Chilling

Since I didn't do a Halloween-specific post today, I thought
this could work for the nighttime blog checkers. It's pretty horrifying. Well, maybe it's more hilarious. Regardless, it's worth a look if you haven't already seen it.

Trane

For me, the most powerful musician ever recorded.
This one is for my wife.

Caught Red-Handed

At the Mollusk Venice shop last week.

Addendum

In the SUPER Geeky Post last week I was surprised that nobody mentioned Dora as one of their favorites. Dora in his heyday is definitely one of my favorites. Love him or hate him, he had style.

Water in the Gills

Decided to jump in for a while tonight. Got about 1.5 hours before sunset; clean little waves that were kinda zippy before the tide got on it. Felt really good to be in the water. It was glassy and the sunset was incredible due to all the ash. Air is better than it has been.

Hope you all are safe/sound.

Absolute Respect

Not really in surf mode the past couple of days. This is unfortunate
since the surf has looked really good. The ash and overall bad air quality trump the need for surf. Barely. Thinking about paddling out
is a crazy contrast to the realities faced by firefighters and rescue personnel on the front lines of the fires. My best to all of them.

Heavy Days in SD

Lots going on here in San Diego today. I was awakened by a call from my wife at 5:30 this morning. She and my daughter are out of town (thankfully) and she got a call from her brother who was evacuated during the night. Air in La Jolla had been thick throughout yesterday and last night. I came down to my sister's closer to downtown and it's much better. Just heard they are doing voluntary evacuations in Solana Beach—damn, that's close.

I drove the coast route through La Jolla, PB, etc. and there were tons of people in the water. Good swell, clean conditions, but heavy air. Not for me, man. Hope everyone stays safe.

Books

If you're into reading/collecting surf-related books, check out this site. It isn't an extensive resource, and there are some pretty random titles in there. Still, there may be a little gem that grabs you. Worth a look just for some of the covers.

Sunset to Dark

Had a quick 40-minute session tonight before dark at the local beach. Kind of expected decent-sized walls, mainly closeouts. Was pleasantly surprised to find shoulder–to head-high corners on the sets, mild offshore, and some push. The red sled was working, the L-Flex was in effect—a really fun time. For some reason I haven't felt like paddling out the past week, and there's been some surf. Sometimes it's a matter of timing/tides/swell quality, etc. BUT, it's usually worth just getting out regardless. In fact, I had to push myself out the door tonight and I'm glad I did.

A friend of mine once said that the more you surf, the more you surf.
It's true! Now, for that wetsuit and some morning sessions again. Sometimes a short break can do some good.

SUPER Geeky Post

Now, before you smirk, you know you've asked yourself this question. So, go easy on me.

List your 10 favorite surfers off the top of your head in no particular order. Like this: Nat Young, Michael Peterson, Lopez, Phil Edwards, Butch VanArtsdalen, Billy Hamilton, Larry Bertlemann, Joel Tudor, Skip Frye, Buttons

Go:

Wetsuit Update

Well, if you can believe it I'm still on the hunt. Things are looking less promising on the eco front at this time. As I mentioned, the Matuse suits are not cut for my type. No LT, and the XL is way too small. Patagonia was looking more and more inviting regardless of the price tag. Problem is, they haven't had any LT in stock for a while now. They aren't sure when they will be getting them and I guess there's a list of people who want them. The new Patagonia suit won't be available for at least another month and I won't be able to wait that long. With only a long-sleeve spring right now, I've been surfing less as it is. I get most of my surf time in the morning and it has been less and less inviting without a fullsuit.

So, I will most likely break down this weekend and go out to find the best possible option. Still open to suggestions. Hope you're all warm and getting waves.

Vaquero

A little snippet on Marc Andreini at wetsand. I'm looking forward to the board he shaped for me.

Sacred Craft

Just a quick ramble about the event. I think the Swayloholics Anonymous was happening at the same time. Anyone go?

Anyway, I only made it to the Expo on Saturday. That was pretty much enough for me, but I would have liked to see JP in the discussion about imported surfboards, etc. When I first walked in, I thought to myself that it would be a quick visit. It was pretty packed, and it was basically a mini trade show vibe. You can only ooh and ahh so much. Still, I wanted to wait to see the panel of "legends" and perhaps see Andreini in the shaper's booth. The booth was the full fishbowl effect. A bunch of people climbing on each other to get a glimpse into a couple of windows. It dawned on me that many of the people have very likely never actually seen a surfboard being built. I've seen my share so I didn't look on for extended periods of time. It was nice to see the first attacks on the blank and then cruise by later to contrast that with the finish work. I did end up seeing Andreini's shape and it was very tight indeed. As I posted before, the shape-off was a little weird in terms of judging guys based on being closest to the original shape. Though it wasn't a very intriguing element for me, I do think it was good to illustrate the fact that hand-built surfboards are still here and always will be. I hope it made some people appreciate it more and perhaps not take it for granted. For those who've only been off-the-rack buyers, maybe they'll create a relationship with a shaper and get a custom surfboard built personally for them.

Actually, it was at the shaper's booth that I connected with Erik Olson of Breaks Selection. As many of you know, Erik builds some very fine-looking surfboards and is a really nice guy to boot. Talking to him was a good time. In fact, for me it was the conversations and connections with people that made the event better. I spent a fair amount of time with the hull heads. Brian Hilbers of Fineline launched right into conversation and was a lot of fun to talk with. So was Kirk Putnam and a cat from Mollusk Venice (can't remember his name, good guy). There were some incredible looking blades in their stall.

