Did some research on Bill Wise, did not come up with Gifts and Loses but I'll find it. Found lots of links to him, impressive. Also, saw lots of cool East Coast surf that I know nothing about. I lived in Florida for awhile and just remember blown out conditions with not much more that wind waves, never tried to surf there. Cold never has stopped me but I guess that's easy for me to say compared to the conditions you've described. When we we're kids we'd put the suit in the dryer before putting it on in the morning, then drive home to mom's like you and peel it off in the shower.
Of course there's another way to warm up in your suit, but I won't go there. OK, time to get back to pianos.
Fenton
----- Original Message -----
From: Will Truitt
To: 'Pianotech List'
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 3:16 AM
Subject: RE: waves
Hi Fenton:
I think the article by Bill Wise came out in Surfer Magazine in the fall of 1991, if my memory serves me. It's called "Gifts and Losses", and it it's a very soulful look at his love of surfing and a deep passion for living. I consider Bill to have been a spiritual mentor by the example of how he lived his life, although he would never describe himself as such. He was just someone who had gone through the darkest days of the soul and had gotten through to the other side. The article is very much worth reading as a glimpse at a truly special human being.
As for "Endless Summer", I saw the second showing ever given at Berlin High School in Berlin, Maryland, with Bruce at the mike. I don't know how he did it, but Bill Wise and his partner George Pittman (they ran the first surf shop in Maryland) got Bruce to come east with the film. To say I was stoked out of my gourd was putting it mildly.. I've seen "Step into Liquid" and that shot of Mark Foo going over the falls on his last wave. I'm very aware of the incredible waves at Mavericks, but it 's definitely above my pay grade.
That Gabriel hurricane swell was in September of 1989. What I didn't tell you about was the close out sets at "Freaks Peak" as the tide dropped, and the endless hold downs that came with them.
Santa Cruz stinkin' cold? I've heard that. Try surfing New Hampshire in January! Water temps mid-30's, air temp 20's on the good days. The worst ice cream headaches you've ever had in your life when you punch through a wave or duck dive. The trick (if you live near the beach) is to check out the surf first, go home, put your wet suit on in your heated house, go do your session, and get in your car and drive home. Then you take your wet suit off in the hot shower. Of course, that's if you can unlock your car to go home, because your hands have turned to lobster claws from the cold and you keep dropping your keys. Real Men don't wear wetsuits. We don't get the Gulf Stream, it sits about 10 or 20 miles off shore. So Nova Scotia water is 10 to 15 degrees warmer than ours, which hovers in the low to mid 50's during the summer.
I too do hope we meet sometime, Fenton. Of course, then we'll start talking story and there will go the evening..
Sound waves, wave pulses; it is all good vibrations either way..
Best wishes,
Will
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fenton Murray
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 10:59 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: waves
Bill Wise broke his neck in 1965 and became a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. (He wrote an article for Surfer Magazine about that in the early 90'
> I'm going to look that up. We've lost more than a few local guys here to big waves lately. Jay Moriarity (actually he drowned free diving while practicing big wave hold downs) and Mark Foo up at Maverick's by Half Moon Bay. Flew in from Hawaii and put on a wet suit for the first time in years that didn't fit. Check out the movie 'Step into Liquid' if you haven't seen it, incredible, it'll make you paddle out, Santa Cruz locals star in it. The film is done by the son of Bruce Brown who did 'Endless Summer' I saw that film with Bruce up at the mic narrating with my Dad in '63 when I was 9.
It stalled out in the shipping lanes 1000 miles away and sent 9 days of overhead, deep water groundswell at New England
>Perfect, 1000 miles out. We've got a serious hurricane hitting Baja right now, seems like unusual to get a south swell from there this time of year, but south swells are great all along California. Although, I'm telling you, Santa Cruz picks up everything and hardly ever blows out, it's really amazing, just stinking cold. We just had our first serious winter surf last week, I think it came down from Alaska, I got some.
Talk about OT, I bet people open this thread thinking were talking about sound waves.
I hope we meet sometime.
Fenton
----- Original Message -----
From: Will Truitt
To: 'Pianotech List'
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 12:07 PM
Subject: RE: waves
Hi Fenton:
Interesting to hear of your surfing tales. I too followed the long board rise, fall, and rise again too. I started surfing in Ocean City, Maryland in 1964 in the early days of East Coast surfing, riding a 9'6" Yater. Fun waves, fast folding beach break walls when it was good, and hollow too. I surfed Bethany Towers, where my late friend Bill Wise broke his neck in 1965 and became a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. (He wrote an article for Surfer Magazine about that in the early 90's). I surfed on the West Coast for about a year in the late sixties, mostly North of San Francisco in Bolinas and Stinson Beach, although I surfed in San Diego some as well (Blacks never broke when I was there) I can still remember watching the Potato Patch breaking outside San Francisco during the Mother of All Swells in December, 1969. (50, 60, 70? Feet)
When I moved to New Hampshire in 1981, I started surfing here and in Maine. Summers can be characterized by long, soul killing flat spells, but spring, fall, and winter has consistent, and occasionally large surf. The biggest surf I rode in my life was about 15 foot at Rye on the Rocks ( a point break), coming from Gabriel, the largest East Coast hurricane ever. It stalled out in the shipping lanes 1000 miles away and sent 9 days of overhead, deep water groundswell at New England. Mostly I surfed with a crew of older guys whose company I really enjoyed and we had lots of fun together. My favorite size is chest to head high too.
I stopped a few years ago. It finally got too crowded up here and I can't say I miss the two hour drive each way, which I would do several times a week.
I have had two Grand Passions in my life. Surfing and Pianos. I am doubly blessed to have two things to be so enthused about.
Will Truitt
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fenton Murray
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 11:54 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: waves
A wave thread!? David Love and I just finished some reminiscing off list about this. Santa Cruz is home break for me for most of my 54 years. Pleasure Point for the last 25, I followed the long board rise and fall and rise again. Lot's of mat surfing back in the 60's. I used to go down to Rincon, and a little place called Refugio above Santa Barbara, Swami's, Blacks by S.D., San O. (love San Onofre) and wonderful Malibu. Southern Cal has a wonderful feel to it, but I think Santa Cruz has got so many breaks it might just be Surf City, and I live here! There a beach break (Manresa) 5 miles from my house I go to sometimes, great work out with occasional sand bars producing some perfect peelers. I surfed a little in Hawaii on the North Shore of Oahu, but in the summer, got great waves in Maui at Honolua Bay. I'm basically scared of big waves, but love chest to head high. I played in rock bands in Colorado all through the '70's and learned to ski there, skiing's a little rough for me now, but surfing is so fluid, I'm virtually never injured. If the water becomes so polluted it's burning out there, I'll still surf. I'm careful after the rains by the river mouths, that's about all you can do.
Fenton
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Blasyak
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2008 8:31 PM
Subject: waves
Fenton were do you reside/surf???
Rick B the water is not as polluted as you may think. I've been surfing the same waters for about 35 years and it hasn't killed me yet. There are much more pollutants in the air we breath.
All I know is the other day Wednesday I think, Anaheim was the hottest spot in the nation at 104. I drove down to the beach at about 1:00pm. It was one of the most beautiful days of the year. Glassy all afternoon, after a two hour surf I sat on the beach reading a magazine and eating a late lunch. Almost no one was there because the summer is over. I thought to myself, I love Southern California in the fall.
Steve Blasyak
Orange County Ca
Pura Vida
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