Northwest Passage

Most of you are familiar with the Malloy brothers getting all bearded out, poking around in plaid, and chasing exotic waves around the globe. Well here's a group of guys living the dream right here in the continental US. In true Lewis and Clark spirit, these adventurers show us that the quest is as much fun as getting to the end of the trail. I am reminded that if we take the time to make the time, anyone can enjoy the riches of the outdoors, good friends, good spirits, and good times.
__________________________________________________

Guest post by Jeff Smith:



With a couple of Ward Boards and boat in tow; myself, good bud Rob Sweet and new to the crew Mike Boo ventured out to the Northwest coast to explore a remote break. The plan was to motor my wooden drift boat over to a lake island to camp.





From there we boated over to a trailhead to begin the 2 mile hike to the Pacific.



We had surfed the spot before but always on very small swells. This weekend we were more hopeful with a 7ft/13sec West rolling in. Due to the remoteness of the 2 mile trail, going was tough on wet, slippery, broken boardwalks with fallen trees to navigate around. Soon, however, we heard the sweet sound of swell and took a break before the last mile on the beach around a couple of headlands.



Rounding the last corner, smiles sprouted at the sight of head high peelers coming through offering slow lefts and fast paced rights.





For three straight days we were greeted to this sunshine and briny dream followed by satisfied hikes back, evening trout fishing, campfires and booze. 4 days of Autumn paradise.

Spudnik

Look up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Spudnik! Sean takes an earthly view of his new "mini Simmons" inspired craft. At 4'10" x 22" this board is closer to a bar of soap than a surfboard. But Sean says, "this thing is out of this world and puts me in a whole new orbit!"



Interesting feedback. Could this be the new space race in board design?

Rasta's New Ride

Though the van is pretty cool, the 5'11" quad fish Dave Rastovich is holding is even cooler. The quad fin project I've been working on with Thomas Campbell has been bearing some sweet fruit.




Thomas has been fired up on these quads and knowing that Dave was going to be passing through town, Thomas had me make one up so he could get it to Dave as he headed to the East Coast to chase hurricane swells and then on to France for a gig there.







In Maine, Dave hooked up with Dug and the boys at "Get in the Van". They've got a good pulse on the East Coast surf scene and put out a nice blog with some great images of their capers. For more photos of Dave's run, go to Get in the Van / the Chase Channel and click on the (hurricane) Earl button.



After we got back the images and feedback from Dave, I told Thomas that if we can make a surfboard that will inspire you to surf, play music, and make art then we've made the world a better place.

Samba for Surf

This is Santa Cruz and when the surf goes flat for a couple of weeks folks around here will try anything to appease the surf gods. In this case a local Samba band decided to do an impromptu photo / video shoot in front of the Steamer Lane mural by my shop.



I was in my shaping room when I started hearing an unfamiliar beat. It drew my outside to see these cats pounding out a hypnotic rhythm.



Next thing I know it's a party and gala clad girls on stilts with feather boas and hula hoops start dancing around.



Soon it was a carnival and a lively crowd gathered and watched the festivities unfold.

The mural has been the backdrop for a lot of interesting and creative photo ops. Santa Cruz has a richly colorful cast of characters who at an moment can pop up and remind us that life is really worth living. Whatever mojo these folks have it must be working because shortly after their gig we had that nice south swell and our first northwest of the season heading our way.

Double Mint

Jon's 5'10" double wing Egg measures out at a 15 7/8" nose, 20 3/4" midpoint, 15 7/8" tail and is 2 5/8" thick. Heaps of float but low rails in the nose and tail.



Tri or quad fin options make the board extremely versatile. From the beaches to the point breaks, Jon's got it covered.

When Groms Get Shacked

From the "it's always overhead" annuals, Sam tucks into a nifty little bowl at our favorite wedge factory. Just a stones throw from our house, this summertime fun spot makes those flat spells spin by.

If you added up all the kids' tube time this summer I bet it would be more than some kids spend in front of a screen or thumb wrestling their phone. I think that's a fair trade off for good clean fun.

All Smiles

Dave got the green light to get a new surfboard, with the condition that his daughter be in charge with coming up with the color design. With smiles like these I'd say everyone was happy with how things turned out.

Modern Art II

Another batch of boards for the folks at Del Cabo. Very simple but colorful spray jobs.

The Other Side of the Tracks

Eli and the boys cross the tracks on their trek down to the beach in search of some waves.



Through the eyes of a talented lensman everyday landmarks take on monumental forms of striking beauty. Such is the case when David Smith (dustybermshot.com) joins up with the crew for a surf.



This was one of those magical times when the sun just breaks through the grays of the morning fog and everything turns sparkly and bright. It's moments like these when you look around and know how lucky we are to be able to live and surf in such a beautiful little notch along the coast.

King Neptune Says Surf

Toby had one of Neptune's favorite sons, Dave Gardner, do some of his wacky surf themed art on his new board.



If you've cruised through the lower Westside neighborhoods or along the North Coast just outside of town, chances are you've seen Dave's artwork hanging from telephone poles or tucked obscurely along the train tracks.



And any sidewalk surfer who has ventured the highline along the tiles at the Santa Cruz Skate Park will know Dave's work well.

Choosing to work with materials on hand and a lover of all things organic, Dave is the ultimate underground artist. And when you have a resume that includes teacher, farmer, and ultra smooth wave slider you have a lot of humus to draw from.







This surfboard's artwork is witty, simple and fun, and is filled with little treasures of Oceania mixed with what a spirited sailor would dream of while out at sea.