What better way to spend one of the hottest days of the summer in NYC than being aboard an 1800's style Schooner sailboat with a glass of wine in hand and unbeatable views all around. The America 2.0 is 105 feet long and is the fastest and most glorious ship in the Classic Harbor Line Fleet. The two hour cruise is perfect for groups looking to have some drinks while watching the sunset fall over the Statue of Liberty. The crew tacked the America 2.0 smoothly past the Freedom Tower along the Hudson River really giving a unique perspective of the gorgeous city that we call home. Sailing hits home for Scrimshaw, so experiencing the power of this boat in NYC makes for the absolute perfect night.
NYSEA 6th Annual Surf Week
While Mick Fanning was being a total legend by punching a shark in the back and getting attacked during the finals at J-Bay in South Africa, New York had its own excitement to kick off Shark Week. NYSEA hosted their 6th Annual Surf Week.
NYSEA's Surf week is filled with activities to encourage love for the ocean and promote a surf culture in a city where barrels are hard to find. The week started with the NYSEA Pro Open, which had 3-4ft surf with a solid swell that allowed for perfect competition conditions on the East Coast. It was a close competition but at the end of the day Leif Engstrom ended up getting sprayed with the celebratory beer and taking home the win.
6th Annual NYSEA Pro Open Results:
NYSEA PRO OPEN
1. Leif Engstrom
2. TJ Gumiela
3. Alex Fawess, Balaram Stack
Courtesy of: NYSEA
The all day surfing Pro event was followed by a Mini-Ramp-Skate-Jam which was presented by Red Bull. During the remainder of the week, there were beach concerts presented by Raised Fist Propaganda blaring good tunes and bringing crowds that filled the boardwalk. The week long festivities also included autograph signings, boardwalk fairs, and Surf 4 All charity events. The week was a monstrous success and Scrimshaw looks forward to next year's events! For more pictures and results go to NYSEA.com and check out their recent video below of the first ever, New York surf thriller, "Empire Now."
Grains, Planes, and Urban Workshops
Talk about an epic collaboration! Two such congruent companies coming together for a night full of craftsmanship, creativity and passionate energy. Grain Surfboards and the crew at Patagonia Bowery teamed up for a hand plane building workshop this past May! Grain Surfboards, based out of York, Maine, are an extraordinary team of builders paving their own paths, and helping others hand-create the boards of their dreams from scratch. They hold workshops using traditional woodworking techniques shaping surfboards, paipos, and hand planes galore out of local softwoods. And this spring, a team from Grain hit the road and brought their talents, sustainable practices, and enthusiastic teaching across the country. As part of the Right Coast Road Trip tour, crew members, Nolan Collins and Matt Entwistle left their mark as they trekked North up the Atlantic shore in Grain’s mobile classroom - follow along with their stories here.
Towards the end of their tour, the fellas made a hugely successful last stop at Patagonia's Bowery shop in New York City. Held in the basement of the Manhattan storefront, both Nolan and Matt truly brought the room to life. With a full class, we unfortunately weren't able to participate but the guys gave us the go ahead to stop by, photograph the night, and chat with the participants.
There was a resonating buzz about the room, with nearly twenty people sanding down their hand planes, carving back and forth to achieve their desired shape. The floor was covered in a good inch or so of carvings, surrounding the main work station like a tiny atoll. It was very interesting to see the different approaches everyone took in shaping their planes. Catching up with a few of the participants, we heard some were brand new to this and had no experience using (let alone making) hand planes, whereas others had made lots in their lifetimes.
As the retail shop upstairs closed down for the evening, a group of Patagonia Bowery’s staff joined in and came to observe and mingle with the class. The energy was electric as everyone was there for a common goal: to make something each individual could call their own. And although everyone was there to make their own creation, a true sense of community and engagement was alive and booming. Amidst Nolan and Matt’s attentive instruction and guidance, neighboring strangers provided each other helpful tips throughout the entire session. This sense of community coming together to produce and celebrate quality pieces is very reflective of what I think both Grain and Patagonia represent (and strive for) as companies.
If you haven’t yet made it into the Patagonia Bowery shop, definitely do and scope out the boards, clothing and goods they’ve got going on this summer and beyond! Tee and the entire staff are extremely knowledgeable and really down to earth people that know their stuff. And if you haven’t made it up to Maine to visit the Grain folks, definitely make it priority register for one of their workshops, or even just to poke in and say hey on your next adventure up to Portland, Acadia or Baxter. If you don’t find yourself making your way up to the North Woods anytime soon, follow their mobile classroom’s calendar to see if they’re making a trip close to you in the near future or follow along their adventure on Instagram!
