Loving These Fins

Dennis and Dan have been creating some interesting, hand-crafted wooden pieces: including boards and fins. Dan's craftsmanship and attention to detail are pretty amazing. These fins are so nice, you can't help but love them. Here's 3 year old Alia appreciating functional art (she did this completely on her own within 1 minute of seeing these and the foam dust!).

Who's The Man?

Cottons Point — On January 25, 2009 Manuel Quinitana was surfing Cottons Point, San Clemente with 10 – 15 unidentified surfers. It was 11:30 AM and he had been on the water about 3 hours. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 65 and 57 degrees Fahrenheit respectively with a clear sky and a mild 10 knot breeze. Quinitana reported; “I was surfing Cottons Point and was ready to get out from being tired. Some waves started to show about 40 yards South of my location. I moved over from the pack of other surfers to get some of those peaks for a last wave. All of a sudden I looked just Southwest and saw the shark. It took me about five seconds to realize that it was very close to me. I began to second guess myself and thought it might be a dolphin. After watching it for several moments slowly swim in a straight line I saw the size, color, and realized that it was a large shark very near to me. I was very frightened while trying to keep my composure. I headed for the shore and I tried to take small strokes. I finally made it. A friend of mine was just getting in. I told him what I saw. He then asked if I was sure it wasn't a dolphin. I have been surfing for 23 years and have seen many dolphins. I know it was a shark. The head and tail never surfaced but a large light gray dorsal fin with a triangular shape did pop up in front of me. It was just cruising. It also had a little bit of white on it with some dark scares on it. The dorsal fin was about 18 inches in height. You could see it was large as I could see some body close to the dorsal fin. It had to be over 10 feet in length. My friend and I then got his friends out of the water and were able to inform the ranger.”

Red Baron Flying High

This is a shot of Aaron Fosters Red Baron from around 2002. Shaped by Dennis, Aaron has mentioned that this was one of his favorite boards - ever. He's been surfing for over 30 years, so that's saying something. Aaron is a Grand View local of many years and has very talented surfing sons that are completely surf crazy. Photos of Red Baron in action and further inspiration from this board to follow soon.

Just Another Day At The Office

Here are some shots of Dennis and Dan working on a Grain 5'10 Waka Quad Fish for The Leucadia Project. This kit was sitting around for a year before Dennis intervened. Now the board is being built and will be in the water in no time.

Click here for the full story.

Click here for more photos.

Longboard Cowboy

Remember what it was like when you were a grommet, learning to surf and were excited beyond words? Oh what a feeling! The feller on the left is cowboy Dan. Neighbor and good friend to the Murphy's up at the ranch. Riding a classic Murphy longboard, Dan caught the best waves of his life at Torrey Pines this past week. Way to go Dan! Look for more of Dan in future posts.

If you can rope a steer, break a horse and ride a buckin bronco, surfing ain't that hard. Plus, the landing is much softer.

Balanced Quiver

It's nice to have a few board options in your garage as the conditions change. Here's a shot of Jason Werbelow's Murphy quiver. J lives in Carlsbad, but can be spotted gliding all over North County. He can ride just about anything. If you see a guy riding a barn door, and making the section, odds are it's him.

Broken Love

Relationships come and go. But the memories last a lifetime. The Red Baron was a popular model shaped by Dennis under the Iron Cross label. A progressive style longboard that still had the ability to get your toes on the nose. RIP.