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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

More Buttons

1 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 12:01 PM


SW WIND 20 TO 25 KT...VEERING TO W 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 5 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
A comment from an earlier Buttons post:
David Rutledge:
Hello, my name is David Rutledge, and I am the director of Buttons Surf School on the North Shore of Oahu. Buttons is living a drug free life. He is now licensed and certified by the state of Hawaii to teach surfing. As another comment mentioned previosly, Buttons offers his time on the first weekend of every month to Access Surf Hawaii, where he paddles autistic, parapalegic and even quadrapalegic surfers out to catch waves on the West Side. Anyone who wants to surf with him can. All of his information and experience are available to surfers of any level or any age. Check out Buttons' new web site: www.buttonssurfschool.com or send him an e-mail: buttonssurfschool@hotmail.com. Look for great things in the future from Buttons.
And the earlier Anon comment:
Buttons sure had a wild history, but as far as someone who has landed on his feet, you should see him now. I ran into him at the surf access program last weekend (July 2007) and he must have spent the entire morning out there in the water with those handicapped kids, just laughing and smiling and sharing his joy. Great to see a man take such positive control in his own life. I asked him what is getting him through it all with all the negative words, he said he was just taking it one day at a time and trying to live in service, give back to his people share his love and the peace he finds in the water. wow, chicken skin.

 

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Sunday, July 27, 2008

Coquille & Bandon

0 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 10:17 PM

N WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

THE FERRY CROSSING MASSACRE

By Dick Hancock

The Na-so-mah band of Native Americans lived near the site of the presentBullards Bridge and were generally a peaceable people but the arrival of the white man aroused problems. The encroachment on their lands and the subsequent decimation of game put pressures on their way of life. Where from time immemorial they had lived at peace with their environment; suddenly an entire new civilization was imposed on them. The results were tragic for them.

In 1851 a party led by Colonel T'Vault set out from Port Orford to establish a trail to the interior. After much inept wandering through the wilderness,they gave up the task and attempted to return to the coast via the Coquille River.They engaged an Indian to carry them in his canoe downriver and when about two miles above the mouth, they encountered a band of the Na-so-mah neart heir village just above present day Bandon. While attempting to go ashore, they were attacked and several of the soldiers were killed. Of the remaining men, two made their way to Port Orford and two others went north to the Umpqua. Mr. Parrish, the Indian Agent at Port Orford, with a group of soldiers went to the Coquille villages and met with the chiefs, who assured him of their willingness to be peaceful and a truce was negotiated that held for several years.

With the discovery of gold at Whiskey Run in 1853, miners flocked to the area and once more friction started. An Indian was found in possession of a horse that was identified as having been stolen. The mooring line on the ferry scow at Bullards was cut and accusations were made that the Indians did it.

On January 27th, 1854, the chiefs were asked to come to a meeting to explain about the various incidents. They refused and the twenty militia men at the ferry crossing called upon the miners at Whiskey Run for assistance. Twenty miners responded and were formed into three detachments. The next morning, at dawn, they attacked the three villages. The villagers, aroused from their sleep, put up little resistance and were gunned down as they attempted to flee. Fifteen men and one woman were killed outright. Two other women were gravely injured. Of the attackers, none received even the slightest wound. The houses in the villages were burned and the possessions either destroyed or captured.

In 1856, the remaining Indians were gathered on a temporary reservation at Port Orford, preparatory to being taken to the permanent reservation being established at Siletz. In Mid May, the Na-so-mah ran away, returning to their old home at the mouth of the Coquille. John Creighton took a band of men and, finding them at their old home village, attacked and claimed to have killed nineteen. The remainder were returned to Port Orford and soon taken to the new reservation.

Thus was closed that phase of history for a people who had inhabited the lower Coquille River area for untold generations. Five short years of tragedy for a proud and peaceful people.

 

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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Inland

6 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 9:46 AM





N WIND 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FOOT...BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
Looks like some surf in your futures...
Not mine...
No complaints though...
Heading east for some R & R...
Spend a few days in the Opal Creek Wilderness...
Not roughing it too hard...
Cabin dwelling...
Cool pool swimming...
Hikes and hot springs...
Catch a few for me.

