Author Archives: j0jgvm89bj

Cars

A weekend trip to Raleigh a few weeks ago was a nice change of pace from the riggers of mid-winter on Cape Hatteras. While there we happened upon a new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Porsche By Design, Seducing Speed is a collection 22 automobiles manufactured by the renown German auto maker. The popular show runs until February 2.

Copy and paste for the museum’s web site:

Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed

Porsche has long been one of my favorite cars, and I thoroughly appreciated the chance to see them as art forms.

In 1938 Porsche built the Type 64 Berlin-Rom Racer. The aerodynamic design was way ahead of it’s time.

The 1949 356 Coupe was one of my favorites. It has a 40 hp 1100 cc 4-cylinder engine.

Then there was Steve McQueen’s gorgeous 1958 Speedster.

McQueen’s Speedster has a 1600 Super 88 hp 4-cylinder engine

The 1964 356 C Carrera Coupe also caught my eye.

The Carrera was built with a 1966 cc air-cooled 128 hp 4-cylinder engine that could rev up to 6000 rpm’s. It’s top speed was 125 mph.

This 1963 prototype 901 was the precursor to the 911. It has a 2 liter 128 hp 6-cylinder, single overhead cam engine with a top speed of 125 mph.

This 911 Carrera was built in 1974 and set up for some serious racing. It has a 3 liter air-cooled 6 cylinder producing 316 hp at 8,000 rpm’s. Top speed is 155.

The 1971 Porsche 917 K had a 600hp 4907 cc 12 cylinder engine with a top speed of 223 mph.

Porsche’s 1968 model 908K prototype was a 2990 cc 8 cylinder air-cooled engine developing 350 hp with a top speed of 200 mph.

The 1990 Porsche 926 C has a 3200 cc 6- cylinder engine boasting 750 hp and a top speed of 215 mph.

Porsche’s 2010 model 911 GT3R Hybrid is a prototype equipped with a water-cooled 410 hp 4 liter 6-cylinder engine. It also has 2 electric motors (202 hp) and is an all-wheel drive vehicle. It’s top speed is 175 mph.

In 1989 Porsche made the Panamericana, a one of a kind concept car with a top speed of 162 mph. It has a 3162 cc 6-cylinder 275 hp engine.

Janis Joplin’s 1965 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet was getting a lot of attention.

It brought back memories of driving my very own 356 A, a 1959 Convertible D. As the successor to the Speedster, only 1332 of them were built at Porsche’s Drauz plant.

Years ago I was a motor-head. In high school I loved fast cars, and drag racing.

My dad bought 2 used 1958 Volkswagen beetles and I rebuilt a 1600 Porsche engine for one and had some fun. In those days, it was called a Poor Man’s Porsche. Dad was mechanically inclined and it rubbed off on me. It was the best of times. We tore them down and rebuilt them at home in the laundry room.

Right after high school I found an old Porsche, abandoned in a parking lot. The motor had been stolen and the owner was going to junk it. I bought it for $50 and in the course of a few years began restoring it.

In 1968 when I was 19 years old, I was right in the middle of fixing up the Convertible D. Here I was rebuilding a 1600 N engine that I’d bought in pieces.

As a day student at George Mason, it became my mode of transportation to class everyday. During a period when I was doing body work, it was a sight to see, speckled with gray and black primer. That same time, I was employed at a Mercedes Benz dealership, and got some expert advice from knowledgable German mechanics.

I loved the deep sound of the air-cooled engine resonating as I drove into tunnels and underpasses around DC and Virginia. Drifting through the s-curves on Carlyn Springs Road was another joy. All the Porsche owners flashed their headlights at one another. For a while I was one of them.

All I have left are the memories and a few old Polaroids.

As time passed, I became more interested in hanging out at the beach and surfing. The Porsche was involved in a bad traffic accident and we sold it in parts.

Getting to the Point

This has been a year of some personal loss and heartbreak, and I’m glad to have it behind me.

There is so much to be thankful for. The Summer and Autumn have been exceptionally gorgeous, especially in light of the severe storms the past few years.

December has almost turned into winter, and things on the island have been relatively quiet preceding the holidays. Yet a few weeks ago on the 5th, I had a first glimpse of a snowy owl. They are generally rare to the region, but not unheard of.

The first reported sighting was weeks prior, and Cape Point saw a deluge of photographers and naturalists looking for the wayward creature. My reaction was to wonder, at what point will the onlookers be harassing the bird or distressing it in some way. Certainly one’s discretion to minimize impact is important.

I felt guilty about venturing to the point with so many other folks, but when the bridge access to Hatteras Island was shut down for repairs, the onslaught of birders was also shut down considerably.

With hardly any one else around, I was directed to a location where I saw a big white spot in the distance. Sure enough, there it was, perched on a piece of driftwood. I was able to get reasonably close with my 500 mm telephoto.

There was intermittent rain and light overcast, perfect for shooting a white bird in the wide open tundra of Cape Point.

Two weeks later I ventured out again with my long time friend Ray Matthews, and the owl was nowhere in sight. We surveyed the area with binoculars and discovered a falcon perched on a piece of wood. We advanced some, yet respectfully kept our distance.

It was a peregrine falcon, a frequent winter resident of Cape Point.

The Point is an amazing place. There’s always something interesting going on, and you never know what you’ll see or experience.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

Skipjack and Cold Front

I’m often asked what my favorite picture is. The answer is that I can’t single out any one, from many preferred images.

