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groundhog days

Threadbare times for Yay area surf-powered peoples.
There is a wee bit of windswell flowing toward shore but things haven't been lining up that well at the local beach. Maybe elsewhere along the coast something is channeling it better? Maybe that spot Funnels down in San Mateo county? Maybe Aardvarks tucked up in Marin? That place lit up last summer during the doldrums. Also keep an eye out for Red Vines here in SF. It's kinda hard to find but it offers some protection from the onshores. Watch out for the burly locals who don't take kindly to new faces or flashy surfing. The special secret to attaining their approval is to jam a Red Vine licorice stick into the neck of your wetsuit so it pokes toward the sky. That's why the spot is called Red Vines. Supposedly Old Man Erickson used to surf out there by himself back in the 60s. One day it was pretty flat, with just a few waves every once in a while. He took some Red Vines to munch-on while waiting for waves on his 50lb longboard. While sitting on his board, munching away, waiting for a wave, sure enough ye ol' landlord paid a visit to Old Man Erickson. As Whitey charged, mouth agape and fangs sparkling, Old Man Erickson tossed the pack of Red Vines right in it's mouth. The Man in Grey chomped down hard and swallowed the pack, then stopped its charge, turned around and retreated into the deep blue. Old Man Erickson was psyched! A second later a nice set marched in and he road one all the way through, busting a stylish coffin and then a one-eyed pirate. He named the spot Red Vines and it's been called that ever since.

(spicoli shots)
niceness

Red Vines working!
niceness

hmm...red vines in the wetsuit....i may try this

Posted by: j at July 8, 2005 10:12 AM

Ah Red Vines...Caught it good a few days ago. Four dudes out, quick down the line goodness, watched navy seal training just up from the break, and milk and cookies to wash it all down. I charged it.

Posted by: MCC at July 8, 2005 10:13 AM


Posted by: huh? at July 8, 2005 10:18 AM

Seriously, where is that sickness? Throw me a bone.

Posted by: davo at July 8, 2005 10:18 AM

TWO MINUTES OF YOUR TIME CAN HELP PROTECT CALIFORNIA’S COAST


Dear Friend of the Coast,

In order to truly protect the seals of La Jolla, the threatened pines of
Monterey County, the great coastal spaces of Humboldt County and every
special place we care about along the coast, I need your help. And to
ensure that we have a Coastal Commission that works to protect the coast
not exploit it, we need to help find and support strong Coastal
Commissioners. For that to happen, I need you to help me convince
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to consider qualified candidates to replace
Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter on the Coastal Commission.

Commissioner Potter has a long history of consistently voting against
protection of our coast and ocean. Mr. Potter voted to approve the
construction of hundreds of houses at the Bolsa Chica wetlands in
Huntington Beach, voted in favor of a bluff destroying seawall at Dana
Point Headlands as well as the construction of 75 new mansions at that
site, and Potter consistently votes to allow development of
environmentally sensitive habitat areas (ESHA). Within months, if
reappointed, Commissioner Dave Potter will be urging fellow Coastal
Commissioners to vote in favor of the Pebble Beach Company's plan to chop
down 17,000 native Monterey Pine trees to build a new golf course at
Pebble Beach in Monterey County. (Potter has already voted in support of
the project as a County Supervisor and now the project will likely come
before the Coastal Commission before the end of the year.) Given the
project is one of the most environmentally destructive proposals in the
history of the Coastal Act, it is imperative that the speaker consider
other interested candidates for the Commission now. For more information
about these threatened coastal icons check out
http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/hotbox/pebble.asp

Dave Potter's voting record gets worse each year, dropping steadily from
64% in 1999 to just 25% in 2004 (a decline of 39%). You can review Dave
Potter's conservation voting scores in depth over the last five years at
www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!

Now is the time to ask Assembly Speaker Nunez to consider other
interested, qualified candidates in the Central Coast region. Mr.
Potter's term has expired and it is essential that Speaker Nunez not
reappoint him. Then, the Speaker must "call for the list" in order to
bring better qualified candidates forward. While Mr. Potter could be
nominated again, the worst thing that could happen is for Speaker Nunez to
re-appoint him prior to July 20th. Unless Speaker Nunez "calls for the
list" and asks to review other candidates for this position, Dave Potter
could continue to sit on the Coastal Commission shepherding further
development and destruction of our coastline.

