Carving Nostalgia

After a run of fun but slightly mediocre surfs, last weekend yielded something that I had been craving for quite some time.  Fast, racy, heavy shore break. Praa Sands style! I love surfing here in these conditions, it was the beach where I grew up, as such I have put enough time in over the years so that I have got it more or less wired.  Because it was the place where I predominantly surfed during my formative years, it no doubt shaped my style and approach towards surfing.  I have surfed it a lot throughout my surfing life, taking a fair few knocks in the sand along the way, broken some lovely boards too, but I do love these waves. And I am truly in my element when the tide gets high and things get a bit heavy! This past Saturday as soon as I saw what was happening, that shift from the outside banks to the ones just below the high tide line, I knew that I was in for a treat.  And I realised that...

While on the subject of California, I thought I would say a few words about one of the finest surf films there ever was, One California Day . This film sums up the California surfing experience for me perfectly. In fact when ever I am in need of some Cali sunshine, it goes on and never fails to lift my mood by taking me to the Golden State, by way of the DVD player. Having got the goose bumps when I saw the trailer for the first time, I got to see the full film early in 2008, when K had managed to get me a copy for Christmas, (I am fairly confident in saying that I had the first copy in the UK, coming straight from Jason Baffa).  This was a defining moment in my surfing life.  For here was a film that wasn't backed by one of the corporate surf companies, it didn't feature the main-stream pros of the time, no competitions, no groms and none of the ego driven BS that is so often found in surf movies.  No, it was pure California, fe...

At the risk of sounding horribly clichéd, there is nothing that can match the feeling of riding a wave, I mean really riding a wave.  It's a feeling that comes alive when I drop into a decent wave, large or small it doesn't matter, but it is the sense of doing something that precious few can do, less still really appreciate. I love that sense of being committed to the wave that I get when the speed at which you are paddling, matches the forward motion of the wave, and it has you. That feeling of anticipation, trepidation, excitement and wonder all rolled into one.  Looking down the line to and taking a quick snap shot in and in an instant planning a route, taking the line that will allow for the most speed and the best moves, all of this information is computed in that instant just at the point of take off, before the ride begins. Once taken off, the whole plan is executed and the only thing that I am focusing on is the wave ahead of me, nothi...

I surf and I surf well.  I should do too, given the years or should I say the decades that I have dedicated to it, although that last bit does make me feel a tad old, but hey ho, it's just a number. From the day I first began surfing, way back in '86, surfing and the culture that surrounds it has pretty much defined who I am.  Although to a lesser extent in recent years, due to constraints on my free time and the fact that I have developed interests in lots of other tings, in the past it has been my everything, and nothing would get in the way of its pursuit.  My entire life would be planned around the next swell, plans would be thrown out of the window to go surfing, school was missed, jobs and girl friends were lost and turmoil created at home and away in the name of riding waves. Surfing immediately put a spell on me, it gave me exactly what I was looking for when I was a young teenager in need of a direction.  It opened up a whole new world of ...

Recently I have come to accept that I am not as young as I was and when I stop to think about it, I am very comfortable with that. I am describing this break through moment in the context of surfing, but I suppose I can also apply the experience to other aspects of my life too.  For an awful long time I was completely at odds with the world of modern surfing.  I felt that it went against pretty much everything that I held dear and associated with the surf lifestyle, the commercialism, the involvement of big corporate business and the 'look at me' generation Y traits as displayed by many of the top pros, as well as by the local guys from the beaches where I surf became tiresome.  In short, I came to dislike the whole scene.  I know that at the age of 41 I am not supposed to fit into the same age bracket as the younger generation, but I had never considered that the age gap would become as apparent as it did.  After all, we are all surfers and age is j...

For many years mainstream surfing has become focussed with what goes on above the lip, rather than on the wave itself.   Whether looking through a magazine, or surfing locally, the surfing, or should I say the younger surfing crowd have gone crazy for the aerial, or air as it is now better known as. Now, let me first say that I am not against aerials, not at all, in fact in the late 80’s, during the Wave Warriors era when Matt Archbald and Christian Fletcher were pioneering them, I genuinely thrilled by the new school surfing that they represented.   Things went a little quite on this front after the initial flurry of interest, partly because in a competitive sense they were still frowned upon and scored accordingly, and in the local context, it was that they were just so darned hard to do! Rusty surfboards did a movie called 'Just Surfing', which I saw when it came out in '91.  This featured a free surfing section with a blistering sound track provided by the Sm...

Last Friday I attended the Banff Film Festival when the UK tour came to town, and for the second year I was truly inspired by the films that I saw.   The selection of films was on a par with those that were shown last year.   And again I came away in total awe of this group of people who are not only masters of their chosen pursuit; they choose to live their lives in a way that enables them to focus 100% on doing what they love. This really struck a chord with me and reminded me to not lose sight of the lifestyle that I am looking to attain.   I have nothing but admiration for anyone who chooses a different path in the pursuit of a fulfilling life; I know that doing so takes an incredible amount of commitment.   The people as featured in the films of the night clearly have the characteristics and self-belief to follow their dreams of doing what they love, without letting life’s obstacles get in the way, which I find so encouraging.   Furthermore the eveni...

