Surfing: The Royal Sport
By Jack London from The Cruise of the Snark - 1911
"The sport of surfing was nearly unknown when Jack discovered it. In fact, most of Hawaii's charms were still a mystery to most of the world. Jack would shake his head and say to Charmian, 'They don't know what they got.' But thanks to his enthusiastic writing about the Islands and Alexander Hume Ford's unflagging efforts, the world soon knew much more. With Jack's help, Ford's dream came true as surfing grew in popularity, hotels sprang up, and Hawaii as the mainlander's haven came into being.
On June 2, 1907 Alexander Hume Ford taught Jack the fine art of surfing. When the day was over, Jack was a much better surfer but in terrible physical condition. The Hawaiian sun was too much for him. Dr. Charles B. Cooper told Charmian that he had never seen a worse case of sunburn. For four days Jack suffered in bed, and eleven days later he still had several huge blisters.
Jack London had an extremely analytical mind and nearly always delved deeply into anything that interested him, and he was interested in nearly everything with which he came in contact. Surf-boarding is a good example. He finally succeeded in becoming almost as proficient in the art as were the natives themselves, but he also dug into the books to see how the thing worked."
A Pictorial Biography of Jack London - by Russ Kingman
Read Surfing: A Royal Sport
Jack London's Ranch Album