We are halfway into stay in J-Bay now and it really has been a great stop. In all honesty everyone is quite tired and hurting, but when it is too much surfing that has caused the pain you can't really complain too much! We have been really lucky waves wise, with a good swell that arrived overnight on friday bringing us four days of good waves!
To give everyone a rest from the surfing we went up to see a surfboard factory. When I say a factory, I don't mean a place where hundreds of boards a day are churned out, but rather a small building where a craftsmen does his trade. Mikey Meyer may be considered old-school in his shaping style as he shapes from scratch instead of using machines which is where a lot of shapers have gone. He has his reasons for this and although it may mean that a board takes a little longer for him to finish it only means that he has put more of his magic into the making of the board. He has his own beliefs on shaping boards, without going into them, after making boards for 30 years for many of the top surfers in J-Bay as well as other parts of the world, I am more than happy to accept his way of doing things.
It was really interesting for the group to see the whole process, from a surfboard blank, to the shaping bay, to the laminating phase (glassing) and the final sanding of the board. A board was being glassed while we were there so we got to see it happening right before our eyes. The amount of work that goes into making a surfboard is often unappreciated by us surfers, and we are always looking for a cheaper board, so it was good to have a little reminder for me and a new perspective for the group of the work that goes into it.
Its off to the famous Cape St Francis (home of bruce's beauties from Endless Summer 1 and 2) today, so check back soon for some surfing pics!
Take it easy,
Chris