 

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Longing

1 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 10:59 AM


N WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. A FEW GUSTS UP TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT...BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
He was a funny kind of surfer...
In the summer...
He longed for powerful winter surf...
In the winter...
He longed for soft longboard waves...
When he was going right...
He wondered if the lefts were better...
When he was going left...
He longed for lined up right walls...
When the sun was out...
He wished for foggy, drizzly lineups...
When the rain pelted down...
He sighed recalling warm, sunny days...
But the one thing he didn't miss...
Those wetsuit shredding wipeouts...
Not much risk of those today.

 

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Friday, July 18, 2008

Kinda Crappy...Kinda Not

0 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 8:25 PM


N WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
I don't know who photoshopped the sock monkey into a wipeout...
But Thank You.


Surfed some soft windswell this afternoon...
The predicted 5 to 7 foot swell sorta showed up..
Sorta not...
The period was really short...
So there wasn't much to the waves...
However there were a few fun sets that came through...

Every 20 minutes or so...



It was a definite longboard day...
And all my longboards are in drydock...
I coulda pulled 'em and surfed 'em...
But I didn't...
Why waste all that prime drying time...

On what was really Kinda Crappy waves?



I took out the quad...
Which pretty much discouraged and humbled me last go 'round...
Gaz said it was 'cause I was hung over...
I was...
But I also surfed it terribly...
Today's waves were much weaker than that session...
But I surfed it much better...

I think?



It was tough to make the crumbly sections...
And I thought I was in for another downer surf...
But then an outside set rolled through...
Which I miraculously was not out of position for...
Provided a niced lined up left wall that was workable...
A few more of those came through in the course of the day...
And I exited the water feeling better about the board...
And my slowly regenerating short board surfing skills.

 

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

All In A Day's Work

1 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 6:45 PM


N WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 4 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
Seems like kind of a waste of sushi-grade octopus.

 

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Progressive

1 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 9:54 AM


NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 4 TO 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
The latest install on the Tsuga...
He's added a second keel block section...
The plank came from a tree out of Newport...
Dims are 7'10" long, 1 3/8" thick & 15 1/4" wide...
The impetus for creation of this board per Speelyei...
"I just happened to have [the wood]..."
"...some extra time..."
"...the tools, and..."
"...no resources to do anything else."

 

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

All Plank, No Rocker

3 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 8:35 AM


N WIND 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT EARLY...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 6 SECONDS.
Out of that hotbed of wooden board design...
Waldport, Oregon...
Tsuga hetrophylla [Hemlock]...
Current process per shaper:
1. cut down native tree.
2. slab with slabbing bar attachment.
3. wait a good long while.
4. think old school thoughts as you operate hand-plane, like, "My hand is cramping".

 

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Monday, July 14, 2008

Whitecaps, Windstorms & Wasted Time

0 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 9:11 AM


N WIND 15 KT WITH GUSTS TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 6 SECONDS.
4 feet at 6 seconds...
Not on the central coast...
Or north coast for that matter...
Had some business in Eugene...
So headed over to Florence for a look...
Nope...
Briefly considered a southern foray...
But 30 knot winds...
Whitecaps to the horizon...
And a 1 foot swell...
Put the kabosh on that...
So headed north...
Checked a 1/2 dozen spots...
Nope the 6th power...
On each and everyone...
Final spot the only one...
With protection from the north wind...
Yielded tiny but smooth shin to knee highs...
That ended in shin to knee deep water...
Not a great surf day...
But felt good to get wet...
After 300 miles on the road.

 

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Friday, July 11, 2008

Slab Creek

1 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 10:37 AM


N WIND 15 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 20 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 6 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
This photo was taken at the A.N. Gilbert family camp at Slab Creek on the Oregon Coast in 1880. Further research has discovered that Slab Creek was the original name for Neskowin in Tillamook County. In 1887 the area was known as Slab Creek because of a quantity of slabwood that had washed up from an earlier shipwreck. The name was changed on October 7. 1925 to what the Indians called it, Neskowin, meaning "plenty fish". The name was pronounced with an accent on the second syllable, rhyming with "how". The group is seen standing in front of what is known as "Proposal Rock" several feet off shore. The women bathers are in knee-length dresses and the men are in knee-length pants - the bathing attire of the time.

