Surface Motion
S anta Cruz Harbor Dedication Day Ceremonies
Award ceremonies
Santa Cruz Sentinel photo
Sunday, April 19, 1964: On this Harbor dedication day, we see the coupling seen again and again in all levels of politics, celebration of a project's completion, and the disfunction of the project.
In the photo, Worth Brown receives a plaque for his fifteen years of work on the project.
A plaque on two huge jetty stones outside the harbor office honors the harbor commission.
Commentary: You couldn't imagine a better commemoration symbol from a surfer's point of view. The jetty stone is the device that holds the sand that makes the Harbor barrel, and also what gives the break its challenge and danger. The plaque should have read "Barrels for those who dare".
Boating ceremonies
Tuesday, April 21, 1964: A parade of small craft and fishing boats sailed out of the harbor to celebrate. Sentinel report mentions the presence of swells at the mouth of the harbor as boats sailed out in the dedication regatta. The boats were pitched by the waves, but were not deterred.
"Sunken Dredge Defies Efforts at Harbor"
Santa Cruz Sentinel photo
Monday April 20, 1964. Back to work. Two days after the harbor dedication ceremonies, tugboats worked to remove a dredge in the mouth of the harbor.
Commentary: This little partially submerged dredge is the first of a beleaguered fleet, taking part in a ritual that will continue for two decades. From the failure of this dredge will come the sandbar on the exact site shown in the photo, the site of great surfing to come.
