Harbour Owner Society at San O! Pics by JDuck

Saturday morning 4 a.m. I pulled into the already 4 deep car line of San O, feeling good.

Jeff (Slider) was asleep in the overhead bunk of the Millennium Falcon, and I planned on getting another bit of sleep before the gates opened. But it wasn't long before the rumble of Todd's truck, John's van and the regular San O crowd started to pull in, so I was too excited to sleep.

Todd's Big Rig and my RV set up nicely in front of Four Doors, and the Harbour members rolled in, then it was into the surf to beat the crowds.

The morning swell was fun, with some good sized sets giving us plenty to ride. (Some shots form Sunday may be uploaded soon, when I get them). After a strong and tiring morning of surf, it was time to initiate the new HOS grill.

As usual, Todd and Jeff stepped up beyond the call of duty, with Jeff supplying the rib-eye and Todd supplying everything else (keep buying the gear all), the two master chefs created a phenomenal feast. (That's Slider, putting the pressure on with his Mad Dog look, killer tattoos, and tough guy swim trunks.)

Let's face it, there's tons of paddling at San O, and after a double session, we were wearied, tired and very happy.



The never tiring Todd, fires up the grill again, for the second round of grub; burgers, more steaks and Brats...very tasty, very tasty indeed. He seems to work best when approached, just as the embers go dark, and someone (like me) asks..."Can you cook me a steak?"

The crew gathered around, telling stories, before the picture. Many more showed and surfed, including a whole new crew for Sunday, but these are the members hanging around Sat. afternoon.

That's me, wondering how my back got old so fast.

A few of us enjoyed yet more cuisine Saturday evening, at San Mateo campground, with tri-tip tacos, and award winning Cabernet. Thanks for the hospitality James Clan.

I must say, I'm always stoked, by the "locals" of San O. For many, they've had their spots for years, they have their routine, and they have their locations to park; yet they welcome the Harbour Owner Society, and make room for our occasional gathering there. From the warm welcome at 5 a.m. in line, to the proper policing of mega-rigs taking 10 spots parallel parking, to the Hawaiian Surf Club...a great class of people. Thanks!

Another great event with fantastic friends--all who enjoy riding the wonderfully crafted vessels that carry the Harbour name.

1st Florida Harbour Day!

April 27th. Sunday. Morning. Oh-Dark-Thirty:

My friend Tom "Snake" Kelly arrived at the house as instructed - with no board. This was to be a Harbour only day and since he loves Harbours (but hasn't bought one yet - egads!) he was due to ride the Banana. I had loaded up my wife's Chevy Guzzler Gigantus (Suburban) with several boards the previous night so we were ready to go on his arrival. I had packed the Gatorade, he had brought a prodigious supply of Twinkies. Ready to roll.

Destination: Ponce de Leon Park, Melbourne Beach, Florida. Time alloted for journey: 2 hours:

Burnin' up I-95, slowing only for the many patrol cars. Munching onTwinkies, MojoBrew cafe Cubano and Rolaids, whilst listening to Warren Zevon sending lawyers, guns and money... We arrived, well, late. Eight thirty to be exact. Ponce de Leon park is actually nowhere near any of the east-west corridors that bring you from the interstate to the shore. So, once you get there, you've doodled down the coast for about twenty minutes taking in the sights; condos, condos, scrub palms, condos, bikini clad lovelies, condos, ah... a park... nope wrong one, condos, bikinis, condos, palms, the park! The upside of being a bit of a distance is the lack of crowds. Das ist goot. Muy bueno. Etc.

As we unloaded, we spotted a fellow taking video of the waves [which we
had suspected were non-existent as we were driving down A1A (the coast
road) - fortunately we were wrong about that]. He wasn't wearing a
Harbour shirt and there was no indication he was a "Harbour Guy" - we
do blend in fairly well - but my extra sensory perception lead me to
believe that he was, indeed, "one of us." It might have been that he
saw my Harbour shirt and came over to us introducing himself. I prefer
to think it was the ESP thing. Anyway, it turned out he was Tom
(Longboard727) from St. Petersburg, which is on the Gulf coast of
Florida (our West coast). AKA The Land of Even More Pitiful Waves Than
South Florida Or Maybe Utah. He had traveled all the way across in a
tiny Toyota which was dwarfed by his San-O on a soft roof rack. Risk
taker; I knew we were in trouble.

