a night with: The Merriweather Deer

Intimate venue, great wine, bean bags and great tunes. Sounds like a decent gig? Thats sums up the Merriweather deer gig last night at The Platform, check out pics below for more!

 

The Platform is a newish event space on top of the Opendoor Cafe located in Sai Ying Pun. The size was perfect for an intimate gig, and if you were lucky enough to be near the front you were welcomed by bean bags and cushions covering the floor. We ended up bringing some wine (from http://www.cuvees.com of course) which went down great with the crowd, maybe because it was free?  It was great to see some familiar faces and meet new ones for those who came to hang over at our little merch table.

The night was opened by Karmen Cheung who played a great solo acoustic set. It was the first time i had heard this talented singer / songwriter, solid! Will definitely keep an eye out for future shows!

The Merriweather Deer didn’t disappoint as usual, playing a electro/acoustic set of a mix of old and new material as well as a couple of sick covers. Awesome energy and talent again from the boys,  we can’t wait for the new album to come out. Lighting and sound was solid too!

Thanks again TMD for letting us part of the event!

www.platform.hk
www.opendoorcafe.hk
www.myspace.com/themerriweatherdeer
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Merriweather-deer/136189309729277
https://www.facebook.com/Karmenmusichk
www.cuvees.com

PS: low light photography is hard when you dont know what you are doing!

explore: Twenty Bliss

We caught up with curator Sarah Kohler to find out a little more on the Twenty Bliss collective! Check our the images and article below on how it all came about and whats in store for the future!

 

I decided to start a blog to collect stories from creatives in their twenties. Actual stories. I was tired of reading bullet pointed lists of excuses and “You know you’re in your twenties when…”. I don’t want to be defining anyone, but rather, let young creatives be heard, inspired and empowered on a creative platform. It can be lonely and scary at times being at this age. I wanted TwentyBliss to be real and relatable.

We should be seeking inspiration, not validation.

I had also been trying to curate a group show with friends where I could show some of my photography. I got turned down by a couple galleries, some confirmed then fell through last minute etc. and it just didn’t work out for some time… Until 2013! I decided to turn TwentyBliss into a series of exhibitions as well. A series of group shows for emerging artists that people could lend their spaces to and not only invest in them, but be a mentor to a community of artists. It gave people more of an incentive to help because it meant they could be a part of something too.

TwentyBliss is definitely a community first and community driven platform and that will always be my priority for it. The internet is inherently very social and I’m going to use it to build something that’s inclusive of the rest of the world.

We just did our first international show in Los Angeles this year and am looking to be in London next year. I hope to be a brand of exhibitions that will be independently curated, where artists and curators from all over the world will be able to apply and host their very own TwentyBliss show. Supporting local artists and curators globally.

Our first two exhibitions were in Hong Kong. We put out an open call for submissions for the second show. For the third show, a curator from LA actually approached me and asked if he could host one over there. I gave him the materials he needed and he just went for it. Finding his own artists and sculpted a show himself under the TwentyBliss name. It was awesome!

what happens at 30?

Yikes. A lot can happen in a year and I’ve got about 6 more years ‘till I’m 30… However, I  am true believer of being the person you needed when you were younger and I hope to still be doing the same thing (and preferably full-time! haha). Helping even more young creatives / content creators in even more places and with even more resources!

Sarah Kohler

Sea what? Desmond Centro

“Sea what?” is a series of photos taken by photographers from different places and differrent walks of life. We wanted to see how they view Float Captain through their lenses, we’re stoked to see how each one will turn out!

Desmond Centro is a Honolulu based photographer and surfer. “Living in Hawaii makes it really easy. Hawaii is a great place to just grab a camera and walk around. The people are just as interesting as the landscapes.” Desmond feels most comfortable in the ocean, either surfing of shooting photos, the ocean is his natural playground.

Check out his Tumblr Walk Thee Earth and Instagram: @desmondo!

explore: Kahana Bay

Located on the windward side of Oahu, the Ahupua’a O Kahana State Park is just a shorts drive from the North Shore and about 26 miles out from Honolulu. This quite and unspoilt area sits on ancient Hawaiin land which was once home to an thriving fishing village before the 19th century!

The park itself consists of 2 hiking trails that are both relatively easy. We went on the shorter one of the which is more commonly known as the lookout trail or the Kapa’ele’ele trail. You start from the orientation centre and there will be signs to a dirt path leading to the 1.2 mile trail up to the lookout. A lot of trail is covered by the natural canopy of trees and plants, until you walk higher up where parts begin to open up to the stunning view below.

Once you get to the actual look out you can see clear right across the bay below and the surrounding mountains where you realize how the spot gets it name. The bay itself isnt really clear water as you may expect, but is murky because of the runoff from the Kahana stream. The entrance is opposite the beach park side which you can drive to via the Kamehameha Highway.

Back in the day, fishermen would be able to spot schools of fish from the lookout by the reflection on their scales and shadows in the water. Using smoke signals, they would be able to signal to the fishermen waiting below where to go!

