PICK A LINE
Nestled between a double-story Quiksilver store and a Sportscene outlet on Da Gama Road in the heart of Jeffreys Bay is a blue wooden door. The door is held together by an amalgamation of screws, nails and various pieces of wood, and looks out of place next to the sleek facades of its neighbours.
As I open the door and walk through, I’m immediately engulfed by the overwhelming smell of resin. Various shades of pigment are strewn across the walls like a colourful crime scene, while foam offcuts and fibreglass cloth lie heaped in every corner. Hardened resin stalactites cling to the shelves, telling the story of previously glassed boards.
At first glance it looks like chaos, but within the chaos is order and a clear end goal. An assortment of beautiful single-fin crafts are neatly lined up on racks along the furthest walls, the sheen of resin-tints gleaming off their smooth edges. Just then, Steven Sawyer emerges from the shaping bay, offers a handshake and a hearty “Howziiiit!”, and welcomes me to the Sawyer Surfboards factory.
Outside the blue door, J-Bay has grown substantially, from its humble beginnings as a fishing village to the sprawling town that greets you as you drive off the N2 today. An abundance of suburban homes flank the winding roads from Wavecrest through to the
