We will be hosting another one of our extremely popular “try before you buy” SUP demos next weekend…Sunday December 6…from 9AM – 1PM…call or email the shop to RSVP…
We will also be hosting an after demo party at our shop for our great instructional and sales staff…and, you are invited!
We will have lots of great in-store holiday sales items…and, an even more amazing variety of SUP’s from our store that already has more boards in more sizes, colors, and constructions than any store in the galaxy…
New arrivals this week include the new Terje Haakonsen (TAC) Edition SUP’s from Starboard…some are already sold…but, we should have a few left to fondle and drool over…;-)
If you can’t make it to this event to see touch and feel these new SUP’s, we’ll have better pics than what you see posted below, for you to peruse here on da blog coming up shortly…stay tuned…
The new “Limited Edition” Lime/Wood Ultimate Blend and Big Easy…
Scott is one STOKED unit!
The Starboard 12’6″ Pin in Wood, Tufskin, & Classic…
We will also be receiving another big shipment of 2009 Starboard SUP’s to restock our current inventory…
Also arriving this week are three new custom models that we have developed with Art Colyer at North Pacific Surfboards…there will be a new 8’6″ x 32″ wing swallow…9’10″ x 31″ wing swallow…and, a killer new 10’6″ stinger pintail California gun…all quad plus 1…and, all made in the USA…
These boards are the lightest and strongest hand shaped epoxy SUP’s on the market…you cannot finger dent them…they have a natural surfboard feel…here are a few others that Art recently shaped for us…8’6″…9′…9’6″…
Another custom shaper that we’ve worked with for well over 10 years on our custom quadfin surfboard shapes…and, the last several years on quad and trifin SUP shapes is Joe Blair…
We will be receiving three new production molded epoxy models from Blair… 8’11″…9’7″…and 10’1″…color choices will be aqua or white…
As if that’s not enough new variety and shizzle…we will also be receiving 10 new boards from Imagine Surfboards…the creator of the 2-piece, take-a-part ECO SUP…
In this painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris of the “first Thanksgiving“, the pilgrims depicted are having a nice little feast of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash…shared with the Native Americans…
Imagine for a brief second what this country, and of course the world that it influences…our neighbors (if you will)…could have been, if we had only lived a little more in harmony with our natural surroundings, as the Indians were doing at this time in history…
We hope that you and your ohana have many things to be thankful for on this day of Thanksgiving reflection…what a gorgeous day for a paddle!
It’s pretty easy around here to be thankful…what, with great weather…a clean environment…lots of freedom, health, and prosperity…and, we’re all truly thankful for your support in making our business a success…even in a challenging economy…we’re appreciative…hopefully, you feel the love we send your way with every ounce of your patronage…mahalo…
Channel Island view…everybody chillin’ Santa Barbara style today…
We saw a few industrious folks out catching their Thanksgiving meal…some folks will be enjoying fresh caught halibut and lobster today…reminds me of a surf camping trip down to the Baja…one of the best tasting Thanksgiving dinners of our lives…pretty simple…lobster and abalone sauteed in garlic, butter, & beer…
Fall colors…
Here’s our Thanksgiving Day prayer (holding your digital hands)…
No more sad songs…a silent whisper…
Maybe, if we all just whispered this simple mantra…positive synaptic energy would be, at the least, directed to the people in our sphere of influence…and would be felt and acknowledged…
“No more sad songs”…ONLY positive vibration…
pssssttt…the chorus is…”NO MORE WARS”…fa la la la la, la la la… Fa la la, la la la, la la la…
Hey…here’s a crazy dream…
A tipping point could ACTUALLY take place amongst, the over 6 billion inhabitants on this planet…
One can only wish…they say “be careful what you wish for”…the REALITY of this happening could make us weak in the knees…like, how the heck did that happen?!?!…;-)
You might say…yeah right…that would be like wishing to see snow fall on a California beach…
Wayullll…here ya go…surfin’ in a Winter wonderland…snow on the beach in Cali…
How the heck did that happen?!?!