 

explore: Zambales

A 3 hours drive away from Manila, Zambales is the perfect place to get away for a reef break. Magical Left- the best spot during south swell, offers a chance for both beginner surfers and the more advanced to experience the excitement of the ocean.

Whilst its proximity to Manila may ward off some, there is no need to worry, as the lack of crowds is evident in the fact that Zambales is a popular weekend get-away for city surfers. There are numerous points to go surfing: Magic Left, Mags, Liw Liwa, San Narciso and River Mouth. The variety of different locations allow surfers to test themselves against all kinds of breaks- a challenge that many enjoy.

Thankfully, for those who can’t take a full on surf weekend, there are numerous activities that one can enjoy ranging from hiking, fishing, island hopping and adventures into the wonders of nature.

Ways to get there:
–    3 hour drive via SCTEX highway to Subic then to Zambales province.
–    Bus 5-6 hours bus ride (Victory Liner).

Places to stay:
–    Punta De Uian (Magsaysay) https://www.facebook.com/PDUofficial – provides a more upscale feel with a family resort and a very nice location close to the beach
–    Villa Janella Residences and Beach Resort http://www.villajanella.com/ – modest family resort.
–    Megan’s Resort https://www.facebook.com/pages/Megans-Paradisio-Beach-Resort/144706228902343 – surfers discount and low-priced stay and food. Excellent location on beach front.
–    Capones Vista Resort http://www.caponesvista.com/ – busy and popular due to proximity to Mags beach.

explore: Maldives

Surf, eat, sleep, surf, eat, sleep and repeat. Sounds like a good plan? After almost a year of planning, we finally pulled the trigger and decided to book a surf charter / boat trip to the Maldives. This was something we had been talking about for years and there was no better time to do it!

9 of our closest friends met in Hong Kong to take the new Cathay Pacific flight to Male, the capital of the Maldives which is where we boarded our boat, the Carpe Vita. For most of us this was our first ever surf surfari which we booked through The Perfect Wave out of Australia.  Everyone was frothing and eager to surf some rippable waves. We were also stoked to try out our new Float captain boardies and tees which we handed out to everyone on arrival.

The Carpe Vita is a stunning locally built motor yacht complete with it all the necesities you could need, as well as a Dhoni to ferry us out to all the breaks. Our Aussie Surf guide Brian James was awesome with amazing stories and knowledge of the Surf in the Maldives. He did his best to put us onto the best waves on offer depending on the swell direction, tides and wind direction. Likewise with our local guide Anko who made sure we were getting the waves we were after, they both can rip! 

The 11 day trip was nothing short of epic and we lucked out with the Swell pulsing the day after we arrived. We started out north of Male surfing Sultans, Jails and Cokes for the first 3 days which immediately threw us into some ovearhead perfection. We bust out our step ups for a session at Cokes with spitting solid 4-6 foot surf reeling in.  Many of us took our beatings but scored some sick waves with relatively mild crowds.

Each day was finished off with beers, hot tubs and dinner at sunset following by more beers and fishing off the back of the boat. Some of us had a bit of rotten luck when it came to fishing, catching coral was super popular most nights. If we werent fishing we were chilling out playing poker or watching movies…depending out quickly you lost.

The rest of the week was spent motoring to the South Male atolls where we scored more sick waves at spots like Riptides and Kates.  A  particularly memorable session was had at Kates where the outside allowed our longboarders super long rippable walls to get some tip time and bury their rails on cutbacks. The inside was a super hollow, racetrack of a righthander that was uber fun for the short boarders among us. Getting shacked on almost every wave for three hours really became one of the highlights of the trip despite some of us bouncing off the reef after going over the falls!

After venturing south for a couple of days where we also swam with Manta’s and check out Kandooma resort, Brian decided to take us back north to catch an incoming swell.  What prevailed over the last three days of the trip really put an exclamation mark to finish things off.We woke up to Sultans on Friday morning going off at glassy 3-4 foot. Everyone surfed their brains out over three sessions really only coming in to re-fuel before heading back out for more. The following two days saw the swell grow to 5 foot with occasional 6 foot bomb sets and an even better lined up Sultans with less crowds.

Sultans got as good as it gets with a super shreddable outside section where you could throw in a few hacks before rifling into the inside section which provided some really hollow tubes. Everyone scored probably the best waves of our lives and got to meet and share the waves with people from all over the world in the line-up. One of the unbelievable moments was our last session at Sultans, we had the wave all to ourselves in perfect conditions and everyone was just stoked. After that most of us were completely and utterly surfed out. There’s something magical about surfing perfect waves with your closest friends for 11 days straight.
Shortboard, longboard, fish, we managed to ride it all and score just about everyday of the trip. Turns out our new stretch boardies were really popular and everyone gave us really positive feedback. The most positive and popular saying was “no ball rash guaranteed!”
Special thanks to the Perfect Wave and Brian James who really made our trip memorable. The Crew on the Carpe Vita were also a really cool bunch with a really positive vibe. Finally we’d also like to thanks Anko for being our local Maldivian surf guide and all around stoked individual and also Joel Coleman from Saltmotion who took some amazing water shots of our trip!
We really can’t wait to get back to the Maldives for more. There are lots of other spots we want to check out down south where the crowds get even thinner! It’s a must for any surfer at some point in their lives.

