Surfing... a lot.

Been surfing everyday. Surf's been good and it's building... wow:




Post surf breakfast spot with a million dollar view and a nice cold beer. Pinch me, pinche.



It's tough... but someone's got to do it. I guess there's been some weirdness on the road with the local trafficantes... even rumors give you the yips around here- that might explain the lack of crowds.



Huevos rancheros, a pile of fresh corn tortillas... and service with a smile. Yes.



Here's a shot of the spot right out in front. The daily routine involves a surf up the road and an afternoon go-out in front of the casita. I could get used to this.



Here's our cool little breakfast spot- hand painted by Diana the local girl who puts together the best chile relleno you've ever tasted.



And inside that building are a couple of coolers packed with ice and, you guessed it, cold freshies.... the perfect workout recovery drink.

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1.5 Days of fun surf... Hello from Mainland Mex!

Got here last night, jammed out of the airport and pulled up to our house-on-the-point. Immediately pulled the boards, fins and paddles out and hit the water. The point looked fun, it was probably only two or three feet out but the stando makes it all fun. We all nabbed a bunch of waves and started cranking out cutback after cutback. The session only lasted a couple of hours before the sun set- a short one but a great way to wash off the residue of a day of traveling.



This is the first thing you look for when you get to an airport. Big Chad pointing the way.



Obligatory Bloody-Mary-from-LAX travel photo. Two of those, preflight, make the trip go a lot more smoothly.



In the air and at work- kind of. I would have posted from 30,000 feet up but Alaskan wanted to charge me close to ten bucks to do it.



Yes, there will be dents in that roof- five surf boards, two standos, four paddles and whatever else we could jam in the boardbags- that's a lot of weight for that little Renault... but it must be done, right?



This guy is right outside the doors of the airport- when you get out of the A/C, I suggest that you head right to him because when that humidity hits you like a hot wet blanket, you're gonna need to hydrate.

Surf shots coming!

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Are you kidding me!!!

Well paddlesurf.net peeps... we did it: 1000 posts... can you believe it?

There are only a few things I've purposefully done a thousand times in my life just for fun (easy, just take it easy- I know what you're thinking- don't say it). It's been a great ride and I'm just as fired up as when I started tapping this thing out. I have to give huge thanks to my brother Michael Ashley who set this thing up and said, "Dude, just start writing about paddle surfing so mom will know what we were doing on our trip (we had just driven down to Cabo San Lucas)." My answer, of course, was, "That's stupid, no one will care about what we do." Guess I was wrong- thanks readers- you rule.

And we're just getting started!

Big Chad goes to mainland Mex... with the FrankenZipper

So you're packing for your surf trip- it's late at night... and your board bag's zipper blows out. What do you do? Frankenzipper!

Big Chad is one resourceful guy... who's got a lot of zip ties.

If you're a real surfer you know that on a surf trip you have to have your own equipment... Big Chad's got a stando and a long board in there- both custom made for him... and they're both going to make it down there.

Nice.

Zip ties, duct tape and saran wrap... the world is held together with this kind of stuff.

Nice work Big Chad... see you at 5am!

Back to the wave garden.... Mainland Mexico

Racing is great... but surfing RULES! Packing it all up for a week of warm water, waves and cold freshies. Yes. Here's a shot of the surf gear:


That's a Stu Kenson Pleasure Pig (6'6 x FAT), stringerless eps blank, epoxy and a whole lot of foam... gonna see how she runs on those long lefts. Of course the 8'6 Stamps Grim Ripper is coming along, two paddles, a few leashes and a bunch of tropical wax.



Check out the fin selection... all from Futures Fins. Coming along for the ride are three different set ups for the stando and a quad set up for the Pleasure Pig. More fin info to come once I get down and running.

Off for LAX at 5am and should be into a Bloody Mary by no later than 8am. Check back for the obligatory Bloody Mary surf trip shot!

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2nd Annual Hovie Newport Race: A few photos... a few words.

Just got back from Hovie's 2nd annual SUP festival in Newport beach. As advertised, a few photos, a few words... Check 'em out:

Sign up time... early morning in Newport Beach. That's Roland Baker from CaliforniaStandup.com, John Goodman in the background and Robert Howson passing on secret course information- always good people at the stand up races.

