2012

I'm in my office, reflecting on the year that was. It has been a quiet begining to what will be a very busy year, I will travel to the UK this week for four weeks, I will take one board and pick up an Oneil Mutant 4/5 when I get there. I also just read an article by Dane Reynolds about why he left the tour http://www.marinelayerproductions.com/news/article/753 and some of his comments gelled with the way I think, I think.
So it has been that for me surfing has definitely been the pursuit of happiness and in my random search for ultimate board for me, I have ended up with a quiver of rather odd and non mainstream boards. They are in order of big to small as follows a 7'2" hollow timber quad fish, a 6'5" hollow timber single fin based on MP's morning of the earth board, a 6'0" hollow timber single fin that started as a fish and ended up a rounded square and a 5'11" version of the MP with a quad. These are all boards that I have made, right now I have two favourites the 6'5" and the 5'11". Its the feeling these boards empart upon me as I am surfing that are the reason why I like them, they are in many ways effortless in the sense that you don't really need to do anything for them to feel amazing.
This year has also been a year where I have met some amazing and Inspiring people and made some good friends, Mick Sowry whose film Musica Surfica, http://www.greatsoutherncommunications.com.au/index.php?id=57 is a breathtaking and inspirational journey into uncharted water. Also that Mick in his mid 50's is still surfing 8ft plus is incredible. And Maurice Cole whose contribution to surfing for over 30 years and his radical and innovative board designs just speak for themselves, since anyone I know who has one loves it. Then there's Rohan my surf pal who quietly concieves, shapes and surfs his boards and I often think if it wasn't for Ro i'd never have made a board.
I hope that this year continues to be creatively fruitful, I'm sure it will. I have already started to plan the next few boards as well as a few other fun things, after all life should be fun.