Celebrating With Stoke Harvester

In February of 2011, my friend Shawn launched an online surf shop dubbed Stoke Harvester. After surviving a severe case of the brick and mortar blues, Shawn has since built an online community where surfers, skinny dippers and stand up paddle people can spend money and stay stoked. Last weekend, Stoke Harvester celebrated their one year anniversary at the Capitol Club. A good time was had.

Mining Tools

Mike Black, the man responsible for Invasion! From Planet C and 'surf a pig,' a blog about "surfboards with weight, belly, wide point aft, a skeg (D fin) and narrow noses," was kind enough to send me a fresh copy of his first film, as well as a handful of stickers! Tools to mine stoke. Much appreciated, Mike!

Ukulele 101

In this episode of Surf Sufficient, Hank Johnson of Kimo Ukulele demonstrates a few chords and strumming techniques on one of his handcrafted ukes. Additional info is available here.

Two Much Fun

Surfed on Sunday. Shoulder high sets. Little to no wind. After one too many weekends going the wrong way on rights, I was in desperate need of some long lefts. Something slow and steady. Something small. Had my way with lots of waves. Took a few trips to the nose. 9" Future Fin was fun. A marked improvement. Shared swell with some friends from the south. It was crowded, but we had a lot of fun. Had to head home early. I hate short Sunday sessions, but I'll be back in the water before the weekend.

Surf Wagon: Extra Long Econoline

Spotted this extra long Econoline on Sunday. Pretty sure it's a Quigley conversion. Four-wheel drive, pop-top, canvas awning, big ass bumpers and barn doors. Don't know the details. Didn't have time. Damn thing must drink diesel, though. Let's just hope it's not petrol powered! Either way, I want one.

Greenough 4-A

The Dynamic Duo at Stoke Harvester have asked me to review a few of the fins they'll have for sale on their new website. Figure I can do a little plug and play with my 9'6" Becker UFO. The first fin I've been asked to review is a 9.75" Greenough 4-A, a fin that features "a narrow, flexible tip that enhances maneuverability and a flared base for increased stability and drive." Sounds like the right recipe.

What's In Your Wagon?

I took this photo just before I paddled out a few weeks ago. Shit all over the Subaru. Blankets, towels, flip-flops, a sleeping bag. Jesus, what sort of strange, misguided transient type drives this pile of shit?! And what the hell is that, a six-foot long piece of driftwood? Whatever. I know it looks like a mess, but there's a method to all this madness. I promise. So with that being said I'm curious, what's in your wagon?

Winter Sessions

Short bit of film featuring Peter Devries, "Canada's most recognizable surfer." And while this isn't my style of surfing, Peter sure makes the most of all those hollow rights rolling down the Canadian coast.

"One Fast Move or I'm Gone."

It wasn't a good idea, paddling out. The buoy was reading 27 feet. The swell was pushing from the northwest. A gail warning was in effect. But it didn't look that bad. Big, but surfable. So we suited up. The horizon was difficult to define. Sky and sea blending together before us. A lull allowed us to get outside without much trouble. The first wave was fun. An overhead left that didn't last long. And then, pushing it's way in from somewhere out at sea, came a change, an increase in both size and shape.

Sunday Funday

The surf on Sunday was a lot better than the day before. Chest to shoulder high. A little inconsistent, though. Current was working. Five minutes in the water and you were a hundred feet from where you started. Mostly rights. I went the wrong way all day. Derek had a handful on his new pig. Todd, his wife Nadia and their friend Joe came out for the day. Shared some swell. Follow the link for a few photos.

Sidewalk Surfing

Jake Zylstra and Andy Nieblas cruising the streets of Newport Beach on a pair of Shakastics Sidewalk Surfer skateboards. If you don't have the scratch for one of these, you can pick up a Penny at the Seaside Surf Shop for $100. Classic. Had a blue banana board back in the day. Might need a new one.

The Godfather of Surf Photography

"Knowing surfing makes a good surf photographer, and here's why. I've seen good professional photographers arrive at the beach with the best equipment money can buy, but they didn't know anything about surfing. They would shoot dozens of rolls of him, but they couldn't come up with as good shots as those who were actually surfers!"

- LeRoy Grannis