You don't hear much about it but back then tandem surfing was a thing. A guy with a girl on his shoulders. My HS driver training teacher's son won a tandem surf competition in 1966.
Welcome to the jungle... Hello, In the early 1960-62 time period, we were introduced to the family surf style of gatherings at the San Onofre Surf Club location on the Camp Pendleton property. The club’s history goes back quite a few years with publications and books written from those old local surfers. The location has been described as a hidden gem. To that description, the surfing waves were hard to see from the Coast Highway. Even after the freeway elevation and open property, it was difficult unless you knew where to look. Most of the young/old surfers wanted to explore the other, more raw location and outstanding surf at the Trestles compound just a mile back up the shoreline into the northern reaches of the actual U.S. Marine Corps property. But, in my research, I came across this photo from early San Onofre. The Ford Sedan Delivery was one of a kind in So Cal. No other 40 Ford Sedan Delivery was ever seen all up and down the coastline surf spots. So, is/was it fate that one Ford Sedan Delivery would be in an old photo of the beach at San Onofre? It could have been ours, but we can’t certify that it is/was our Flathead powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery. Jnaki In order to get that front row parking spot next to the “shack,” we would have to have arrived just as the gate was opened and a slow cruise to the spot while checking out the breaking waves. It was one of those days that we did not want to tromp around the jungle at Trestles as it looked crowded. We also had access to the private San Onofre Gate and Beach, so we used the access to lounge around all day and into the night. We had packed a huge lunch we were going to bury in the sand at Trestles, but now, it was handy to just sit in the shade or out on the sand to eat peacefully, without the worry of a U.S. Marine raid on the surfers sitting on the sand taking a break. The waves were almost as good since the two areas usually take the same swells. But the bottom of each place is different enough to cause faster, steeper waves at the Trestles Surf spots, whereas, San Onofre has some size, but the waves are easier to ride, cut back and make moves on a smoother, gently rolling wave face and long wall. NOTE: Look at the area on the beach where there are people in front of the car on the right. A well tanned teen in some black trunks. My brother used to wear Everlast boxer shorts as his beach baggies. By design, those made people stay away from him and that was fine for his point of view. HA! He purchased faster drying official Everlast Pro Boxing Trunks made out of nylon that almost instantly dried upon coming out of the water. He did not say anything, he just had those on, when we got out of the Impala or sedan delivery to start our trek across the sand, to the water. These trunks had a two-point performance tactic for my brother. One, they dried faster. Two, with the Willys Coupe fire, third degree scars on his shoulders, hands and face, add in the official Everlast Pro Boxing Trunks, he was intimidating to the point of people staying a distance away, on the shoreline and in the water. Obviously, the new beach scene was a little different with the Everlast Boxing Trunks. No more chuckling while we walked to the waterline and paddled out.
Hello, Across the street is the well known location of what was once the Pottery Shack. It was known for its wide array of pottery not sold anywhere else. They even had displays and cooked pottery on site. But, over the years, the competition and other uses for the site took over. Now, it is still highlighted at the top of Brooks Street and PCH with the only statue of the “Laguna Greeter,” still standing. It is a restaurant with an ocean view. The description of the original photo on top is Brooks Street Laguna Beach, Calif. early 1960s... plenty of nice old cars in the “primo” parking spots. In a way, the dead end street only allowed a certain amount of cars on the street. that made the reef break less crowded. some of those spaces were for folks to park and walk to the cliff edge to "check out" the surf. Laguna Beach is well known in the artist paintings and the world famous Festival of Arts during the Summer season. But, it is right in the middle of a swath of tall cliffs that give the local residents a good protection from the wave action during high tides and winter storms. Also, when the all of the elements come together, we get great waves, but it is not an everyday surfing place like further down the coast in Dana Point or San Clemente. There are a few spots that pick up the various swells better than the others. But, most flock to the area around Thalia Street, Oak Street and of course the picture above shows Brooks Street. We have surfed all three places and our favorite is Brooks Street. There are two distinct reefs that usually break on the Summer or Southern Hemisphere swells. The closest to the shore does ok, but the second reef gives plenty of power to think about and while watching the shallow bottom as clear as bath water, it is a little imposing… shallow dives and surface falls are known to help. But, at low tide and big waves, the outside reef or far outside break gives some hot waves that rival anywhere in the world. Add those steep, fast waves along with the kelp and clear bottom whizzing by makes one think why??? So, the waves rule your mind, although you may make it through a “section” or