We readied the rides: Tom - 9'6" San-O, Snake - 10-0 Banana, James -
10-0 Sol (okay so the waves were seriously underpowered for the Sol but
I had promised to bring it for Gordon to try). The Banana was ideal but
I didn't want to stick a friend with an inappropriate board, so I got
to look like a kook (okay it wasn't much of a stretch for me) instead
of Tommy (Snake). I am such a nice guy.

As we were waxing up Gordon ran up. He had been in the water for a
while and was coming up to switch boards out. He introduced himself. He
must have ESP too, because he came right over to us (naturally it
wasn't the three boards with big triangles on them). I wasn't sure I
had actually met him because I think I blinked and he was back in the
water. I am a bit sluggish in the mornings.

So, I didn't bring a wettie. Actually, none of us had. Except Gordon. Smart. It was cold. Not California cold. Florida cold. Which is to say, about 70 degrees. After about fifteen minutes the brain freeze had worn off and it was really very pleasant. Central Florida has the nastiest looking water. The bottom is all silt and rock so it is never clear when there are waves, and bacteria joyfully find their way into any exposed orifice... sinus infections run rampant in this part of the state. Plus there are sharks. Lots of them. Big ones too (someone caught a 12 foot Tiger at a spot I surfed - on the day I surfed it. Not an uplifting thought really). None made their presence known today though.

We finally made it into the water and we were welcomed by waist to chest plus peaks. Lefts and rights. Tom (727) and I stuck together and traded off waves, occasionally doing a me-go-right-you-go-left deal. Fun stuff and fortunately we knew our rights from our lefts so no collisions. Drops were nice but you had to work the faces to make it through the trough between the reef and the shore. Gordon said it was better earlier. Natch.

The Sol is an awesome board and loved the drops, but the tail is too narrow for mush and it took a lot of cutting back and trimming waaay forward to keep it going in those waves. Tom was catching some awesome rides on his San-O - getting up to the nose even with a sprained ankle. I hate that kind of talent. Eventually we traded off and I quickly found out why Rich has size charts. A 9-6 San-O is a shortboard for my 205 pounds.

Eventually a steep enough peak cam along and I took off right, almost lost it on the superfast bottom turn and managed to work the wave all the way into the shorepound where I politely backed off the wave (okay, it dumped me me off the back of the wave - two left feet, I swear) so that Tom's board wouldn't get bounced off the inside bar. Tom had some trouble with the bottom turns on the Sol at first because of the tail and the mush, but he worked it nicely and really enjoyed the board, methinks. He followed me in and we walked back up the beach - there was a bit of a drift on it so we were about a 1/4-mile up. We traded boards after I let him tote my much heavier Sol up the beach for me. Sneaky.

Tom went back in and Snake and I wended our way back to the Guzzler. Me for a different board, Snake for a Newport. I was eyeing the Banana that whole time because I had observed him getting a LOT of waves (not surprising - he did earn the nickname after all). Since he's a smoker, I bet I could've grabbed his board and reached the water before he could catch me. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor (he's also mean when he's mad), I instead reached for the Fish. 6'6". Yikes! I had taken it out for the first time two days earlier and, having decided that there was no way I could ride something so tiny, I was sincerely shocked when I popped up and skated the thing down a face and cutback into the curl - on my very first try! Woohoo! Same for the twenty something waves that followed. Four-foot shorebreak and fun as all get out.

My confidence was up. So here I was, paddling out on the 6-6 and I had lost Tom and Snake but ended up next to Gordon on his Quatro which he had switched to from his HP-1. Needless to say Gordon's wave count was about four to one. Well, maybe ten to one. And smooth? He does his Harbours justice. I managed four waves on the fish and didn't do as well as I had in the minichop two days before, but I was still happy that I was standing on a such a small board and having a blast. Went in and traded out for longer equipment again and saw Gordon rushing off for work - sadly, he never got to try out the Sol (next time). I paddled back out and managed to hook up with Tom once more. The waves were seriously deteriorating as the winds came onshore and really bumped them up. My Twinkie high long since gone, tummy rumbling and fatigue setting in, I said "one more" and proceeded to wait another 45 minutes for it.

