Any body interested in a surf story - using a seven times shaped board? Still workin’, h*ll, workin’ better than ever!
PS. Dale Solomonson - I wanted to send you this story but your last email I had got rejected. Do you have a link to your mat site?
T E Olsen, I am. Mike
The board I ride was shaped on the north shore of Oahu by Rusty Whitlock in 1979. It was originally @ 8,” but over the cheap whiles I have reshaped the tail three times. Added a whole new thinner, narrower, and longer nose. As well as a couple of bottom changes – Two radical of a full length channel, then insane fill in job to double concave. When I put a big kick in the tail it would almost spin out, and would in bigger, heavier surf, so under the advice of a good, dear friend – who turned me on to this site, who I thought was just a “solo”tary genius, but who turns out to be a world renowned surf designer – I put two small fins in line with the fin, as well as working on flex fins over the years. I now have a nice flex fin in there and it is good. Must say – if I ever get my digital camera going – pictures of “the cancer stick,” as I affectionately call it, would be great fun on this site. As most people who see it trip out. So that is the board, and here are some surf stories about it. PS. The names have been changed to protect the locals, and my self. This was this past weekend. OK – Sweet – Here we go. Saturday: Got up early to see my love off to a conference and then work on my “warm/curing box” for my new board (ya know it doesn’t get that warm in my free standing garage - ^50’s). Don’t worry, I had checked and the surf was small – and I want to get to glassing. Went out Saturday night to see “my man” play at a little place out in the country. A local blues guy named Norman Sylvester, whose drummer I had made friends with back in art school, and with whom I “sat in” a few times during their “jam session” at a uptown blues club in Portland. But, that was years ago, and it was so great to see them, “Nothing but a party going on!” Literally – with the drummer, and my woman, and the dance floor, and… Sunday: Slept in! ( Back story: work has been so insanely stressful – I was sick Friday) Took my youngest son to baseball tryouts, and then, the weather was nice, played ball with him on an empty field for a good while – sappy, but, it was so beautiful for me, ‘cuz he wanted to. Then I went to visit my grandpa in the nursing home he is in trying to recover from surgery for cancer in the colon – He is doing better, eating, getting stronger. I also knew the swell was coming up, predicted 8-10’, and the wind should be good… Let Sally know that bailing from work @ 2:30 – right after my class leaves – was the order, but she couldn’t get her kids dad to cover, so I ended up going solo. Monday: early afternoon: Feeing crappy, tired, feverish – she says, “you should go.” Have a meeting right up to 2:30, more sad stuff about a messed up young man, ugh, I am out of here. Gas, and coffee, and a warm soft bagel, and I am on the road… Pull up – nice set @ head and a half +, light off shore winds! Run in to “trunks” park/bathroom (Ha! That’s for you Perry.) Look at the “beach break” a little, not to great, even though I am still thinking rights since the “park.” Go to the end park, go up to Bill’s, seven guys out, two trucks I recognize as those of hard chargers, and another pulls up. I excuse myself and go take a good look at the beach break, but it’s not good, so I go to look at good old “Out side.” Better than expected. A guy rides one from the middle and paddles towards the point. I go to change, debating the old crappy path or the up and over nice path, but it seems kind of big to paddle out from behind – one thing is sure, after my last hike up the old path, I will come up via Bill’s (Once again, thank you my brother Perry, bless you.) A guys pulls up, goes looks, asks if I’m going, says company will be good, talks to another guy, then I don’t see him for ages. In the water I get paranoid they my have been planning to rob my car, well I got insurance so… It passes. Later he paddles out, and when I go up I see his truck is gone – he musta’ driven back to the “beach break,” and hiked it. Speaking of trippyness – there is a guy suiting up way out the point, and turns out to have a boogie board. I watch him cross the rocks bare foot, and put his fins on in knee deep water. He gets worked pretty good, but gets out, and gets some long sick tubes. So, cool. I, having seen some good sets on the way out – shift peaking off the corner, and grinding down what I like to think of as, the 2nd shore brake – wait for similar sets. The waves are holding up hard, or I’m deep in the section, and finally I get one – giving it the Karate “Hiieeaahh,” to get in and away I go. As some of you know, it is such a sweet machine of a ride, and a nice long one. Even cooler, as I get back to the spot, just enough rest, another set comes, and I happen to be right there. Same thing again, but even bigger, and better. Had a nice cut back about half way through, then it walls up nice and thick, so I try to stall but do a tail squiggle, so I go for the old rail grab and hand in face. Now, I am not claiming to have gotten tubed, but I did see the lip throwing, and got a sleeve and glove full of water, as I held the rail and stuck the arm in the face for a good long time! And, I even kicked out “fly away” style! Last, after waiting for quite a while, getting cold, sun gone down, light draining from the cloud filled sky, I caught one more – still with the Karate ha! – and rode it all the way – got in over the rocks with