Homer's Art Studio

One of my favorite places to be in the autumn months is to spend some time in Santa Cruz, scoring the stellar weather and clean early season swells that wrap into the points and coves of this incredible town.  This year I spent over a month up north hanging out and surfing with my good friend Homer Henard.  We became friends back in our junior days surfing together on the US Team in the Quiksilver World Grommet Titles at Kuta Beach on the island of Bali in Indonesia.  Ever since I have stayed with Homer while I visit Santa Cruz, stoked to have his knowledge of the area keeping us at all of the best spots on each and every day.  Surfing may be his main focus, but is by no means his only interest, as his art has been receiving a good amount of his attention lately.  The paintings he has been working on lately are captivating, showcasing his passions for both surf and beautiful women.   Check out a few of his amazing pieces below.

Sunrise Slab

Elephant Trunks

Spider Woman

Dream Day

Homer and some of his artwork

Channel Islands Surfboard Factory

On my way back up north this week I stopped in at my surfboard sponsor's factory to order up some new blades.  Al Merrick has been shaping me the best boards in the world for the last decade and I am so thankful to be blessed with the opportunity to have his shapes under my feet.  Everyone at Channel Islands is awesome, and I love taking the time to stop in and say hi anytime I can.  On this trip I brought in my magic 5'11" round tail to get it scanned so a few copies can get shaped, hoping to keep this magic model in my quiver for a while.  Travis Lee is not only a good friend and an awesome human being, who I am stoked to catch up on great stories with, but he has also been helping me out since day one, providing me insight on new models and relaying feedback from other team riders on which boards are working best in different conditions.  It is so crucial to have the perspectives of some of the best surfers in the world on how different models are working for them in order to help me decide what shapes would be best suited for my surfing.  I am so thankful to be a part of such an incredible team and to have the best surfboards in the world in my quiver!  Thank you so much to everyone at Channel Islands Surfboards!

Al The Master taking a look at my magic 5'11" round tail

Anyone need a new surfboard?  Great gift for the holidays!

Solid quiver ;)

Some team boards in the lobby

Slater's championship quiver.  How many WCT's have been won on your shaper's boards?

Even got a fun surf in after I left the factory, stoked!

Jim Beam Surf Tag Champs

The Jim Beam Surf Tag Championships took place on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier November 13 and 14 under sunny skies with fun chest to shoulder high waves.  The team format is a really fun dynamic, and as there are no throw away waves all 3 rides count for each surfer, making focus and confidence valuable attributes to earn solid scores for your team.  The Blue Collar Team surfed strong all event and we made it to the Semi Finals, getting 3rd and just missing out on advancing to the Final, finishing in 5th Place Overall.  Team Reef continued the impressive performances they displayed in the qualifier here in the Championships, and took the Overall Title.  You can check coverage of the event on Surfline.  Congratulations Team Reef!

Blue Collar getting ready (L to R: Chuy Reyna, Jeremy Heit, Willie Smith, and myself)

Surfline threw me some props :)

Blue Collar Crew in the Semi Final (L to R: Chuy, Willie, Jason Bennet, and myself)

Congratulations to Team Reef!

Best Day Ever

So thankful for my incredibly blessed life!  I had an amazing day today, surfing super fun waves with a friend in the morning, and connecting with an incredibly beautiful soul in the evening, loving life!!!

Veggie Nori Wraps

One of my favorite raw vegan recipes is a twist on sushi, using a raw nori seaweed sheet and filling it up with a selection of sliced veggies.  You can mix up the ingredients to create a variety of different recipes, all being rolled up into a live wrap with delicious selections of flavors.  I make one version using thick slices of avocado, with nut butters swiped on both sides, this one here with almond butter and pine nut butter.  Then I chop up some black botija olives and sun dried tomatoes to sprinkle on the nut butters, and season with some cayenne pepper and sea salt.  Then I cover the whole spread with shelled hemp seeds, and add sunflower greens and mixed salad greens before then wrapping it all up into the nori sheet.  Another option I love is to replace the nut butters with my living pesto sauce, great variety of flavor for these incredible entrees.  The olives and nut butters are all available at Sunfood Nutrition, and Manitoba Harvest has the best shelled hemp seeds ever.  The other ingredients can be found at most organic grocery stores, such as the raw nori sheets, sun dried tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and sea salt, and the produce, including avocados, sunflower greens, and spring mix, can be found there as well or at your local farm or farmer's market.  Enjoy!

Avocado, almond and pine nut butters, with diced black olives and sun dried tomatoes

Cover with shelled hemp seeds and fresh sunflower greens

Add organic spring mix, wrap it up, and enjoy!

Coldwater Classic

The O'Neill Coldwater Classic event held at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California is one of my favorite surfing events ever!  I love the amphitheater setup of The Lane, allowing spectators the opportunity to be right next to the action in the water, giving them a feel of being right out in the lineup with the competitors.  It also gives a better vantage point with which to appreciate the technicalities and subtle nuances of the surfing maneuvers executed by the competitors that are difficult to notice from farther away.  All of this and the fact that The Lane is such a fun and rippable wave, that as a competitor being in the water with only 3 other surfers out is such a special treat.  The surf this year went from small and tricky for the start of the event into double to triple overhead for the Finals, The Lane will always challenge even the best surfers into performing well in a variety of conditions.  I love Santa Cruz!

Sebastian Zietz was ripping! Heat 3 Rd 48 highest heat total 18.74 and highest wave score 9.77, then scored a Perfect 10 point ride in the Round of 24, on fire!

Nat Young won the Oakley Pro Junior this year after winning the WQS Coldwater Classic last year

It wouldn't be a true event in Santa Cruz without a lady taking her duck for a walk

My favorite surfer of all time, 3x World Champion and 1990 Coldwater Classic Champ Tom Curren was a beauty to watch with his usual smooth and flowing style

Local favorite, O'Neill Marketing Director, and 2003 Coldwater Classic Champion Kieran Horn showcased some of the most impressive surfing in the event, scoring a 9.0 and 7.83 in Heat 7 Rd 16 for a 16.83 heat total

Congratulations to Nate Yeomans, the 2009 O'Neill Coldwater Classic Champion, on winning this year's event and qualifying for the 2010 ASP WCT!

Happy Halloween

Another really fun Halloween up north in Santa Cruz with my friends.  Spent the first part of the evening handing out some treats to the kids in the neighborhood, then over to my friend Omar's house for a nice party, and then downtown to check out the unmatched scene of crazy and original costumes that Santa Cruz provides every Halloween.  Great times with great friends!

King Keenan, ready to defend the castle

Zorro with his fiery senorita

Santa Cruz legend trio, Kieran Horn, Omar Etcheverry, and Homer Henard