Rincon Point: The Queen of the Coast

Just in time for XMAS! Order your copy on Amazon or arcadiapublishing.com today! Praise so far: Matt Warshaw, Publisher of Encyclopedia of Surfing and former Surfer magazine editor: "the cover is awesome; it's on my desk and I can't stop looking at it. The board, the ciggie, the girls kinda pushed to the background, and the joy on the faces. Perfect shot!" Mark Andreini, legendary surfer and board designer: "I’m thoroughly enjoying it. This is a must have for any Surfer who is connected to our area." John Johnson, Curator of Anthropology, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: The book contains a wealth of good information about the history at Rincon Point, and I know that I will be referring to it and citing it ... Congrats on a great contribution to our local history.  

A gorgeous cover for a wonderful history of Rincon Point, the Queen of the Coast Preorder here:  https://www.amazon.com/Rincon-Point-Images-America-Vincent/dp/1467108707/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GB7V19D1WHHU&keywords=burns+bates+rincon+surf+in+books&qid=1654208643&sprefix=burns+bates+rincon+surf+in+book%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1

  Forget the moon landing or Woodstock, the biggest story from 1969 for Rincon surf aficionados is an epic swell that closed out a very tumultuous year. The year 1969 had started off terribly, first with torrential rains and local flooding. Then came a disaster: a massive blowout at Union Oil Platform A that soiled beaches from Ventura to Santa Barbara. After the beaches were gradually cleaned of oil, the year ended with a fabled swell that 50 years later is still shrouded in myth and legend.  For more: https://www.coastalview.com/news/rincon-moment-the-1969-swell/article_2c8743da-e1e5-11ec-8925-2bc7de202161.html

  Did Gidget surf Rincon Point? By Vince Burns Facebook Twitter Email 1  of 4 Margaret Kesson and Ken Kesson at Rincon Point ca. 1957.   Jason Lumley, Courtesy of Steve Halsted Margo Halsted surfs Rincon Point ca. 1957.   Jason Lumley, Courtesy of Steve Halsted The cover for the original “Gidget” (1957), a fictionalized treatment of Kathy Kohner’s summer of 1956, was written by her father Frederick Kohner.   HA.com Mary Osborne shows off her skills and fancy footwork at Rincon Point.   Justin Bastien Facebook Twitter Email Print Save “Listen, Gidget,” he said with a big smirk, “there are other things than surf-riding, praise the Lord.”   “Are there? Well, you can eat them raw.…Bite it,” I said, and headed for the surf. So the real-life Gidget (actual name: Kathy Kohner) was saltier than the sanitized Hollywood film version (1959) that starred Sandra Dee as a hyperactive beach bunny. Or at least that’s the version of Gidget that appears in her father’s fictionalized biography. If Gidget

Rincon Surf Pioneer: Ken Kesson (1928-2015) By Vince Burns Facebook Twitter Email 1  of 3 Ken Kesson at Rincon Point, ca. 1957. Note the Rincon emblazoned shirt Kesson wears was handmade as the big surf clothing and merchandise brands had yet to emerge – and in the background, the artificial Richfield Oil Island (construction completed 1958). Courtesy of Steve Halsted Photographer Jason Lumley at Rincon Point, ca. 1962. Courtesy of Steve Halsted Jason Lumley’s 1957 inscription in the Rincon surfing scrapbook included Christmas well wishes to the Halsteds. Facebook Twitter Email Print S A well-worn scrapbook of photographs and enthusiastic musings about the Rincon scene captured a pivotal moment in surfing’s rise in California, just as it began the transition from an outlaw sport for rebels like Dick Metz to a mainstream activity backed by a just-forming wave of films, television and music. Created by frequent Point visitor Jason Lumley, the scrapbook was given to the Halsted family in