jeez, I jut found this too.
it hurts.
condolences to everybody.
theres not much i can say that hasnt been said already …
never knew Ben personally , but the fact he was a regular locker is enough to create a certain kinship …
so feeling seriously sad now …
i hope everyone who was close to Ben can make the most of the time ahead to reflect on the positive things he left behind …
RIP…
regards
BERT
I had the pleasure to meet Ben and experience his gifts as a shaper. Those moments will live on…
E ko makou makua iloko o ka lani,
e hoanoia kou inoa. E hiki mai kou aupuni;
e malamaia kou makemake ma ka honua nei,
e like me ia i malamaia ma ka lani la;
E haawi mai ia makou i keia la,
i ai na makou no keia la. E kala
mai hoi ia makou i ka makou lawehala ana,
me makou e kala nei i ka poe i
lawehala i ka makou. Mai hookuu oe ia
makou i ka hoowalewale ia mai;
E hoopakele no na e ia makou i ka ina;
No ka mea, nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana,
a me ka hoonaniia, a mau loa aku.
Amene
May God Bless you, JohnF
Quite, yet deceptively funny. The kind of guy you wanted to hang out with. Sarcastic, but not mean spirited. The great ability to laugh at himself while making fun of everybody else…The kind of company I enjoyed being around. A brother I barely knew, and someone I was getting to know better. Loved his attention to detail. And i’m pissed off that we’ll never get a chance to drink beer and laugh again.
Only ever met him once, at Plasket for the 2005 Swaylocks. I loved the boards he had bought, that yellow bonzer is still up as my screensaver. The quaility was there to see and the guy was so self effacing and modest even as we drooled over his work.
When he spoke about surfing and designs everyone stopped and listened
Like I say I only ever met him the once, but I know that we’ve lost someone special.
Bummer, I never met ben, but have always heard good things.
I’m changing my avatar back to a ship in Bens memory.
I met Ben at one of Keith’s get-togethers. He helped me shape my fish. He seemed like the type of guy that was willing to help yet hold off so that I would learn and be stoked at my own work. I didn’t realize how much talent was helping me until I read some of his posts. I’m glad I met him, even for that brief moment. I never saw him in person again and that was about 3 years ago yet the news of his passing chokes me up.
Rest in peace Ben.
-Rio
Sad news. It has always stoked me to see one of his great boards. R.i.p. Ben…
Thanks for sharing your good sense of humor with us Ben.
RIP
Ben was the first Swaylocker I communicated with here. Got to spend some time getting to know him at Keith’s and Big Sur in 05. RIP my friend.
How’d the paddle out go ?
It’s great that Ben got a surfer’s farwell.Herb
Nice crew to say aloha…Ray, Jay, Darren, Keith, Alfred, Mark, Ray and Ben’s local surf buddies, and Pete StPierre from Moonlight. Although they didn’t paddle out, Jim and his son were there and they brought Hank. I think that filled the circle. I hope Ray jumps in as I probably missed a few. Ben’s last board, a nice blue swirled fish was there as well as a couple of his sweet bonzers.
Not much swell but the sun was shining…we all said our goodbyes and had a surf. It was just right!
…Sally from Monlight ,Rick from the beach, Rick from Sway’s, Bob,Lance,Glen and Jim. The gal with the body board hangs out at the beach on the weekends. Although she did not know Ben she knew some of the guys and paddled out with us. I thought that was cool.
Bob was surfing with tears in his eyes ,Peter had a 3 fin Bonzer, Mark almost ran over Kieth and then cramped up about 20 min later. Jay was laughing over the whole thing. Rick was not supposed to be surfing due to a recent surgery but he was out there. Alfred was cruzing on an egg. Darren barrowed Lee’s hull and would not give it back! Glen was still out in the water surfing even after most of the people went home.
Ben told his roommate before he died to give me the blue fish…
More than one person said ,“We should get together more often”.
Mark came by the house on Sunday and we spackled a fish I shaped. We glued a stringer into another EPS blank. Talked story, combined a couple of templates for an outline on the next board. Made a tail block. Making plans for some keel fins…
Share the stoke
Ray
Ben inspired all of us in many ways. It was great hearing everyone’s stories with or about Ben.And seeing his shapes. Normally I ain’t about wall hanging, but someone should at least do that for one of Ben’s shapes. It was good to meet with his room mate and see Hank. As the flowers floated on the sea, you know, just was great, life was the moments and times each of us had with Ben, the memories left to hang on. With all the exposure of our world its easy to get jaded, but here we all were celebrating life.
Mike posted this on the latest issue of Quiver:
That Quiver shot was how I heard the news. Very sad, although I never met him in person either. I’ve been a part-time lurker here these days, but I had to post and give my condolences to everyone who knew him. I’m going to catch a couple waves for him in the dark tomorrow morning.
RIP Ben.
-pete
"More than one person said ,“We should get together more often”. "
AMEN
the swaylocks spirit , found when two or more are gathered together in [its] name
ben
"hi !!! susej !! "
… how ya been , mate ??
i miss our skype get-togethers
hope you are getting some nice waves mate !
I’m good ben! Been getting some good surf, at least a couple times a week lately. Got some great surf in Bali in December, and some good stuff in Canada in April as well. But COLD! Coldest surf I’ve ever had. Water temp was below 0 a couple days… Been making boards too, but at a pretty slow pace. A twinny for myself, then a normal thruster for a friend, a round-tail step-up for myself, in the middle of another twinny for another friend…
As promised, I got a couple set waves for Ben Shipman, just as the sun broke the horizon, on my yellow fish. Hope you saw 'em ben!
from the paddle out for Ben - at his North Couty beachbreak…Ray brought some of Ben’s boards, and a lot of his friends were there.