Chris Koerner, Magic the surf dog and Andi Johnson.

Roland Baker (CaliforniaStandup.com) offered me the use of Coreban's 14' Alpha racer, a sweet looking board that paddles nicely too. This one's going to be a rocket on the downwinder races. Roland was super cool to bring it out to Newport for me (getting there early too so I could give it a test drive before the race... what a guy) and he helped me finagle a way to attach my GPS onto the board. I think the Alpha is a great choice for folks looking to get out and cover some ground- it's a fast paddler  is super stable and has really nice glide. I paddled it through the six mile Elite course in 1:05 and had a great time on it. Thanks again Roland! 

It's always cool to meet the guys who kicked off stand up paddling from the early years. This is Dave who drove all the way out from Henderson Nevada (check the license plate) with his crew of Mojave BoardRiders... these guys rock and are the epitome of commitment. If there's ever a race in Henderson- I'm driving out there for it and hanging out with Dave's crew.

I was also stoked to meet Kevin from Futures Fins- and then I got all messed up on his fin tree. If you've ever wondered about what your options are in fins, you need to talk to the guys at Futures... I have no doubt in my mind that they'll get you dialed in. Thanks for the hat Kevin!

I had a good race. I didn't quite finish with the time that I was hoping for but I wasn't bringing up the back half of the pack either. The weather, the people and the positive vibes made this an overall success. I would like to particularly commend Byron Kurt and his crew for compiling the results and posting them so quickly- the guys had results up in a matter of minutes. Unreal. Click here for official race results.

Restless nights and paddle plans...

I don't know if it's this upcoming race that's got me all spun up but I just can't sleep right now. Bummer because I'm going to need to be rested for this one. The Hovie race in Newport is six miles of flat water sprinting. Kiwi and I will be rolling out at 5:30 am. I'll be into my standard bowl of oatmeal at 4:30 and, hopefully, on the water, racing, by 9:30. Excited and restless, see you there.

My Race Schedule:

I've checked out the WPA (World Paddle Association) race schedule (yep, got my WPA number- I'm part of the club) and am stoked to be able to commit to most of the races. I'm definitely in for the Waterman's Applied Science race in Dana Point on April 30th as well as the Malibu Downwinder (May 7th) and the Santa Monica race June 11th. In addition to the WPA races, I'll be competing in the Moonlight beach race May 14th and the Coronado Loop Race (in my backyard!) on May 22nd. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the Eaton Race April 23rd- made a promise that I have to keep on that day.

Mainland Mex: Yes, I still surf these things...

I've got two mainland mex surf trips planned for the next couple of months. Fired up to get out of here this Monday, that's the first one. The second trip is still being planned- I'll keep you posted.


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Oh Yeah! 12'6" Absolute Trip Race 22lbs...

Did a Freak show day glow airbrush on it. I am pretty proud of this thing. I had my rocket scientist buddies from NASA over a few nights doing formulas, slip ratios and some heavy math and measuring and of course beer. I designed and built the blank shaped it from my 20+ years experience and they helped refine some things. I actually have a few things going into this thing that is not on any other race board. By the math and comparing to the Bark 12'6" which I have here as a repair and have been using as a control. The eggheads tell me from their math, I am 20% more efficient and 18% less drag in calm flat water than the Bark Surftech. Pretty cool huh? We shall see this weekend got some racers coming to test and compare to the other boards they all own like the Bark, 404, Infinity ect. Will have some finished pics tomorrow afternoon. It is 2.2lb foam chambered, glassed in all 5.5 S-2 and 1.75oz S-2. Finished laminating it this morning and got the bottom hot coat on it tonight so no fresh pics but I did throw it on the scale. 22.45lbs I am looking at a finished weight with fins and a pad less than 25lbs. I am hoping for 24 or a little less. According to my NASA egghead friends I could do this same board in vacuum bagged full carbon/1.75S-2 glass and finished weight at 17lbs. I figured it at 16lbs but their scientific calculators said 17.

I am pretty excited I have not had a project stimulate my brain in a long time. Last time I did was when I built a 4 seat all carbon fiber, pressurized full acrobatic airplane with these same NASA guys in charge of the calculator. We put a 700hp Walther Turbine in one of them. It cruised 270nts at 50% power. Pretty cool plane. Now we just get Big John up on this thing with his 1/50th hp arms pulling on a paddle we will be in there....