Write a letter expressing your support for a better Coastal Commissioner
than Dave Potter (or simply copy the letter below) and email it back to
me. I'll make sure your letter is personally delivered to Speaker Nunez.
My email address is savethecoast@sierraclub.org

It is summertime, and I hope each of you has been able to spend some time
enjoying our beaches and surf. The beaches we enjoy and the great coastal
places we love are preserved and accessible because of the work
generations before us have done to protect our coast. Let's now do our
part to make the Coastal Commission the kind of agency that protects our
coast, not exploits it. Take a moment to write a letter and send it back
to me.

Until next time

Mark
----

Dear Assembly Speaker Nunez

I am writing as a concerned citizen who enjoys California's coast and
strongly believes that only the most qualified people should serve on the
Coastal Commission.

The California Coastal Act authorizes the Speaker to appoint four members
to the Coastal Commission. The current term for the two locally elected
officials from the San Diego region and the Central Coast expired on May
20, 2005. Given that new amendments to the Coastal Act only allow the
review of these positions once every four years, I urge you to allow a
thorough public process to ensure our trustees are of the highest quality.

I was very pleased to see that you initiated that process in the San Diego
area. However, I remain very concerned that the controversial record of
the Central Coast representative, Mr. Dave Potter, has not been equally
examined.

Given the highly controversial nature of Mr. Potter's voting record, I am
currently opposed to his re-appointment. It is time to pursue a fresh
perspective, and a heightened sense of public duty, on the Coastal
Commission. Additionally, I believe a representative from another county
in the Central Coast should have an opportunity to serve on the Commission.

As soon as possible, please launch the search for a Central Coast
candidate who is both highly qualified and who is dedicated to enforcing
the Coastal Act. In the meantime, I implore you not to reappoint Mr.
Potter, especially given the new constraints on replacing Commissioners
mid-term.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.


Sincerely,

________________________
Name
________________________
Address
________________________
City, State, Zip

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see:
http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 10:19 AM

made some nice drop ins south of the beach where the new under construction tunnel will merge with the coast. no one out but me and my buddy..no surprise there ...not bad for low tide ..lefts and rights

Posted by: otf at July 8, 2005 10:28 AM

Damn, I need to drive the coast more! I love red vines. Don't care much for black liquorice.

Great post E.

Alright, these surf conditions are getting out of control. You know as soon as we get one decent day there are going to be live 5000 people at OB just trying to get one wave! Everyone is starving right now. Except maybe Kloo who seems to find waves that no one else does.

Any thoughts on Rusty boards? Not very popular up here, not sure why. For someone in the 200 LB club, I like that Rusty is a big dude.

Posted by: Kaiser at July 8, 2005 10:31 AM

red vines is a sick right, caught it last year during winter break i guess everyone was home for the holidays or couldnt handle the ripe poison oak on the walk down, cause the place was empty. i still remeber this sick snap i pulled that sesh. deepness.

Posted by: bagel at July 8, 2005 10:41 AM

this may help--

Assembly Speaker Nunez
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0046

Nunez likes red vines too!

Posted by: coast lover at July 8, 2005 10:42 AM

You guys can have Red Vines. Pop Rocks is way gnarlier. Plus you have to hike the all female nude beach known as Sweet Tarts to get there. Where......I'll never tell.

Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at July 8, 2005 10:47 AM

rusty boards are for kooks so i recomend you run out and get one.

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 10:47 AM

ooooooo

Posted by: peanut gallery at July 8, 2005 11:00 AM

oh no you di-int!

Posted by: peanut gallery 2 at July 8, 2005 11:05 AM

Kaiser, i have a used 7'0" Rusty custom shaped. Big Boy board with plenty of volume. Interested?

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 11:06 AM

Mmmmmm Sweet Tarts......

All time favorite candy was the triple pack of Giant Tarts. Open one side eat the grape one, then the other side for the cherry (or was it strawberry, maybe just red flavored).

Save the yellow one for last.

I wish they still sold those.

Posted by: friend #1 at July 8, 2005 11:07 AM

yes i did. tell him to take it out down at cowells with the other blubbering idiots.

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 11:07 AM

Red flavor, mmmmmm still my favorite

So what kind of board does a non-kook such as yourself ride, anonymous rusty disser?

Posted by: eric at July 8, 2005 11:15 AM

channel islands, duh

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 11:17 AM

i made it myself.

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 11:19 AM


I remember paddling out at Mounds last winter ....f'n epic, like a good day at Big Hunk... shit was going off, my buddy did a Hersheys in his wettie, washed it about a hundered times but that thing still stinks. Ah man, got a new Chiko Stick on order supposed to be glassed next week, have to drive down to Candyland to pick it up , may take it out at Peppermint Patties on the way back home, that is of course if its not to flat. Any body surfed Skittles lately? That place is so unpredictable but can be great on a good day. Similar to the inside right at Crunch Bars.