Ugh.

I am so stubborn in my refusal to paddle in. But then, out of nowhere, a headhigh peak arose. I spun and took off, gliding down the brown, sunlit wall. Reading the way the rip disrupted the face and broke it in two, I pressed my heels into the rail and swept back into the curl, straightening out for a second before pushing my weight back onto my frontside rail and hooking into the reform, accelerating like a bat out of hell into what fast became a booming shorepound. I pulled out and proned in. Looking back I saw Tom raise his arms in a two-handed salute and I waved goodbye. A great end to a fun, fun session.

Back up at the cars, Tom packed up his board (he had taken the next set wave in and gotten a good noseride) and decided he had to get back over to St. Pete rather than join us for lunch at the local food shack - DaKine Diego's which serves pretty-darn-close-to-authentic Costa Rican cuisine. Snake and I packed up and headed over after bidding Tom a safe journey. We were all stoked on the camaraderie and decent surf and wished only that there had been more of us there and more time afterward. We will plan another one with more time to decide on a date so that more folks can come.

First annual Photo Contest! WINNERS!

First, my favorite picture, even though it was not in the contest...Rich filling out my order form for my first custom ordered Harbour...I've bought new and used, but to sit with Rich, discuss the shape, and spend time with him and his knowledge, priceless. I'm looking forward to posting the shaping pictures and the finished board.

Thanks Rich!


Now to the contest.

Lots of votes for all the pictures, here are the four with the most, so I'm calling it a tie in both divisions...thanks for the artwork, and thanks for the votes all...fun times! We'll do it again. Boardhound has a little something for the winners.

Stay tuned, for a fun little write-up and pics Monday, from the Florida Harbour Day, and then in a week or two, some photos from the H.O.S. San O weekend.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE--IT'S WORTH IT!


#1 Great photo, what we dream of as we head to the beach.


#6 As one voter said, it's why we go to the beach on knee high days!


#7 Great art, great surf shot!


#13 Artistic? Entertaining?...well...it did tie for most votes...why, because we love the Boardhound!

The other vote getters.....

Photo Contest and H.O.S. Event May 2nd & 3rd

For more great art from Ron, check out his website, awefoto.com

It's a down month for events, but the weather is warming, and May 3rd and 4th is our next H.O.S. gathering. Look for the big White Rig, and the H.O.S. Mobile Office near 4 doors, in San-O.

Should be a fun one, some of us are camping at San Mateo, Sat. night.

Todd's bringing some grub, but bring something along to share if you like...hopefully we'll be initiating the new grill.

KILLER SALE PRICES AT THE SHOP! STOP IN FOR A GREAT DEAL ON BOOTIES, SANDALS, ETC...STUFF'S GOING FAST THOUGH. And as always, boards are a pleasure to view.

It's time for the first Surf Photo contest.

Two contests.

1. Contest 1 is of the best surf shot, judged on the surfing action, not photo quality, this can be a wipeout, tube, turn, or vibe....submit your photos to tdsurf@juno.com, I'll post for voting.

2. Contest 2 is for photo, artistic quality. This photo can be of anything surf related; waves, piers, oceans, surfers, shapers, boards, etc....it should be judged for photo quality, artistic value, entertainment, etc.

Once again, send photo's in smaller format, not too big so I can post easy, to tdsurf@juno.com

As soon as I get 6-10 pics in each category, I'll post for voting. This is an on-line event, with the possibility of no award (or maybe a little something)...just for fun, to see some surf related photography.

It's simple, send me a pic, I'll post them all, we vote, send me your favorite choice, and I'll post the winners.

If you're a pro, great, I'll post your website along with your picture, so you're a winner either way!

ALSO IN MAY!