Wow…the holidaze are already upon us…how the heck did that happen?!?!…;-) The next few weeks are definitely gonna be a daze…remember to smile on the water…miles of smiles…
Fun surf lately in the 8 0 5 …tweener swells are not as hyped…so the crowds are way down…
Sometimes the early bird gets the worm…but, has to share it with the other early birds… Surfing the late shift can be rewarding as it’s oftentimes crowd free as the hammer slammers…pool cleaners…teachers…and, surf shop owners scramble into the salt mine with salt water still running from their nose…;-)
Here’s a few that I captured of Rob doing the 2nd shift as I headed into the shop… Big Rob is one of our sales staff and instructors…longtime surfer…lifeguard…he has several years of paddle surfing under his belt and has started paddle racing…
EJ was kind enough to send us this great account of his recent visit to Puerto Rico (with wifey Andie) to compete in Puerto Rico’s 1st Pro SUP event (7.5 mile San Juan SUP Run)…
Images courtesy of EJ…
The San Juan, PR SUP Run – 11/15/2009 By EJ Johnson
I am so stoked to have been able to participate in the First Annual Velauno- Pro SUP Run in the beautiful and exotic Puerto Rico , from the flat protected waters of Condado Lagoon to the challenging Atlantic.
31 Elite paddlers from the Virgin Islands, Florida, California, and Puerto Rico, were put to the test during this 7.5 mi. part lagoon and part open ocean challenge. The start was 9:30 am sharp, and for once the start was clean, because the racers were warned if you jump the line you will be penalized 5 minutes.
We headed east for 100 meters and made a 90 degree right turn under the low highway bridge, and were greeted by some solid overhead surf.
I made it through no problem, but you had to be very careful not to cut inside of the reefs. I was lucky to have had a great start with Puerto Rico’s premier waterman Adrian Garcia.
I let Adrian get in front of me a bit, so I could use his local knowledge to keep the right line.
It was so beautiful, seeing old historical sites and reefs, that are so alive and clean, it was tough to concentrate on paddling hard.
I was going good for about 2.5 mi., when the heat (90 F.) along with high humidity set in.
My lungs felt like I was inhaling concrete , it was so hard to get air. I am very lucky to have the best sunscreen known to mankind! ( Watermans Applied Science) Thanks Pete and Macon for the P.R hats, everybody was stoked on those.
I started to get a little dizzy and vertigo’d out, so I had to bring down the pace to 60% (around 40 strokes per minute)
One big mistake I made, was no hydration, typically I don’t use any for races under 10mi. Although this race should have been he exception given the temp.
The Island was blocking the South wind ,which is normally out of the East and would have made for the ideal downwind condition that my (New) Starboard 23.5 just kicks into overdrive, reaching up into the 8.5 mph range.
I finally reached the San Juan bay entrance, and was greeted by calmer waters and a cooling south wind.
At this point Adrian is about 75 meters ahead of me, and to his advantage on his Bark 14′ in the flat harbor water.
I was able to kick up my pace, but in a paddle board race, there is no such thing as “I’ll catch um later”
Once you let your competition get ahead of you, it’s almost impossible to catch them, unless they fall, or hit the wall.
We now were passing the docked cruise ships and million dollar private sport fishing boats.
I was still feeling the heat, so I quickly downed my last Hammer gel/with caffeine, and grinded out the last 3 miles. It was definitely a long 7.5 mi. for me. I could see and hear Adrian hit the beach for the short spectator run, he was greeted with much Aloha and support from friends and family.
When I came in, I was Stoked that people I didn’t even know, were cheering me on, and telling me to run faster(which I couldn’t, but I played it off). I high-fived everybody, and headed straight for the turquoise water to lower my body temp.