Peace,
Capt Ron

Pau Hana Surf Supply: River surfing the Big EZ!

If you think this is easy, consider this: that standing wave and all those little, playful bumps are the products of rocks; usually the granitic variety. Hard, round, put-a-dent-in-your shin and cave-in-your-kneecap rocks, just something to think about. Check out this river surfing clip from Pau Hana:

New Kialoa Stand Up Paddles at Emerald City, Coronado.

Got a chance to jam up to Emerald City Surfshop in Coronado to check out the new hybrid Kialoa paddles that Kelly just got in.

Just got this note from Kelly: Some clarity- the paddle shown is the PUPU which sells for $149. It is the best paddle at that price that we have found yet. My notes on the catalog could be confusing, the PUPU blade comes in 8" only but the shaft length can be cut to order. All of the shafts in the Ikaika series can be cut. Zoom in on the catalog photo for various specs.

Check 'em out:

These Kialoas were pretty darn sweet. I think they're meant to be an entry level paddle. The paddles were reasonably light, the shafts stout and the blades were pretty nifty too. 

Here's a shot from the catalog- I think the paddle I saw was the Hapa and I seem to remember it retailed for somewhere in the neighborhood of $175. Give the guys at Emerald City a call if you're interested: (619) 435-6677.

Of course, the Hapa comes with the iron-clad Kialoa warranty.
 

Paddle Surf Hawaii: Tiffany Paglinawan shredding the new Hull Ripper!

Are you kidding me? Check out this shot just sent to me from the boys over at Paddle Surf Hawaii- this girl rips!

"At 26 years of age, Tiffany Paglinawan is taking woman's stand up paddle surfing to a whole new level. She has spent the last few winters gaining experience and confidence in the powerful waves of the North and West Shores of Oahu. Her surfing jumped up another big notch when she started to ride the Hull Ripper shapes by Blane Chambers.  In this shot Tiffany is cranking a bottom turn on her Hull Ripper while looking down the line for the next section to hit"

Keep your eyes peeled for more photos out of Hawaii!

Seaside Slide Photos: Thanks Alexis Rovira Photography

My good friend and surf photographer Alexis Rovira made it down to the race this weekend and was making the best of the overcast skies. Here's a bunch of shots from the race and the official results. Check 'em out:

This shot gives you a good idea of what it was like that morning. First of all, the air was cold, the water was cold and I was cold. I took the first opportunity to suck it up and paddle out before everybody else got into the surf- I really didn't want to be in the middle of a wall of tumbling unlimited boards being pushed to shore by the surf. I was the guinea pig and I knew that all eyes were going to be on me- luckily, I've got some experience with timing sets and I popped out the back unscathed. Lucky me. Photo: Alexis Rovira

I can only imagine how crazy this race would've been if it was a beach start. I think there would have been a lot of distance between the racers and there would've been a few broken boards. The surf looked to be a solid four feet but by the end of the day, six foot sets were rolling through closing out the channel between Seaside Reef and George's. Photo: Alexis Rovira

Kiwi's the MAN... check the results of races over the past years and you'll see that Kiwi is usually in the top ten overall and in his age group he's almost always on the podium. There are paddlers with board sponsors, clothing sponsors, paddle sponsors, fin sponsors, glossy pics in the mags- people who get their fees paid and all the free board lotion they can handle who can't come close to touching this guy on the water. What's his secret? How about a sixty hour work-week laying tile and busting ass. Make's you think, huh? Just watch, homeboy will go on quietly winning- that's his style. Photo: Alexis Rovira

Yes, that little piece of wood made me very happy. I earned that thing. I put in the honest hard work: dropped twenty pounds, logged my weekly miles, invested in proper gear, spent a fortune in gasoline running from race to race and paid enough in entry fees to practically buy a new board. That little piece of wood is priceless. It's all worth it when you feel good on the water, finish strong and beat some solid racers (and some young punks)... so I guess I deserve that beer I'm clutching in the other hand, right?

