california3. hobie.

went up to dana point one afternoon to check out the hobie shop. in all honesty, a big disappointment. a giant retail space with a little room off to the side that housed maybe 15 boards. BUT, at the same time i got to put my hands on one of those tyler warren bars of soap i so frequently gaze at online.

another positive was the shaping bay located right in the shop. an employee informed us that terry martin had just left, that we could catch him the following morning and that he would enjoy the visit nonetheless.

early the next morning we stopped by the shop on our way to the airport. terry martin was there and happy to visit, just as the employee said he would be. he told us of traveling to fort bragg in 1961 with the airforce. he and some buddies went down to myrtle beach during some off time. unimpressed with the calm conditions of the south carolina coast, they swam out several hundreds of yards. he said before they knew it there was a large crowd of people and officials on the beach, shouting and waving them to shore. they swam in and were informed that it was against the law to swim past shoulder depth. a sad experience and poor representation of our region no doubt. almost arrested for swimming.mr. martin was very charming and friendly, did not make us feel at all as if we were a bother or interruption even at such an early hour. it was a pleasure to meet him.

california2. icons of surf.

i spend a lot of time drooling over boards on the icons of surf website. they've got a hefty selection of beautiful longboards. got to stop by the shop while in san clemente. the selection is almost overwhelming. sick boards every which way you turn.

 resin tint resin tint resin tint.

california1. surf tourism.

work beckoned me to southern california. never having visited that region, i decided that would be a fit excuse to do some tourism-ing in the area. the initial idea was to head to san diego and surf some of the spots frequently read about in surfing publications. (windansea, blacks, la jolla). plans were quickly changed when we arrived to find that comicon (a giant comic book festival) had taken over downtown san diego. there was no affordable lodging to be found. lack of preparation and planning took us north, leaving virgin fest in our rearview. we ended up in san clemente.

the surf was flat. didn't score at all as far as that was concerned. didn't even step on a board. but the trip was not a flop. got to see, first hand, breaks and shops frequently seen in videos, magazines and the internet. surf tourism.

trestles. flat trestles.

hot dog break fasts cont'd.

whirly bird.

m. hearn.

everyday.

well, almost.

seagate simmons.

the mini simmons is derived from a design engineered by bob simmons in the 50's. long parallel rails. hulled out nose. and wide twin fin tail. a planing machine. his boards were generally in the nine to ten foot range. 

i first rode a mini simmons last september. had a blast on it. full volume board that paddles like a log but condensed to a sub six foot package (i ride mine at 5'8'' and 5'5.5'').  very much suits the way i surf. we had a few done by larry mabile come in the shop but i ultimately opted to get allen over at seagate to shape me one and i am stoked on it.

i am very much an advocate of these surf craft. i have had the most fun on them. good waves or bad. so small, it easily fits in the pocket. a suprising amount of hold for a twin fin. im guessing because of the fin being so close to the rail and tail. i really enjoy laying into the rail off the bottom and speeding around sections. fun all around.

shadows in the shaping bay.

 bounced a few ideas around last friday in the seagate shaping shed.

carnival.

where i live. there is a carnival every night.

complete with carnies.