in the love of surf. Anna’s family, The Bloess clan, is a special part of our
Tybee surf community and can be seen on any good surf day hustling
waves at our local break.
When I asked Anna what advice she would give to those starting out
surfing, she responded that, “You have to realize you fall a lot. Keep it
up.” Her ultimate surf dream is to have fun, plain and simple.
And she is ever grateful for the support she has gotten from friends,
family and community. We are all hoootin’ and hollerin’ for her wins in
the water and can’t wait to see what is in store for her next. Making
Tybee proud! You can check out the E.S.A. contest recap and info at
www.surfesa.org and if you are on insta, check Anna out at @anna.
bloess, keep posted.
See you in the water.
Update From
Tybee’s Mayor
By Mayor Jason Buelterman
TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | DEC 2017 11
paddle out, it is now just you and your 5’7” surfboard duck-diving
under the surging swell. Once out past the break, you then prepare
mentally and physically to drop into a one story high wave. This was
the mind-set of Anna Bloess as she paddled out in Nags Head, North
Carolina at the 2017 Eastern Championships.
Her u16 division
consisted of 32 other
girls in the 14-16 year
old age range. The
heats are short and
have to pack a punch
in this surf competition
representing the best
amateur surfers on
the east coast. When
I asked Anna how she
mentally accepts this
challenge of big water,
she replied, “When you
drop into a big wave,
you just have to have
confidence that you’re
going to make it and
believe if you fall you
will make it back up.”
After catching three of
these massive North
Carolina waves and
scoring high, Anna was named the east coast champion, getting 1st
overall in her division. She came back a reigning hero to a very proud
Tybee community.
The Eastern Surfing Association, the ESA, is a non-profit highlighting
decades of east coast surfers. This year it celebrated its 50th birthday.
The ESA starts with local competitions leading to regionals and ends
with a big championship called the Easterns, held each September on
the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This however, is the first year that
one of Tybee’s own has won Easterns. We are all so proud.
At 5’5” and 105 lbs., Anna charges serious swell. She doesn’t waste
a millisecond on a wave with sun bleached hair and a super positive
disposition. The moment you have a conversation with Anna, it is
obvious that surfing is a vital part of her life.
As a dedicated surfer, there is a lot of focus, endurance and
investment, it is a highly rewarding activity but also categorized as an
extreme sport for athletes, taking both mental and physical strength
and training.
I called Anna to talk about her big win. She was in Jersey for another
contest and had just gotten out of the water. After chatting about the
conditions up in Jersey, we started talking about her competition
experience, as well as her surfology.
Her ideal surf session is in the water with her family and surf
community, but even during comps Anna is having a good time and
says that they are fun events to go to and be a part of.
Born into a surfing family, Anna has been hitting the waves since
age 6 and has been competing since age 10. She has traveled up and
down the east coast chasing waves; also checking off some world class
breaks in Puerto Rico and California. Anna shared that experiencing
new wave breaks and paddle-outs is always a good push for one’s
personal surfing development. Her Tybee upbringing has also benefitted
her in her wave riding attitude because the focus is placed on family,
community and fun. Tybee provides an excellent environment to share
I want to thank Alaina for reaching out to me about contributing
an article to the Beachcomber every month. I’m limited to 500 words,
but think that this will be a great opportunity to get information to the
public. If you ever have follow up questions about anything, you can
always call me on my cell at 844.8427 or email me at jbuelterman@
cityoftybee.org.
Back in 2015, we were told by various officials at the State level
that the replacement of the Bull River and Lazaretto Creek Bridges and
causeway improvements project would begin construction no later than
2020. However, the state Department of Transportation is considering
pushing this back a few years. I would encourage you to contact the
DOT at 404.631.1802 or by writing to them at One Georgia Center; 600
W Peachtree St. NW; Atlanta, GA 30308; Attn: Planning Division. You can
also reach out to your state representative, Jesse Petrea and/or state
senator, Ben Watson. The construction start date is a moving target
and I believe that through persistence and hard work on our end, this
project will get started soon.
A dune construction project was completed in early November on
the Savannah River side of Tybee. This was funded by the federal
government (75%), state (12.5%) and City of Tybee (12.5%). The front
side of Island is scheduled for renourishment in early 2018. We have
cobbled together $4.6 million in federal, state and county funds to
pay for his project. It is designed to replace the sand we lost on the
beach from Matthew and Irma. We are making every effort to obtain
additional funds to buy more sand for the beach and dune area. While
the project is scheduled to take place this winter, it is possible it could
be delayed if one of the few dredging companies does not choose to
submit a bid within the budget parameters. There is a high demand for
dredge companies due to the extremely active hurricane seasons we
experienced in 2016 and 2017. We will keep you posted.
At our November 9 City Council meeting, our City Manager provided
an update on our efforts to secure grant funds to help homeowners lift
homes. The video of this meeting is available on the City’s website and
on the Comcast public access channel. You can also request a DVD of
the meeting at City Hall.
Hope to see you around the Island and at the tree lighting event on
December 1.