Dont forget to check out The Perfect Wave, we’ll be going back to them for sure!
www.theperfectwave.com

 

 

2014 Lookbook

The new collection is inspired by our travels and surf adventures around the world. We’ve taken a more refined and softer approach this time around, with more focus on the finer details that make a more comfortable wear. We have injected colours that we see all around us in the water, drawing inspiration from reefs, coral, waves and the greenery around. We had a blast putting it together, enjoy!

 

DIY: tank top and singlet

So until we manage to produce singlets and tank top, this will have to do! We’ve outlined a couple of simple steps to transform a normal t-shirt into a fresh new tank top or singlet. Its usually recommended to use an old t-shirt thats a little bit larger than you would usually wear just so there is some room for error.

The first step is lay the tshirt flat onto a table and mark where you want to cut the sleeves.

– before you cut make sure both sides are even and aligned

– now go ahead and cut! but try to avoid making small cuts.

– once you have cut both sides you can grab both ends of the new “sleeve” and give it a few good tugs and stretch the fabric a bit. This should give a nice uniform curl in the sleeve (kind of creating a hem…maybe)

– now mark out the collar cut. This is optional of course as you can keep it the same as it was originally. However there are also many ways to do the collar so go nuts!

– After cutting you can do the tugging again so you have the same look as the sleeves.

– you can always tie the spare cuts of fabric around the shoulders or back to refine the shape/cut a bit.

explore: Baler

Intoxicating, heavenly, and amazing- my three words used to describe Baler. Located in the Aurora province of the Philippines, Baler is a paradise for any and all to just come and chill. The long coastline was host to the classic film Apocalypse Now and ever since has been regarded as a surfer’s dream. It has beach break points, river mouths and reef breaks- the perfect place for surfers to just go all out.

Walking across the soft grey sand into the crystalline water is an incomparable experience. This doesn’t just apply to one beach, fortunately. For a surf, you can go to Sabang beach, Cemento beach, Charlie’s point and Lindy’s point, all offering unique but memorable surfing experiences. The friendly people of the place get to enjoy beach weather for the whole year with a 35 degree summer and a (at low) 18 degree December with the best waves roll between October and Febuary when the NE monsoon comes down from China. You know what that means- surfing in boardies all year round.

But after you’re done riding the waves, you can enjoy the view and the hundreds of other activities Baler offers. The summer months blow in a light sea breeze, prefect to go windsurfing, diving and snorkelling and to eat the all-time favourite Baler seafood.

Serene and popular as Baler is, there are many places to stay and enjoy. Costa Pacifica offers comfy stay, while those seeking more budget rooms, can go to Mahdox surf school.

Baler is without a doubt a place to add to your bucket list to go and check off. Enjoy the surf.

How to get there?

4-5 hours drive from Manila

6-7 hours bus ride from Cubao (Genisis Bus Co.)

DIY: Handmade organic surfwax

One of the things ive often though about adding into the Float Captain product line was a simple bar of surf wax. It seemed logical that a surf related brand should at least try and make surf wax since its something that every surfer needs to use.  After researching and talking to factories it seemed like the most hassle free option was to make it ourselves by hand using organic and readily available materials rather than using weird chemicals that we couldn’t even pronounce.

Organic wax is essentially made up of 2 – 3 materials, which are beeswax, coconut oil and sometimes tree sap (for cold water wax). Most recipes seem to revolve around 2 parts beeswax and 1 part coconut oil. However after some trial and error i wanted a more exact method of measuring so its easier to repeat at least. i found a great blog by Crafty Surf who did just that (using the density of the beeswax and the equivalent liquid measurement in grams).

So what do you need?

– 160 grams of beeswax

– 2 US tablespoons of coconut oil ( 29.5ml)

– kitchen scale

– old pot for mixing

– moulds (we use silicone soap moulds after an epic fail using yoghurt cups…longstory short, the cup melted)

You can start by melting the beeswax in the pot first, don’t forget to use low heat or you’ll be in for a unpleasant surprise. Once the beeswax has melted you can add in the coconut oil and keep stirring until both are mixed well.  Once that is done you just pour into your moulds and let it set! Depending on the material of your moulds the setting time can vary, but i usually just leave it overnight.  The whole process (minus the setting) is  just measuring, melting and pouring so its relatively quick and easy.

It may not smell as nice as normal wax, or maybe there is something wrong with ours haha! But its good fun to try yourself.  Alternatively if you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding slabs of beeswax, tubs of coconut oil and fancy tree sap (which im still trying to find that special blend) then you can get some from our shop here!