I downed three waters and relaxed into a state of total chill. I cheered on all the other guys and gals, while talking and letting folks try my board out.
All in all , I had a great race , winning the 12′ 6″ class , and 2nd overall in the Elite division.
My wife Andie, also enjoyed in a 1st place win herself, in the Weekend Warrior division on a borrowed board, but she remembered to bring her favorite Sta
rboard carbon Wave model paddle.
The kids race was full of smiling faces, and also of young warrior game face.
We were settled in watching the kids go at it, when a giant wall of blackness envoloped the whole Island.
First, there was light rain, then heavy, now a full on tropical down pour with thunder and lightning.
In California, this would have immediately canceled the whole event, but Puerto Rican people just kept with the flow, hoping that it would subside.
Mother Nature had her own idea, and that was to keep raining. The race director and Velauno shop owner Jaime Torres, told me by the time they finally packed up, there was two feet of water surrounding the tents.
It rained the rest of the day and all of the next day too, but I guess that is why P.R is so green and lush.
We had an awesome time there, and were shown much Aloha, by the locals, and especially Jaime Torres and the Velauno staff.
Definitely put this event on your calendar for next year It will be Bigger and Better.
Many Thanks to Svein, Margareta and the entire Starboard family.
Thanks to my other sponsors :QuickBladePaddles/KreedEyeWear/Honolua/WatermansAppliedScience/OnItPro/Trunq/CurtisFins/ Wardog and Deb at SUPSports. And of coarse Brian Szymanski of North County Paddleboards for the fastest boards on the planet!
One of the bestest things about the holidaze are the colors…bright, light, & cheerful…a time for good thoughts and well wishes of peace and prosperity…quality time to spend with friends and family…and, also a chance to get out on the water and enjoy nature’s offerings…
Well it didn’t take long after I posted a piccie of a new colorful QuickBlade Kanaha carbon standup paddle, with pink graphics and edging, sitting on a pink Bill Foote SUP before the bees came to the honey…or, should I say a worker bee coming to take some honey back for the queen bee…;-)
Vik from Calgary stopped by the shop on his way to La Ventana, Baja Mexico for a couple of months, to pick up a bunch of SUP stuff and scored a pink Bill Foote that we had in the showroom for his sweetie who has just started standup paddling…
We’re sponsoring a SUP race there in January…click on the La Ventana link above for details…
If you’ve learned to windsurf on your standup paddleboard and are ready to graduate to higher wind sailing…or, already possess higher wind, windsurfing skill sets…then this is an incredible opportunity to add a sailboard to your quiver of toys…
These are brand new and in the wrapper…in most cases they are onesy/twosy quantities, so don’t procrastinate because they won’t last long…
You can also easily throw a sail rig on your SUP and cruise, if it has an attachment…our Starboard and Naish SUP’s have sail attachment points…we’ve had lots of interest in longboard windsurfing…our clients are prepared to take advantage of whatever recreational opportunities crop up…be it using a paddle or sail rig on their SUP’s…
No wind…no waves…no worries…
Longboard wavesailing…
If you want to tackle the winds and waves head-on, you can rig up some higher wind windsurfing gear and ride some waves…or, go bust some big airs and loops…it’s all good…we’ve been surfing and windsurfing for several decades…with SUP, you’re totally covered no matter what the wind and waves are up to…
*** Congratulations to team rider EJ, for winning the men’s SUP stock division in Puerto Rico’s 1st Pro SUP event (7.5 mile) today…and, 2nd place overall racing against the 14′ class on his 12’6″ stocker…***
Just got another batch of the colorful QuickBlade standup paddles… These are the popular 8.3″ fiberglass blades…MSRP $275…
Also available with carbon blade…ABS edging matches QB graphics…MSRP $339…
Standup paddling has been a blessing for everyone who has experienced it… Just the word(s) StandUp denotes action…and/or a call to action… Who hasn’t moved or been moved by Bob Marley’s anthem “Get Up Stand Up”?
