Riding the Wave of Eco Surfing

Chris Bartel fulfilled his dream of living in the Algarve by building a wooden truck as his home and creating handcrafted surfboards out of wood.

German-born Chris first came to the Algarve with the scouts 14 years ago when he was 16 and fell in love with the Costas Vincentina natural park. He dreamt of returning and as soon as he earned his driving license he re-visited and discovered the beaches and surfing.

It was while he was enjoying the ocean that he started to question why you would use an instrument built from toxic materials in order to engage with nature.

I find Chris in his beautifully constructed home which is parked up next to Meia Praia beach in front of Linda bar. He is cooking breakfast and has lit the wood stove he built to keep the van warm in winter.

I settle into the comfortable and very tidy interior with his dog Roy curled up on the bench next to me and we have a chat. While we talk Chris is preparing packages of his ecological surfboard wax which he is preparing to fulfil an order. They are not made with petrochemicals and he uses the natural ingredients of coconut milk and beeswax. For wax to be used in cold water he adds pine resin which he harvests from a friends farm in Peniche. He shows me the jar and tells me to smell it and the aroma is gorgeous.

He explains to me; “I guess nobody who rides a wooden surfboard would want to wax it with surf wax made from petrochemical-based paraffin. It's blended with many chemical ingredients that end up in the oceans and can produce rashes on the skin. But there is a way more eco-friendly procedure to get good wax.”

It was while he was in the scouts and involved in activities in the woods that he formed the connection with this material: “I love working with wood, I like the texture, the smell and I also like burning it! That is why I built my wood stove.”

I ask him if he trained as a carpenter but he trained in media design which explains why he is having success with his internet sales business and his excellent website. He learnt to work with wood by instinct as a child and his first project was building himself skateboards and later he used youtube videos to perfect his craft.

“I am in love with riding the waves in a smooth and gentle way. But I am also disappointed about those toxic substances for this natural sport. So I started to experiment with wood and tried to build a surfable board completely made of ecological materials.”

He started building surfboards in Germany to use himself but then he started to get orders. After several years of spending the summers in Portugal, he decided to try to live in Portugal permanently and embarked on the construction of his truck which he says has been his biggest project. He built it in his grandparents garden with the help of his grandfather.

“ I love to travel and stay close to the waves. I am stoked about our incredible nature on our unique planet, so I want to respect, to protect and to interact with it in many ways. I have reduced my stuff and started living a simple and sustainable way of life. A conscious consumption and rethinking of natural techniques.”

The boards are made to order and come in 3 shapes including the Silvertip Shortboard with a wide shape and pronounced rocker making it easier to catch more waves. The Pulpo Pintail is ideal for beginners and the Thirsty Fish achieves high speeds but is easily manoeuvrable. They are hollow inside which makes them great for buoyancy and are made from a wooden mix consists of poplar for the inner and the deck/bottom construction and cork for the rails. The struts inside make them very stable.

Chris tells me; “I don't need many tools, so I have all with me and be able to build the boards in front of my truck. With an ocean view and under the sky, because it's just wood! I manufacture one by one and concentrate my energy on every single one, from the beginning of the production until the lucky eyes of their new owner.”

It is ironic however that it was while trying to figure out how to recycle the off-cuts from the board production that he came across the most profitable part of his business. Chris was taught by a friend how to print pictures onto wood and now he transfers photos of the ocean he has taken and prints from an old book of brightly coloured fish and shells onto the waste wood. They are really striking and would make fantastic souvenirs to take home or presents. He lifts up the bench to reveal his neatly stacked collection and I buy 3 as gifts!

Chris tours the markets of the Algarve selling his crafts and promoting his boards. You can see him in the market at Barao Sao João, the Lagos flea market and he also has a permanent stand at Amado throughout the summer. Fortunately, during the summer season, he often manages a sunset surf after his closes shop for the day! He also sells his products successfully on Etsy.

It was while he was at Amado that he found his live-in companion Roy, whose elderly owner had died and was being looked after by some people on a farm but after he went and sat under Chris´s van and refused to move it was decided that they were meant to be together. Roy´s favourite home is Meia Praia which is why Chris returns there most often.

I have enjoyed my time in Chris´s van chatting to him and feel very relaxed after time spent in his company so I can see why this lifestyle would appeal, as I get up I see a guitar on his bed, Chris grins: “Yes I am the total cliché.”

Far from being a cliché, this innovative young man is proof to us all that we can make our childhood dreams come true and can find an ecological alternative in which to live and fulfil our goals.

www.surfwood.eu