That’s it Christmas fever has finally hit Saltrock HQ here in Braunton. Christmas songs on the radio and the Secret Santa list has gone round and the Christmas tree has been ousted from the depths of our storage area! Even the MD has been ‘Christmased’ with twinkling lights draped across his office by a phantom decorator.
There’s been a rush downstairs to the factory shop to stock up on stocking fillers and make the most of the fantastic saving on offer at the moment. Hats, scarfs, gloves and those lovely fleecy jackets have also been in great demand as the temperature has plummeted seasonally in time for a lovely crisp Christmas.
We’ve all ear-marked the Saltrock snowboard jackets for our new-year travels but are waiting for the last minute deals to book our hols. Having had a fantastic time in La Clusaz in France last March, with sunny sky’s and perfect conditions we’ve got high expectations for our next trip. The village is beautiful and whilst the slopes challenged those of us who were there for a more hardcore trip the ski schools for the kids meant a stress free time for the adults and plenty of venues for long lunches for those slightly less dedicated. With the transfer time of just under an hour from Geneva it’s defiantly got our return vote.
No snow in North Devon at this time of year but inspired by the season we grabbed our snowboards and headed off to the sand dunes last weekend for a little bit of pretend boarding! With a clear blue sky and frost on the beach the dunes at Saunton were just prefect for a bit of pre-season training. We might have had sand in our boot instead of snow at the end of the session by the après-ski was just as welcome at Thatch in Croyde.
Friday 12 December 2008
Friday 24 October 2008
With doom and gloom in the media at the moment and the R word looming, we at Saltrock were after a little inspiration this week! Last year a few of us scored an epic time on a trip on a trip to the little known Cape Verde island of Maio in a fast westernising archipelago off the coast of Senegal. This island has missed out on the tourism that is changing some of the more well known destinations mainly due to an erratic and oft canceled plane timetable! We were the only travelers on the island, there was only the sound of us playing a hand or two of black jack in the evenings and the waves breaking on the shore.There was miles and miles of empty waves and only the 4 of us to surf them.
Treks across barren landscapes yielding hidden coves with peeling right hand point breaks. Trips through ravines and over tiny crumbling cliff paths opening into a view of the prefect off shore reef break. Evening sat on the deck, contented and surfed out -watching the moon glint on the water and the biggest night sky we have ever seen. The waves were too numerous and epic for individual details.But suffice to say we are saving our pennies for a return trip to pick up our hearts from wear we left them!
This poem was on the wall in a little beach side hideaway that we stayed in and keeps us going till we can return to the next perfect wave.
Treks across barren landscapes yielding hidden coves with peeling right hand point breaks. Trips through ravines and over tiny crumbling cliff paths opening into a view of the prefect off shore reef break. Evening sat on the deck, contented and surfed out -watching the moon glint on the water and the biggest night sky we have ever seen. The waves were too numerous and epic for individual details.But suffice to say we are saving our pennies for a return trip to pick up our hearts from wear we left them!
This poem was on the wall in a little beach side hideaway that we stayed in and keeps us going till we can return to the next perfect wave.
Dance on Edges
Stretch
Listen in on shells
Put living things back
Cultivate Quiet
Boogie
Practice Simplicity
Sugar yourself with Sand
Float
Carry a bucket
Ride Rusty Bikes - go with the wind
Walk tender
Respect
Leave no wake
Tune up your senses
Build sandcastles and leave them for the moon to find
Ride waves
Discover treasure
Remember yourself
Keep off the rocks
Ebb and Flow
Laugh like a gull
Thank
Gingrass
A little romantic we know - but we all need some romance in our lives every now and again!
Wednesday 15 October 2008
A week in the life of... at Saltrock
Empty Waves
Who says there are no empty waves left in North Devon. Scored 2ft offshore Combesgate on Saturday morning this week – totally empty except for the seagulls and myself. Riding the Saltrock Fish, the left hand bank was ‘suckey’ but fun with some nice little moments stored away for the long winter ahead. By mid morning the peak had filled up with some of the other locals and a good banter was enjoyed to fill the gaps in the swell. A fantastic sunset and finally a dry evening saw the family and friends down the bottom of the garden. Deck chairs out, beer in hand, bonfire burning it felt like summer had finally made an appearance! Joel had caught a bass snorkelling off Baggy Point in the afternoon so we wrapped in foil, added some sliced lemons and fresh thyme from the garden and struck it on the BBQ. Mmmmm nothing like the taste of freshly caught fish to the accompaniment of a little bit of Jack Johnson in the background watching the sun go down.