Without getting too preachy preachy here are a few things to think about…
As of November 14, 2009, the world’s population is estimated by the US Census Bureau to be ~6.8 billion…
The world’s population is projected to be over 9 billion by the year 2050…40 years from now…that 2.5 billion people differential is equal to the number of people that existed on this planet in 1950…
Obviously, this is gonna continue to put tremendous stress on the entire ecosystem…
“The world’s species are declining at a rate “unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs”, a census of the animal kingdom has revealed. The Living Planet Index out today shows the devastating impact of humanity as biodiversity has plummeted by almost a third in the 35 years to 2005.”
“Ben Collen, extinctions researcher at ZSL, said: “Between 1960 and 2000, the human population of the world has doubled. Yet during the same period, the animal populations have declined by 30 per cent. It’s beyond doubt that this decline has been caused by humans.”
Alrighty then…it prolly doesn’t take a rocket scientist…or any scientist…to figure out that we humans are to blame…more precisely, it’s human ignorance…
Here are a few examples…
For the life of me, I cannot conceive how anyone could murder 7 of the last 700 remaining mountain gorillas on the planet…this photograph of Senkwekwe a 530-pound silverback, from Virunga Park, stirred worldwide outrage…click on pic below to read article…
Who murdered the Virunga Gorillas?
Photographer Brent Stirton and writer Mark Jenkins STAND UP to unravel the mystery of the Virunga gorilla murders in this movie…
We just can’t seem to play nicely in the sand box with other animals…
Closer to home…last month a 400 lb black bear that was frightened and climbed up a tree in nearby Ojai…was killed by Fish and Game…there was a public outcry and a new group was formed to assist in future large animal encounters.
Why the bear couldn’t have just been taken up to the nearby Sespe Wilderness area and released is baffling…maybe things haven’t changed much since 1922, when the last California grizzly bear was shot. It survives today only on our state flag.
Polar bears , the world’s largest carnivores are under tremendous stress…diminishing habitat due to climate change…and, the past unrestricted hunting…
A couple of weeks ago, this picture and story of a wolf hunted down just outside the border of Yellowstone Park appeared in the L.A. Times…
Alpha female Wolf 527 killed on Buffalo Plateau on Oct. 3.
Credit: Dan Stahler / National Parks Service
Wolf 527 and her pack, the Druids, are the most celebrated wolf pack in North America…she appeared in the PBS documentary In the Valley of the Wolves in 1995…
Here is a petition to Secretary Salazar to stop this senseless killing of wildlife…
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth. They are one of the rarest of the whales, and most biologists consider them to be among the most endangered of the great whales. It is estimated that there are only about 8000-14000 blue whales world-wide, (some say less than 5000) which makes them an endangered species. We humans need to do anything we can to help them survive.
It is not that common that the blue whale shows it’s tail flukes before diving… on a recent trip to the Channel Islands, I captured this sequence…
The ~ 2000 blue whales that feed along the California coast make up the largest concentration of blue whales in the world. During the Fall of 2007, four blue whale mortalities were confirmed to be caused by ship strikes in the Santa Barbara Channel off Southern California.
Blue whale factoids: * Blue whales grow to be about 80′ – 88′ long on average, weighing up to 150 tons…
* The heart of a blue whale is about the size of a VW beetle and weighs 1,000 pounds or more.
* Blue whales can dive for up to an hour, going to a depth of 350 feet.
* Blue whales are very fast swimmers; they normally swim 3-20 mph, but can go up to 24-30 mph bursts when in danger.
Hopefully enough caring humans will continue to STAND UP for these marvelous animals on the planet that are rapidly disappearing…
SEACOLOGY is an international environmental nonprofit organization that focuses on saving endangered species, habitats and cultures of islands throughout the world.
SURFAID INTERNATIONAL is a non-profit humanitarian organization, who’s mission is to improve the health, wellbeing and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing.
