Golden Week

We had a great Golden Week here in Hokkaido, sunny all days but one, and some nice waves. The local break (Kako) felt a bit crowded a couple days, peaking at about 12 people, but was pretty empty otherwise. Us local surfers got together for our annual beach clean up and BBQ, good fun all around. There's an awesome sense of community at the local break, it is a real pleasure to live and surf here.

The waves have dropped, but the sand at the Kako rivermouth is really good this year so even on small days the waves have nice shape.
Below are some pics from this morning, small and nicely lined up. I took out the Big Red Simmons I made last year and it was a blast ... the board is so fast and just fired down the line, can't wait to give it a run tomorrow as well.

Little peelers

 

Big Red Simmons

Re-painted the tank on my MR. Looking good!

Back to Work

Back into the swing of another semester here. Three weeks of teaching in April, then a nice 11 day break over Golden Week. The spring semester is always enjoyable, new students, increasingly warm weather, good morning low tides, and south swells make it an awesome season. I've been out steadily four or five times a week the last month, and have had a ton of fun days...had a really nice clean morning last week on my big 47th birthday.

Enjoyed a couple of sessions on my wood boards. Basically giving them a run for half a session and switching off to poly boards later. It's nice getting back on wood, but I feel I'm giving up a lot performance-wise compared to my other boards. Still early in the season, I think when I get down to thinner wetsuits and no gloves, it should make the wood boards easier to deal with.

I'm currently collecting materials for a different kind of surf-related build (a Japanese Itago belly board), once I get it started I'll post my progress. I'm really exciting about this one, it's a great chance to dip into the history of Japanese surf culture and re-examine some of the principles and characteristics of prone boards and planing shapes.

Lab testing: comparing my new Stewart fish and my wooden mini NR

Happy birthday to me: small but clean and empty

My new beach conveyance: 1979 Yamaha MR50

Currently shopping around for a surf rack for it.

Early Spring

This has been an incredible March. It's been unseasonably mild and we've had a variety of nice waves, lots of small stuff, but several good days as well. Usually this is the season of dirty slush as the winter snow melts off and all the muck and sand kicked up by the snow plows muddy the roads. Not this year. Everything is clean, it's warm, and the south swell is already somewhat consistent. Here's some pics of what it's been like on the smaller days, long may it last.

Iburi warming?

While other parts of Hokkaido have been hit with cold, windy and snowy weather this winter, we've had it really mild here in Iburi. I've only had to shovel snow a few times this year, whereas most years it's a dreaded daily activity. I don't know what's going on, but Iburi is warm, and I'm loving it. I felt really blessed this morning surfing in plus 4 degree weather, without a hood, and with the kind of south swell we usually get in summer. Looks like the nice weather will continue into next week...long may it last.

A Belated Happy New Year

Boy, January sure is going fast. After getting in for my first surf of the year on New Year’s day, I headed off for a week in Hawaii. Town was pretty consistent for this time of year, so I happily got my fill out at Three’s and Kaiser’s… it was so nice to shed the winter wetsuit. This year I was stoked to run across Eddie Aikau’s board at the Quikilver shop on Kalakaua. I spent probably an hour looking at it and running my hands along the rails…just a thing of beauty and power. It’s so nice of the Aikau’s to let the public see it. Each year I go into that shop to look at the beautiful Takayama “Pacific System’s Homes” styled board they have in there, and now they’ve also got a nice agave gun (I think it’s a Downing). Really nice stuff. Gets me thinking about what to build this year.

New Year's day surf...

 Eddie's board. It's crazy watching tourists walk past this without a second glance, it's probably the most famous board in the history of surfing. When I saw it I stopped dead in my tracks. I feel so lucky, I never thought I'd actually get to see it.

My builds for 2014. What to make in 2015?...hmmmmm...

Winter has arrived...

Winter has arrived, and with it chilly blustery conditions. Everything shifted around favorably last week producing a few days of nice clean waves. Last Thursday was really fun; the pics below are from Friday when the waves were dropping but still fun enough. The wind has shifted around from the north yet again, and we are back to flatness. I'm hoping for a few more decent days before the new year and my annual trip to Hawaii...but with it being solidly below zero I don't mind the lack of surf at the moment.

November's Last Blast

After a fun October, November was pretty inconsistant. During one 11-day spell it was completely flat. Unfortunately, when the winter north winds start blowing across Russia it completely flattens everything out here in eastern Hokkaido...must make for some decent swell in the Aleutians though. We did, however, finish the month with a nice four-day swell. Caught some real gems over that period, and got pounded pretty heavily as well. All in all, a nice last bit of surf before winter arrives.