Carlsbad Art and Culture

Following the solid swell that pounded the San Diego coastline during the beginning of the year, the coastline went silent resulting in many surfers looking for other forms of recreation.

Charley Stevens, Eric Geiselhart and friends weren’t going to let the lack of waves keep them out of the water. The mellow winds and flat surf provided ideal conditions to bring out the ‘Winch’, a towing device equipped with a hand throttle and underside wheels.

Anchored to the jetty just South of Tamarack in Carlsbad, the Winch pulled surfers along the coast and into the occasional wave while a large crowd of spectators watched and shot photos.

“It’s amazing how fast they are going,” an onlooker remarked. “It’s like you they are being pulled behind a boat.”

Though the Winch idea is not new, it has become more recognizable by the mass public in the past years with the occasional use along the coast of Carlsbad and Oceanside.

“I have had it for about 4 years,” Winch owner Stevens says. “We would take it to the Cobra Lake in the Carlsbad business parks.”

Whether is it pulling surfers towards a jetty, a pier or even the shore or a man-made lake, using the ‘Winch’ is a perfect way to not only practice your skills, but  also to pass the time between swells.