Official Overall Results

Official Results for SUP Divisions

Seaside Slide Results 2011: Such a fun race- do this one next year!

Wow- had a great time at the Seaside Slide Race here in San Diego. The conditions were tough. As predicted we had gray skies with a southerly breeze that built throughout the race. There was substantial swell in the water making balancing on narrow race boards difficult. The first 3.5 mile leg was a semi-downwinder which made for a relatively quick run to the mark. The return leg was straight into the teeth of it the whole way. Seven miles is a new length for me- I'm used to the 4 - 6 mile races, throw in open water chop and wind in your face and what you've got is a gnarly little race.

The chop was pretty substantial. I fell exactly as the start horn went off- which seemed like an omen of things to come for me (I fell twice more on the way back- others fell as many as twenty times during the race!). The big decision was to either head outside to the kelp free water or take a straighter line through the inside. I eavesdropped on some of the fast prone paddlers and followed their line outside downwind and inside upwind. I think I made the right decision- I ended up winning my first ever race trophy- fourth place in the Men's Open Stock Division (there were no age divisions- and, check this out, every Men's Stock winner was over 40- take that youngsters!). In first place Men's Open Stock was Kevin Coffman who was closely followed by Mark Field in second, Karl Ring was ahead of me in third. 

Thanks to Mark Kappa and the Stay Covered crew- this was a super fun, competitive race. I'll definitely do this one next year. 

Men's Open Stand Up Stock, Left to Right: John Ashley (4th), Karl Ring (3rd), Mark Field (2nd) and Kevin Coffman (1st)

Here's a snapshot of the overall results:

That's me in 19th place overall (Jay A means John Ashley)- I finished in approximately 1:23, my goal was to come in under 1:45... stoked!

Words to remember... thanks Kiwi.

Just got this quote from my racing buddy Kiwi:

"You have no control over what the other guy does. You only have control over what you do." 

A.J. Kitt

Seems perfect for what's coming up tomorrow. I also had a nice chat with local prone racer Spiderman about the "short route". The prone racers always have good intel- especially if they're guys like Spiderman (and his brother) who've got decades of water time. It's like that old Charles Schwab commercial, when they talk- I listen!

Check back for Seaside Slide photos and report!

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Racing on Saturday: Seaside Slide... 7 miles, bumpy, junky and gray... here we come!

Okay- it's on. Our little stand up paddle race crew is getting fired up for the Seaside Slide race this Saturday. I've never done this one before but Kiwi said that since it's in our backyard, we've got to do it. I'll admit, I have some reservations about it.

First of all, I suck in the open water. I can handle a bit of roll and chop but when it gets all crossed up and nasty- that's when I really slow down. Dealing with all that motion wears out your legs. By the time the thing is over, you feel like you're going to collapse- your legs have become linguini. Secondly, it's frustrating to have to paddle at a slower rate than you're used to- instead of powering along like you do on flat water, you've got to get into rhythm with the chop and swell. Sometimes you never get in rhythm (that's what happened to me at the Redondo race- the conditions owned me outside of the breakwater) and you never get to the point where you can power up comfortably. That's when it gets frustrating.

I'll start my carbo-loading tomorrow morning and continue all the way until thirty minutes before the start of the race on Saturday. I've been eating oatmeal early on race day, jamming it down by 5am for the last two races both times I felt stronger than ever. Maybe I'm onto something?

Secondly, this is a seven mile race with a water start and a beach finish. The water start shouldn't be a problem, except that a solid northwesterly groundswell is supposed to peak on Saturday morning. Luckily, there are a few channels at Seaside reef that allow you to sneak a 12.6" race SUP through- at least that's the plan. The finish should be interesting- surfing a race stand up board always gets me nervous- the things have sharp rails that can catch and throw you off. I'm anticipating some serious chili con CARNAGE at the finish. But, like I said, this one's seven miles long and I'm anticipating that I'll be bringing up the rear of the pack- I'll probably be missing out on the carnage asada- unless the joke is on me.

Of course, I'll bring my own magic marker to put my race number on a couple additional spots on my body. I want that number to be really easy to see- I'm not going to be left out of the results ever again!

And finally, the winds look screwy for Saturday. The forecast calls for light and variable winds predominately out of the south. This means a tailwind for the first half of the race and headwinds all the way back. Brutal.

