of the round one heats were won with totals of less than five points as many of the competitors struggled to find barrels with exits. But, as forecast, the wind at Carcavelos Beach clocked more northerly throughout the day, cleaning up conditions for some of the world’s best tube hounds to go hunting for classic Portuguese barrels.
After three rounds of heats, the semifinals were set with star-studded lineups and thousands of surf fans on the beach to bear witness. Semi one featured Richards, Bruno Santos, Stack, and Blanco. Semi two included Beschen, Nic von Rupp, Calado, and Victor Bernardo.
In the first semi, the two U.S. East Coasters, Stack and Richards, proved to be the most adept at navigating the waves with tube potential. Richards got off to a quick start with barrels worth 6.67 and five points. But Stack came on strong at the end with a long eight-point tube ride that he backed up with a 6.33. Meanwhile, Blanco and Santos couldn’t complete any worthy rides and were eliminated with totals under five points.
Cam Richards, celebrated by his fellow finalists. Photo: Capitulo Perfeito
In the second semi, high-scoring waves were scarce. Not until nearly 30 (out of 35) minutes had elapsed did Beschen get the first significant score with a 6.10. Then the heat finished with a flurry of action – tubes and wipeouts – with Calado notching a 6.6 wave score to join Beschen in an advancing position. Von Rupp, a three-time Capitulo Perfeito winner, was sent packing along with Bernardo.
Before the men’s final, a special women’s heat took place with a 10-day trip to the Mentawai Islands on the line. Portugal’s two-time Olympic surfer Yolanda Hopkins emerged victorious against her compatriots Maria Salgado, Camila Cardoso, and Gabriela Dinis. Although no tubes were made, Hopkins’ packed heavy closeouts that earned her a heat total of 5.4.
“I was happy to be a part of this heat,” said Hopkins. “It is such a big part of female surfing evolving in Portugal.”
“I’ve never been to the Mentawais,” she added. “I’m going to bring my coach because it’s a great opportunity to train.”
Next, the final closed off the day of tube riding as a setting sun back-lit the barrels at Carcavelos.
Richards was the first to draw blood in the final with a moderate 5.67 tube as he narrowly escaped the guillotine of the crashing lip. Richards backed it up with another 5.10 barrel to put the pressure on the rest of the lineup. Beschen then stole the momentum by threading a long, technical backhand tube worth 7.5 points, putting himself well within striking distance of the title. But Richards responded with the final’s best wave; a late drop into a left tube with a clean exit. He earned 8.5 – the second-highest score of the entire event – to give him a total of 14.17 points which proved enough to take first.
“It hasn’t kicked in because I didn’t think I won the whole time,” said Richards. “I heard the crowd going crazy for Noah’s wave, so I knew I needed something big. We couldn’t hear much. I’m still tripping out. It doesn’t feel real.”
“It’s fun to get barreled in a contest without too much pressure and just have fun,” Richards continued. “I’ve been fighting jet lag all day but managed to power through it.”
Beschen’s 11.90-point total trailed Richards for runner-up. Stack wasn’t able to reproduce his semifinal magic where he earned an excellent range eight-point tube, only nabbing one decent barrel to earn a total of 7.7. Calado, who had been a standout with an 8.33 tube earlier in the day, was out of sorts in the final. He waited for waves that never came his way and finished with a heat total of just 1.94.
Joel Parkinson, the last-minute “performance wildcard” addition, was knocked out in his round three heat against Brazil’s Bernardo and Portugal’s von Rupp. In that heat, Bernardo set the table with a fast right tube that scored 7.77. Von Rupp followed with a six-point left tube of his own, which put pressure on the former world champ to find a score.
With just a 1.73 and 0.90 under his belt as the heat entered its final minutes, Parkinson made a dash to the sand bars further west in search of a tube worth at least 6.87 points. But von Rupp, gave chase with first priority, eventually letting Parkinson take off on a closeout right worth only 1.17 points
Web announcer Ben Mondy reported that in the athlete zone after the heat von Rupp and Parkinson had a laugh. “I thought we were mates,” said Parkinson, to which von Rupp responded that he had let Parkinson take his final wave to give him a fighting chance. But even so, there were still more than two minutes left on the clock as Parkinson pulled into that final closeout. Apparently, he thought paddling back out without priority would be futile, accepting his fate with a premature whitewash ride to the beach.
However, for Parkinson, the last-minute trip to Portugal was a nice change of pace. While popping into the broadcast booth earlier in the day he explained how relaxed he felt competing in Capitulo Perfeito.
“When you are on the tour at the top level, the whole front of your brain is consumed by the event, the result, and all the stuff you have to be prepared for,” said Parkinson. “It’s nice to come back, unzip a board bag, and go for a surf like a normal person and enjoy it – to watch guys get barreled and not be jealous that they got a better heat than I did, or better conditions, all the things that come with being on the top of the tour.”
“I haven’t walked into a WSL event since I (left the tour),” said Parkinson. “I’ve never gone near one. But I watch them all (because) I’m still a surf fan. Maybe I’ve had enough of a hangover to get back to it all.”
The Aussie style-master Craig Anderson made a rare appearance in competition at Capitulo Perfeito. Anderson lost his first non-elimination heat, passed through his round two repechage heat, but was finally eliminated in round three by Bruno Santos and Miguel Blanco. Anderson also joined the broadcast and was in good humor about his elimination.
“I don’t usually throw on the contest rash vest,” said Anderson, who couldn’t remember the last time he competed, but thinks it was about two years ago. “But for the events where there are barrels, good times, and good vibes, I’m always down for it. I had a nice one, I didn’t quite make it but I got some vision in the pit.”
“Contest surfing is not quite for me,” Anderson said through a chuckle. “I can get scrappy and probably need to want it more, but I like cruising and watching others get barreled. Getting out of a tube is the last thing on my mind when standing in a big pit.”
Prior to the men’s final, Portuguese surf legend and first-ever (2012) Capitulo Perfeito champ, Tiago Pires, ceremonially closed out his years of participation in the event. He paddled out in a jersey and took a quick left tube as thousands crowded on the water’s edge to celebrate his career and contributions to Portuguese surfing.
“Since day one I’ve supported this event with my presence,” said Pires. “Barrels are what we all live for as surfers. It’s an amazing event. It has its difficulties, but the answer is right behind us: a packed beach every time we do this contest. Let’s go for many more years.”
