Half Moon Bay Businesses Prepare For Crush Of Mavericks Spectators

HALF MOON BAY (CBS SF) -- Big-wave surfers heading to Half Moon Bay to compete in the "Titans of Mavericks" on Friday aren't the only people who will be descending on the coastal town.

Spectators are expected to bring all kinds of business for the surfing contest. The Old Princeton Landing restaurant will be ground zero for the Titans of Mavericks competition.

Since spectators are no longer allowed on the treacherous and rocky shoreline, the restaurant -- with its five flat screen televisions -- will be the place to watch the live broadcast.

"Mavericks on all the screens. We just want to celebrate the surfing culture of the Bay Area," said restaurant owner Brian Overfelt.

Overfelt told KPIX 5 his "stomach just went into a knot" when he heard about the contest announcement. He is scrambling to stock up the food and alcohol.

"We're going to have our beer cooler room packed full, we're beefing everything up times ten," said Overfelt.

Last year, thousands crammed into outdoor lots to watch the action projected on big screens.

That won't be happening this year, but the Ketch Joanne restaurant is gearing up for big crowds anyway, calling in extra servers and cooks to handle the tsunami of customers.

"It will be crazy all day. Nuts! Like, 'Is it time to go home yet?'" said Georgina Wright of Ketch Joanne with a laughs.

The Oceano Hotel, like many in the area, was already near capacity because of Valentine's Day. Whatever remaining rooms that were left were snatched up with the Mavericks green light.

Up the road at the Moss Beach Distillery, all this combined with President's Day holiday means the weekend is a shaping up to be the perfect storm of economic activity.

"It's gonna be nuts, but we expect it, you know?" said Victor Novelo of the Moss Beach Distillery.

The forecast calls for sheet-glass smooth water with wave faces up to 36-38 feet. Certainly not the 50 foot monsters of past contests, but it should still be a pretty good show.