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ATLAS WEST PALM BE ACH

A Journey into Art, Culture, Design & Charity

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ISSUE 001

Zen & T he Sea Part I: A History

by Brett Staska

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h en people think of surfing in Florida, West Palm Beach would not be high on anyone’s list. Apart from the fact it does not technically have a beach (Palm Beach Island being the closest), the West Palm Beach area is home to both a rich surf history and budding surf culture.

With the warm blue waters of the Gulf Stream, paired with a deep continental shelf a mere two miles offshore, this area has been known to produce some of the largest waves on the entire Eastern Seaboard... not just in Florida. These large swells typically happen between the months of September and April, when hurricanes and winter storms spin off our coast and generate waves onto our local beaches. However, as most residents know regarding hurricane season,

with pleasure comes pain. Floridians are aware that all it takes is one storm to ultimately change your life.

Such was the case on September 7th, 1965, when Hurricane Betsy ran aground a 442-foot Greek freighter, the Amaryllis, on nearby Singer Island.

While many were negatively affected by the storm’s impact, local surfers could hardly believe what they saw. A perfect sandbar began to form off the stern of the beached ship. The size of the hull was also large enough to block onshore winds, keeping the surf glassy even when other areas were choppy, blown out, and otherwise undesirable for wave-riding. A vibrant local surf scene was quick to develop, bringing surfing’s golden age into focus in Florida.

© Greg Panas

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l though the sport had rich roots in California, Floridians put their own spin on it, carving out a unique style that was tailor-made for the waves found in their area. This break became a magnet for surfers all over the state, even playing host to a famed Dewey Weber surf contest in 1967. All the fun came to an end soon after in August of 1968, when the Army Corps of Engineers towed the vessel nearly a mile out to sea. It was subsequently sunk in 85 feet of water to create an artificial reef. Fortunately for us, this wasn’t the last we heard of the Amaryllis, thanks to postman and photographer M.E. Gruber.

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Gruber painstakingly documented the history of surfing in the area by taking more than 5,000 Kodachrome slides of the burgeoning sport. Many of his images were of the surf scene surrounding the Amaryllis, or “the ship,” as it was referred to at the time. Gruber produced slideshows and movie nights at community centers for local surfers, in a time when the surfing community had very few outlets.

Most surf media at the time was limited to magazines, which almost always focused on faraway waves that the Florida surfer could not relate to. These Californiabased magazines took weeks or even months to reach the surfers on the east coast, further deepening the

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need for a surf culture more unique to Florida. Gruber’s photographs captured the development of this local surf scene. Decades later, his imagery of Florida surfers served as a priceless time capsule, but it wasn’t long before they were almost entirely forgotten.

Luckily, Palm Beach County surfer Fred Salmon had kept in touch with Mr. Gruber. Following his death, the Gruber family provided Fred with the entire collection of his photographs. Knowing their historical value, three other long-time local surfers immediately volunteered to help Fred with the curation of the project at hand. Corky Roche, Tom Warnke, and Bill Keeton joined Fred as the founding members of a nonprofit, charitable organization named The Palm Beach County Surfing History Project, and would go on to create the Surfing Florida Museum. The museum’s primary goal is preserving the unique history of surfing in Florida, with an emphasis on Palm Beach County. Although the museum is currently closed due to the pandemic, they are still accepting donations and volunteers.

Nowadays, the local ‘surf stoke’ is at an all-time high.

It is estimated that there has been an increase in the general population of surfers by as much as 30% post Covid-19. Surf product demand is at an all-time high, and local surf shops are cashing in with no signs of

slowing down. Rightfully so, as surfing has been labeled as a healthy and safe activity during the pandemic, and many have taken refuge in the ocean this past year. What our area lacks in wave consistency it makes up for in a vibrant surf community and culture. Cruise over the bridge on any given winter morning, and you’ll see everything from traveling professional surfers making the most of a swell to PBA students learning to ride waves on foam boards. Dig a

little deeper and you’ll find a slew of talented surf-centric locals creating art by building boards, taking photographs, making music, and filming movies – all adjusting and timing their schedules around that perfect two hour window of surf.

For many of us in West Palm, surfing is much more than just a hobby or sport – it’s a way of life. Pretty crazy considering we don’t technically have a beach.

Fred Salmon

Photos courtesy of the Surfing Florida Museum

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All Brian Lee 6 |photos WWW.ATLASWPB.COM

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Brian Lee 8 | WWW.ATLASWPB.COM

Part II: Sound Waves

by Brian Lee

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here does Brett Staska come from? That third 10ft break behind him on the cover of this magazine? Seems so, since he appears so comfortable and serene in his surroundings as they curl, crash, and explode around him.

