Boards That Caught My Eye, 2011

No particular order, no Mackies as I see enough of his boards to do an entirely seperate post (which I undoubtedly will do). Every one of these boards made me want to go and surf, and I am hoping that this coming year brings a little cash flow so I can invest in the culture and buy one of these- I'm jonesing for a new board, it's been a while.

From The Top:
Jeff Beck ModdTwin- wood skin over an EPS core. Slight cheat, I've been riding a loaner one of these a lot, and it's a fantastic board- light, responsive and has a lovely stiff twangy flex to it- epic board for the local crap beachbreaks.

Daniel Thomson Weighted Dart- Felt absolutely lethal under the arm, all kinds of double tail action with the V and channels- Tomo Jnr. is innovation at it's best.

Andrew Kidman's classic thruster interpretation- probably the board I'm most obsessed by- this is the thruster from when they were fun- Simon Anderson influenced template, no bells and whistles but it looks like it would be madly fun to ride.

Original Surf Company Bellyboard- I did get new rides this year, a brace of these things. 4' of ply and it's the most perfect allrounder ever. I break it out for a few belly slides at the end of every session and always exit the water grinning like a Cornish yokel who's been at the cider.

Alan Byrne channel bottom madness- enough said.

Jeff Ho L.A. shape. Again, nothing too flashy but a board that instantly felt right- a bit wider and thicker for us older gents, tri or quad set up and away you go. 6'2" or so tri and I think it'd be a daily driver.

Reverb's round tail quad- I'm a recent convert to the quads and this looks like the business- bit of area in the tail and very clean racy lines. Some South American is really happy with this I bet.

Norte

Hope you all got some sort of holiday and enjoyed it. Mine was short and involved a lot of driving, but it also involved some countryside that is still spectacular after many visits, a thoroughly enjoyable time in some very cold but playful surf, great seafood and evening in front of an outdoor log fire. No complaints at all.

The Pig Of Steel

This may seem monumentally obtuse to the non-Antipodean readers out there (and what the visitor from Espoo, Southern Finland will make of it all is beyond me) but Captain Goodvibes is a total legend, and his greatest moments are now available in a 400 pg book from his creator, Tony Edwards. Superbly offensive, stupid and morally bankrupt, the Captain was a drug addled surfing pig with a fondness for nuclear explosions who, in the words of Mr. Edwards, 'soured thousands of young lives, stealing the promise of a bright future from their tiny hands.' Certainly as a tender youth the Goodvibes strips I came across were a revelation, and they remain brilliant today- I believe I will get this for myself as a Christmas present. Thanks to Kidman for the heads up and the Peter Troy book looks great as well.

Field Trip.

Spent a chunk of the afternoon with Carl Ekstrom being completely entertained. He's doing such an array of projects it's a bit overwhelming just checking them out- definitely a design polymath at work here. Best thing is his setup is completely organized, functional and quite elegant. I walked into his living room and it was exactly as pictured- handmade fireplace with model display, ergonomic (and extremely comfortable) chair, couple of gloss and polish asyms on the floor as he's giving their tails some thought. If you're in Hawaii you're stoked too, downstairs there were 2 nearly finished boards ready to head to the Surf Garage in Honolulu. An afternoon well spent.

Ala Spit

Waves are introduced early in oceanography and coastal geomorphology books, since they are a fundamental way by which energy moves through water and by which water moves sediment.  One of the most important aspects of waves is their behavior as they reach shore - and terms like reflection, refraction, and diffraction are important concepts, but often misapplied words.  There were some nice examples in the little tiny waves at Ala Spit in Monday's low early morning light.

Reflection is the simplest notion, in part because we can all relate to other examples in day to day life - like billiard balls, canyon echoes, and shiny countertops.  Here, waves are striking a vertical wall at about 45 degrees.  The reflected waves leave the wall at the same angle, creating a mesh of intersecting waves.  Where the wave peaks cross, their heights add, doubling the height of the individual waves.  This photo also shows how the small waves steepen and grow in height as they arrive in shallow water.  One of the most dramatic examples of wave reflection here in the Sound is the havoc on the south side of the Hood Canal Bridge during a strong south wind (Shine, January 2007).

This second picture illustrates both diffraction and refraction (though tough to separate here), as waves wrap around the small bar (and diffract from its ends).  Diffraction seems to be the hardest concept to pin down and takes me back to college physics labs, the diffraction of microwaves through narrow slits, and the relevance to the wave-particle character of electromagnetic energy.  Refraction is the bending of waves that occurs as waves slow down in shallower water and is an incredibly important concept to coastal geomorphologists and to surfers (these avocations frequently overlap).   Reflection also reappears in this photo, since there are a series of waves reaching the far side of the bar that have reflected off of the log in the distance.


AERIAL/MAP VIEW

Ala Spit

A lesson in overwash.  The frost on this chilly morning highlighted the beautiful overwash fans from past storms, when waves and high tides spilled gravel over the top of the berm and into the backshore.  Some of these probably go back many years or decades; others are brand new.


