Here is one of them winding off quite well sometime in the last few years.
10/29/09
South Swell
There's a little south that'll be running on Friday and it's setting up nicely for a couple of our favorite peeling rights. Where to go? Don't know yet, and probably won't until checking the latest models before hitting the road pre-dawn.
10/27/09
Eye Candy
The maps lit up about a month ago as swell filled every nook and cranny in the region. We're eagerly awaiting more of these in the coming weeks and months.
10/26/09
Surf Trolls
I enjoyed this little bit of wisdom from marketer Seth Godin so much I thought I'd share it here. I'm sure most of us can relate - surely, there are trolls somewhere in your life...
"Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here's the thing(s):
1. trolls will always be trolling
2. critics rarely create
3. they live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. professionals (that's you) get paid to ignore them. It's part of your job.
"Can't please everyone," isn't just an aphorism, it's the secret of being remarkable."
We even have some trolls in the Great Lakes surfing community. I guess the key is to ignore them!
"Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here's the thing(s):
1. trolls will always be trolling
2. critics rarely create
3. they live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. professionals (that's you) get paid to ignore them. It's part of your job.
"Can't please everyone," isn't just an aphorism, it's the secret of being remarkable."
We even have some trolls in the Great Lakes surfing community. I guess the key is to ignore them!
10/24/09
Groveler
Rusty's Dwart looks like a really fun board for small, gutless surf. We know a little about that here.
Short, wide, flat...a recipe for small wave fun on a shortboard in the Lakes? I built a 5'8 twin fish years ago with a wide, straight outline and a swallow tail block about 15". The notes kept on it said something about "What would the ideal shortboard for typical Great Lakes waves be?".
The quad fin Dwart looks like a good one.
Rusty shaper Rick Hamon talks a bit about it here. Click on surfboards/models/dwart and you can see the video in lower right.
And here's a test run in small Southern California surf...
Short, wide, flat...a recipe for small wave fun on a shortboard in the Lakes? I built a 5'8 twin fish years ago with a wide, straight outline and a swallow tail block about 15". The notes kept on it said something about "What would the ideal shortboard for typical Great Lakes waves be?".
The quad fin Dwart looks like a good one.
Rusty shaper Rick Hamon talks a bit about it here. Click on surfboards/models/dwart and you can see the video in lower right.
And here's a test run in small Southern California surf...
10/22/09
Ode to a Friend
We're into the date window for the annual "Bill Lemmon's Memorial Contest", held in late October/early November on the South End of Lake Michigan.
Bill was a long time South End surfer who passed away unexpectedly a few years back. His infectious enthusiam was much loved in the "old" days when there were only a handful of dedicated guys sliding waves down here. Surfing the Lakes back then was much simpler - the only forecast you followed was the one spat out of your trusty weather radio, the only spots you surfed were the predictable ones with mostly onshore, sloppy surf, and the only guys you surfed with were the ones that would show up every time the wind was right.
Bill was one of those guys. And, though times have changed since then, and surfing down here continues to evolve, the pure joy that we feel when sharing waves with friends hasn't changed. That will always feel the same.
Every year, when the crew gets together to share waves in Bill's memory, we know that he is smiling down upon us. With beers in hand and smiles plastered on faces after a long, cold day of surfing at this year's Memorial, we'll be thinking of him, too.
This wave's yours, Bill.
Bill was a long time South End surfer who passed away unexpectedly a few years back. His infectious enthusiam was much loved in the "old" days when there were only a handful of dedicated guys sliding waves down here. Surfing the Lakes back then was much simpler - the only forecast you followed was the one spat out of your trusty weather radio, the only spots you surfed were the predictable ones with mostly onshore, sloppy surf, and the only guys you surfed with were the ones that would show up every time the wind was right.
Bill was one of those guys. And, though times have changed since then, and surfing down here continues to evolve, the pure joy that we feel when sharing waves with friends hasn't changed. That will always feel the same.
Every year, when the crew gets together to share waves in Bill's memory, we know that he is smiling down upon us. With beers in hand and smiles plastered on faces after a long, cold day of surfing at this year's Memorial, we'll be thinking of him, too.
