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Long May It Last
Scotland Through the Viewfinder of Al Mackinnon

Our surfing world is about the size of a thumbnail—we might not know each other first hand, but chances are we know some of the same people. So it didn’t surprise me last fall when I was chatting with the lovely Aoeifa and Claire in a pub out in the west of Ireland and it turned out that their friend Tom (who charges the wave at the Cliffs) was a buddy of my friend Al Mackinnon, the British photographer. Al happened to be in the country just then and we hooked up for coastal explorations, making the most of the shredded North Atlantic conditions. The photography featured here showcases the Northern reaches in their finest form, and although it may seem very remote there’s always the possibility that you’ll run into someone you know…

“And when the song finishes Chad hands the mic back to the vested DJ, slinks to the bar and banters with the indie film starlet, then steps out to the sidewalk and lights a cigarette with a fluidity that’s both James Dean and Gerry Lopez. When a greasy homeless dude stumbles up and asks for spare change, Chad opens up to him as if he were part of the gang. And it’s this ability to bounce from one end of the spectrum to the other that is the hallmark of the Malibu surfer. It comes from an upbringing of constant improvisation, dancing amongst the culture clash, finding moments of rapture on a wave that’s often clusterfucked three surfer’s thick.”

Ether
Andrew Kidman Collected Works 1986 – 2007

It’s sobering when one realizes that the cumulative time invested in the pursuit of waves has become an unalterable path. But for the hard-core surfer there could be no other way. It was never a conscious decision. There were the waves and the only response was to be with them. Andrew Kidman is as surf-haunted a soul that ever drifted through the pages of TSJ. Here are some glimpses from 21 years on his unalterable path.

Montauk’s Light Defense
By Russell Drumm

“The rocks’ growl is the voice of this place, deep, defiant. The biggest swells stir the reefs’ larger, submarine boulders causing disturbing vibrations sensed more than heard. Whale music. The Leviathans pass here on their spring and fall migrations. Montauketts taught Englishmen how to row out and kill them in the 1600s, mostly right whales at the time. The Indians ate the meat and burned the tails to honor the animal’s power. The English took the oil. The infernal industry began along this coast. There are better waves in the world, but none I know speak so clearly, have so much to say. History of all kinds rises easily to the surface in the absence of the fecal smearing that passes for coastal development—especially in this October light, a gold and lavender bubble of time between warm, Sargasso-weeded waves crowded with city transplants, and the slush filled waves of winter.”

Journeyman
Michel Junod’s Quiet Surfing Career
By Christian Beamish

A master’s surfing stands out. You can spot them paddling, or the way they carry their board. “Master” is not an age category so much as a level of accomplishment, and Michel Junod is one in two disciplines: longboarding and surfboard shaping. On both the boards he makes and the waves he rides his lines are clean, pared down to the most efficient and pleasing expression. A surfer who has generally operated just outside the camera’s gaze, Junod is poised to become more widely known as he’ll be featured in Thomas Campbell’s upcoming surf film, The Present. For now though, please meet the quiet master.

The Ballad of Toro Rojo
Off-the-grid Step Vanning with Glen Horn
By Kevin Naughton

Glen Horn is a surfer who has his priorities straight, posting up for months on end during the winter season at his favorite desert point. His time stateside is spent shaping boards and outfitting his customized abode on wheels, “El Toro Rojo,” for the next run south. He and his longtime girlfriend, Roberta, enjoy the wealth of time and freedom from burdensome possessions. “Not in a dropout way that lessens everything,” Naughton writes, “but in a way that restores our collective self-image of being somehow different that makes us feel good about ourselves as surfers, and that resonates with the surf lifestyle and all that it implies.”

Luxe Life
A Geoff Ragatz Portfolio

Whether making Orange County surfing look far better than it usually is, or showcasing the British Virgin Islands in full Carib vibration, Ragatz makes the most of the miles he travels. With a liberal dose of Chile in the mix, balanced by glimpses of Indonesia and the Pacific Northwest, his portfolio should satisfy the discerning wave rider’s appetite for visual perfection.

Our aim is to present images and ideas that resonate with committed wave riders from every surfing demographic. Consider subscribing to see where the conversation leads. Until next time, thank you.

Christian Beamish
Associate Editor
The Surfer’s Journal