It seems he approaches his writing and music the same way, and maybe that’s why he is so versatile doing his own thing and playing (nicely) with others.

That photo, which I took in the late afternoon of Oct 28th, 2012, was my first introduction to Staska. I eventually found out who he was after I posted the picture on my Facebook surf photography page and was able to get the picture to him – because it’s kind of epic. Staska, a Florida native from Loxahatchee, enjoys both best worlds many of us wish we could inhabit – music and surfing – and seemingly effortlessly. On the water he is a multi-instrumentalist, surfing long and short boards; and as a musician the same, playing bass and guitar and ukulele.

Staska is a solo artist most of the time and

calls his music Sunburnt Folk Rock. You can find him playing all over SE Florida. Staska also plays with his mates in a very groovy reggae band.

I hung out one night with Roots Shakedown at their graffiti-covered warehouse space during one of their practice sessions, which focused on working out three new songs.

Roots was founded by Staska and Tony Contreras in 2008, and is full-on reggae funk. Staska mostly plays bass and handles some of the vocals. Tony Contreras is on guitar and vocals, Alex Burgess on keys, and Harley Galeano on drums. I got to watch the creative process as well as the surf videos playing from the projector upstairs to a screen on the wall. It’s a perfect mix, really.

They are recording music concepts using vintage instruments and processes that they want to keep under wraps for now, but they are itching to release their next full-length album after seven years of working on it.

Let’s talk to Brett; Mr Staska if you please…

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BRETT STASKA SURFER BY DAY, ROCKER BY NIGHT

How long have you been playing music?

that picture. Any comments on that day?

I started writing songs when I was 15, and I am now 33. So 18 years. Wow, time flies!

Yes, that day and swell was one to remember. Local pro Peter Mendia also landed the cover of Surfer Magazine that day.

With that being said, it was also an extremely strong storm that devastated parts of the Northeast. Life of an East Coast surfer during hurricane season; you take the good with the bad.

You are a surfer, as the cover of this magazine would suggest.

Are there any connections between surfing and music, and does it help you in any way do you think with one and the other and vice versa?

Absolutely. I think there is a strong connection between surfing and music. Both are completely open to artistic interpretation. No right or wrong. No scoreboard. As far as inspiration, I can think of many times when I’d be in the water waiting for waves while humming melodies to song ideas.

And on the other hand, shaping surfboards while listening to music the whole time.

Speaking of the cover, Hurricane Sandy passed by, really stirring things up enough to even get 8-time World Champion Kelley Slater out there. He was just on the other side of the inlet about 200 yards from where you are in

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We all know that Covid put everyone behind, and especially in the entertainment industry.

On a positive note though, did it result in any new epiphanies for you, or at least much needed writing time resulting in some good material?

I think the pandemic has been a chance for musicians (and people in general) to take a long look at themselves and ask, “What do you want?” All those things you were putting off and didn’t have the time to do, now is the time. Go chase it! I know financially it was a blow for almost everyone in the industry.

People aren’t making money off records anymore. It’s all touring and merchandising. Artistically

we may have fared better. I think we will be seeing a lot of great new music being released in the coming year. Personally, I have two new records ready to go and a slew of videos to accompany them.

Have you or your band played for anyone or any organization or business that really blew you away as far as a life experience?

Around 2010 my reggae band, Roots Shakedown, was asked by the legendary reggae band Inner Circle to be a part of their Reggae Wave project; a compilation of the premier reggae acts in Florida, including The Resolvers, Spred the Dub, Mixed Culture, and others. We got to work on two original songs at the famed Circle House studios in Miami. The experience culminated at the Adrienne Arts Center for the Performing Arts where we got to open for both Inner Circle and Third World. It just blew me away that these reggae legends handpicked us to be a part of something so special.

A truly unforgettable experience.

You are young, so you have plenty of time to accomplish a

lot more and you are on a great path in my opinion, but do you ever have ambitions to be the next big band/artist or do you just like playing and creating your music, surfing, and working on even more projects?

You can find music videos and files and booking information for Roots Shakedown at www.roots-shakedown.com and for Brett as a solo act at BrettStaska on Facebook.

You can see more local surf photography and other surf goodies at ‘Reef Road Surfers Guild’ on Facebook.

This is something I often ask myself. Of course there is drive and desire to be bigger and better. Always. However, if I can put a roof over my head and food on the table by performing my songs with my own two hands then I already feel like the luckiest man alive. My focus is to create, whether it be through song or sea.

Do you have a favorite local charitable organization?

