Monochrome Monday (wet darkroom)

Textish Tuesday (Singles Only)

Text #1 "Went to beach today. Didn't drink enough water. Got a monster headache. Think  a bit of sun stroke."

Images c/-  Burleigh Boardriders

Text #2 "I got in trouble for buying Cheerios because the boys think its unhealthy. I blame you."

Text #3 "Massive yesterday. Good today with 3 - 4 foot. Crowd factor - psychotic, but still got some good ones."

Solstice

Those versed in the ancient arts of alchemy, astrology and astronomy will already know that today is our solstice - a time of potent portents when powerful forces are unleashed by the universe. Strangers perform random acts of kindness. Wallets get opened inexplicably. Plastic cards are exchanged for righteous fins, ballads, booze and wax.

And all around Christmas trees an office photocopiers, there is talk of spinning weather systems, spinning waves, spinning politicians and the existence of global warming, Jesus and Santa.

No matter what you believe, I hope you have a brilliant Christmas and a healthy and harmonious New Year.

Motivation

Get out.

Get wet.

Don't get too wrecked.

Have a great weekend.

Multigrain

Arc Poetry

If I was a better poet, I'd knock out a couple of evocative lines of rhyme about the arc as both a design feature and the way light travels through time, but I have to hitch a ride on the great metal goanna that is The Commute. For those of a performance poetry bent, check out this weekend's festival where my good friend Nathan Shepherdson is collaborating with some other wordcrafters.

Mr Freedom

My new board

is called "Mr Freedom"

by it's designer

6"8"

Single fin

Two small side biters

Four channels

Hatched a few weeks ago

First waxed and wetted

Yesterday

Stoke factor = extreme

BIG thanks to

Simon Jones of

Byron Bay

HUG YOUR LOCAL SHAPER!

Turn out the lights

They sold me a six foot board with four fins and a stack of DVDs. They put on free music and single fin surf comps. They provided a surf friendly meeting place for tall tales of tube time to be told.

And now Solace Surf Shop is about to close their doors for good this Saturday. Just so wrong. All the best for the future and BIG THANKS.

"When the music's over

turn out the lights"

from When the Music's Over by The Doors  1967

Guitar Weekend

This weekend the Vintage Amp and Guitar Show is on in our part of the island. So I'll be mooching around with my camera soaking up the vibes of those who can actually knock out a respectable cover or a tune of their own.

Fortunately, I have my old mate Tony to explain the nuances. That's him above on the road somewhere. We don't catch up enough but when we do, the decades seem to evaporate as our conversation swings from tube amps to catching tadpoles together in Year 2 to new music worth mentioning to unmentionable (here), yet hilarious adventures from the road or beach or campsite. Mate, this note's for you.

North or South?

This shot (above) is me on surfboard number three, a copy of MP's fangtail seen at a 1970's Pa Bendall Contest. It was like the first four boards I ever paddled - all single fins - like those of my heroes at the time - Wayne Lynch, Nat Young, MP, Peter Townend, Rabbit, Lopez, Reno, Rory, Owl. 

But that was a long time ago, last century. And strangely, despite advances in board design (and my advancing years), I'm thinking seriously of adding a modern, channel bottom single fin to my quiver. Maybe the thought is just some kind of mid-life crisis thing. Maybe not. My memory reckons there are some waves like certain point breaks on certain days that are just made for one fin. 

If you share similar memories or curiosity about single fins, rejoice, the good folks at Sunshine Beach's Solace surfshop have organised a single fin comp tomorrow. Check out some rocker and riding on boards that are older than 1985, be there.

"The main reason I built the first Fish was to correct a design flaw. I was riding pintails and my swim fins were hanging off the back of the board, causing drag when I dropped into hollow waves....Kneeling down on the patio with my swim fins on, I traced around them to give me an idea of the tail area I needed to keep my fins out of the water"

Stevie Lis describing the genesis of his first Fish design in 1967 as published in The Surfer's Journal Issue 20.1 

Many templates and tracings later, those early Fish designs have cross fertilized with ideas from around the surfing globe - Simmons, Greenough, Van Straalen, MR - and more to produce a hybrid modern generation of the Fish Family. Like the famous Grateful Deadheads, the Fish Family pop up around the world at various Fish Fries - non-commercial meets where one can wonder at the hundreds of boards on display and talk story with random strangers who are carving a similar track. This weekend sees them parking their caravan of soul at the Currumbin Alley 2011 Fish Fry organised by Grant Newby. Big thanks Grant. 

Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast or both? Single fin or Fish? Either way, there's plenty happening to interest all manner of brine sliders. Have a great, safe, respectful weekend.

Time Fades Away

Bird Love

The former "secret spot". This was one of many along the Sunshine Coast in the 1970s, due to poor roads/bridges and lack of development. I managed to catch a few excellent rides here last winter with a mate. There was even a whale spotted. The other side of the road is a National Park with signs at regular intervals warning of "Unexploded Shells" - a former artillery range during one of the numerous wars last century. This is possibly the oldest surf type photo I own, taken around 1975 when I got my first camera. My brother's Ford. Our single fin "shortboards" of 6' 10" (my longboard today turns better!). Carefree searches. I feel for the folks up North who have lost not only homes and livelihoods but precious memories as well 

Going South

Leaving this rain and bleakness and going south to catch up with a few brine brothers.

Hopefully finding a spot without a summer school holiday crowd. Have a great weekend.

Single Finned Auto

There was time when Aussie surfers drove either a General Motors Holden, a Kombi or a Ford and rode single finned boards without legropes. Hmmm, time seems to have folded back on itself - single fins, sans legrope, logs in the water and old Holdens and Kombi's multiplying in the hills somewhere. This post is for Dennis Murphy and Chris Miller from California. I've never met them but they sent me a nice email about this blog. Big thanks for the support! Check out their rides at Murphy Surfboards.

Landrover x Teewah

Just love the kid on the mini motorbike in the background. Single fin, film era near the wreck of MV Cherry Venture.

1980 Search Engine

Question Authority

The button on his tee shirt read "Question Authority". He had just returned from Europe to a party we were having in the Noosa hinterland. We had grown up together. Went to university together. Surfed and explored and camped out under the stars together. That was last century.

Last year we went on surfari with a few crew and scored some beautiful slides around Pensioners' Point. Still surfing. Still mates. Still questioning authority. Happy Birthday, Mark.

Time to Saddle Up the Pony

Bougainvillea are burning purple

Can only mean one thing

Time to saddle up the pony

for Laguna Bay's briney peelers

Square Bandit Thrice

Bandit.

Single fin.

Coolum.

1970's 

Fuji 35mm trannie film

 Pentax camera in a plastic bag thing.

No rashie.

Summer.

What do you want from life?

The first time I saw snow was on top of the Grand Canyon last century. Coming from the hot sub-tropical land of Brinetopia, I don't know what was more awesome, seeing that dirty big red, yellow orange, brown, green canyon or the thick layer of snow contrasted against the blue Arizona sky like wedding cake icing. Around that time, I came across The Tubes, a band originally from Arizona who headed west like so many others to California.There, they released such ascerbic classics as "White Punks on Dope", "What do you want from Life?" "Don't touch me there" and "I was a punk before you were". Social satire in a punk visage - almost like a hybrid between the Mothers of Invention and The Saints.

"What do you want from life?

To kidnap an heiress

or threaten her with a knife?

What do you want from life?

To get cable TV

and watch it every night?

------

There you sit

a lump in your chair

Where do you sleep

and what do you wear

when you're sleeping?

-----

What do you want from life?

An Indian guru

to show you the inner light?

What do you want from life?

a meaningless love affair

with a girl that you met tonight?

-----

How can you tell when you are doing alright?

Does your bank account swell

while you're dreamin at night?

How do you know when you're really in love?

Do violins play when you're touching the one that your loving?"

excerpt from What do you want from life? by The Tubes 1978

Moffats Headland - this view currently for sale for several million $$$. Retro single fin available in a range of tints and fin options. Uncrowded waves no longer available.