Speaking of Mr. Threinen...

I just received an email with this note and a cool sketch attached. First illustration of a mat wave ever?
"Here's a sketch of a sectiony wave being ridden by Don Redondo on his modern mat. It's hard to capture the surf mat's unique wave riding characteristics. That ability to glide over flat or slow parts of the wave is one possibility for graphic images. For some time I've been thinking of a drawing with a mat tracking across the flat top of a thick wave at full speed. And here it is."
-Tom


I've been quite ill. No surf.

Don Redondon't surf...

Tom sliding around the section.

Don Redondo

Pencil. Amazing. Check it, neo-hipster dudes. Artistic chops are it.

He rides a surfmat. Tom Threinen is a classic surf artist and a rad mat surfer. I met him at last spring's matmeet and we traded Neu for 4gflyer for a few waves. I personally love the story that Drew Kampion has going accompanying Tom's great artwork in "The Adventures of Don Redondo", found in The Surfer's path. Check Tom's site and get the backstory. Then enjoy it for yourself.

Tom, we'll meet up again soon!

Gtall reports in...

Don't worry. There is hope for the stoke impaired. I received this email from good guy and stoke-seeker, Gtall.

"Andy,
Gtall here, checking in with the stoke renewal professor. So I saw
the tide was stretching out to around 7 foot on Thursday so i decided
to hit (crowned navy nugget). 4 hour session in glassy surf with me and two old
men out. I went through the quiver(log, fish, new 7 foot something
single fin) and had a blast. Also, the last two times Sslide and I have
surfed we have had our surfboard session and then set the boards on
the beach and bodysurfed until we got legitimate barrels, once at
(Crowdiff's northern neighbor) and the other at (crowned navy nugget). Stoke is back but so is the bad
weather. Hope to see you in the water soon.

P.S. While looking around in the garage today I found my dad's old
Churchill fins. I dont know if they are body surfing fins but they
fit, all I need now is a surfmat."

Well done, student!

This resonates...

Seaworthy Promo from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.

The kids are going to be alright...

The latest in the very positive progression of Cobi Emery, the grom with whom I helped develop a little summer learning project about a solution to ocean pollution. Now he's been on Fuel TV, in Surfing Magazine's green issue, in the papers, and on the web. It's humbling to think small contributions on my end helped to make a big difference in this kid's life- and maybe the health of our beaches. One foot in front of the other...

Link to a recent podcast on the Surfrider blog.
Link to his official pick up three website.

A (true) fish story...

Kneeboard womb and the home of my fishy benefactor...Thanks John, wherever you are!

A fun, messy sneak-it-in -before-the-weather-hits session this morning leads to a tedious sneak-it-in-before-Christmas-hits shopping session. I visit JB's new tea shop in South Park. Very nice. I stopped by imported unfair trade supermart. I end up at a bookstore. "Hmmm, Surfer Mag." You know, the one that once featured journalism, editorials, and coherent thought for an eclectic surfer readership. I proceed to thumb through a multiple page "article" about the evolution of the fish surfboard based on the ...Lost brand movie "5'5" x 19 15/12". (Fun movie by the way). It mentions some key movers and covers some basics. Great. It also features quotes by no one except Matt Biolas (sp) ...Lost's main loser. The only photos accompanying the article are frame grabs from the film. Question: since when did advertising dollars decide the content of Surfer Magazine? Oh, yeah, for a long time now. Blatant. Boring. Predictable. Garbage. It's as if Surfers are a bunch of sheep looking for someone to tell us how to spend our cash. Well, if you need someone to tell you where to spend your surf-related disposable income, just let me know. I'll point you in the direction of some seriously interesting surfers, shapers, craftspeople, and thinkers who deserve any press they get.

Anyways, Here's a true fish story- mine. I used to be a serious Bodyboarder while in High School. I'd frequent the above hollow left reef. Kneeboarder by the name of JFinn stopped by my Mission blvd. home and gave me a quad kneeboard. He said he'd like to see me on it, thought I might enjoy it. It was a Stu Kenson shape under the label "evening glass", nice foam inset deck, 5'4 x wide but nicely foiled. I enjoyed the board as a kneeboard, but really got hooked (ha) once I started to surf it standing up. That gift led to my ongoing infatuation with the smooth, speed-on-demand world of fish surfboards. I later gave the board to my buddy, Matt, who happens to be one of the more naturally gifted surfers I've known. You can't keep a board that is given to you....

Don't get ...Hooked,
get hooked.

Paradigm...

For me, there is the board. A certain board that represents a lot of what I like in surfing. For me, surfing is a continuum of historical experience and innovation evolving through time to the present. This board represents this idea. For me, surfing is a sport of elegance and brilliance combined with pragmatism. It is a local phenomenon that thrives in a kind of regionalism that runs counter to the globalization fetishist's rallying cry- "more of the same because people are mostly the same." This board represents my thoughts. For me, surfing is a personal journey of challenge, enjoyment, and pure fun. This board resonates along those lines. 5'7" Steve Lis Fish. Geppy keels out of a lighter wood (birch?). In remarkably good condition for a board from 1976 (awaiting confirmation). Note the original leash hole drilled through the left keel. And yes, it will be surfed.

Here's a 5'8 that I simply loved....now gone to delam and dings.

The heroes you know...

David Eggers, Loungin'

A conversation about political messiahs leads to a blurt. "We're all a little bit of hero."

Mid '90's I spent an hour or many at this left reef. Eggers was the first guy to inspire me from inside the tube. No matter how much perfect pipeline you see on celluloid, nothing prepares you for the high drama of heavy tube riding- witnessed or experienced first hand. TSJ had an article about Eggers a bit back. It gave a nice snap of the arc of experience that occurs in even the hero's platinum life. "We're all a little bit of hero."

Be thankful for the heroes you know or have known. Be thankful for proximity to inspiration. Be thankful for the opportunity to be someone else's hero.