Brian Lee

I am on the board for the Surfing Florida Museum, whose mission is to preserve and exhibit the history of surfing in Florida with an emphasis on Palm Beach County. They have been dealt a tough blow during the pandemic and are currently in between locations. If anyone is feeling inclined to donate, please visit www.surfingfloridamuseum.org Brian Lee

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A Love of

Vintage

by Brian Lee

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café racer is a lightweight, powerful motorcycle optimized for speed and handling rather than comfort – and for quick rides over short distances. With bodywork and control layout recalling early-1960s Grand Prix road racing motorcycles, café racers are noted for their visual minimalism, featuring lowmounted handlebars, prominent seat cowling and elongated fuel tank – and frequently knee-grips indented in the fuel tank. The term originated among British motorcycle enthusiasts of the early 1960s in London, specifically within the Rocker or “Ton-Up Boys” youth subculture, where the bikes were used for short, quick rides between popular cafés – Wikipedia.

Burn Up. I wondered where that term came from. Was it from the Japanese Anime series in the early 90s or from the concept of a ‘burnup chart’ as a visual representation of your project’s progress, or neither of those? Turns out it is a 1950s term for a pickup motorcycle street race. Yes, a much cooler origin to come up with the name for the vintage motorcycle shop that is Burn Up Company. Fonzie did not come to mind, by the way.

The passion and business ideas were hatched in the ‘burbs of New York by David Plotkin, who is originally from Westchester. After a long nationwide search, Plotkin transplanted to Florida with his concepts. The company has thrived down here in the tropics “working through the nuts and bolts” of “old machines” to get them back to where they belong – on the road rumbling low, revving high. In addition to vintage bike sales and service, they have completed hundreds of restorations and dozens of unique custom builds.

As you walk in, there is a sea of vintage bikes (mostly in the café racer category), vintage props and knickknacks to match. You expect to be overwhelmed with the smell of grease, gasoline, and burnt metal. But no. As a matter of fact, it’s just enough to jar anyone’s tendency for nostalgia, grit, and the open road.

There is a love for vintage here.

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Vincent Conti

Vincent Conti

Brian Lee

Vincent Conti

The new facility is really something and well worth visiting, even if you have never ridden or been on a motorcycle. It’s filled with Nortons, Moto Guzzis, BSAs, Royal Enfields, Triumphs, BMWs, and of course, Hondas, Kawasakis, and others. For the staff and guests there is a pool table and two MANX arcade motorcycle racing games to straddle. Vincent Conti mans the front desk. He is also their marketing director and photographer, and wow does he create the best image for the company. They welcome everyone and can hook you up with a toasty coffee in the center lounge. If you love design like me, you will be in heaven. They have many great bikes in their original condition and many modified to accentuate better their form, function, and sexuality all at the same time. The large warehouse / workshop / museum is located at 917 N Railroad Ave. One of their most unique custom builds is an ode to the one and only Evel Knievel, called ‘Burn-1’, which is modeled after the rocket-propelled prototype ‘X-1 Skycycle’ built as a test vehicle for his famous/infamous attempt to jump the Grand Canyon. Fortunately, they did the test run without him or anyone else in it because that did not end well. The ‘Burn-1’ body is built from the belly tank of an F-86 Sabre fighter jet and is powered by a 43-hp CB450 engine which was the largest motor they could fit inside the fuselage. It is a hybrid of a landWWW.ATLASWPB.COM | 15

speed streamliner and a mid-century aircraft with working flamethrowers and a suicide shifter with hand-operated clutch.

A mechanic revs a Norton he is working on in the back corner workshop, making sure it purrs perfectly (it’s a little ‘gassier’ back there by the way). I spoke with Steve, a sixty-something salty, who walked by me on his way out from picking up his bike - a CRF 1100 Africa Twin Adventure Sport (a much newer bike than anything Burn Up typically works on - but the client is ‘grandfathered in’ as Plotkin puts it). I asked him about the service here. “It’s amazing and I know from experience...” (he used to be a motorcycle mechanic himself) “...they know what they are doing.

And they kept me informed at every point of the way.

A wonderfully comfortable feeling having things done here.” Steve also sports a Motto Guzzi, and 2 other vintage Hondas under his loins. Plotkin tells me about the custom process, which consists of first sitting down with the client to come up with a vision and style. Looking at other customs sometimes helps

Brian Lee

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that process. A budget is established, in whole or increments. Agreement is made and then the parts are ordered and/or manufactured, and the build begins.

