From Marc ...

Hi Paul,

Hope all is well.

Yesterday was the last swell of 2016 in my hometown Scheveningen in The Netherlands. Cold (37F degrees) but clean and fun. It will be flat till 2 January.

On the background they are building the bonfire for new year's eve (35 meters high! )

All the best for 2017 for you and Gloria!

Marc

From Rob ...

Paul,

I’ve been having a blast on the Polara. I connect sections I couldn’t make on my other mats, and its handling these soft small waves like a champ! This is my best ride of the day from Christmas Eve, on a 2.5’ super soft wave. I really have to lay out when the waves are under 3’ but if I get into them, I’m gone! The Polara Super Sport has become my favorite mat of the winter.

I’m going to keep riding the Polara Regular, I have to get more time on it and the Polara SS to get a better feel for the differences before I can speak intelligently on them.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, your surf craft have brought so much joy to me and mine!

Keep spreading the Stoke!

Rob Pollard

Happy 76th Frank ...

Today (12/21/16) would have been Frank Zappa's 76th birthday. Sadly, he passed at the age of 52 in 1993. (His wife Gail died in October of 2015 at 70.)

This Dutch documentary may not hold up by conventional critical standards, but it's an interesting snapshot of a very candid Zappa, and the era of the early 70's.

What amazes me about Frank Zappa's music is how well it holds up, without the rose colored filter of nostalgia. (At least, that's my view.) So does much of his social commentary. I recall just before he died, he was a critic of the populist downside of the internet...which is interesting, since the internet barely existed in the 1993. Pretty perceptive.

Anyhow, here's to you, FZ...

Frank and Gail in 1972

2016: Another Passing

My father grew up in rural Hawaii during the 20's and 30's. He basically lived on sugar cane as a kid, gnawing on raw stalks on his way back and forth to school each day. His teeth and general health suffered in the long term, to say the least.

Maybe, on balance, it will be a good change for Hawaii. But...the ideal of the sugar industry leaving The Islands seems like the last kick in the gut 2016 has for us.

Full story on NPR here...

From Rob ...

Paul,

I’m loving the new Polara, it’s FAST!

Chris and I had a great time yesterday, we surfed 5 plus hours. It was glassy and 3’ all day, we had so much fun! I felt very blessed to be able to take the time off and mat all day. My face is sore from smiling!

Thanks for these awesome surf craft! Super Stoked!

Clip by Chris Falzone.

Rob

Tips From The Pros: Fin/Foot Interface ...

OK, considering it's from moi, maybe this doesn't qualify as a "tip from a pro." So bear with me...

I've found that a pair of fins, even if they each were cast out of the same mold at the same time, can vary slightly in temper. The hand laid charges of rubber that are placed in the mold prior to heating aren't perfect, so each fin can have a different feel. And since our feet are not identical to one another, every now and then, one fin will fit one foot better than the other.

What I do, when I get a new pair of fins, is swap them back and forth between feet to see if there's a closer match of one fin to one foot. If so, I mark the fins accordingly.

Of course, this only applies to a brand of fins that aren't molded specifically for a right and left foot.

If there's no discernible difference between two new fins, then I arbitrarily mark the fins 'right' and 'left.' The theory is that, over time, each fin will conform slightly to each foot.

RIP Greg Lake

 

Funnest Beach Cam Ever ...

The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, located about 5 miles north of Hearst Castle in San Simeon, now has its own beach cam.

The angle and focal length of the camera changes every couple of days, so it's worth checking in now and then for some varied pinniped fun!

From ????

I have no idea what in the hell this is.  (Or who's behind it, but I have my suspicions...)

From Surf Sister ...

Surf Sister denies stalking photog Dave Weldon in hopes of making it to Surfline's Local Photo El Porto section ... but Weldon and South Bay law enforcement are not amused!

From Jeremy ...

Hello Paul,

I wanna glide on the Lotus above and to the right of surfer. Position '2pm' high line!


