Titan Awards Embody Local History

The Titans of Tech 2021 awards were created by Martijn Stiphout of Ventana Surfboards & Supplies. They are made from reclaimed woods that are uniquely related to the Monterey Bay. The fins are Alaska Yellow Cedar used in the reconstruction of the Western Flyer boat. John Steinbeck and Ed "Doc" Ricketts charted the boat into the Sea of Cortez in Baja California in 1940. The following year, Steinbeck published his book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez about the adventure. The boat is being rebuilt as a state of the art research vessel. It will be docked soon in Monterey and will be used for educating children and others on ocean conservation and marine life. The two redwood boards to which each fin is mounted are over 100 years old and were reclaimed from the original planks of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The name plates are made of flame maple offcuts from Santa Cruz Guitar Company production, and the dowels connecting the redwood are also from Santa Cruz Guitar Company.  If you’d like to learn more you can visit ventana.surf/titans.