While many would look at the trends and fashions of the nineteen eighties with a sneer, dismissing it as the decade that taste forgot, I would say that such derogatory terms are unfounded.  That is, if you happen to have discovered surfing and skateboarding at this time, as I did. The prevailing cultural references from the decade are those that which reflect the mainstream popular culture of the time. Yes they existed, but they do not define the era for me.  I began surfing in the Summer of 1986, and I would say that this coincided nicely with the emergence of the modern surf and skate industries.  A time when many of the brands that I know and love today really came into their own.  Yes, it is true that the very same industries can be regarded as being responsible for selling out both of these cultures to the masses, this was the beginning of that.  But to an impressionable 14 year old, the fact that the brands that were held in such high regard were so...

Last week I wrote about how much I have grown to dislike surfing in the cold months of Winter.  Well, it seemed that no sooner had I hit publish, the weather shifted, in that the sun came out, and dare I say it, the first signs of Spring emerged.  Someone on a much higher plain must have taken pity on me! This changes everything.  Already I can feel the pangs of stoke that I get each year at this time, signifying the start of several months of surfing in comfort, although comfort is a relative term, but when compared to cold water surfing, it is wholly appropriate. I have already begun the ritual taking stock of my surfing equipment, the main boards have been checked over, and everything is in place for the day that I make my annual come back, the day that I remerge into the surfing world!  I find this feeling heartening, for it reaffirms my stoke, which admittedly lies almost dormant for a little while each year.  But as of now, just looking at my...

It is difficult to determine exactly when the back lash against the traditional surf brand began, but I would say that it took place in the first half of the last decade. These days the traditional brands are regarded with a degree of distain by a significant number of surfers, particularly those in the older demographical groups.  This being despite these companies having made small inroads by making a return to the styles and designs that were esteemed previously.  I think a key reason for this is that many of the brands took there eye off the core market when they went main stream in the nineties.  Those who had worn the labels with an unwavering loyalty for many years were suddenly shunned in favour of the promise of increased profits that selling to the masses offered.  Because all but a few of these companies were no longer run by surfers for surfers, instead they had become huge corporations, where the share holders called the shots, they...

As I grow older I find that I am drawn to the more historical elements of surfing culture more and more.   By this I mean the early nineteen sixties in particular.   I am referring to the era that can be defined as being very Southern Californian in essence, featuring the styles and feeling of this time, both in and out of the water.  The colours, designs and general aesthetic of the period is particularly appealing to me. For I love the hibiscus prints, as well as the graphics that featured on the boards when bright colours, clean designs and vibrant graphics were the characteristics of the day.  At the risk of sounding slightly clichéd, the aloha spirit seemed to be very prevalent, and the surfing scene was built upon the notion of riding waves for the fun of it, above all else.  Based on my understanding, which I think is an accurate, albeit slightly romanticized view point that has been gained from reading many books and magazine...

When it comes to Winter surfing, I have little or no interest, not any more. There, I've said it, it's out there. I have always preferred the Summer for surfing, as well as everything else for that matter, but I know that I am more suited to surfing in warm(er) water.  That said, I always felt duty bound to surf through the cold months, besides, that's when the best swells hit, isn't it?  The first few Winters were fine, I think, for the stoke of surfing and just wanting to be in the sea doing what I love took the pain of the cold away, plus I was a youth and as such I probably didn't feel it. I certainly don't recall complaining too much, OK, that last statement might not be wholly true, I've always complained, about most things cold or otherwise! But gradually, with each Winter I would find it just that little bit more difficult to go in, I would go through the motions, but in my heart I was beginning to resent the cold. Weighing up just how much...

I am starting to wonder whether the version of surfing that I know and love stills exists, in a local context. I began surfing in the mid eighties, the local, West Cornwall scene was fairly strong at this time and I was quickly captivated by the world of surfing.  I loved the beach life and the characters that were found there, as well as the styles and clothes, almost as much as I loved surfing itself.  For me it was all about the complete package.  As soon as I discovered surfing, it was like being given access to a whole new world, I loved the feeling that this gave me, and for many years it played a huge part in my life. I always looked towards California for my inspiration, emulating the styles both in and out of the water as seen in the US magazines at this time.  And I think this is where the shift in British surf culture came about.  British surfing came of age at some point in the mid 90's, people who surfed no longer had to look to the US or ...

This blog is dedicated to things that roll on wheels and slide on waves.  More specifically, it is a celebration of many of the things that I have a real passion for, namely old cars and vans (both the shoes and the vehicles), as well as the more stylish, inspirational and down right classic elements of surfing and skateboarding.  Much of what I write about will be based upon my own experiences, many of which took place during what I would define as being the golden era, for me at least.  Namely the time when I first entered into the incredible, exciting and down right magical world of surfing and skating.  I am talking about the fantastic 1980's! That said, it is not limited in any way, shape or form. If it rolls on wheels, can be defined as a board-riding, or if I just happen to like it, it is almost certainly going to be included.   This is Carving Nostalgia, I hope you enjoy the ride! It is a non-commercial, purely for the f...