Jeremy

From Geoffrey ...

Hey Paul!

FINALLY BEEN RIDING THE ️MAT!

holy shit! It go real fast!! Like speeds I've never felt before laying down.

I took it out on a 3ft day.. It was ok..
But when i took it out 4-6ft that when I felt 3rd flyer!

still learning and reading the pdf file you gave me.. My first instinct is too lift the nose up abit but after a few waves I really found momentum when my head was right down.
The lower the better.

it's also hard to find a line, I was doing the angle line down an drawing out the bottom turns.

Still I've never had so much fun going straight on 6ft sets.

Here's a Picture, ill send more when my friend emails me them!

Cheers

Geoffrey.

From Chris ...

 

Hi Paul,

I've been having alot of fun with the Fatty over the last few months; I usually bring a variety of boards depending on the day, but I always bring the mat out. Regardless of the conditions, the mat is a blast! My wave count has certainly increased, and I'm getting a full body work out since using my legs quite a bit more.

I also have a whole new appreciation for mat surfers - there is no where to hide with a bag of air when waves are closing out on top of you!

Attached a few pics of Rob P on some dawn patrol slop...

Regards,

Chris

More From the Jacksonville Flash ...

Paul,

I'm loving these winter waves, my face hurts from smiling! Keep spreading the Stoke!

Shot by Chris Falzone.

Rob

Two Fistfuls Of Fabric: Part Deux ...

The mat riding footage in Crystal Voyager -- which was pinched from Greenough's 16mm inflatable opus, Rubber Duck Riders -- features some great riding not only by George, but from Mike Cundith as well.

Above is a classic image shot in 1970 at Rincon. Mike's body is loading up the inside rail, and he has a firm grip on the front rails...pulling the nose up to help initiate a quick, squirting bottom turn. The result of his technique is an incredibly small amount of wetted surface area...just a few square inches touching the water.

The fun starts at 7:10 ...

From Rob ...

Paul,

I can’t tell you how much joy these mats have brought me, its hard to put into words. Since the storm season started I have been blessed with some clean 2-4ft waves and both mats have been amazing! I now skip beer at parties because Dawn Patrol waits for no man. These mats have changed me for the better and I can’t help but want to share that with other people. Chris and I have been catching some really fun party waves and I hope to get you some video soon. Keep spreading the Stoke Paul, your work has changed my life!

On another note, I was wondering if you ever organize any mat meets. I would love to meet more mat surfers, and I would definitely travel if I had enough time to plan the trip. I am thinking about starting a meet up group in Jax FL to expose people to mat surfing. I feel like there are people out there that have never experience the joy of wave riding, and mats are a way to bring this to them without the intimidation of a hard surf craft tethered to their body. I wouldn’t charge anything for it, the joy that I would get filling those people with Stoke would be more than enough. There are thousands of Veterans out there who deal with some of the same issues I was dealing with, and I if I can help just one of them the way your mats have helped me, it will be worth it. The idea is still in its infancy but you will be the first to know when I need some more mats ;-)!

Super Stoked,
Rob P

From Steiny ...

 Mat archeology

Spoon archeology

 

Hi Paul,

Really enjoying my Lotus, that thing works great. 

 

If you have a reason to come north please let me know!

Last two evenings at the Lane -- more lotus fun! Lost the mat badly yesterday, one of the longest swims in years, from the top of the parking lot most of the way to Cowells. Probably good for me, I got pretty winded.
 

Hope you are having fun and getting waves. October is your time, huh?

 

Best,

JS

 

Tips From The Pros: Grab Two Fistfuls of Fabric !!!

This quick video from Wardie Ward is a master class in mat riding. Nearly every frame holds a riding secret that took George decades to refine...



One of Greenough's slickest mat riding tricks involves grabbing the rails near the front of the deck and manipulating the nose area to adjust his track.