Sunday was dry enough for the kids to skate the quarter pipe in the garden – no chance for a quiet read of the Sunday papers. Words was out in the Neighbourhood that the ramp was in use and the entire population of mini ‘skater dudes’ turned up to chew the fat and pull some moves…. Knarly stuff! New mountain bike arrived mid –week and the evenings are still light enough to get out and about. Took four bikes, two kids and one dog down to Marine drive and cycled along the path the Putsborough for a hot chocolate in the beach café before cycling back again. Everyone slept well that night! A spot of rock pooling on Friday afternoon and a chance to pick up some driftwood washed up by the summer storms. Looking for Lobster on Grunta reef, no luck with the lobsters but disturbed a very grumpy spidercrab! Took the driftwood home to add to our collection. At least that’s one thing the wet and wild summer has provided – a good selection of wood washed up by the summer storms to keep us warm through the winter ahead!
Who says there are no empty waves left in North Devon. Scored 2ft offshore Combesgate on Saturday morning this week – totally empty except for the seagulls and myself. Riding the Saltrock Fish, the left hand bank was ‘suckey’ but fun with some nice little moments stored away for the long winter ahead. By mid morning the peak had filled up with some of the other locals and a good banter was enjoyed to fill the gaps in the swell. A fantastic sunset and finally a dry evening saw the family and friends down the bottom of the garden. Deck chairs out, beer in hand, bonfire burning it felt like summer had finally made an appearance! Joel had caught a bass snorkelling off Baggy Point in the afternoon so we wrapped in foil, added some sliced lemons and fresh thyme from the garden and struck it on the BBQ. Mmmmm nothing like the taste of freshly caught fish to the accompaniment of a little bit of Jack Johnson in the background watching the sun go down.
Sunday was dry enough for the kids to skate the quarter pipe in the garden – no chance for a quiet read of the Sunday papers. Words was out in the Neighbourhood that the ramp was in use and the entire population of mini ‘skater dudes’ turned up to chew the fat and pull some moves…. Knarly stuff! New mountain bike arrived mid –week and the evenings are still light enough to get out and about. Took four bikes, two kids and one dog down to Marine drive and cycled along the path the Putsborough for a hot chocolate in the beach café before cycling back again. Everyone slept well that night! A spot of rock pooling on Friday afternoon and a chance to pick up some driftwood washed up by the summer storms. Looking for Lobster on Grunta reef, no luck with the lobsters but disturbed a very grumpy spidercrab! Took the driftwood home to add to our collection. At least that’s one thing the wet and wild summer has provided – a good selection of wood washed up by the summer storms to keep us warm through the winter ahead!
Tuesday 30 September 2008
A week in the life of.... at Saltrock
Well.... at the risk of being repetitive this week its really been about the weather again....... but ever the opportunist when it comes to shutting down the computer and experiencing the great outdoors this week.... hooray... finally a few breaks in the cloud and some ridable swell.
Huge swells on Monday meant a trip up the coast to Lynmouth. A satisfying if crowded surf followed by fish and chips on the promenade..... Just what the doctor ordered after the summer swell/weather depression! Entertainment provided free as a high tide and rolling seas washed over the seafront giving some unwary seagulls an unexpected dip in the sea!
Tuesday and back to our local secret spot for an early morning dawn patrol. Only a bike ride away and two people on a peak - who needs to go abroad when we still have unexplored waves hidden away in north Devon.
Autumn thoughts are chasing through our heads as Wednesday finds us collecting Driftwood down the boardwalk. Let’s hope the sun comes out in time to dry it out for those winter evenings gathered round the fire after a long tramp round Baggy Point.