I am in the center lounge finishing my article with inspiration surrounded by bikes, with a breeze blowing in through the front bay door towards the open back bay door, where the railroad tracks and cement factory lay. Also in my sights are shelves of ready-to-saddle gas tanks, racks of mostly vintage helmets of all colors, and a row of cylinder heads on wooden blocks ready to be installed and tuned up tight. It’s a perfect West Palm Beach day; and I could stay for hours just enjoying the shaded breeze, smell of freedom, and mass amounts of eye candy. The large disco ball in the very middle is about the only thing that does not really seem to belong. But I’m ok with it.

Let’s see what drives David and the rest of the crew at the shop...

DAVID PLOTKIN MASTERMIND OF BURN UP CO.

What inspired you to open a vintage motorcycle shop?

I was always fascinated by cars, and when I got my first taste of success as a young man, I began to collect and work on them. I quickly ran out of time, space, and money required to continue expanding my car hobby, and quickly realized that I could fill my desire for automotive restoration by transitioning from cars into motorcycles. Once I was bit by the bug, it was a slippery slope.

What is your very favorite bike?

I’m not sure which one I’d call my ‘favorite’, although I do find myself gravitating toward my old Triumph Bonneville with a sidecar. I have the biggest sentimental connection with it and have made the most memories with it too.

Tell me a little about the collection and how do you decide what you are going to keep in your ‘museum’ or sell?

Truly, it boils down to whether a motorcycle speaks to me or not. I’ve curated my

museum collection based on a combination of historical significance and/or whether it evokes emotion.

able to offer insanely good, complimentary coffee to our community; and it’s nice to be able to bring everyone together.

Has this city been accommodating to your business?

Is there enough ‘motorcycle culture’ in this city to let your business thrive?

Absolutely, we’ve had a lot of support from the city. I think they appreciate our communityforward approach to what we do here.

I think so. We’ve been able to draw a lot of people to West Palm Beach from Broward, Miami, and Martin county as well.

Were there any movies that made you fall in love with motorcycles?

The Wild One.

Do you have a favorite local charitable organization?

What is the best movie and book on Motorcycles?

The World’s Fastest Indian & Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

What events do you hold?

Each month we hold our “Bikes and Coffee” on a selected Saturday from 10 AM–2 PM. It is our open house, and with the help of our friends from The Roasted Record, we are

We have worked with the Pale Foundation and Inner City Innovators in the past, but are currently working on making some additional ties as we speak.

You can see more about Burn Up and their events at www.burnupcompany.com

Vincent Conti

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All photos Vincent Conti

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561-427-5485 E M I LY T D E S I G N.C O M E M I LY@E M I LY T D E S I G N.C O M E M I LY T D E S I G N

emily taylor

E M I LY T D E S I G N

DESIGN

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by Brian Lee

71% 71% of the planet is water and most everyone is familiar with hydro-electric energy. We picture it as a giant rush of powerful water coming out of the sides of a cement wall below a lake walled off to create an infinite flow of intense released energy. Then on the other hand, there is the future Waterotor technology just quietly spinning beneath the water in natural bliss, but producing much energy nonetheless to be stored and used as needed in the immediate or distant future. It is called Waterotor’s hydro-kinetic energy.

This is the unique vision/design of Fred Ferguson, the great grandson of Samuel Clinton Morse. Ferguson was a West Palm Beach resident/businessman for several years prior to moving back to Ottawa, where he is originally from. With new developments, he hopes to bring part of his operations back here. That could be a big boon to the area. The design is unique, separating it apart from other technologies. All other hydro-kinetic technologies require at least a water flow of 8-12 mph to produce

Illustrations Wesley George

significant production of storable energy. The Waterotor only requires 2 mph, with 4 to 6 mph being the ‘sweet spot’ producing energy at less than 10 cents per kw/hr.

May not sound like much of a difference, but it is a giant difference in the hydro field, allowing use of many more bodies of water and making less of an impact on the environment. It is in fact ‘a no-kill system’ when it comes to fish and other marine life. The unique properties of the Waterotor are related to the blade design, side discs, front stator, and the low capital costs of construction in the variety of sizes and configurations. Waterotor has patents granted and pending around the world.

Currently the company is working on getting testing done with a very large underwater system just offshore here in the Gulf Stream, since it is the closest to the mainland on the eastern seaboard. I have also worked with them to help introduce the technology to the non-profit world. Since it is a lightweight and portable technology, NGO’s can take advantage of its technology in the field during various humanitarian and disaster relief situations around the world where the power grid is out or in remote areas where there is no power grid.

On the legislative front, Ferguson points out the Trump Administration adopted the Marine Energy Research and Development Act in 2019 and established a US policy “to assist technology development on a variety

of scales, including full-scale prototypes, to improve the components, processes, and systems used for power generation from marine energy resources.” The Biden Administration just passed an appropriations bill that gives the DOE $2.86 billion to fund clean, affordable, secure energy.

