Ding-dong the witch is dead…. The closing of Clark Foam is a wake up call for our industry and surfers in general.  Clark’s letter/fax was an example of a deposed arrogant ruler.  Can you say Saddam Hussein?  Yes, there is fallout.  Good people will be closing up shop and losing their jobs.  Prices will definitely go up on hardgoods.  And they should!!! What other industry does one get a handcrafted custom, labor intensive, high performance, made to spec piece of functional art for next to nothing?  How much did you pay for that custom paint and wheels on your car?  $1000?  $2000? 5000?  10,000?  Oh, the paradox!!! However, what will rise out of the ashes will benefit every surfer and the industry. We will be getting a better product!  Just imagine — a surfboard that doesn’t go soft on you in 3-4 months.  A surfboard that is durable and lightweight.  A surfboard that is still handshaped to the surfer’s specs.  A surfboard that actually improves your surfing.   A surfboard
that is not toxic and harms the environment. Just imagine…. 

Wait, they actually exist, TODAY!!!!

Open your eyes my brothers and sisters. 
This is an opportunity for all of us to actually improve the technology of our sport.  To progress our culture and lifestyle. The very craft that we covet is changing for the better.  If you’re still driving a Microbus and rolling "fat ones" in the back ala Spicoli then I will mourn with you over the end of Clark foam.  I will support you and hold your hand knowing you just spent $700 for a foam board.  Remember, if we don’t study the mistakes that were made in history, we are bound to repeat them.  Someone much smarter than me said something like that.  "I am just a surfer. Neither good nor bad.  Not a hero, not a coward. I figured that was good enough for me!"  Dorian Paskowitz.  Peace and keep the stoke!!

Big Al
Ninestar

If you don’t know what Al is talking about you might want to check out [this article on Surfline.com]. Al is keeping Nine Star stocked throughout these crazy times with a large assortment of Tuflite boards like this Rusty Piranha as well as cutting edge new shapes like the JC Hawaii 3DX. Allan has also committed to not raise the prices on any of our existing sufboard inventory, so chilax (chill + relax) and cruse into Nine Star to figure out your plan for your surfing future…

Check this out, the Surfrider foundation has taken the trash they found on our area beaches and put it up on billboards. Pretty cool idea. Click here to read the full story at surfline.com

So we were being cliniced on Rip Curl wetsuits the other day and Andrew (Rip Curl rep) needed someone to put on a wetsuit so he could show some of the features of the suit. Being the pioneer that Jay is, he was jumping up and down to volunteer. Here’s how it looked:

hopefully we get some decent swell soon, from what i gather this is one of the worst summers in a while.