Posted by: mig at July 8, 2005 11:21 AM

When it�'s flat like this, I like to try one of these: http://www.hugi.is/hahradi/bigboxes.php?box_id=51208&f_id=1269 Give it a few seconds to load.

Posted by: Spiderman at July 8, 2005 11:25 AM

Rick Hamon is a sick shaper who is works closely with Rusty and shapes under the Rusty name. I've had two 6'9" pintails by him and they're the best boards I've ever ridden. I've also had a couple 6'2" and 6'5" squashes that were excellent as well. I've also ridden boards shaped by Rusty and I didn't like them as much.

Hamon co-designed about half of entire Clark Foam blanks catalog that all shapers order from. That says something. Any of the blanks than end in "R" he co-designed with Rusty, and one that ends in "H" is his own.

Clark Foam blank catalog

Flea's Hamon quiver.

Derek Hynd's quiver includes a Hamon

Posted by: davo at July 8, 2005 11:29 AM

Did Funnels again this morning. Wind was completely off it, even more so than yesterday. Worth a drive on days like this, serious. Glassy-ish drops affording a turn or two on the shortboard. Even got worked by a wall I just didn't want to pull out of; best I can reconstruct, somehow my board was held fins-up on the sand with the top of my foot being forced into one of the fins (??). Bizarre. Anyway, a throbbing top-o'-foot egg to remind me of a speedy right. Two guys out at 8:45 (one of them you, otf?), about six two hours later.

Posted by: kloo at July 8, 2005 11:43 AM

Kaiser, this is coming from a 5'8", 150 lb. guy. I can't speak to who is a good "big guy" board shaper. I'm sure all the big-name shapers will do a good job for you if you order custom. I don't recommend buying any board off the rack if you're a big guy. Your eye is a much worse judge of what the right amount of foam is for you than a experienced shaper.

Posted by: davo at July 8, 2005 11:52 AM

Damn, if only I was a superstar like every anon poster on this here site.

Posted by: Kaiser at July 8, 2005 12:04 PM

Hitting up the lunchtime seshie at Koret's in a few. Sharkfest next weekend...

Posted by: mwsf at July 8, 2005 12:05 PM

Can we have some bagel art thrown up here. I love the stoked brocoli dood.

how was blakestah's vid last night? can we bored drones at work see it on any site?

friday yo!

Posted by: Hb at July 8, 2005 12:15 PM

I'm a self-hater, Kaiser and I took it out on you. I'm the real kook. My apologies.

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 12:23 PM

Michel Croteau is your guy for Big Guy Boards that rip, he’s got to be about 310 lbs. himself. My buddy, “The Fly” has got 3 of Mike’s plumpers, swears by ‘em and regularly puts ‘em to use at that big, barreling lefthander up north that’s named after the landlord. The Palm Surf Shop in Santa Cruz can hook you up.

Posted by: Spiderman at July 8, 2005 12:24 PM

aaa admitting you have a problem is the first step, anon.

word HB my significant other is going to update my site this weekend and ill have some shots from the show..i could find a pic hosting site though i suppose..

Posted by: bagel at July 8, 2005 12:35 PM

klooless, i was out with a friend at the northern end of that break. saw one guy paddle out south of us. he caught a semie lengthy left as we were leaving the beach ...that you kloo? didja have fun? sorry to hear about the foot injury. reminds me of an incident i posted last winter wherin i did a helter skelter down the bottom deck of the board while going otf and ripped one of the side fins out with my big arse

Posted by: otf at July 8, 2005 12:37 PM

Yep, could've been--I did paddle just south of the two guys who were out. Yeah, plenty of fun; nice to expect nothing and get some.

Posted by: kloo at July 8, 2005 12:48 PM

ATTENTION BARNO'S:
NICENESS CIRCLE JERK TONIGHT BEFORE SUNSET AT THE PACHECO SEAWALL!
SEE YOU THERE!
BRING LUBE!

Posted by: INOKEA at July 8, 2005 12:52 PM

they are all cunts inokea. nothing to stroke.

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 12:56 PM

the circle jerks rule!
Wild in the Streets
I Don't Care.
great idea INOKEA!

Posted by: e at July 8, 2005 01:02 PM

you 2 sound cute

Posted by: amon at July 8, 2005 01:04 PM

i think inokea just feels left out, its cool bro weve all been there open your heart, shredder brah, hang some tens for the world man.