Thursday and Friday and we managed a quick outing to the beach.... ice creams and hoodies but at least there was sand between our toes. Rock pooling with our buckets and nets and a few prawns collected for a lunchtime bbq behind the windbreak.
The weekend saw a spot of 'rain snorkelling' at a little sheltered bay we know of. Hard to say where the ocean stopped and the rain began but wildlife spotted include bass, mullet and of course beautiful shimmering shoals of mackerel. At least our beach life seems to be enjoying the last of the summer.
Huge swells on Monday meant a trip up the coast to Lynmouth. A satisfying if crowded surf followed by fish and chips on the promenade..... Just what the doctor ordered after the summer swell/weather depression! Entertainment provided free as a high tide and rolling seas washed over the seafront giving some unwary seagulls an unexpected dip in the sea!
Tuesday and back to our local secret spot for an early morning dawn patrol. Only a bike ride away and two people on a peak - who needs to go abroad when we still have unexplored waves hidden away in north Devon.
Autumn thoughts are chasing through our heads as Wednesday finds us collecting Driftwood down the boardwalk. Let’s hope the sun comes out in time to dry it out for those winter evenings gathered round the fire after a long tramp round Baggy Point.
Thursday and Friday and we managed a quick outing to the beach.... ice creams and hoodies but at least there was sand between our toes. Rock pooling with our buckets and nets and a few prawns collected for a lunchtime bbq behind the windbreak.
The weekend saw a spot of 'rain snorkelling' at a little sheltered bay we know of. Hard to say where the ocean stopped and the rain began but wildlife spotted include bass, mullet and of course beautiful shimmering shoals of mackerel. At least our beach life seems to be enjoying the last of the summer.
Welcome to the Saltrock Surfwear Blogspot...
Welcome to the Saltrock Blogspot...
We decided to publish some info on Saltrock that you may find of interest. As well as details of new seasons products, new retail stores opening and events we wanted to provide people interested in our brand a window into the ethos of our company. We'll be hoping to keep you updated with what we've got going on and regularly be publishing the musings of some of our team here.
Anyway, to start off with, a brief history of the company - Saltrock Surfwear Ltd.
Can you just check the manual?
“And we cooked a few
Are you sure we
It works..Now how do we
And Then there were Three Amegos!!
We decided to publish some info on Saltrock that you may find of interest. As well as details of new seasons products, new retail stores opening and events we wanted to provide people interested in our brand a window into the ethos of our company. We'll be hoping to keep you updated with what we've got going on and regularly be publishing the musings of some of our team here.
Anyway, to start off with, a brief history of the company - Saltrock Surfwear Ltd.
Saltrock begain it's life in a garage, on a budget of £500. The Thompson brothers reasons for starting was simple...
To stay invloved with the lifestyle they loved... and to make enough money so come the winters they could chase the next perfect wave.
The majority of materials were taken from local skips... Honest!
Can you just check the manual?
Er, What manual?
Stretching and glueing the silk to the frames to make the screens.
If a safe is made to withstand being blown up, I'm sure we can convert one into an oven to cure our Teeshirts...
“And we cooked a few
in the process”
Our pride and joy - one old bank safe - line with tinfoil on the inside, Polystyrene on the outside, heating elements and a thermostat reaching a top temperature of 170°C . It proved a very effective curting uint (although it could only cure two tees at a time).
Angus Thompson with the
Tinfoil Curing Safe
Are you sure we
screwed it in properly?
THE DEVELOPING BULB
This pience of equipment cost us our last penny! But it was necessary to develop artwork to screens.
Also pictured is the highly advanced blackout system otherwise known as a Salvation Army rug.
So if we develop every piece of artwork in exactly the same place on each screen and they all fit in exactly the same place on the print bed we can print the multiple colours... Right?
SO WHO'S GONNA TRY IT THEN?
The virgin print bed and screens
It works..Now how do we
Pay for more Tee Shirts?
The first Screen and print strike offs.
By 1991 the premises had improved and the machinery was better.
But it was a time when 24 Hour shifts and working weekends were common place. At this time the brothers were joined by a highly charged partner - Carl.
And Then there were Three Amegos!!
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