One of my most endearing shots was taken the day before Thanksgiving, 31 years ago. I was into my second season of oyster dredging on the Chesapeake Bay, aboard the sailing skipjack, Virginia W.

There were reports that the day before another workboat, Hilda Willing, had dredged its limit of 150 bushels near the mouth of the Choptank River. With oyster populations in steady decline, that was a rare occurrence.

So early that Wednesday morning, all the Tilghman Island skipjacks set out for the same spot. There was no wind, however an approaching cold front was forecast to sweep in. We had our sails up ready to work. A light breeze began to fill in, though we were still underpowered and moving at a slow pace, barely able to pull a single dredge.

Skipjack and Cold Front-1982- prints available on request

As was typical of my working the middle deck, throwing the starboard dredge, I had my Nikonos rangefinder camera by my side. The massive clouds of the cold front began rolling in, getting closer. I looked over to see the Sigsbee, full sails up, waiting for wind. I took 6 shots, then put my camera away.

The front was an ominous sight as we prepared for more breeze. We tied 4 reefs in the main, deployed a second dredge and began catching a few oysters. Our speed increased, a gust of wind hit, and the boat heeled over, filling my right boot with sea water. There were some tongers working nearby, and maneuvering was tight. Coming about for another lick, we had a near collision with one of them, our massive bow sprit crossing over his cabin top.

By that time it was blowing a gale, and impossible to control the boat safely. We dropped our sails, deciding to call it quits after bringing in 4 bushels and headed home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Paddle Out

Nothing can pay tribute, to a surfer who has passed away, more than a ceremonial paddle out. It is surfing’s honorable sendoff. We put the word out to do this for Robin and didn’t know what kind of turn out to expect.

On October 5th at noon, participants began arriving at the Rodanthe Pier for an informal covered dish beach party. By about 1:00 there were well over 150 people on site to pay their respects. We began paddling out at 1:15. It looked like about 80 people, aged 8 and up, on surfboards, a few kayaks and boogie boards.

It was slick calm, warm and sunny, ideal conditions for Robin’s memorial.

The photographs shown here are a compilation of several contributing photographers:

Amberly Dyer, April Contestable, Bev Martin, Jim and Marcy Martin, Ben Tran, Denise and Mike Halminski

Kelly Schoolcraft and Russell Blackwood were on hand to pay their respects

So were Jay and Scooter.

There was plenty to eat, especially when Eric came in hoisting a bushel of steamed crabs.

Chandra Rutledge made three beautiful leis for the occasion.

Denise was my co-conspirator for this great event.

Beverly Bull gave me some bird of paradise flowers to throw out on the sea, along with Chandra’s orchid lei.

Our special guests were Robin’s cousins, Rob and Jean Marie from Delaware. They were accompanied by their spouses, Jeff (left) and Bev (center). There were many great stories shared by them.

Charlie and Betz Mullen had it made in the shade..

Jo and Buddy Brothers did too.

Eric Anglin was ready to go out.

Let the paddle out begin!

GoPro YouTube video: courtesy of Brett Butler

Richard Byrd was paddling Robin’s ten foot Gary Propper model vintage Hobie.

Eric and I thought it would be nice to extend the paddle out to the shipwreck and secure the lei to a buoy.

Selby Gaskins Jr. and crew watched from the pier.

Colin and Ben Tran witnessed their first Paddle Out.

Twelve year old Ben made this remarkable interpretation of the ceremony.

There were petals out on the water.

We paddled out to the wreck.

April had her old Dewey Weber.

Jon Brown brought out his Redman shaped Hatteras Glass.

Robin’s old buddy Benji Stansky watched from the pier.

Jan Deblieu, Susan West, Marcia Lyons and Beverly Bull celebrate on the end of the pier.

Allen Jones had his studio set up.

At eight years old, Mia Phillips made the entire paddle out to the shipwreck.

Eleven year old Johnny Contestable also made it out to the wreck.

Here I am with Robin’s favorite Natty Bo and writer Jan Deblieu.

There were shots to be had.

Allen Jones made this striking portrait of Robin with his “Propper” in 1998.

Robin had this photograph on his wall for as long as I’ve known him. It was taken at the north side of Indian River Inlet in 1967. He would have just graduated from high school.

Aloha, Robin!

Hunter, Gatherer

More than once, Robin told me that he was a living anachronism. From his early years as a kid in Delaware, he was already interested in hunting, fishing, trapping and archaeology. He loved the natural environment as a gift, and learned how to use it.

By the time I had him as a neighbor here in Waves, he was quite adept at all of those interests. At times, for our small band of surfing brothers, he was a provider.

With a light dusting of snow, the geese were flying by in formation. Robin got 3 right off the bat behind our trailer in Salvo. 1977

Robin had just shot this deer in Buxton Woods, and came by to show BJ and me when we lived in Salvo. Susie, his black lab was a great bird dog and didn’t normally hunt deer with him.1977

Robin would often jump shoot for his water fowl. In this 1985 photo,he used my chesapeake bay retriever, Boca, for some teal hunting.

In this 1991 photo, Robin was free diving for fish over the 1891 shipwreck, Strathairly. His spear fishing exploits were largely successful.

In 1978, the S-Curve area had a wave that walled up beautifully and was uncrowded. Robin rode a single fin 6-10 winger-pintail that he made. He was not using surf leashes yet, and was about the only one in the water that knee paddled for his waves.

Robin and I went clamming on Ocracoke Island frequently. In 1994 we raked this nice basketful.

Michael Halminski Photographer

Waves, North Carolina