Posted by: bagel at July 8, 2005 01:12 PM

whoa, wait a minute, since when can't a pussy be stroked? are you like 10? Someday Peter your balls will drop and grow hair, your voice will deepen and become masculine, your acne will clear, and if you lose the attitude, you may actually get to stroke a pussy yourself. probably not very deep strokes, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it all the same.

Posted by: eric at July 8, 2005 01:13 PM

Inokea sideways off the lip/hunchback ham arm special!

KOOOOOOK!

Posted by: at July 8, 2005 01:16 PM

Posted by: dano at July 8, 2005 01:17 PM

When it's time to chaaaaange, it's time to chaauuuuuaaange.

Posted by: Peter at July 8, 2005 01:17 PM

INOKEA rips so hard. I saw her bust sick airs, deep tubes, and switch-stance handstand cutbacks. She's so good and she's so humble. She's smart, sexy, and fun to be around. Everyone loves her and she has a dog. She also is super cool with her parents and always writes 'thank you' cards. I love you INOKEA!!

Posted by: Silver Surfer at July 8, 2005 01:17 PM

Kaiser,

As you know I'm a big guy. What I've always done is take the diemensions from my 150lb freinds boards I've liked added a few inches in length and added anywhere from 1/4 to 3/8 more thickness. Adding some more length ususally meant I'd tweak nose, middle, and tail widths to get the right curves as well. I always add 5-10lbs to my weight to insure the shaper doesn't thin it out to much. At OB more foam is more better.

Mike Croteau is a big guy, a bit of a nazi. He made some seriously weird shit in the 80's. He loaned me some boards to ride back then. I found them to be a bit sluggish with blocky rails that always dug in like shovels. He's got to be like 60 now.........

Coffey knows what to do.

Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at July 8, 2005 01:29 PM

i'm 6'2" and about 190lbs and like my Coffeys. I actually asked for more foam for my current board. It's a bit heavier on land but feels sturdy and solid on drops and such in the water. Still carves and all that too.. when i actually succeed in not kooking out! I used to ride smaller (potato chippy 6'6"s) but now i like a 6'8" with some more foam for my everyday ride.

surrrrf.

Posted by: e at July 8, 2005 01:36 PM

INOKEA wheres the rebuttals?! c'mon its friday! I need some excitement!

Posted by: Bored guy at July 8, 2005 01:53 PM

Yeah, the deal with buying off the rack is at least you know what you are getting. With the custom shape, you never know. Glass might be lite, rails might be too tapered. But, there is nothing better then the custom made money board....

So, I like the premise of these (wide nose, wide tail, I like my women with big beaks and big butts) but never ridden the quad setup. Thoughts?

Posted by: Kaiser at July 8, 2005 01:59 PM

I am going to make a little water bottle holder on my board somewhere cuz i always get so fuckin thirsty

Posted by: Brian at July 8, 2005 02:06 PM

Posted by: Kaiser at July 8, 2005 02:11 PM

Posted by: Kaiser at July 8, 2005 02:20 PM

brian,
put on a camelback inside of your wetty

Posted by: sahib at July 8, 2005 02:36 PM

Kaiser, dude... that's my new board. I guess it is trendy now that Stretch landed the Transworld advermercial. Thoughts: fast, light, lots of drive. The tail template is wide, so it gets into waves well, which is good since it is my summer board.

Posted by: dano at July 8, 2005 02:36 PM

Funny how all the angry people like INOKEA are "more local" than anyone else. I think I get it now:

Super surly/bitter/hater = MOST local, more local than local, the local-ist local in the locale.

OK I'ma havta work onnit.
-MM

Posted by: Monkey Milk at July 8, 2005 02:44 PM

dano,
how is it off the bottom? do you feel like your nursing it on a hard turn or your giving it what you got and there's more bite there if you had more beef in the turn?

i wish your old landlord had time to surf these days.....

Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at July 8, 2005 02:56 PM

heres a theory the more the "loudmouth local" the bigger the kookiest kooky kook.

Posted by: stonewall jackson at July 8, 2005 02:56 PM

happy friday niceness. good weekend on ya'll!

53 days until Sept. 1st. (approximately)

Posted by: joc at July 8, 2005 02:57 PM

3to5... my old landlord better be finding some time to slurf now that his project is almost done.

Anyway, the board it's got more bite than I have deliver... so, no, I don't have to nurse it. Plenty of hold so far, but it hasn't seen any really good waves yet.

Posted by: dano at July 8, 2005 03:07 PM

radio birdman rocks

Posted by: bbr at July 8, 2005 03:08 PM

Posted by: Happy Fry-Day at July 8, 2005 03:11 PM

it's time!!