BOARDSWAP

Buy Sell Trade

MAY 10, 2008

O&E Representatives will be present offering savings on surfboard accessories!!!

Check out Joe Aaron

Pro Surfer/Artist/All Around Great Guy!!!

Joe will be doing some live artwork and have other artwork on display. Check out his website:

www.joemotionprod.com

9am- 2pm

329 Main St.
Seal Beach Ca 90740

Call the shop for questions or to reserve a space to sell your board…it's FREE!!!

(562)430-5614

FREE BBQ 12-2pm

WWW.HARBOURSURFSHOP.COM

Keep the stoke!

Harbour Owner Society at San O...

Bobby J with Nadine...the San O experience...gotta' love it.

Another Harbour Owner Society event unfolded the weekend of March 1st, and as could be expected, the formula for success produced winning results once again; Quality people + Great attitudes = Stoked!

Most the team pulled in Saturday morning ready for dawn patrol. TDRevolver brought a new addition to the Harbour Family, the "Millenium Falcon", as Han Solo would say, "She may not look fast, and she's not, but, this pile a bolts will sure house a mean H.O.S. meeting."


Todd's Big White Rig, the Millenium Falcon, John's Surfing Chevy, Steve's V.W. van, and WoodinSea's mint condition paneled wagon, made for the perfect San O backdrop as we headed into the surf.

Bobby J finished his coffee, Lia fired up the camera, and the morning session began.

Bobby J and Ben
The swell was coming in nicely, with often plentiful wave sets of chest high plus. With waves for everyone, nobody was complaining and the day got off to a great start.

Later, John's smile told the tale, after a morning of many more waves, like the one above and better.

Ry was stoked to be riding the great deal he found up North; it just took a little drive time, a little patch, gloss, and polish time, and he's got himself a sweeeeet little Classic. He really made the board shine, from the board stand, to the water.

Ry and Mark in "Classic" style

Jeff

After the multiple wave sets, wearied riders like Mark (above) began to make their way to home base, for nourishment.

Of course, it was a good twenty minutes, after the last guy pulled off his suit and sat down for a snack...

when Todd finally came in.

in his own "San O" style.

Despite the sagging arms and shoulders, Todd fired up what would be the last Bbq for that grill, and soon we were dining on steak, burgers, and dogs.

The cold wind drove some of us into the H.O.S. office, but soon, the surf we watched through the Falcon's rear window beckoned.

Steve (Lilparadosso), was the first to hear the call, and soon, we were out in the surf once again.

With the wind calming, and the temperatures rising a bit, it was a suprisingly fun session.

The sun's rays breaking through, some nice little peaks, sparse crowds and friendly banter kept us charging till near dark.

Between Steve(Surf4me) calling out, "Walk to the nose!" and Steve (Lilparadosso) yelling, "Don't chase it!", I had plenty of motivation.

With a great first day behind us, myself and others headed for home, but the die-hards, Todd, Bobby J., Lia, and Steve stayed the night for a fun (in the sun this time) Sunday.

Steve (Surf4me)

Steve(Liparadosso)

Ben

Highlights of the trip for me, were of course the great fellowship, and shared stoke of my brother Harbour owners, but also, the stoke of those who passed by, or who we met on the line-up, that, although, maybe not Harbour Owners, shared the stoke, and were very hospitable to our gathering.

I appreciate you all, for great companionship, in and out of the surf.

TDRevolver

H.O.S. Weekend coming up!

Thank you, Lia Johnson, for the beautiful photo

Harbour Owner Society members, fun times ahead the weekend of March 1st. at San O.

Todd (Boardhound) will be there with the Big White Rig, Saturday, and Sunday, from Dawn till ???

Look for it, hopefully, at the nearest Grass Canopy to "Four Doors."

I know some of us our going to be cooking out, Saturday afternoon, so bring some grub, and a grill if you have one.

Can't wait...maybe somebody will be lucky enough to be riding the new...
Noserider.......

See you all there, bring the family, they are part of the Harbour Owner Society!

Don't forget to check with Todd, about extra H.O.S. gear and/or I.D.'s for discounts, it would be a great time to grab something.

TDRevolver