Son of the Emerald Isle

On the Cover: For Frederick Wardy, surfboard building was art and art was an extension of craftsmanship. Prime sample, 1965. Photograph courtesy of Frederick Wardy. Beyond the flaps, we track Wardy’s transition from shaper to fine artist, the bountiful score of a four-deep Aussie crew, and the impetus of a Central Californian slab hunter and land steward. We also tap into the wisdom of a 93-year-old surfer and hop continents with an enthusiastic surf progeny. Other stops along the way include the sea smoke-filled frames of a New England-based shooter, traffic-snarling art, and one writer’s search for the caretakers of aloha in modern-day Waikiki.