SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017
Surf
Let Paul show you a new car or truck.
Stop by today!
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
from 1A
Volunteer instructors pro-
vide a one-to-one ratio in the
water, both as a safety precau-
tion and also to help strength-
en the mentorship and learn-
ing experience of the partici-
pants.
According to Chapman, the
surfing portion of the program
is not only fun, challenging
and active, but it also provides
a medium for helping youth
develop character skills such
as courage, discipline and
compassion.
During the camp, the youth
participated in a beach
cleanup where they collected,
sorted and evaluated the trash.
Instructors also led youth
through the process of water
quality testing, where partici-
pants collect and
analyze samples to
monitor the health
of the oceans and
beaches.
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Together, these
Warm
Current’s
Surf
Camps
teach
youth
how
to interact with the
activities challenge
ocean
in
a
positive
and
enriching
way.
youth to recognize
human impact on the coastal
Warm Current runs yearly free of charge.
ecosystem and instill an aware- one-day surf camps on the
For more information on the
ness of the role each person can coasts of Washington, Oregon Warm Current Program, visit
play in caring for the planet.
and California. The camps are warmcurrent.org.
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Th e Siuslaw News Presents:
from 1A
One thing has remained the
same during that time, howev-
er, and that is the Otter.
At more than a century old,
the boat is one of the few
things in Florence that is a
working example of an earlier
and simpler lifestyle.
“The Otter was built in San
Diego in 1913 and I bought it
in 1953. I really wanted a fish-
ing boat, but there were none
available at the time, so my
brother and I converted this
one,” Fossek said. “Wooden
boats were my hobby before I
got into fishing. I’ve always
liked wooden boats and it’s
kind of neat when you can
combine your hobby with your
work.”
Fossek worked as a com-
mercial fisherman for 40
years, earning his living, as did
most of his friends and neigh-
bors, by working the land and
the water — a lifestyle no
longer available to most resi-
dents of Florence.
“When I first came to the
coast in 1944, tourism and
retirement weren’t the big
thing it is today. Everybody
was busy logging, sawmilling,
farming and fishing,” he said.
Fossek doesn’t consider
himself retired, but he hasn’t
commercially fished in 1994.
He takes the Otter down to
Reedsport
Machine
and
Fabrication for a semi-annual
bottom painting job.
Fossek pointed out the dura-
bility of the Otter, as well as
the need for continual mainte-
nance.
“Wooden boats will last a
long time if you take care of
them. I spend a good deal of
my time puttering around with
it. If it’s sunny weather, I usu-
ally come down here and do
some painting and mainte-
nance,” he said. “Most of the
woodwork on the boat is done
by hand. That’s because it is
odd shaped; it’s not like doing
cabinetwork.”
According to Fossek, very
few of the wood joints are
square.
“Steaming works good for
bending and shaping it, or
even boiling the wood will
work good,” he said.
Fossek has mixed feelings
about all the changes he and
Otter have seen take place
around them over the last half
century, especially the dramat-
ic shift in the economy.
“It’s a little scary for the
area to have all of it’s eggs in
one basket, but I guess tourism
is pretty secure and probably
won’t go away,” he said. “It’s
just a little sad, I wish there
was just a little more of the old
still around to mix with the
new, but I guess that’s just the
way things go.”
FALL
G OOD L IFE
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2 17
special
Boomer & Senior Expo
Thursday, October 19
10am-3pm
Florence Events Center
(715 Quince St.)
Free Admission
(please bring a canned food item to donate for Florence Food Share)
• Raffl es
• Lifestyle Presentations & Seminars
• Health Screenings
• Flu Shots
• Samples
• Volunteer Opportunities
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October 31, 2017
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148 Maple Street • Florence, OR