two, water always wins… Laguna Beach has a thing going to preserve as much of the original buildings as possible. Remodeling is favored over total destruction and haul away. So, that red old building is still there and just covered up with local growth. If that person wanted to rebuild, there is a huge process to go through with the city planners and city council, in addition to the coastal commission that can throw in some restrictions that make anyone question living along the shoreline. But, preservation is usually primary in decisions. Jnaki Besides living there with my wife for 6 years, having the time of our lives and actually being homeowners, we were 20 something folks with ideas of our own. But, my recollection of Laguna Beach surfing were the fast waves. When the swell was up, Brooks Street was fun. So, was Salt Creek, just a few miles down the coast. It was a toss up as to where we would surf. The clarity actually gives some contemplation. But it was well worth the effort. When we were hanging around with several friends at Brooks Street in the early 60s, we were introduced to the motherlode of surfing girls/women from Laguna Beach. Three really good looking girls in 60s bikinis or two piece suits surfing as well as the guys in the water were a sight to behold. Being impressed is instantly recorded. Their surfing skills were top notch and were considered some of the best along the OC coastline. One interesting fact. It was not just three good looking girls, but it was a mom and her two daughters. What??? Yes, the Calhoun family was well known in the surf world all over. Their skills were outstanding. But, the “third sister” was a young looking, well structured mom and her two daughters. Again, an impressive attention getting group of great people and good surfers. Being out in the water with them surfing wave after wave with skills most do not have is in a world by itself. You want to showcase your skills, but this was intense, trying to do well and still be awed by a couple of girls + their “mom” riding the same waves as you are doing. Leroy Grannis photo “The Calhouns were all beautiful and athletic.” “With sun-streaked hair and radiant smiles, they were often celebrated as the feminine surfing ideal,” “They were like Greek goddesses, each one beautiful, and together they were just overwhelming.” As daunting as the situation was, the sisters were not “up in the air, big head,” attitude. They were very friendly and were nice to us mere mortals. It was hard to not stare as we talked about surfing and other things. But, they were Laguna Beach locals in the true sense and had waves to themselves as the other surfers were probably impressed with their skills, too. It was a sad day when the mom, Marge Calhoun left the world in 2017. History loses another icon. She was the World Surfing Champion in 1958... Photo courtesy of Tracey Sizemore. 1964 Where the road ends onto the cliff top and the stairs to the beach is the old house, remodeled to single story specs. Not some giant two story monstrosity as some are redeveloped. So, some history still exists. Note: Although, not to portray our own mom as a naysayer about her anti-fishing scenarios, she was ahead of her time. During this time, she wanted to purchase this waterfront cliff lot for her permanent home. Wow, think of that, two brothers growing up in Laguna Beach right on the ocean. Remember, they were not million dollar houses or properties back then. It was like buying a lot in a residential area, although it was far away from the metropolitan city areas. Values and times change and it was an opportunity for her. As it turned out to be, no purchase of an ocean view lot on the beach side of Coast Highway for our mom and two "poor" kids not having grown up in Laguna Beach. Our history would have been completely different with a new community and location. Plus, it would have been a two hour drive to work for our dad every day, one way. No freeways back then, just a two lane winding road to head inland to central Orange County. He could have done it, and by the time the real freeway came to be, it went right into Los Angeles. But, our dad would have aged faster than normal. Note 2: I entered one Brooks Street surf contest. We were living in Laguna Beach and I surfed there as a regular local. But, only when it was good to outstanding. A more consistent place was just down the highway at Salt Creek Beach. The one time I entered was because I was a resident. So, as the day approached, the waves were good. But, on the day of the contest, the waves disappeared and only “ankle lappers” were breaking on the sand. So, I went South to spots that picked up the swell and had a great time. This year, as it happened during the week of September 9-10. Hurricane Jova had already sputtered out, but the swirls continued to move up the coast to So Cal. So, instead of ankle slappers, there were overhead waves!!! Yikes. It is such a low key event. The 57th Brooks Street Classic is the longest running surf contest in California and only open to Laguna Beach residents since 1966.
I just wanted to share a video. Phil Sauer owned my 51 Merc built in 1956 by Dean Jeffries and striped by Von Dutch.The video is surf related.Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch
My best Friend Johnny an I would load our boards in his 30 Ford pickup or 28 Roadster pickup He is in the middle, all of the truck was built by him Ricky.
I ended purchasing some pictures on ebay of Phil Sauers he used to own Inland Surf Shop in Downey and here's some pics of his shop truck..
