Once Upon A Wave

A forty eight minute feature filmed in the late fifties and early sixties, 'Once Upon A Wave' chronicles a small group of So-Cal surfers, to include Fred Van Dyke, Peter Cole, Ricky Grigg, Mike Doyle, Robert August and Bill Fury, as they travel from Sunset Beach to Steamer Lane in search of surf. Solid gold.

Poler's Summer Stuff

Our friends at Poler recently released some new stuff for summer. Included in their updated inventory is a camera bag turned cooler, a smaller version of their Duffaluffagus bag, a new daypack and a stainless steel water bottle made by Mizu. What's more, my friend Geoffrey Holstad, the man responsible for the new logo sitting atop this here blog, was hired by the Portlandia camping company to create a couple of cool new t-shirts! I like Owl. Anyhow, follow the link and take a look at some of their new stuff.

Justin Quintal & Friends

A slippery summer session at the Jax Pier with Justin Quintal and a few of his friends.

Dirty Dirt Bikes - Or why I didn't surf on Saturday

Each year at the end of June, Touratech-USA, the ADV motorcycle outfitter I work for, hosts the 'Pacific Northwest Adventure Rally,' an off-road event in the woods near Leavenworth. The rally, now in it's third year, sees some three hundred dual-sport enthusiasts descend on this sleepy Bavarian village.

I wasn't able to attend last year, as I spent the weekend sorting out our Silver Swede, but this year, free from car crashes and crazy bitches, I managed to pack up some camping crap, don a dirt bike and head into the hills for three days of motorcycle riding and misbehaving.

The Sea of Possibility

Jack Lynch surfing a perfect little point break in 'The Sea of Possibility.' As seen on Stoke Harvester.

The Golden Breed

Released in 1968 and hailed as "magnificent" by the Los Angeles Times, The Golden Breed was filmed at the height of surfing's 'Involvement' era. Directed by Dale Davis, this 90 minute film captures a somewhat tumultuous time in our sports history. Just a few years prior to its release, Nat Young won the World Championship on a board three feet shorter than most. Over the next few years, as more surfers adopted shorter sticks, the traditional longboard began to appear passé, and as a result The Golden Breed became a rather unpopular piece. But featuring a few of our favorites - Nuuhiwa, Noll, Munoz and Martinson - Davis' film is a welcome reprieve from all the overly edited, off the lip, slowmo shit you see so much of.

Two Tribes - A Custom Motorcycle & Classic Surfboard Show

Join us at The Piranha Shop on Friday, August 10th for Two Tribes, a custom motorcycle and classic surfboard show. We've partnered with the greasy goons from Twinline Motorcycles and the salty scum from Stoke Harvester to bring you the best of both worlds. Bikes and boards! The event, which will benefit The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, starts at six. There will be booze. And raffle prizes.

Click here for additional info.

South of Blackies

Huntington Beach hooligan, Troy Elmore, jazzing the glass somewhere south of Blackies.

Fort George Brewery

Located near the mouth of the Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon was once the lumber capital of the coast. Famous for its role in The Goonies, a film that came out the same year I did, Astoria has since fallen victim to misbehaving meth heads and an almost absent economy. But with the help of good beer and big burgers, that's bound to change.

We'd driven past the Fort George Brewery countless times on our way into Oregon. Saw their sign on the side of the road. Mentioned it to one another. Never stopped. Then Todd took a tall can out of his truck. It was Fort George's 1811 Lager, a bold beer "concocted from two row malted barley and cracked maize." And it was delicious. So on Sunday, with wind from the west, we decided to stop in Astoria for some lunch and a lager.

Get A Hold

What I've been listening to lately...

Finterview: Mikey DeTemple MD3

The MD3 Longboard Fin was designed by our favorite Long Island logger, Mikey DeTemple, and is supposed to "bring your longboard to life." I opted for the full meal deal. Ten inches. Top to bottom. It's big, I know. But I was having trouble with the Blue Banana and thought a fin with less area would allow for some clean, drawn out turns. And I'll be damned if it didn't! On head high waves the MD3 digs deep. Like a big keel on the underside of a sailboat, the fins broad, flat surface creates sideways force by displacing water in the opposite direction that the board is trying to tip. Some serious surf science.