Bought a few bars of eco-wax, connected with Toby (I'm supposed to meet him at 10am for the new shape; we'll see if it happens), told Sam George how much I liked his TSJ article about Sao Tome, asked John Peck a question, and that was pretty much it. Overall a pretty decent event. I'm sure it took a lot to make it happen. Bottom line, it was about surfing and surfboards; easy to complain, but worth it anyway.

Did You Go?

If you did go to the Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo
what did you think? I'll give my report in the next post.

Greenough Heads Unite!

Found at switch-foot.com

A Good Egg

I'm into the boards Dain Thomas is making. This elasto single fin egg 8'0" x 21 1/2" x 2 7/8" is no exception. I'm a sucker for that outline. Always good to check in at Six Ounce Surfboards.

Thoughts on Shape Off?

I'm planning on heading to the Sacred Craft surfboard show this weekend. I have high hopes for a good event. One of the things that has me interested yet slightly puzzled is the Tribute to the Masters Shapeoff. Mike Diffenderfer is indeed a legend, master craftsman, and respected icon of surfing. I would love to own one of his vintage craft. I just think the idea of copying a shape of his and then judging who does the best job is just a little odd. I know replica shapes are an important part of our surf culture history; I'm all for it. It just seems strange to take a replica and then judge it based on what...whoever is closest to the original? Not sure if that's the exact criteria. Again, I'm not judging the idea or calling it a bad idea, I'm just unsure if I'm for it or ambivalent. I guess I would love to see shapers taking an existing shape and applying their own design ideas/concepts based on personal interpretation. Maybe this is what the plan is. What do you think?

Más Pescado

Some better shots of the big fish I posted a while back. Scott took these shots behind Mitch's Surf Shop the day I picked it up. I got it in April or early May and rode it all Spring and Summer. My go-to board for those smaller days or bigger days with more tide. One of the best boards I've ever had.

Full Circle

Damn.

I Know You Got Soul

Check funk45.com for some Friday listening enjoyment. There are a bunch of 1 minute snippets of very rare soul 45's. You'll need Real Player which you can download for free here. And for your viewing pleasure, check out this visit with the Daptone Records studio. Um, yeah...it's from MTV?! Whaaaaat? I guess it's the Amy Winehouse deal. At least the Dap Kings are getting some due respect for what they've been up to. Still, I'll take Sharon Jones over Amy Winehouse any day of the week.
I found the clip on the Daptone site, not MTV. I can't hang with MTV.

Lastly, if you ask me, this is the best link of the bunch. Homer Steinweiss is the drummer behind much of the Daptone happenings.
Be sure to check the music and the art section.

Feedback on Rubber?

Morning sessions with some NW flow are getting a bit crisp in a longsleeve spring, so it's time. Any feedback on fullsuits? After several years of Mitch's Aleeda specials, I bought my first Hotline wetsuit in 1992. I take pretty damn good care of my wetsuits and in 15 years I've only had two Hotline fulls. Aside from being stuck with less advanced materials/technology, I feel having a wetsuit that lasts is crucial. Of course, comfort/flex matter too. I just don't get it when people talk about having a suit for a season before they need a new one.

Anyway...I've narrowed down the choices. I was bummed to hear that Hotline moved production overseas. Maybe they did that a while ago, but I liked having a suit made in Santa Cruz. I know that in Asia there are really just a couple of manufacturers who do most all of the major brands. Hotline has their own factory in Thailand. Matuse is China. Nineplus is China. Patagonia is what, Thailand too? Bottom line, I believe in Patagonia as a company with strong values. That's a big part of why I'm looking at their suits. I have read mixed reviews on durability, but they sound really comfortable and their guarantee is as good as it gets. I've heard a lot of positives about the Matuse suits as far as comfort, warmth, flexibility. And the Geoprene is a very good thing. They kind of went off with the logos/branding. I hate paying close to $500 and becoming a mini billboard. As I said, I've liked Hotline, but the eco tie-in of the other suits is a major reason I'm looking at them. Nineplus has some nice Yamamoto rubber and it does have style points. I'm not sure about any issues/concerns with workmanship/durability. Heard anything?

I've done my research, but any feedback you have on these suits—especially the Patagonia, Matuse and Nineplus—is greatly appreciated. I'm going to buy from one of these companies.

*EDIT: Tried on a Matuse suit today and it's a no-go. Their XL is way too short for me and they don't have a Large Tall. At least that makes the choice a little easier. All I can say about the suit is that it felt pretty nice if not a little fragile. The materials were definitely buttery.

Red Sled

My 7'0" egg shaped by Scott Henry. Check out Scott's blog where he is just starting to post pictures of his boards, customers, etc. He plans on updating consistently, so be sure to check it out. He has images of some incredible boards he's been making. He's been totally committed to board-building since 1972.

There's an interesting story about the Red Sled. I saw an identical 6'9" version of this board on the racks at Mitch's last year. While I often see boards in shops that attract my eye, the 6'9" grabbed and wouldn't let go. My wife and I were there and I almost made the impulse purchase, but I didn't. After obsessing over it for two weeks I went back in to buy it one day and it had a note on it that said, "Save for Daisy." Okay, who the HELL was Daisy, and why did she want the board I was ready to buy on the spot? Someone said she was getting it for her husband, something like that. All I could say was "lucky bastard." Not to be deterred, I ordered a 7' version of the board on the spot, same tint and everything. Scott said he'd have the board done in 10 days. I didn't believe him, but on the 10th day the phone rang!

Long story short, guess who Daisy was? That lucky bastard husband of hers ended up being me. My wife wanted to get it for me as a Christmas gift. It all worked out in the end. I got the 7'0" and the 6'9" eventually sold off the rack. I am indeed a lucky bastard.