minimal problems. Got out in the rain, noticed seven guys still out at the main break. Kind of a trip, looking back, the rain and low light made such a haze that I could barley even see the guys out there. Walked on down the rocks, watched some nice waves – must have been bigger than usual, ‘cuz caught most the guys out of position, then saw two waves get done justice – must have been the last two good guys out, as two more sets came through un ridden. Headed up the trail, all the while thinking about how lucky I am, and how I should offer my middle aged services in support of the trail – even though it appears to me, Bill, the keeper of the trail, has all things well in hand. Next time, if it’s not raining, I’ll get him out of with more than a wave, and let him know. One of the “after work crowd” who was looking when I was, was getting out of his suit. I asked him how it was – his response was unenthusiastic. Later as I was changing, alone, in the dark, in the rain, I was pretty stoked. Stopped by a place on the highway out side of town for a beer, and had a nice conversation with the bar tender. Cruised it on home. Peace my brothers. Love is one, Taylor. This was a couple of weeks ago. Here is a quick story for you: There is a decent, some times great, sometimes crap, right point break here that requires a long steep hike in, and quite a hike just to check it. Well, the conditions sounded right, and at this point in the year the storms usually scour out most the sand that sometimes fills the channel . So we get there, and there are some cars with racks so I figure there must be waves, and decide to shine the hike to check it. As I am getting my pack together two guys come up to their truck, leaving, and I ask how it was. The response, classic cheese, or stupidity, “It was good, but the tide came up so we didn’t get to ride it.” I just kept on keeping on, as it sounded ridiculous to me. On the way in there are places you can see it from, and the outside peak looked like it was working to me, not perfect, but a nice “corner” consistently peeling. Farther on I saw someone out in the channel which was crappy, and I couldn’t figure out what they were thinking, but oh well. Got to the bottom, had some nice looks on the way and always saw peeling sets, so I just start walking out to middle of the point, as the high tide made a nice middle channel. On the way out I pass a group of 5-6 guy setting ready to leave, and one asks me If I am going out, “I got nothing better to do.” I say, and he, or another, says yeah but the tides coming in. I can see the tide is about as high as it’s going to get, not knowing when the tide is high, I say, “Well, it’s not gong to get much higher.” And I kept on walking. All the while sets that look about head high are peeling off the far outside corner. I get into my suit paddle out through an inner channel before the inside that breaks by a couple of huge boulders, which give me a nice thing to aim for. Latter as I am outside catching wave after wave alone, and the beach is empty, except for my lovely woman hiking out the point. I think to myself, I love feeling at one with everything and everyone, but I am enjoying not sharing that love with any of my fellow stranger surfers at this time. Later, as the tide gets lower, and the waves get more “sectiony,” and crappy, I wonder what it is those guys were talking about. Oh well, I had a great time, so great, veritably born again. This was about a month ago. Oooo Oooo, I surfed “the out side” on Saturday, and here is a funny story for you. So I thought it might be good so I actually got up early and called the buoy report line, (which is a number I will give you if you want, it is so cool, it gives you a computer voice with the last hours conditions for the buoy # you put in, and then you can get the latest weather service marine forecast for that location, anyway…) the report was SE wind @10 knots (which is ? in MPH – seriously help me out on that bit of knowledge) 8’ waves – calling for 9’ building. I hike in the far path that is up the gravel road and then down by where you used to live. Which is fixed up real nice steps cut in, stiff green rope, stones and logs on some of the steps, a bench, a bridge across the creek, very nice. Well, I look down to unwrap my leash before I put it on, and I notice my fin screw is missing – which kills me, not only ‘cuz it’s not there, but because I had taken it out last week to put my board on my car, and then I made a point of tightening it in, but…. So I maintain my mind, take of my gloves, sleeves, stash my board in the ferns, take my leash, the only part I think some one would steal, but then am glad for my paranoia when I remember my key is in the leash pocket. And, Hike back to the car, looking for my screw just in case, get a little lost from the path due to looking down as I walk. Long story shorter, go the new shop, and a young girl hooks me up with the screw, and the box nut (which I need for my other board, so it is a score) for free. Back in the car , a dime fits in the screw slot, dime and screw in glove, in waist, and hike on back out. All is well, I go for the behind the peak paddle out, it goes well, I am looking for the line up and what do I see… A hand full of guys hiking out the rocks. Ha! On me. I got some really nice long ones. So stoked. Ended my last wave right in front of the crappy path, so I try it. Ugh, what a hike/climb – literally on my hand and knees to get up over one ledge. All in all a very stoking time. Ok That is all – I hope I haven’t hurt any one or thing with this, just thought it would be fun to share.