 

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Thursday, July 10, 2008

And Now...

0 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 4:58 PM


Back to Surfing...
Just posted this pic last month...
But it applies.

Surfed on Tuesday and Wednesday at PC...
Following on the heels of the Cole Ortega incident...
Lots of talk about what to be done...
Who's to blame...
And talk of buoys, lifeguards & regulations...
I feel bad for the boy...
But you can't regulate everyone's safety...
It's an inherently risky endeavor...
Although getting hit by a boat...
Isn't a risk you generally consider.

Tuesday's surf was pretty dismal...
Quick closed out shorebreaks...
Wednesday, paddled out with HD...
He wanted to go drink coffee...
But I used the Jedi Mind Trick...
To persuade him to surf...
And keep his surf streak alive...
Once we got out, he said...
"Bigger than it looked"...
I answered...
"And crappier than it looked too"...
We caught a few and hung it up...
He went to drink his coffee...
And I went and surfed the closed out shorebreak again.

Later that day, I paddled across the above river...
In misbegotten hope of surf...
I made it about halfway through the flats...
Before the force of the wind...
Drove me backwards...
I stashed the board...
And struggled forward to the beach...
The nuking north wind...
Needles to say, had destroyed the surf...
And the blowing sand storm...
Sent me packing quickly.

 

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Heros & Villains

3 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 4:17 PM


N WIND 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT THROUGH THE EVENING. WIND WAVES 5 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS... BUILDING TO 7 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
A 14 year-old surfer, Cole Ortega, was seriously injured after being struck by an incoming dory during heavy, rising surf this past Sunday. The boy's arm was severed by boat's the propeller just above the elbow as it struck and passed over him. Others surfers in the water recovered his arm and assisted him to shore where he was quickly treated and evacuated by emergency and medical teams. Cole's arm was reattached at Portland's Emanuel Hospital and the prognosis is hopeful, but guarded, that he will recover some use of the limb.
Immediate responses have run the gamut; with allegations of dangerous negligence on the part of the dory operator, insinuations that surfers have no business surfing at Cape Kiwanda in the first place and the calls for restricting access to certain use groups.
Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and something positive will occur as a result of this tragic incident. An aid fund, managed by local surfers and dory men, has been established to assist the Ortega family through this crisis.
If you are interested in making a donation please mail checks to:
The Cole Ortega Recovery Fund
P.O. Box 423
Pacific City, OR 97135

 

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Sunday, July 06, 2008

Swell Jump

1 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 9:12 AM


N WIND 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
Last night certainly wasn't showing at 9 foot...
Heading out for a 3 day CenCo foray...
Hopefully, to find less wind than expected...
A bit more period than expected...
And that that 6 foot swell will hold!

 

