Tom Blake's Waikiki Surf Club Card 1951

Courtesy of the Sufing Heritage Foundation - Gem of the Week!

via

The Flying 15

An interesting little boat for sale on ebay.
Update: she sold for $830 dollars... trailer included.

A Man Called "Canoe" Part 2

This photo was donated by the Bascom family and was given to Willard Bascom by Ron Drummond. On the back of the photo is a handwritten note which reads:

"The inner peace that comes with the quiet contemplation of a beach on a still calm morning, or the feeling of exhilaration that comes from riding a great wave in a small boat, is more reward than most will ever know." 

Willard Bascom

This we have in common!

Sincerely,

Ron Drummond

via the surfing heritage foundation

Update (2017): I spoke with Ron Drummond's nephew, Tom, a few years ago and he informed me that "the surfer sitting just of Ron's bow is none other than Duke Kahanamoku". Well, I'll be a pickled popsicle stick(le).

31 Days/31 Ways - Byron Bay

More great work from LL Hill. Via.

French Twins

I stumbled across these traveling french twins via 70.8%
Apparently they have an inclination towards wooden paddleboards, surfboards and sailing craft. Huzzah! to Emmanuel and Maximilien Berque.

Apparently Wood Boards Started with Bob Simmons

 

Suffering from a SoCal Lobotomy - modern history is being re-written in Japan. Apparently wooden surfboard building began with Bob Simmons and ended with Clark foam. Although, for the first time outside of New Zealand, the word "Flex" is being used as a positive in surfboard design. My prediction; one day many of the hipster elitist and socal old boys will ride on Stewart inspired craft - but they will not do it knowingly or admittedly - it will come from Japan... or something like that. Enough conspiracy theories for a Sunday morning. I got work to do.

Ian Balding Surfboards

Ian Balding from Wrightsville Beach, NC (by way of NJ) puts together a beautiful board and has a killer car.

Surf Films - Portland, OR

 

via

Picture... Thousand Words..

An Iceberg Barrel - 3 to 4 feet overhead - breaking north of the Antarctic. Thanks to Surfbird.

Surf Shorts: Seattle

The Laurels are in! Thanks to all that participated.

Xmas in LA

Christmas time and again I find myself somewhere warm and breezy - Will Rogers State Park - Santa Monica, CA - 75 degrees

The Moaning Chair

Above is Master Boardsmith, Roy Stewart, pictured in his "moaning chair". Howard Chappel put it best as:

""The boatbuilder (surfboard builder) is well advised to place a comfortable chair within easy walking distance, but out of sight of the project. When the builder has done some damn fool thing, like cut two left garboards, or put a drill bit through a newly varnished Honduras mahogany panel, they must immediately retire to the moaning chair, until the period of moaning is complete, lest they turn the whole project into firewood.""

Still Motion in the Ocean

31 days/31ways: Day12 via 10,000 still photos by Daniel Florez: http://merseabeaucoup.blogspot.com/

Get Yer Laurels Here!

Long overdue, but none the less finished are the Festival Laurels for this years First Coast Surf Film Festival.
Official Selections:
Surfing 50 States: Jonno and Stephan (Australia)
Picaresque: Mikey DeTemple and Dustin Miller (Florida)
Halloween Swell 1991: Jim Sitton (Florida)
The Hope Collection/Florida: Jedidiah Clothing Co. (California)
Jugo Majstr (Masters of the South Swell): Mitja Legat (Slovenia)
Fresh Surf: Alex Horner (Minnesota)
Submerged: Jakob Daschek (NYC)
Field of Peaks: Jeff Crego (Florida)
Hermanos: Mateo Rojas (South America)
Endless thanks and praise to these industrious filmmakers.
Keep an eye out for the Surf Shorts Film Fest....(it's the international short film festival of surfing).

Draw them Lines beaches

Drawing Lines from JWBolton on Vimeo.

We wrapped up production on this puppy 5 years ago this week. www.drawinglines.org

Mer Sea Beaucoup

Fun, Fun, Fun...LL.Hill

Tiger Surfboards

Tiger Surf Boards from howies on Vimeo. Mark has made this movie about his craftsmanship that goes into the environmentally responsible surf boards. Check out glass-tiger.com

Slower Strestles

Slower Strestles from Circulate on Vimeo.

Fish Hawk

The template of the "Fish Hawk" translates into an interesting ratio for a modern Fish (5'x24").
Taken from the pages of Sam Rabl's masterwork "Boat Building in Your Own Backyard" (1947).
Huzzah! Sam.

A man called "Canoe"

Ron "Canoe" Drummond - circa 1930's / Author of the 1931 out of print classic "The Art of Wave Riding".