9'5" Bing DT

Stoked when I hear a friend scores!

Good for ya G!

Aloha

Saturday morning offshores

Woke to the sound of wind blowing through the trees. Knew it was going to be 50/50 on the conditions over at the Rocks but had to go take a look for myself. It was much colder that yesterday and the wind was just starting to crank as the sun rose. It looked fun even with the wind so I suited up and paddled out solo. The waist high swell that I saw from the beach was super clean and then the sets showed up. Shoulder to head high screamer lefts with some big rights throwing over near the rocks. Had a bunch of fun ones and was once again shocked to have it all to my lonesome. About an hour in Matty J, Loni and Chris C, showed up to keep me company and many fun waves were had by all. Good times in the crazy wind. Glad I got up and went for it! 
*Aloha*

Sunrise on the Two Mile bridge

Early morning perfection!

And then the NW winds turned up to 11 :)

Hot Generation

Roach let me paddle out on his new 8'4" Hot Generation (Hilbers) today at the ROCKS.

And while it was big and lumpy and not pristine by any stretch, I can tell this a pretty fun board. Had a few decent waves before the south winds came on and slopped things up. Gets you in and down the line with ease and turns are a fluid and smooth. Very eager to try it in better conditions.

Happy Thanksgiving

Got in an early log'n session in Cape May this morning with just a few friends. Nice way to start the day.  Hope all of you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day!
Aloha

Noll-stalgia



While I was walking around the booths in Del Mar at last months board show, I thought I'd come across an old member of the family. After closer examination, while it was very close, it was not my old board. My wife bought the one in the first photo at yard sale in Rio Grande, NJ in 1987 for $5.00. We held onto it for almost 20 years and numerous moves around the country, courtesy of the USCG, before we finally let it go. I took it up to George Gerlach (Surfer's Supplies, OCNJ) at some point in the early 1990s to get his take on it. George said it was most likely from around 1965 and that he sold a bunch of them out of the shop during that time period. It was 9'6", had a slight twist up toward the nose and a cool blue fiberglass "chopstick" fin. The red "Greg Noll" in the lam had faded away and for several years, I had no idea who made it. Just a little guy with the word "surfboards" on the deck. There wasn't much about longboarding history at my fingertips back in the late 80s and it wasn't until one day that the sun shone on the board at the right angle that I saw the faded name on each side of the the little "fat man" on the lam. Rode it quite a few times but never really fell in love with it as a rider. While stationed in Chattanooga, TN I kept it behind the garage where the tug I was on moored up. During the summer months I'd paddle up river during my lunch break in a weak effort to stay in some type of surf shape. After many years of it gathering dust, I put it up for sale and off it went to a new home somewhere in Northern California. Hindsight being 20/20, it's one I'd like to have back. Not so much for the performance aspect, but more for the nostalgia.

Summer 1988



Fat man lam

Vintage Noll at the International Surfboard Show in Del Mar, CA October 2012

Surf'n the web and,,,,

.....I came across a photo of a guy named Grant riding a board named Karl.
Digging the stache! :{

Maluhia

Cape May today....

Left work early in hopes of finding some clean conditions in town. Heard the Rocks were big and lumpy with all of the north winds the last few days. Ended up finding some clean little peelers in Cape May. It had been a shile since I'd surfed in town and it was a very good choice for today. Long, clean little waves with a three person line-up. Good times.

Aloha!

Greg Liddle 1963

While browsing through a 1963 issue of Surfer magazine, I came upon this center spread.
Is that cool or what!!!

Aloha



Owl

7'3" Owl in a used rack somewhere near Ventura...

Grant's find

9'10"

 

Diggin those rails

Nor'easter day after...

Packed heavy this morning with anticipation....

Howling offshores really turned up around noon.

 

The shortboarders were all over the rights by the rocks. I stayed on the lefts up the beach but didn't score the rides they were getting.

It was more of a challenge than fun this morning. Had a few good ones but the majority of mine were closeouts with a few decent beatings thrown in.

From Hurricane to Nor'Easter......

...its been wild these last 10 days.

Sandbars down on the CG base were looking good this morning. You'd be hard pressed to dodge all of the pilings and the old bunker in the line-up but the lefts were long and clean.

 

Nice left at Povs. The dunes actually grew taller in this area. Those blue signs were about 8' high out of the sand prior to Sandy.

Aloha!

Saturday after Sandy

View from the dune trail.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the sandbars at our beloved Rocks have been cultivated into a near perfect wave garden. And while we were so fortunate down here, there are so many in this state that were not. Getting back into the ocean this week was a treat that I was not expecting so soon after the storm. Although the destruction to our north has many friends barred from enjoying the leftover ground swell from Sandy, I felt extremely lucky to be able to get back in the ocean and give thanks for being sparred a much worse fate.  Surfed Thursday after work in near perfect waist to head high perfection and again this morning in some smaller but very clean 2' -3' fun log riding peelers. Stiff offshores this morning and a bit on the chilly side. Managed almost 2 hours before the wind chill worked its way through my 3/2. Think it may be time to break out the 4/3....

 

Another clean left

The dunes took a little damage but are still looking good.

The access road bayou...