You'll know when it won't go, though. Put pressure on it's pivot point on knee high peelers and nothing happens. Straight as an arrow. Sometimes there's just not enough underneath. But on the biguns, when your flying down the face ready to make things right, er, left, the MD3 gets the job done. Oh, and did I mention it's fast, with tons of trim speed for controlled noserides - assuming you wander that far forward. So what more do you wanna know? It's not spectacular on the small stuff. Probably need a pivot fin for that. But when it gets big, or at least up to your ass, the MD3 is an excellent bit of equipment. Case closed.

This Finterview originally appeared on Stoke Harvester's blog

Saturday @ San-O

Troy Mothershead, Corina Barnick, and Richard Balding surfing San Onofre on Saturday.

Pack It In

With wet weather on our coast, we decided to spend the weekend down south, where it wasn't supposed to rain. We slipped out of Seattle on Friday, stopped by Fish Tale for dinner and a drink, drove for a few more hours and then pitched a pair of tents at the Bunny Ranch. It was impossible to sleep past seven. Trucks, trailers, construction, other campers. We went to the Sleepy Monk for cold coffee and bacon bagels, checked out a few sorta secret spots before deciding to surf where everyone else was surfing.

We packed a pair of Poler Rucksacks and hiked in. Ten minutes to the water. It was glassy when I first went out. Waist to shoulder high. Lefts and rights. Plenty of people, though. Todd and I surfed for six hours. Snaking waves from the short sticked. Put five on the front a few times. Good thing I got that GoofBoard ;) Sunburned and starving, we put everything back in the bags and boogied before the sun set.

Bing @ The Bu

An afternoon at the 'Bu with a few of the fellas from Bing Surfboards (via Stoke Harvester)

Penny Skateboards

As far as I know, plastic skateboards have been around since the seventies. Like a lot of us, Ben Mackay started skating on something like this. Something simple. A small plastic skateboard, with narrow trucks and wide wheels. They were fun. And affordable. But when bigger boards made of multi-ply maple made their way to market, these little things disappeared. Skip to 2010. After twelve years in the industry, Mr.Mackay decided to "bring that little plastic board back, and back for good," re-branding and releasing an all new line of Penny Skateboards.

These plastic injection- moulded skateboards are available in two different sizes and few different flavors. The Original measures 22” long x 6” across and uses 3" wide trucks, while the Nickle, which is made from the same sorta plastic, measures 27” long x 7.5” across and uses 4" wide trucks. Both of the boards come equipped with 59mm wheels, Abec 7 stainless steel bearings, and have a pattern imprinted on the top to keep feet from falling off. That's all you need to know. The real question is which color do you want?!

Rock-A-Hula Baby

Someone once told me the water in Florida tastes like tuna, that there are no point breaks and that everyone rides rubber mats instead of surfboards. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this short bit of film featuring Daytona Beach bum, Chad Doyle, surfing somewhere in So-Flo (via High Seas Films)

Church(es)

Turkey and Scotty Stopnik surfing Churches. Filmed and fixed by Mark Choiniere (via Brian Benthin)

Coffin Lids & Camp Fires

You find friends. Stumble upon them. Maybe you meet at a party, or through someone you all know. Sometimes you find one another by chance. A cool colored car. A conversation about big boards and old Volvos and pop-up euro tents. Funny how things happen, huh? Anyhow. Saturday really sucked. The wind wouldn't let up. Onshore all morning. All evening. All day. Not a moments rest. We arrived around eleven, having stopped to see if somewhere else would work... it wouldn't. Sparks and Velez were already on it. Tarps, tents and a campfire. Todd was there too. The three of them sitting around a small fire, shooting the shit. We parked, set up our stuff and sat, for eight hours around a fire. Had hot dogs. Beer. Bad jokes. In the morning we surfed. Without wind ;) It was worth the wait.

2 Sessions x Scotty Stopnik

Jack Belli from The Oh Sea shot a couple of sessions with Scotty Stopnik, infamous So-Cal surfer and Cycle Zombie. I really dig the transition. From dark and stormy to green and glassy. Nice little noserides.

