A Custom More Honored in the Breach than the Observance: July Flatness foiled!

This month was becoming another New England July (hot, humid, flat). But this year we had a happy break from tradition, at least for the past week or so.

And my favorite sand bar provided loads of fun, long, and speedy lefts for days. The “chamber of commerce” weather and 72° water (22° Celsius) all added up to redeem an otherwise abysmal few weeks.

The Hansen 50-50: still crazy after all these years.

Foggy lap of Cape Ann feels so good

Drive South Ends Wave Drought

July is historically the worst month for surf, of course, the water’s warm, the temps ideal. This is New effing England, there’s always a catch. And for us it’s no waves during heat waves, no waves when the conditions resemble Cabo more than Fairbanks.

But for the dedicated and just plain lucky (me) , fun clean waves can be found. The water temps were 75°, air temps 86°, and the wind never went onshore. Imagine, late-July, it’s 1:30, fun longboard sets coming through, just trunks for the guys, bathing suits for the wahines, and a great vibe all around (just keep away from the lsd).

Musclecar Monday - Firebird in Verdoro Green

It's unfair to say the Firebird was just a rehash on the Camaro, the early ones were legitimate Pontiacs, but at the same time there would be no Firebird were it not for the Camaro.

Despite using the same front fenders, doors, and rear fenders as the Camaro, the Firebird's pretty front grille, and slitted taillights gave it a very Pontiac vibe. But the big difference was the range of Pontiac, not Chevy motors. I wonder if this has the special "H.O." (High Output) version of the 326 V8?

This one is super clean and the vinyl roof is especially authentic.  They were a popular option back in the day.

Lastly - roof racks are usually points off for me, but these are like those old school Aloha brand racks for side-by-side log haulin'.

This gem spotted on Sunday's trip south of the border...a great segue into the next post.  Is it a '67 or '68?

keep paddling it's flat!

As the flatness continues so does the paddling. But there have been a load of gorgeous sunsets, and the water must be around 70°. These are all film pics taken with the Nikon Action Touch.

Musclecar Monday – Bastille Day Edition - Facel Vega

FACEL (Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir) was initially a metal-stamping company but decided to expand into car manufacturing in the early 1950s. Facel entered the automobile business as a supplier of special bodies for Panhard, Delahaye and Simca.

Vegas appeared in 1954 using Chrysler V8 engines, at first a 4.5-litre (275 cu in) DeSoto Hemi engine; the overall engineering was straightforward, with a tubular chassis, double wishbone suspension at the front and a solid driven axle at the back, as in standard American practice. They were also as heavy as American cars, at about 1,800 kg (3,968 lb). Performance was brisk, with an approx 190 km/h (118 mph) top speed and 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just under ten seconds.

1959 models had even bigger engines, a 5.8-litre and later a 383 cubic inch Chrysler V8, and were quite a bit faster despite their extra weight. The final evolution of the V8 models came in 1962 with the Facel II, which was lighter, with sleeker, more modern lines, and substantially faster.

Facel Vega owners included Pablo Picasso, Ava Gardner, Christian Dior, Joan Collins, Ringo Starr, Max Factor Jr, Joan Fontaine, Stirling Moss, Tony Curtis, Saudi princes, Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, Louis Malle, The President of Mexico, François Truffaut, Robert Wagner, Anthony Quinn, King Hassan ll of Morocco, Debbie Reynolds, The Shah of Iran, Frank Sinatra, and French Embassies around the world. Race-car driver Stirling Moss would drive his HK500 from event to event rather than fly.
Facel left the car market completely in 1964 when the French government scuttled the endeavour.

Heatwave Flatspell Update

July flatness is upon us – time to break out the SUP and explore around.  Cycling? As much as I’m dying to get out and ride my ass off, recent 90 degree (30+ C) plus heavy-as-stone humid air has ruled that out for now.