This wave's yours, Bill.
10/19/09
More Waves = More Cold
It's a bit of a catch 22.
We wait all year for fall to come around, and with it, waves. Summer in the Midwest is very enjoyable, but as a surfer, it can be frustrating. That's why we look forward to fall, when big fronts move through, the wind picks up, and the waves become more and more consistent.
Unfortunately, the same weather that brings us waves also brings us cold weather. Really cold weather. Take last week for instance. We had surf every day all week. We also had air temps that were running about 15+ degrees below normal...all week.
Are we whining? Maybe a little. Does it keep us from surfing? Hell no. People ask us how we can surf all winter long...I ask them how how we couldn't surf all winter long.
3-4 months without surfing? Hell no.
So we will surf, and it will get colder, and we will still surf. And we will be grateful for every last mind-numbing moment of it.
We wait all year for fall to come around, and with it, waves. Summer in the Midwest is very enjoyable, but as a surfer, it can be frustrating. That's why we look forward to fall, when big fronts move through, the wind picks up, and the waves become more and more consistent.
Unfortunately, the same weather that brings us waves also brings us cold weather. Really cold weather. Take last week for instance. We had surf every day all week. We also had air temps that were running about 15+ degrees below normal...all week.
Are we whining? Maybe a little. Does it keep us from surfing? Hell no. People ask us how we can surf all winter long...I ask them how how we couldn't surf all winter long.
3-4 months without surfing? Hell no.
So we will surf, and it will get colder, and we will still surf. And we will be grateful for every last mind-numbing moment of it.
10/16/09
Dang
This photo was sent yesterday from one of those guys you would never knew existed until you happened to run into him at a "way out there" spot. There are a lot of those guys in the Great Lakes, and many are scoring incredible surf.
The wave was in some far flung place on what some were calling "Red Monday", a huge storm force winds day a couple weeks ago.
Dang.
The wave was in some far flung place on what some were calling "Red Monday", a huge storm force winds day a couple weeks ago.
Dang.
10/8/09
A Beautiful Thing
As a surfer, sometimes it all comes together.
Yesterday was one of those days for a few of us on the South End of Lake Michigan. The forecast, which we can never expect to happen exactly as predicted, actually did happen exactly as predicted. And, man, were we thankful.
When you pull up to the beach and see head high+ sets, offshore wind, and a full blue sky with warm air temperatures, you can't pull your wetty on fast enough. To share that with only a few friends for an entire afternoon is more than we can ask for. Especially when you're in Indiana.
As a surfer...check that...a Great Lakes surfer, those days are special. It's why we live and ride waves where we do.
Yesterday was one of those days for a few of us on the South End of Lake Michigan. The forecast, which we can never expect to happen exactly as predicted, actually did happen exactly as predicted. And, man, were we thankful.
When you pull up to the beach and see head high+ sets, offshore wind, and a full blue sky with warm air temperatures, you can't pull your wetty on fast enough. To share that with only a few friends for an entire afternoon is more than we can ask for. Especially when you're in Indiana.
As a surfer...check that...a Great Lakes surfer, those days are special. It's why we live and ride waves where we do.
Sorry for the Delay
Geez, it's funny how life can get in the way of a simple thing like writing a blog.
In this case, it is this new Online Store you are in as you read this. We have spent months buliding it, shaping it, critiquing it, and admiring it. When I opened the Shop in 2005, I never imagined that we would be doing this. But, like many business and people, the web is crucial for us.
We hope our work has paid off. What do you think? Any feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Hence, the delay this blog has experienced. The beauty of the web, though, is that it's back and better than ever. Thanks, as always, for reading!
In this case, it is this new Online Store you are in as you read this. We have spent months buliding it, shaping it, critiquing it, and admiring it. When I opened the Shop in 2005, I never imagined that we would be doing this. But, like many business and people, the web is crucial for us.
We hope our work has paid off. What do you think? Any feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Hence, the delay this blog has experienced. The beauty of the web, though, is that it's back and better than ever. Thanks, as always, for reading!
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