Well, the Fall trip is done. The factories have been at or beyond capacity for at least a year. Covid seems to have revved up demand for , among other things; liquor, guitars, and surfboards.

I did not have the good fortune to know, until well into my trip, if I would even have use of a shaping bay, and more importantly, space in the factories production schedule. Over the summer, everyone I spoke to or heard about, was way behind schedule. Not a little backed up either. Folks were from dozens to hundreds of boards behind. A lot of things added up to cause the surge in demand, but the bottom line was that I had no guarantee of getting any boards through when I left for my trip, which had been planned since Spring.

Fortunately, the good folks at G&S/Custom Surf Glass, Debbie, Eric, etc. shoehorned me into their busy schedule, and I was able to a few shifts a week of open shaping bay time. Unfortunately, it was not enough, during my limited time in San Diego, to get nearly as many boards through as I wanted to. I have a list of patient and loyal surfers who have hung with me through the Covid era, but the first three contacts filled up my planned available time. Add in another friendly order from Greg Surf Company in Osaka (thank you Masa), and another friend or two, and I was busier than a dog scratchin’ fleas.

I apologize to those on my list, who I was not able to take care of, but another trip is in the works for the near future, and I will be contacting everyone again soon. With luck, I will be able to plan sufficient time to get everything done. In the meantime, we’re doing our thing here in Newport, enjoying the season, family, and friends.