US tripping
My wife ,Fiona, and I, flew the long way round to the States ie via Abu Dhabi with ETIHAD airways and after a stopover and 34 hrs of flying we hit New York( my 2nd time here) and after the longest custom check we've ever had of any country we have been to,we got to our loft apartment on the 10 th floor of an old Pasta factory in Brooklyn with one of the best views overlooking Manhattan, and just down the road was MOLLUSK surfshop. Its in the heart of a Jewish Hasidics ( the ones with the pig tails and the big black hats) community and one of the most coolest surf shops ever , graffiti and the usual shit you find around the streets surround it ,but its like a tropical island in the middle of chaos. I met Johnny the ass. manager( thats assistant ) and also Alberto from the San Francisco Mollusk. It was what I call a real surfshop a great array of boards and books etc. and a real hardcore surfer talking to you who runs the shop ,we chatted a lot about Australia and what I had done and am doing , generally surf talk, and it made my 2nd trip to the Big Apple a great one but hell a cold one....... After a week in N.Y. we flew to Chicago , I had never been here before and it was an eyeopener after N.Y. Its a clean city by American city standards no graffiti and the traffic in the city constantly ran smoothly. Full of beautifully built Art Deco 1920-1930s buildings and people we met were cool . we then went and stayed in a log cabin on a river in Michigan State for few days and I looked up THIRD COAST SURFSHOP in New Buffako on Lake Michigan.... now speaking of hard core this is it the water temp is at its highest of 15 c in summer and Fn freezing the rest, they do get some fair waves though at times a bit guttless . I met Ryan Gerard who owns the shop and, his assistant( whose name I've forgot) and again warm greetings and good surf talks, Ryan had been to the Noosa Festival of surfing this year so he had a hoot and is looking forward to the next time.......... The sum of it all for me was some wonderful longboards that Mollusk had that are made under the Kookbox label , these are Joel Tudors boards and they were beautifully done in shape and glass and also the wooden Danny Hess's, lovely ! so after the States we stopped over in Dubai, on the way home, and apparently, they do get some surf there ,but unless you have a lot of money to spend and love really dry hot and dusty weather leave it off your list of places to go. So if you ever get over there look both these shops up and tell em
TIKI sent ya
TIKI sent ya
last thursday
last thursday had a few onshore sliders, there is a heap of sand running through the inside of a local reef
which has turned the shorey into a quick fun bit of wall, which at low is holding up nice
started off on the 9'8 nose rider, i found there was enough punch for the 5ft bar of soap
(not that much is needed for this board)
heres a couple of pics from after
which has turned the shorey into a quick fun bit of wall, which at low is holding up nice
started off on the 9'8 nose rider, i found there was enough punch for the 5ft bar of soap
(not that much is needed for this board)
combo fin
This fin is the culmination of an idea from long ago, and the bamboo, has made it happen with its lightness and strength , combined with good flex qualities. Its a time consuming fin to make but the result speaks for itself, and as I said fins ain't just fins they are a very important part of your boards performance and glide.
for info or enquiries please email
adrift
Steve is re launching his surf shop,now will be known as adrift it has some much needed culture that has been missing on the central coast, the opening is on Friday night 7-9pm should be a blast,
it is about time that someone on the coast has the stones to not just stock the mass produced big brands, but sell some stuff with soul made by surfers
i have had a sneak peek, new boards, alternate attire, and some awesome photos from the classic days on the coast when paddle boards and tuflites did not exists and boards weren't mass produce and forced down the general public's throat
there are also a few classic sleds from olden times hanging around looking for a new home,
maybe even some seasnakes will make an appearance soon
so if your around on friday the 10th head down the the entrance and support a local family
making a change
Mollusk
Tiki has been in the states for a couple of weeks now,
he told me he called into the Mollusk surfshop
he had a few good chats with Jonny who works in the shop
the guys there have a pretty good blog going check it out
http://shipwormandgribble.blogspot.com/
he told me he called into the Mollusk surfshop
he had a few good chats with Jonny who works in the shop
the guys there have a pretty good blog going check it out
http://shipwormandgribble.blogspot.com/
small day at the bay
small day at the bay
alex with some nose
tiki showing the groms how to dick drag
thanks larry for the pics
Velzy and friends
There are two boards of interest in these photos , the red panel one is an 10' American Gordon and Smith 1964 Mike Hynson shape ( and it surfs like a dog) in nearly mint condition, and the 9' Dale Velzy, Hap Jacobs solid Balsa 1958 in mint condition, boyh of these are Roy Meisels( of Bare Nature Byron Bay) who brought them out here when he first came here after Vietnam . Ive known these boards for 37 years , the Velzy Jacobs is really a beautifully shaped board and it goes unreal
pipe
My first of many trips to Hawaii in April 1992 ,I was 44 and still game but this day on the North Shore was for the Pros and on the takeoff at Pipe on the lefts was a pack of 40 or so , 5 guys were on Backdoor and were tubed every wave. Its a surf heaven Hawaii ,it has every type and size of waves on offer,and the Karma of the place is addictive, HAWAII..... you never forget!
Billy and Me
Since getting the PASSION back, I run into old pirates like myself more often , Billy Cilia and myself come from the same ship and for over 40 years have created and played with many surfboards. I dropped out of surfboard making while Bill continued to make many,many boards for many dam good surfers ,and deservedly gained a fine reputation in both shape and quality. I see Bill a fair bit, and this photo about sums us up, and another of the many things we have, a passion about is ," GHOST WHO WALKS WHO CAN NEVER DIE"........ THE PHANTOM ..... comics.
superflex green
this is a green(it doesn't look it in the photos) super flex 9inch
in Bali the water was so warm it produced even more flex
great for the log that needs some response
Quadzilla
9'6 x 24 x 3, bat tail quad with a box for the option
tiki loaned me his board a couple of weeks ago, i have surfed it a couple of times,
it is the first quad over 6ft, that i have ridden, its real different from the log style that i usally ride, but its got me interested, i recommend that if you get a chance try one out, you never know it might just be perfect for you....
blue bucket
The Blue Bucket was My old friend ROY MEISELS' of Bare Nature surfboards Byron Bay Ford Commer , he had it for years and won many a carton of grog for continually getting it through Rego. A big 6 with a 3 speed gearbox and enough room to get a 10 footer in, on one of the windows there was a large sticker thet summed her up ,it said "SOUL".norm
In
1963 I stood up on my first surfboard ,
I had been a
competitive swimmer when I lived out west but when i came across the Big wide ocean , no more 2 kilometre a day training for me ,I was hooked and the board that I surfed the most in those early years was a borrowed NORM CASEY or two ,off my friends. I hate to say it now but then I thought they were the best boards I had ever surfed , BUT , since I stated to try and surf this old NORM a few years ago my memories got shattered but, not too badly , the old girl does OK but when you want to drive her down the line she felt like she had brakes and would suck you back up into the tube and goodbye. The old were good then, but changes and design innovations, make you realise ,that what you thought was good then, ain't now, so , don't dwell on the past use what you know now for tomorrow there is always something new, something better, yet Norm was my youth Norm was me at 15........I LOVED YOU NORM!
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