Friday, July 28, 2006

Two Years Before The Mast



"...the great seas were rolling in in regular lines, growing larger and larger as they approached the shore, and hanging over the beach upon which they were to break, when their tops would curl over and turn white with foam, and, beginning at one extreme of the line, break rapidly to the other, as a child's long card house falls when a card is knocked down at one end."

R.H. Dana Jnr., 'Two Years Before The Mast'

An excerpt (describing the surf on Santa Barbara beach) from one of the finest books about the California coast, and a book I'm amazed more Californians aren't familiar with. For those who haven't read it, Dana was a Boston fancylad at Harvard who's eyes began to give out on him. In 1834 to effect a cure he signed on before the mast as an ordinary seaman on a brig involved in the hide trade with California. He survives shipboard life, rounding the Horn in winter and spends a year sailing the coast (then part of Mexico) between San Diego and San Francisco gathering hides. He's an intelligent, literate writer and documents the then VERY different life in California beautifully, as well as giving a very human look at life as sailor in that time. San Francisco is little more than a Presidio and a shack, Los Angeles was even then a town of drunks and lawlessness, and the old Monterey Dana saw is still faintly visible in it's current form, albeit covered with a few other Monterey's (the fishing boom, Steinbeck, the yuppie boom). I took this book on our recent drive up the west coast, and even the 11 year old found herself drawn into the fascination with how different things were 170 years ago. A pretty essential tome I think.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Music From Southern India



Another excessively hot LA day, but one I got much done. Shipped books, paid bills and sorted a phone company problem amongst other things. This is all good. Seemed like a good idea to play the music of a hot land while I worked, and this was oh so good. All traditional stuff recorded by David Fanshawe whode made many great polynesian field recordings. If the hindus are right, I'd like to come back as a great tabla player (although it's more likely I'll come back as something who's skin will get made into a great tabla) Feeling proud of myself, I went and surfed smallish Santa Monica closeouts. Such a scene, it seems half LA was at the beach. Still, I got an hour of a peak with rare corners to myself before the crowd thickened and the water was nice and cool. Some small terns were fishing just outsie of me, making these amazing controlled spinning dives and hitting the water hard. Made me feel more clumsy than usual

Monday, July 24, 2006

Quiver: #1



A 5'10" Swift Movement fish made by Larry Mabile
This is a wonderfully fast board when it has some face to play on, even in small waves.
A week or so ago I rode it in blown out mushy waves in Crescent City and it was a lot of fun.
I'll ride tomorrow in probably equally bad Santa Monica bay waves and hopefully it'll be fun again.
I'm always amazed at what a brilliant piece of functional art a good surfboard is.