Open water races throw many more variables at you than the protected flatwater races. I'm looking at this one as a learning opportunity. If I'm ever going to be a complete racer I'll need to get comfortable on a race board in live water. And, we are ocean racers aren't we? Ocean racers weren't meant to sit safely in harbors- see you out there on Saturday!

Beach break stand up surfing: Design elements to look for in your next board.

I just pulled it off- the sneak a way surf session. Don't worry, I'm not shirking any major responsibilities. By some strange contortion of the cosmos, I was left out of the loop with nothing to do- darn.

Kind of crazy getting back on the 8'6 Stamps stand up surf board- it's been about ten days since I've surfed it. After I got my sea legs back and put a couple of waves under my belt, I remembered why I like this board so much- the thing is a stone cold killer in the beach break. That little stando eviscerates beach break waves like Nugent guts elk. Here are the elements that I think are important in a good beach break stando.

For a beach break board I'd suggest something as short as you can handle, preferably in the 9'0 and below range. Beach break waves are unpredictable, you want to be able to swing that thing around quickly and get jamming down the line. Short boards, with lower swing weights allow you to do this.

Go for a wider tail, this provides both stability (you are on a shorter board, remember) and quick acceleration. Beach breaks don't usually provide the nice, long, roll-in of a point or reef wave. On sand bottom waves, you've got to be able to put the hammer down as soon as possible- wide tails give you something to push off and get the ball rolling. This is definitely not the time for a super pulled, pinny tailed board- unless you like to bog and get caught behind sections.

Don't forget the fins- I ride a 2 + 1 set up, I like the positive feeling of that big middle fin but I can imagine the merits of a quick turning quad. In fact, my shaper, Tim Stamps was a first hand witness to a serious Gold Coast wave assault by Australian ripper Luke Egan who was tearing it up on a stando quad fin. I'm interested... maybe in my next one. For now, I like the feel of fairly large side bites and a slightly larger middle fin in the 6.5 - 7" range. I use Futures Fins Gerry Lopez thruster sets almost exclusively, I like the super zingi-ness of the inside foiled side fins. If it gets really small and I want to slide the tail around, I'll use the GL middle fin that comes with the set. Lately, however, I've liked the driviness of the bigger Futures surf fin (7") template. Mix and match and see what you like.

As always go as light as possible- you want to be able to flick that board from rail to rail as quickly as possible. You will pay for the lightness with durability, typically light boards will take a beating and show it much more sooner than a heavy one. I'm used to the deck indentations since I come from a surfing background- as long as the fiberglass isn't punctured, deck indentations cause no harm.

Most importantly, find a shaper who surfs the same beach break conditions that you do- they'll be able to dial you in the best and make a board suited to what you're surfing. 

Good luck and if you sneak away- I want to hear all about it!

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One San Diego Day. Part II... back to surfing stuff.

Capped off the morning with a killer sushi lunch at Sushi Deli (if you know... well, you know) washed it down with an ice cold Kirin and set myself up for a nice afternoon nap. The evening featured a little bit of a surf art/artifact show in the industrial part of downtown. Check it out:

Once you got inside of the gates, this is what the place looked like. I didn't know a single soul but I knew that somewhere inside there were some wacko surfcraft and with them, the free thinkers that made 'em. I wasn't disappointed.

Little did I know that I.B. is everywhere- who should I see right when I walk in but my two friends Kraig Surplus and Kevin- from then on, it was on.

Yeah, I was the kook snapping pictures of everything. Can you see Eckstrom over there in the corner... can you say: asymetrical?

There were cool little things stashed all over the place- how's that fish board?

One wall featured notes describing the time line of a surf film.

Cool to see my local spot featured.

This loft was featured in The Surfers Journal- as were these kids... riding chunks of foam... actually, I should say, ripping chunks of foam. They showed up too.

It was a good party: free beer, free food... interesting people and....

...that string band I was telling you about... rocking out Fiddler on the Roof tunes.

Here's a shot of the whole compound... a little oasis of surfdom in the middle of the 'hood.

By the time we left, I was hungry again- one more trip to Pizza Port, one more Lahaina pizza and I was done for the day- it was definitely a good one!