This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
“Te most fun of that era was when I was on


the Chart House Surfing Team,” Skip said. “It was a great team. We had the Paskowitz family, Herbie Fletcher, Jay Riddle…it was really fun. Following every event, team members could eat dinner for free at the Chart House. We went everywhere and ate at every Chart House on the east coast and California.” In 1988, Skip traveled to Australia to surf in


the ASP Diet Coke Longboard Classic at Man- ly Beach, placing second in the Men’s division. He placed first in the Master’s division at the 2nd Annual Nissan Coors Belly Up Longboard event in Solana Beach that same year. He also competed in the Ocean Beach Surfer Bowl and won the Surfer Bowl Champion title (surf off between the long boarders and short boarders) in both 1988 and 1989. Skip remained at Diamond Glassing un-


til 1988, at which time, Eric “Bird” Huffman (owner of Bird’s Surf Shed) and Ernie Higgins asked if Skip wanted to shape boards at their new shop, Windansea Surf Shop in Pacific Beach. It was then that Skip and Donna offi- cially opened Skip Frye Surfoards, which was a small shaping room and front office attached to Windansea Surf Shop.


Harrys’ Surf Shop Longer surfoard blanks became available


from Clark Foam in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, and Skip began shaping boards that were 11 and 12 feet long. He loved the smooth glide from the increased planing surface and de- veloped templates for a variety of shapes, in- cluding the Eagle and Fish Simmons. Skip also continued to work on new fin configurations for the big boards. “Te biggest buzz I ever had in surfing was


the early ‘90s when I went back to the big ones,” Skip recalls. “I mean the 11-footers. What I call ‘Ultralongs’. I’ve always liked this kind of feel on the longer, sleeker, plan-line boards…like a javeline or a spear. Te same thing happened to Duke [Kahanamoku] when Tom Blake rein- troduced him to the 16-foot olos way back in the ‘30s. I can ride through one break, through the channel and into the next break and keep right on going.” In November, 1990, Skip and Donna leſt


Windansea, moved across the street and opened Harry’s Surf Shop with Skip’s long time friend and fellow surfer and shaper Harry “Hank” Warner. “We were tossing around different ideas for


the name of our new shop, and since ‘Harrys’ was not only the namesake of both myself and Hank, but of our fathers, and Hank’s and Don- na’s grandfathers as well, we decided on Har- rys’, our family name.” Harrys’ was not your typical surf shop;


home to Skip Frye Surfoards and Hank War- ner Custom Shapes, it was a combination retail store, surf museum, art gallery, shaping shop, political gathering spot and a place to talk sto- ry. Photos of customers with their new surf- boards lined the walls of the shop as well as his- torical photos. Art pieces and sculptures were prominently featured and included work from many local artists who had a difficult time finding a place to display their work. Harrys’ also carried Patagonia clothing and for many years Skip served as one of their ambassadors, along with the Queen of Makaha, Rell Sunn. “Patagonia is one of the greatest companies


on the planet. What Yvon Chouinard has ac- complished and Patagonia’s environmental


18 theoceanmag.com


stance….their whole concept is cutting-edge. Even the boards they produce are made with an environmental at- titude.” During the Harrys’ era, Skip traveled to surfing events


such as the Annual Biarritz Surf Festival in France in 1993 and 1994, and Da Bull’s 4th Annual Surf Legends Classic at Kuta Beach, Bali in 1994, organized by legendary big wave rider, Greg Noll. Skip and Hank also participated in local fundraising events such as the Annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Longboard Invitational and Luau. In 2000, Harrys’ Surf Shop was evicted from its ocean


view location so the developers could build another hotel at the beach. Skip and Donna moved Skip Frye Surfoards to its current location, slightly inland, and Hank Warner returned to shaping at Diamond Glassing. Donna ran for a seat on the San Diego City Council in 2001 and won. Tat same year, she won the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Environmentalist of the Year Award. Donna served as a city councilmember for almost 10 years and leſt office in December 2010 due to term limits.


Sidewalk Surf Stoked In 1965, Skip competed in the International Skateboard


Championships and won second place in the downhill slalom, “a tenth of a second behind Willie Phillips’ 16.424 time for the specially-constructed 125-foot run.” Both were riding a G&S Fibre-Flex board. “I’m still into skate- boarding and skateboard design today,” Skip said. “In par- ticular, ‘perpetual motion’ skateboard design. Masa, my Japanese friend who works down at Indian Surf Shop in Pacific Beach turned me on to her Taylor Knox model. Tis skateboard has swivel action on the front truck that enables the rider to go uphill or upgrade against gravity. It’s truly amazing. I recently designed an egg model skate- board for Gordon & Smith.”


Environmental Awareness In 1995, Skip and his wife and Donna founded


Surfer’s Tired of Pollution (S.T.O.P.) an environmen- tal organization dedicated to protecting the ocean and preserving coastal resources. “Te formation of S.T.O.P. was how Donna became


Top to bottom: Skip shaping 1977. (Photo by John Durant);


Skip in background on the cover of


Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, January 1969 (courtesy SI); Another day, another trim. Skip at Malibu.


(Donna Frye photo)


politically known, through her stance on the environ- ment,” Skip said. “People were getting sick coming in contact with the ocean. I was getting sick going surf- ing. So Donna took a course on sewage treatment, learning the in’s-and-out’s of the whole processing bit, receiving a certificate in the operation of sewage treatment plants. She did her homework, and working with our local state assemblyman had a state legisla- tive bill passed which required all the main beaches in California to be monitored for water quality. Some Huntington Beach politicians weren’t too stoked about this bill because they definitely have problems up there. Trough all the proceedings, powers in office at- tempted to derail Donna’s mission, coming in late with documents, using every stalling technique available— all to no avail. Donna knew what was going on, and she


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32