Fred was in West Palm Beach recently to meet with shareholders and I sat down with him to give us more insight about the background, company, and technology.

Interview on following page.

FRED FERGUSON HYDROKINETIC VISIONARY

Your background is in aerospace and wind technology. What made you turn to water as your focus?

Although I spent a major part of my life in developing aerospace technologies including the design of new aircraft, it wasn’t until the late 90s that I recognized that some of the rotating aerospace transport systems that I had designed could be applied to extracting energy from under the water, especially energy extraction in very low water speeds. Having lived in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, I well recognized that in all our great oceans there are major water streams flowing at low speeds around 4 mph. An example of one huge stream is the Gulf Stream that passes alongside Southeast Florida and while deep sea fishing with my Florida business partner many times, it was very clear that under the surface this unidirectional flow was moving quite quickly. The amount of energy moving within rivers, canals, streams, and especially big ocean streams such as the Gulf Stream could in fact provide all the energy needs

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of our planet. The problem is, can you efficiently extract that energy? Even at very low speed there is a tremendous amount of power. Water is 830 times more powerful than wind moving at comparable speed, and in fact, a 6-mph water flow is equivalent to a 400 mile per hour wind. Huge amounts of energy! That ‘flat moving water flow energy’ is what we now know as hydrokinetic energy. It took us nine years and over $20 million to have now proven a very viable solution to extract that very slow-moving energy and converting it to electricity.

Waterotors are fully scalable to size, big or small, extremely robust, and low cost.

You have been with some top secret aerospace projects. Can you tell us a little about that without having to kill us? And how did that experience impact what you are doing now with Waterotor?

From the early 90s on I became an expert in unusual flow dynamics and lightweight structures. I led a large, very unusual project within the Lockheed Advanced

Development Corporation commonly known as the Lockheed Skunkworks. That project was my design of an immense cargo airship system led by FEDEX, but ended up falling into a military program.

That diversion instigated our course into discovering what became the current breakthrough aspects that apply to Waterotor. During that experience I recognized that rotating large bodies such as spheres or cylinders could create unusual drag and lift characteristics. Things like advancing Magnus Effect flow dynamics also applies to the flight of golf balls or even curveballs in baseball and other rotating objects.

My guess is you had an epiphany with the Waterotor idea and its initial design. If I am right, can you tell us about that moment and process of visualizing/putting on paper the design?

Typically creating a product or an invention is initially focusing on solutions to a problem. Not always does it occur in a moment and in the case of the Waterotor

design, I had previously spent nearly five years developing a rotating form of floating airship that would extract energy from about 1000 feet above the ground. As we did simulation testing in water flow to represent massive scale, my engineers and I recognized that the breakthrough was better applied to a submerged device in very slow-moving water currents.

That was the beginning in 2011 and from there 20 million dollars later it has led to the proven evolution of making the basic concept apply to a variety of sizes and markets.

Almost any energy technology inserted into nature has an impact. Windmills kill a certain amount of birds and bats, pipelines interrupt migration routes, etc. What kind of impact on nature does the Waterotor have whether it be in streams, rivers, of the Gulf Stream?

The really great thing about a Waterotor, apart from its high percentage of energy extraction, is the fact that it operates like a rolling drum, rolling with the direction of the water flow and at the water flow speed. We

have videotaped fish and other marine life swimming with our operating Waterotors. And, in fact, with the first Waterotor that we put into the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which was only flowing at 1.8 mph, there were kids swimming alongside the slowly rotating device even while we were generating electricity to the shore. This is an extremely safe technology for people and the environment.

licensing with a major group looking to supply energy in Europe. This next stage is particularly important to us. We have very extensive and awarded patents and IP.

I know a number of large corporations and governments have looked at your technology.

Are you still looking for investments? What would those investments be used to achieve?

You can learn more about the Waterotor technologies and investment information at www.waterotor.com

A planet with over 1 billion people that are without electricity or are burning fossil fuels, demands a solution to bring forward environmentally safe low-cost electricity.

Currently Waterotor Energy Technologies Inc. as a private company is rounding out the last of its mezzanine investment, and of course there’s good founder level common share investment opportunity within this company.

Waterotor planning is that we engage with at least one or more global manufacturers, such as possibly FORD, Tesla, or TATA, or one of the big electrical manufacturing distribution groups. We are currently into detailed discussions regarding

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Illustrations Wesley George Photos Waterotor Energy Technologies, Inc.

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