Hello, As rare as been mentioned about the amount of woody station wagons during our time as teenage surfers, here is a great example of one in a thousand cars in a Long Beach State College campus. (even when the majority of students were from the local coastal cities and the surf beaches were a few mile down the PCH highway) But, as rare as the woody wagon is/was, so were black 58 Impalas in the same parking lot and/or 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery hot rods. Only one 58 Impala and it looks as if it is a convertible, also one El Camino and it is a 59 version. There were plenty of station wagons in the lot and all around the locale. Of the nine wagons in the crowded lot, there were two Plymouth wagons. But, the obvious, front and center, a two door sedan with surf racks. It was a common site in most large parking lots everywhere along the coastal areas. Jnaki By the time we got to the same college campus several years later, the amount of woodies to sedans to station wagons was about the same. Now a red 65 El Camino was prevalent in the lower campus huge parking lot, along with a funky blue 62 Corvair. But, in the last year, my 65 El Camino without the surfboard was in this exact upper campus parking lot, daily… Why daily and not in the lower campus lot? Well, I got injured playing rugby, had surgery and was a hobbling mess for several months. So, I was able to get a medical permit to park anywhere I wanted to park. In the photo above, the medical exemptions area was in the first row, closest to the main class lecture buildings. Yes, I had the medical exemption pass for the last two years. Most saw me on crutches getting out of the El Camino, so, that justified the close in parking space. But, later on, when my wife and I got out of the El Camino and walked to our classes, some suspicion was evident. Why can they park there, when there is no medical emergency? Note: I had a secure wrap on my left knee under my Levis. That was not evident to most students and the walk to the stairs and/or elevators was a modified limping activity. My wife (girlfriend at the time) was just along for the ride. She has been along for the companionship, long ride ever since… 1966 to today! Yikes… yes, the knee still hurts and gives me wobbly situations when least expected.
Hello, One of the early technology designs of the surfboard skegs was unusual. The original concept was the base is equal to the length of the fin. Then it moved around forward and back. The single fin was the only one around. Now, folks were using beads around the edge and the sharp edge being at the front to counter against seaweed. But, as unusual as it was, some of the fins were sharper in the rear to help the water flow back. It was an interesting time. But, the whole concept was for the fins to be put on straight up and down at 90 degrees square and in line with the middle stringer. Nothing acts worse than a skeg or fin not straight. It hums and makes turning difficult. The vibration could be felt while standing on the board. This old photo looks like it is from Australia or New Zealand. The fin with the arrow was a concept that was a part of So Cal surfboards. It was a normal fin in design, wide at the base as it was tall. But, the reverse concept worked on the first surfboards in So Cal. People were skeptical at first, but the design proved itself. The leading edge was sharper and now cut through the kelp with ease. It also made any kelp move down and out of the back flow, just like it had a curved front edge. Jnaki When I had my 10 foot 6 inch longboard up at Santa Cruz, the initial contact with kelp in the surfing area at Pleasure Point was, the slightest bump slowed the forward motion and made me fall forward. So, with that in mind, the next waves were all ridden with some weight shift to the middle and rear if needed. That slight shift in weight was just enough for the sharp forward edge fin to contact the kelp and go right through without a hitch for the rider, me... yes! I got plenty of comments from the local Santa Cruz surfers with that design of rear reversed fin. It had not come up the coast to get into the surfboard design scene, as yet. When the board was clear of kelp, the cutbacks and bottom turns were simple and fast to go along with the powerful waves. My kind of place for everyday surfing. But, it was a 70 minute round trip road trip through some great scenery, but took up a lot of college studying time... YRMV Note: The next surfboard that rode in the back of the 65 El Camino as it was the ultimate surfboard made. The Phil Edwards model #4 was the one I ordered and it came with a custom reversed fin as discussed in the post. The shape was one of the best on the market at the time and the three stringer board was faster than anything out in the water, except for those big wave "guns." Smooth turning with the fin and edges of the board. It is/was the ultimate surfboard and today, would have been worth top money in any auction.
jnaki, As a Mid-Westerner having spent much vacation time along the coast from Long Beach down to San Diego, and also having a grandson attending UC SantaCruz, I really enjoy reading your mini essays describing the area and all the history that belongs to the golden age of Hot Rodding, not to mention your surfing adventures. In the Midwest I often hear my contemporary hot rod hoodlum friends bad-mouthing the West Coast with all it's "Conjestion, Crime, Homelessness, Government overreach," yadda,yadda. Most have never even been there. I found it to be an almost magical place, exuding memories of the car culture there. Thanks again for your insightful missives. FTF P.S. One of my proudest moments was having been thrown out of the water while body surfing near the Thousand Steps at Laguna Beach by the lifeguard who said the surf was too rough to be doing that.