Since my visit last month (November 11) waves have washed over the newly constructed berm, depositing much of the sand and gravel on the back side of the narrow neck of the spit. The crest of the berm through this area is now only slightly above Mean Higher High Water so this winter's spring highs will continue to flood over the top.  The beach face is flat and littered with scattered large cobbles and small boulders and occasional chunks of concrete that were left from the old riprap.  The large wood that was placed along the temporary berm has largely washed out.


There are some good photos of the tide washing across the spit in the December 5th Whidbey News-Times.


Restoring nature isn't just about removing man made structures and replanting native vegetation; it's also about restoring the physical conditions that created and maintained the landscape in the first place.  This means allowing storms and erosion and natural disturbances back into the picture - the very things we often go to such great lengths to control.  The trouble is that these dynamic processes are difficult to predict and a site that has been altered for a long period of time will only return to its original condition slowly, and even then, is not likely to return in its original position.


Recovery of the berm will take time and it will take sediment.  The first will require patience.  The latter will be a challenge, as the neck of this spit is short on sand (and particularly gravel, since this is what best builds robust berms).  The foreshore appears to have been starved of sand and gravel due to the development of a bar or proto-spit just to the south.  There are also human modifications, including an updrift groin, that complicate the picture. In an ideal world, these other structures might have been removed and perhaps more gravel might have been added to the foreshore to help jump-start a new berm.


I look forward to watching what happens.  Meanwhile, I trust that folks walking on the spit will take care to head back to their cars before high tide - lest their feet or their dog gets wet.


AERIAL/MAP VIEW

Fins & Jay Boy

I am apparently losing my memory in my old age. Here's two things I forgot- when I put up the pictures of the new Mackie a few posts back, I neglected to put shots of the fin, which is a hand foiled flex fin. It's $850, but it comes with a 6'3" S deck stub to attach it to.





I also forgot to put this in the books for christmas array. 'Jay Boy', photos from Jay Adams' childhood taken by his step dad Kent Sherwood. It's an awesome look at the pre Dogtown Venice surf/skate culture. $25, shipping included. Email info @ foamandfunction.com and gift needs can be solved

Christmas Reading

A few more gift selections from our output.
Patrick Trefz 'Thread' photobook $30 (Signed copies available)
Andrew Kidman & Andy Davis 'Way Of The Bird' $25
Glen E. Friedman & C.R. Stecyk III 'Dogtown' $35 (Signed copies available)
Glen E. Friedman 'KYEO' Fugazi photobook $30
and of course, the mighty 'Ether' by Kidman. Signed & Numbered, limited to 1050 copies
$175
Shipping inside the US is included in the price, foreign friends add $5 per book, a bit more for Ether -email for details.
info @ foamandfunction.com
There's more info in the Foam and Function site 'Books' page too.

Wwaarrbblleess

All photos by RT via his blog.



I'm not telling you anything you don't already know I'm sure, but the above clip which comes via RT is utterly fantastic. He has an aesthetic going on that is very much his own, and it's all over his Warbles blog as well as his film work. To be honest, Warbles was one of the things that got me up and doing this blog although whether that's good or not I leave up to you. Either way, RT is a lovely bloke and I'm thankful he does what he does. Enjoy.

Christmas Viewing

Although we don't have a cute marketable name like 'cyber monday', it's time to throw our offerings into the Xmas present arena. Should you be looking for a little something for like minded friends, here's the current array of film available (posed haphazardly on a couple of very nice hooded sweatshirts, only $35 each, Simmons design available in grey, black and brown). The rundown is: 'Last Hope' collection, Kidman's 'Glass Love', 'Thread' and 'Idiosyncrasies' by Patrick Trefz, John Abegg's "___" and 'Believe' and 'Little Black Wheels' from Mick Waters (both these titles are numbered). Cost is very simple, a mere $25 per title, shipping included. The only exception is the fancy limited version of "___" which is $30 for the zine/DVD and $50 for the book/DVD. To order, simply email us at info@foamandfunction.com and we'll set you up with some cinematic brilliance. Here's a nice little taste of it all, Axxe Wetsuits promo shot by the hard working Mr. Waters and featuring the usual suspects amongst others.


And should you be interested in Andrew Kidman's fast disappearing 'Lost In The Ether' film, go here.
Should you be interested in some incredible woodcraft and/or photography, you can't go past Joe Curren who even has a christmas offer going.

As always, these are all independent artists, filmmakers and craftsmen promoted here, and your support is what keeps them working and providing this quality entertainment for us all. Thanks.

Submerge

Ulladulla is a place that has drawn some entertaining and creative types out of the woodwork, and Dean Dampney would definitely be one of them. He's a very talented photographer, and he surfs. (Of course, you'd be mad not to with the sort of waves those guys get) Most recently it seems he's been surfing an alaia which certainly earns my respect. The above shot is one of Dean's, and it's the tail of a finless creation from Mark Rabbidge that Dean was lucky enough to session. Dean's website Submerge has just been rejiggered and it's looking great, a selection of photos with little essays accompanying them, just the stuff that makes the internet fun.



And if you're lucky enough to be in Santa Cruz or thereabouts, go to this. It'll be good, Trefz is involved along with an array of local talent and you'll be supporting the efforts of independent creative types while having a blast.