Creation Surfboards: Legends

Creation Legends: Then and Now

Charlie "C.B." Baldwin shreds his way to win the East Coast Surfing Championships in 1971. He went on to ride for the Creation team and designed the infamous "C.B. Model." In 1972 he turned professional as sponsorship offers came in from major California surfboard manufactures. C.B. went on to ride for David Nuhiwa (Dyno) Surfboards in California. In 1998, C.B. returned to the amateur ranks and won the U.S. Championship. He is the founder of "Inlet Charlie's" surf shop in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the manufacturer of C.B. Surfboards - one of the East Coast's most respected boards. In January 2000, C.B. was inducted into the East Coast Surfing "Hall of Fame."

		Bobby Owens on the cover of Surfer Mag.
	Winners of the 1971 "Smyrna Surf Session" featured are O.C. Guest, Bob "B.K." Keeth, "Wild Man" Coleman, the legendary Bobby Owens AKA: "Mr Sunset" and Charlie "C.B." Baldwin, former U.S. and East Coast Surfing Champion.
Bobby Owens at Haleiwa, 2008.		Bobby Owens: (pictured above/left in red circle) At only 13 years old, this surfing prodigy took top honors at the 1971 Smyrna Surf Session sponsored by Creation Surfboards. In a "sudden death" surf out, Bobby defeated all of the contenders comprised of the first place winners of the Men's, Junior Men's, and Women's surfing divisions. Bobby was awarded the top trophy and a new Creation Surfboard. For a short time he surfed for the Creation team and won the East Coast Championships in 1972. Four years later, he turned pro. His family moved to Hawaii where Bobby quickly became an international surfing champion. He placed in the top 16 four times between 1976 and 1982 when he finished 10th in the world. He gained sponsorship from various surf companies, competing for seven years on the world tour, riding against the world's best guys like Mark Richards, Rabbit Bartholemew, Shaun Thomson, Michael Ho and Peter Townend. He is renown as a master surfer and highly respected at Sunset Beach on Hawaii's North Shore. Bobby Owens 2004.

Jack "Ono" Reilly, Oxnard, CA 2004

"Ono" Reilly, Ventura Point, CA 2003

VIDEO: Ono - Puerto Rico 1969
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Jack Reilly: "Capt. Ono" the founder of Creation Surfboards, moved to California in1978. For a short time he worked for CON surfboards in Venice, CA as shaper - pinstriper - airbrush artist. In 1979 He established himself as an artist in the Los Angeles art scene. His paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries and are in inincluded in major art collections nationwide. An experienced "Zen Surfer" Ono is regularly spotted surfing the breaks in Ventura County, where it is rumored he now resides. Ono still makes CREATION boards on an extremely limited basis, primarily for his own use and occasionally for a surf bro. He is also a Professor of Art and Chair of the Art Department at California State University Channel Islands. He teaches courses in painting and in the Zen of Surfing.

Another unique member of the former Creation crew and New Smyrna Beach "Soul Surfers" is Mike Martin, the first glasser for the Creation factory in New Smyrna Beach, FL. He is the former head judge for the Association of Surfing Professionals, surfing's international competition governing body. Mike has judged contests in Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, Brazil, and France. He also works as a free-lance graphic artist.
	Mike Martin
In January 2000, Creation surfing legends Capt. Ono, B.K., and Big Jim reunited while B.K. and Big Jim Morris were on a whirlwind tour of the So. California surfing scene. The the traveling twosome joined forces with Ono in a memorable west coast "expression session" as they surfed 'till sundown on the well groomed breaks of Ventura County.