Hello, Our surf adventures came from a tragedy from drag racing, so there was that timeline. It was a very sad moment and future gone from August 1960. We were all in recovery mode and my brother was doing the best he could with his limited abilities during this difficult time. Plenty of late nights discussing what we both were going to do for the teenage experiences. Of course, our first thought was to build another hot rod/drag racer, as the 671 powered 292 c.i. motor was not damaged and sitting in our backyard garage. But, my brother could see what this episode did to our mom. She was an absolute wreck. We as parents understand the situation now, but, back then we had our own world affected, too. As usual, he was right and we began to understand how we affected our parents’s lives. So, he began to look at other alternatives. Knowing how much our mom liked the outdoors and our trips to the mountains, lakes and up the coast during our camping, fishing/ motel adventures. We decided to narrow our choices to being outdoors. That gave us a wide open space to discover new stuff. My brother chose desert motorcycle racing as being as far away to drag racing as could be in locations. His friend was already involved in motorcycles out in the desert, so they decided to move in that direction. I still had hot rod rolling around with my high school friends, but, I moved toward my brother’s second choice of surfing as being totally outdoors and challenging nature in a form or two. My mom was into this choice as it did not make loud noises coming from the backyard garage every time we strolled out there. But, she did not complain to either of those choices. They were keeping a smile on my brother and there was no hot rod, other than my Flathead sedan delivery or 58 Impala in the yard. Jnaki So, through time, locations, changing directions in our lives actually made a smile on my brother’s face, being happy at his choice of direction and our mom was also in this mellow mode, as long as she did not hear loud rump, rump noises coming from her backyard. Little did she know that because she drove the C&O Stick Hydro Impala around to her shopping with friends, she was actually in a fast hot rod sedan. YIKES! Surfing and surf oriented cars, station wagons all played a part in our coastal wanderings. Endless "trouble free," Flathead sedan delivery surprised me the most. All I had to do was put in gas and go surfing everywhere along the coast. My brother went through several funky cars and trucks during this time. So, our adventures went this way for quite some time. Even after the hot rods were gone. The last time my brother and I surfed was at a very cold Rincon (outside Santa Barbara) in 1984 and he lasted two waves + the long paddling to get outside. I lasted two hours until I was almost a frozen stick. But, the experience and the nice comments from my brother were the best and I will remember that day, forever. Out of the water, he said that my style and power was the best he has ever seen. I was now, a good surfer in his eyes. YES! He left us within a year due to medical complications. Thanks, J… Note: What a small world that your grandson went to UC Santa Cruz. I surfed there as I was attending college in San Jose about 40 minute drive inland toward the back bay. But, the idea of Santa Cruz as another place to put down roots grew (pun intended) when my wife and I were on our continuous road trips up/down the coast in search of the next adventure locations, a few years later. We must have stopped overnight plenty of times to wander around the whole Santa Cruz area coastal communities. We loved the rugged coastal cliffs and beach locations. It was close enough to San Francisco if we needed a big city atmosphere and the surf in Santa Cruz was comparable to other locations. But, we found a 5 acre lot on a hill top with views of the ocean, the big bay to Monterey, and on the days we were there, up the coast toward San Francisco. A perfect hilltop location with a nice home platform ready to build. The small community of Soquel was nice and not as popular as the city of Santa Cruz, but not as congested as such. Still a small beach town just a few blocks south of Santa Cruz location. We drove up there plenty of times and had our savings locked into the purchase. Each time, we were greeted from two local friendly dogs that ran towards us each time we were there. The blue on the left photo is sky. the blue on the right two photos are the crystal blue ocean down the hilltop and nearby. Sadly, it was not to be. One last time we went by, a sold sign was on the roadway to the top of the hill. Note 2: As far as he beaches in Laguna Beach, the waves have constantly beat the shoreline and rocky outcroppings over the years. The sandy/rocky bottom near the shorelines are shallow, then steep and are unpredictable. So, sometimes one feels safe and other times, you are in deep water after a body surf experience without even knowing it. As good of a swimmer as I was able to be, the constant body surf pounding does throw one off kilter when you least expect it. A deep channel drop off, when coming up for air is disheartening and sometimes causes trouble. The lifeguard did give us plenty of warnings, too. They did not want to tell folks that the sandy/rocky bottoms are an eminent danger to unsuspecting beach-goers. That certainly would not be the first thing the city officials would want travelers to see in the headlines. "Beaches in Laguna are dangerous..." The 1000 steps area is very popular and so is the Victoria Beach enclave. But the ocean floor bottoms, currents and waves make it not so, for everyone. They are nice places to lounge around, but not always user friendly... YRMV
Thanks again for the additional insight jnaki. My family is aboout 30 mi east of Soquel in San Juan Bautista - relocated from OC. To steer things a little back toward surfing and HAMB rods his pop has a '48 Anglia and an OT '69 Ranchero which would make a great surf transportation vehicle, that he frequently declines offers to buy.
The Jalopy Journal