Posted by: 4:20 at July 8, 2005 04:21 PM

Dano, how big did you go on it? Also, what is the width and the like?

Basically, if the fins and bottom contour can still make that responsive with it being wider and floatier, I am all about that....

I see Rusty is making one similar as well. But I would be a kook if I bought a Rusty! Can't win these days.

Posted by: Kaiser at July 8, 2005 04:49 PM

Posted by: get me out of here at July 8, 2005 04:53 PM

GOOSES. How about it? It goes off! We are the Geese.

Posted by: The Geese at July 8, 2005 04:55 PM

yaba daba doo!

Posted by: fred flintstoned at July 8, 2005 05:57 PM

Radio Birdman!!! Aloha Steve and Dano!

Um, that's all I got.

Posted by: kloo at July 8, 2005 10:36 PM

Der Kaiser... 5'10", 18.75", 2.2". It's responsive, no doubt. I'm 150.

Should be a good stage in the Tour tomorrow (Sunday). Lance could be in trouble. OLN coverage starts at OMG-it's-early 4:30am -- for FIVE hours. Thank goodness for Tivo (or cheap rented Comcast equivalents).

Posted by: dano at July 9, 2005 04:06 PM

The video was NOT mine, although a good bit of the footage was. Basically, the guy making the movie wanted footage, I told him to take whatever he could find useful from mine and make the most of it. He added it to his own footage, and a lot of his own photos, did all the editing, all the music, cover art, etc. All I did was hand him my old footage.

It cannot really be seen on a site, it is DVD quality, and it makes a BIG difference. I didn't even recognize a lot of it. Just picture the best 3-4 minutes of samples from my online videos over the years, in DVD quality, mixed in with more surf footage, photos, and some background music. I think it is a great snapshot of a short period in SF surfing.

If you are interested in seeing it again in some form, send word to Mike.Vaughn@hotmail.com - it was really his film.

Posted by: blakestah at July 9, 2005 05:31 PM



Yeah Bodega bay!

Posted by: Brian at July 10, 2005 09:08 AM

Bodega? I think not!

Posted by: Your Wrong at July 10, 2005 11:23 AM

D&^%# never gets that clean, usually a hard whomper on the beach! Howabout SC this past week? Niiiice!

Posted by: Northern Bill at July 10, 2005 12:46 PM

Thats friggin Salmon Creek. I live in bodega bay on doran beach now, im 15 and its hella tight. i went exploring with my friend today south from it and after awhile the waves get back to being nice and we found a really nice spot between rocks with some fat shoulders. hella nice find im so stoked

Posted by: Brian at July 10, 2005 02:36 PM

fuck am i not supposed to say that?

Posted by: Brian at July 10, 2005 02:37 PM

Kaiser,

I have a Rusty 7'6 semi that's one of the best boards I've ever had. It has a domed deck so the 3" thickness is not carried out to the rails. It hold great on steep faces and slices like a hot knife through butter. Very smooth.

BTW, I'm back.

Posted by: Dennis at July 10, 2005 02:52 PM

Mike_Vaughn@hotmail.com

Posted by: Tim at July 10, 2005 03:38 PM

Devils Teeth Review

Just finished reading this one, basically a book about a right coaster coming out to CA on a sweet adventure out to the Farralons, although she finds along the way, that its a wee bit harsh out there. Some pretty good story telling about the G-dubs "the Sisters" averaging 19 feet long 8 feet wide and six feet deep, and the "Rat Pack" (littler males) averaging 14 feet and being generally large enough to get you to drop a steamer in your wettie if you ever saw one.

I really enjoyed the raw exploration in this book, some of it just recounting stories from the seasoned experts, other parts were historic and pretty interesting ta-boot. I recommend this book to those who don't easily get bad dreams, I have been surfing all the way through reading it, and it has not added to "the fear" but moreso has made me a bit more comfortable that there is so much food out in the islands.

Lastly, there is some cool research info in the book on tracking G-dub migrations and such, pretty neat accounting of the landlord and how pretty much she can bust a 6-pack o whupass if she wanted. One quick story, boat went out to farallons with snorklers (tourists and such), snorklers got in water and started swimming around, the researchers on the island witnessed decoys getting tagged within 2 mins in the very same area that morning (the decoy they call "Baby Seal" or a surfboard)...the researchers told them to get out of the water and explained the situation, they did and luckily no one was hurt...silly silly tourists.

Got a few choice olas on Sunday morning...hope you all did too.

Posted by: onthebus at July 11, 2005 03:47 PM
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