Recently, I was lurking around South Orange County and one of the highlights of the week was a breakfast that I got to attend at The Ranch at Laguna Beach with a real collection of coolsters.
The group included one of my oldest co-conspirators, Dick Metz, who at 96 is an inspiration to anyone who crosses his path. Dick is still charging hard and holding court in numerous speaking engagements around his hometown.
As the inspiration for Bruce Brown’s iconic “Endless Summer” flick, let’s just say that Dick has had more than his share of exotic hijinks. If you haven’t seen it, check out “Birth of the Endless Summer,” the award-winning full-length film chronicling Dick’s globe-trotting escapades and his original discovery of the “perfect wave” at Cape St Francis.
Had it not been for Dick, there would be no “Endless Summer,” and the surf industry itself might not look quite the same.
Also breaking bread (OK, tortillas) was Jeff Alter, Hobie Alter’s youngest son, and his spitting image in terms of both appearance and skill set. Jeff ran the family biz for years and is now, as executive director, running the show at the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center, or SHACC.
SHACC is exponentially, without a doubt, the greatest depository of the sport of surfing on the planet. And it will be unveiling something truly mind-blowing and world-class in the next few months.
Also joining us was Mark Christy, who in his daily life wears multiple hats. We happened to be sitting at the corner table of Harvest, the restaurant at The Ranch overlooking the pristine golf course and majestic hillsides of Aliso Canyon. Mark is the managing partner of The Ranch and oversaw its transformational multi-year restoration a few years back.
Mark also happens to be the co-chair of SHACC’s board of directors and one of the primary architects of its upcoming big move to Laguna Beach.
Also, repping the tribe this morning was Wes Brown (Bruce’s grandson), whose presence reminded me of his creative visionary grandpa.
And finally, there was Boston Titensor, who proudly reps the iconic Katin brand, and is one of the reasons that Katin, one of my OG collaborators during the dawn of the fledgling surf industry, has reestablished itself as a leader. I relayed the story of how a young surf punk, who could be a bit rough on his equipment, convinced a canvas sailmaker and his wife to stitch up a pair of trunks that could handle some punishment in the surf. He’d never heard the “trial and error” story, particularly the part about the interaction of wet sail and boat cover canvas with the human anatomy (ouch), but enjoyed the part when the experiment finally worked and the custom board short industry was born.
Let’s get back to SHACC and what it has brewing. SHACC is recognized as the brainchild of Dick (though knowing Dick, I’m guessing it was more of an accident) and his early partner Spencer Croul. Dick and Spencer met at an auction for vintage boards and, probably after a beer or two, decided that if they merged their collections and found a spot to put the combined quiver, it might be pretty cool. Shortly thereafter, they did just that, buying a warehouse in the hills of San Clemente and putting many of the boards and artifacts on display.
And, despite the fact that the facility was effectively hidden in the hills and had no real budget for promotion or marketing, people from around the world made the “Field of Dreams” pilgrimage to view this incomparable display of boards, books, photos, you name it. A gathering spot for surf legends, on any given day you might find Bruce, Hobie, Hap Jacobs, Renny Yater, Bing Copeland, John Seversen, Mickey Munoz, Phil Edwards, Joyce and Walter Hoffman, possibly even Grubby Clark.
Now SHACC, the “Smithsonian of Surf,” will be permanently moving to a large, high-profile historic downtown Laguna Beach building in spring, and the rest of the world will finally be able to experience the sheer breadth and depth of this incomparable facility. I can’t wait to check it out and send kudos to Dick, Jeff, Mark and fellow board members and industry icons Paul Naude, Greg MacGillivray, Mark Samuels, Patti Paniccia, Dan McInerny, Randy Hild, Royce Cansler and John Mazza for giving SHACC the love and exposure it so richly deserves.
I was feeling kinda super cool and groovy about hangin’ with this lineup of O.C. “A listers.”