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Saturday, July 05, 2008

Weg

7 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 10:47 AM


S WIND 15 TO 20 KT. GUSTS TO 25 KT IN THE MORNING. WIND WAVES 4 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
Tom Wegener on Style [from his website]:
Catching the wave early:
First, I like to enter the wave early. The wave moves fastest as a swell in deeper water and slows as it breaks. The wood boards catch the wave very early while it is moving fast. Then I have plenty of speed and inertia to set up my ride as the wave slows to break. Also, the wave is biggest as it first breaks and I like to make the most of the takeoff.I can still identify whether a surfer learned to surf on a single fin or a tri-fin just by the way they stand on a board. Learning to surf on a single fin develops a better all round style.
Leaning into Turns:
All my traditional boards have big wood fins place right on the tail. I love to lean into my turns as hard as I can and the big fins give plenty of surface area and traction so that can lean way over and come out of a turn with plenty of drive. Placing the fins on the tail make for a tighter radius pivot turn. The fins are thick, ¾ inch, so there is plenty of curve for water to stick to (no cavitation) which makes for very smooth turns.The light wood fins give positive buoyancy to the tail. This makes a big, positive difference in the way the boards turns, paddles, and enters the wave. Big fiberglass fins are heavy, slow, and cavitate. Never again will I put a heavy fiberglass fin on a traditional board.
Wegener Style is to surf in the pocket:
My boards work best in the most critical part of the wave. The boards tuberide and noseride where modern longboards are sliding sideways or catching a rail.With my boards the approach to noseriding is to stay in trim in the middle of the board until the wave is steep in front of you and you are accelerating. Then you walk the nose. On most longboards, you run to the nose early and back off when the wave gets steep. On my boards, the fin will not pop out and you will not slide sideways when the wave is steep. Instead, you feel the incredible rush of hanging ten through steep sections or even through sections that have already broken. My approach is to back door sections and work the pocket. If I make it to the shoulder, I cut back to where the power is. Hanging ten and tuberiding have a very similar approach. It is about positioning yourself deep in the pocket, which is really, just good surfing.
The average quality surf:
My surfing is mostly about enjoying the surf you are dealt. It is great when the surf is perfect, but often it is not when you get the chance to paddle out. Getting into a wave early, pivot turns, and inertia through sections can make poor quality surf a very enjoyable and exhilarating experience. These photos were taken on days that few surfers would have bothered paddling out, but I had a great time and got some memorable waves. A good attitude along with a proper board can make this quality of surf something to look forward to.

 

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Friday, July 04, 2008

Apres Surf

4 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 11:14 AM

S WIND 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

I generally come up with all kinds of great after surf activities...

 

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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Landsurfing

3 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 9:12 AM

S WIND 5 TO 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

Why bother with all the risk associated with going into the water?
Just stay on shore...
Use your imagination...
Tuberides...
Cross stepping...
Hanging Ten...
It's all so much easier...
And safer too...
Remember your helmet.

 

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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Stylin'

2 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 12:42 PM


N WIND 5 TO 10 KT...BACKING TO NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FOOT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
My son modeling the latest T...

 

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Quivering

9 comments Posted by Wave Farmer at 12:24 PM


S WIND 5 KT...VEERING TO NW 5 TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FOOT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
The gratuitous quiver shot...
Took it on Sunday...
Utilized roasting hot sun...
To remove blackened, filthy wax...
And check for repair needs...
Got my work cut out for me.
From the left...
6'1" Lightning Bolt...Tom Eberly tri-fin...hard to believe I ever rode a board this short. Looking at the fins, an old repair brought back memories of surfing it at DOH Huntington Cliffs and fearing for my life...I survived, but the board lost a sidebite that day.
6'10" POS...this thruster was semi-destroyed on the cobbles at a famed north coast left hand point in the early 90's following a leash failure on a good sized day...now a single fin...thinking about converting it to a quad just to see.
6'8" Third World Exotic...Larry Mabile quad twinzer...my newest board and one that has given me fits along with a few good moments.
6'9" Seven...Bryan Bates tri-fin fish...hasn't seen alot of water time...always seem to go with a different board.
7'2" Legend Point...Darrell "Rooster" Dell thruster...love to surf it in bigger, clean surf but when it's bigger it usually isn't clean...pretty thin board and a tough paddler for me.
8'3" Smitty...TK Smith...Leucadia underground shaper who used to do production work for Japan...don't know where he is these days.
9'6" Iron Cross...Dennis Murphy tri-fin...my go to board for many years...surfed it in small to overhead surf...started to have lots of issues with delams & loose fins...now a "Frankenboard" being babied along...the thing flexes like crazy now and every wipeout is folled by surfacing expecting to find 2 pieces of board.
9'6" Hynson & Company...Mike Hynson Endless Summer II Model Single...classic Hynson downrailer...the thing screams down the line...only a little slower than...
10'6" Skip Frye...Skip Frye Eagle singlefin with sidebites...I rarely put the bites in and surf it with a 9.5 Frye flex fin...a section connector.
And not pictured (in for repair) a 60's 9'6" O'Neill Stepdeck...I'm having it reglassed so it's watertight for crowd busting at crowded summer spots..."LOOK OUT...I CAN'T TURN IT!"

 

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