Some stills from the video illustrate this technique:

Here, George is trimming comfortably with his hands on the top of the deck...

As a section lifts up in front of him, he grips the outer part of the rails and creates a "bump" in the bottom...

The drag of the bump angles the mat's track upward and into the power...

Later, on the same wave, George employs the same technique on a smaller/weaker section. After a long run with his hands on the top of the deck, at the right moment he grips the rails and pulls up...

From Josh ....

I'm really loving my new surf mat. Attaching a shot a friend took out with the Del Mar Body Surfing crew at 17th Street on a recent sunny Saturday morning.

Thanks for making such a great product.

Cheers,

Josh

From Jeremy ...

Hurricane Nicole generated some fun lefts on Lawn Guyland. Jeremy took full advantage with his 4GF Lotus.

And, some cool looking fins he found at a NYC sporting goods store...the bottom flipper looks like something a futurist would dream up!

Steiny, Immortalized ...

Rode the Lotus in some good surf today at the lane. Flawless, I am so stoked. The fave mat yet. Great to finally get it winter style surf.

I've never looked at the Surfline rewind before. Pretty cool. Here I am at the edge of the mayhem!

JS

From Eric ...

 

Hi Paul

Well after a bit of a spring flat spell. I finally found some decent waves to try my new XL out on..
As expected the mat went excellent from the first wave.

I did not find much difference in the slightly bigger mat compared to the Omni etc.
It allowed me into the waves easy and made some steep walls with little slip.

I particularly liked the "Hot Waxed Deck" it gave great grip when hit by white water.


Thanks & Regards Eric

'Unknown Crik' By Peter C ...

An idle mind is the devil's workshop, so here’s an ocean related drawing if you want to use it. 

Peter

From Mat Max ...

Aloha Gloria and Paul,

Howzit Mates? Have enjoyed another backpack adventure on Molokai. Lots very good days riding the incredible Mini Max. 

 

Heaps of new friends and enlightening experiences. Gave the Lotus to a lovely family from da big island with a ripping son who charged on the mat so hard that I just had to turn it over. His GF rode it in NZ (see sbove). 

 

Am back with Mom and Dad in Gisborne. Everything is sweet. Hoping you are well and having fun. 

 

Maxi

J Bay Followup From John...

Another pic from The Bay !  That's me...photo by Alan Van Guyse.  He was doing an article on Jordy Smith in J Bay, and was kind enough to send me this.

John

From Googlefog ...

Hi Paul,

I'm visiting my friend, Bobby Roussouw, in Simon's Town, South Africa.

Bobcat is a legendary kneeboarder and a huge collector of surfboards and even has an old mat laying around.  The South Africans call the mats 'Lilos.'

John

From Brent ...

Art by Brent Foster

Color by Mister Dirk of Santa Barbara

From Marc and Esther ...

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Paul,

Back home in the Netherlands after our trip to France. Have received your e-mails in France, but for some reason i couldn’t sent a reply on my phone.

France (Lacanau) was great. 16 days of beautiful weather, offshore winds and nice swells from 4 -7 foot.

I only used the Polara. The Polara works so great, so much speed and good control.

I really had a great time in the water with friendly French locals who were interested and surprised in the surfmat.

 Uhh… off course Esther also had a great time. Get some tan with a nice book on the beach (lol!)


Marc

From Adam ...

Hi Paul,

The above video is of Paul N and I surfing one of my favorite pointbreaks, Coco Pops, just us out on a Sunny Monday morning....ran Paul straight over with my Omni..I never felt a thing either.

I had two of my oldest grandkids down last weekend and took them down to Gilligans for an adventure and swim, of course the surf was okay with just a handful out. As luck should have it, their parents came down early to pick them up, which left me a window of 3 hours to head back with a surf, so after grabbing Paul, we met up with Neal for a late soggy Sunday afternoon session.

Heaps of fun small waves to be had with a minimal crowd of longboarders to contend with.

Regards from OZ

Adam