Travel Chair

When we started this surf camping stuff, living out of a tent two or three days at a time, we tried to keep things small. And cheap. So instead of buying a pair of proper camp chairs, we opted for REI's tiny tripods. They work well for awhile. But then your gluteus maximus goes numb. Your knees become stiff from squatting, and your lower back increasingly uncomfortable. But they were cheap, and worked well when the ground was wet. But last week, to my surprise, a pair of Travel Chairs arrived at our apartment. They're made in Gig Harbor and feature a sheer, quick-drying fabric, allowing them to be both breathable and lightweight. And at just $54, they're a great option for those of us that wish to remain in our wetsuits, waiting for waves. Follow the link for a few more photos.

Ballad of Dwight Fry

What I've been listening to lately...

The Surfer's Bible

I recently received a copy of William Bascom's Waves and Beaches: The Dynamics of the Ocean Surface, a book that "examines the complex interactions between major coastal features and waves, tides, currents, and surf including man's attempts to control shoreline damage." It was a gift from my friend Shawn, who expects me to not only read, but review this bewildering book. Which I suspect will be a lot of work. But I'm up for it. It is the 'Surfer's Bible' after all ;) So stay tuned for some serious surf science!

Free and Easy

I found this film while browsing around the internets last night. Shot in the late 1960's by Greg MacGillivray and Jim Freeman, Free and Easy takes you from the islands of Oahu, Maui and Kauai, to the California coast, and features some of my favorite surfers from the late sixties, to include David Nuuhiwa, Mark Martinson, Miget Farley and Jock Sutherland. Click here to learn more about the movie.

"It's Better Than It Looks, Right?"

It's funny, the ocean. At first it can look so angry. Upset. Overwhelmed with white water and waves from all different directions. Ten minutes might pass and it's a whole 'nother story. Calm and collected. Slow moving swells, etc. Saturday was such. Confusing. Ten, maybe twelve miles separate the two spots we scoped out. The first was all fucked up. Messy brown water mixed with waves from the wrong way. Not to mention some strong onshore wind. A few people had paddled out. But that's not my kind of crazy. So we drove further south, somewhere I figured would work with that sort of swell.

Foggy Eyes

A short bit of film featuring Alex Knost and Beat Happening, an indie pop band from Olympia.

'The Bus' @ The North Bend Theater

I first heard of The Bus, a documentary film by Damon Ristau, a few months ago. An article on Adventure Journal, which featured a trailer for the film, sold me on the idea of owning an old Volkswagen. Sam's gonna kill me. Anyhow. Karissa and I drove out to North Bend last night for the premiere of Ristau's film. A wonderful, albeit short, documentary that highlights the history of VW's Bus, from it's humble beginnings in the Wolfsburg factory, to it's cult like following and a few of the more interesting people that own them. Follow the link for a few photos from last night's premiere at the North Bend Theater.

Picaresque

I recently received a copy of Mikey DeTemple's first film, Picaresque. A surf movie sans script, the film is intended to "showcase longboarding in a new light; getting away from the preconceived notions and turning up the tempo." A collaboration between High Seas Films and Flesh Profits Nothing, Picaresque features "an über-talented group of 25-and-unders," including Scotty Stopnik, Matty Chojnacki, and Chris Christenson. The project, which took DeTemple a few years to finish, allowed he and his crew to travel around the world, surfing in Australia, California, Florida, France, Mexico, New York, and Costa Rica.

Seaside Surf Shop

The Seaside Surf Shop sits on the west side of Highway 101 toward the south end of Seaside - a small town on the Oregon coast. It's been in business for nearly a decade and is one of the friendliest shops I've wandered into. Like most surf shops, SSS has a full inventory of surfboards, skateboards, SUPs and other shit. They also have plenty of soft tops and rubber outfits you can rent. This weekend, in Oregon to visit a few friends, Karissa and I stopped by the shop for their annual swap meet. There were old boards out front, wetsuits on sale and plate lunches provided by 'The Cleanup Set,' a group of old guys who clean up the cove. It was a lot of fun. Snapped a few photos of the shop before we headed south in search of surf.