Although originally scheduled for Saturday, it was worth waiting on a rainy day for the 26th annual Rell Sunn Surf Contest that took place at Ditch Plain Beach in Montauk on Sunday. Waves crashed along the shore as a crowd of all ages gathered to celebrate Rell Sunn, surfing, and the Montauk community.
For over two decades Montauk has come together in the spirit of the American world-surfing champion to raise money for those in need. This year the proceeds will benefit the Montauk Food Pantry and Concerned Citizens of Montauk, which sponsored the event.
During the mid-1970s Rell Sunn was a pioneer for women’s surfing, helping to create the Women’s International Surfing Association and Women’s Pro Surfing. In 1982 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and told she had a year to live; she ended up living another 15 years. During that time she became an advocate for those battling breast cancer, and launched a counseling program for breast cancer patients in Hawaii.
It is in her honor that a team of four, Laurie Cancellieri, P. Claire Pertalion, Scott Cullen, and Jen Cardona, organized this year’s surf contest. With help from a score of volunteers donating their time, sound equipment, art for an auction, and even their lifeguarding skills.
The opening ceremony was slated to begin at 8 a.m., but it was delayed as there was a rush of in-person registrations bringing the total number of competitors to over 75 across six divisions. The contest opened with a flower ceremony honoring Rell Sunn and members of the community who have died, and allowing all who participated to silently dedicate their flower to whomever they wished. Both the opening ceremony and the contest itself were presided over by Evelyn O’Doherty.
“Rell was a beautiful, genuine spirit. And today we honor her, we ask you to bring her into your heart and that spirit she provides,” O’Doherty said. “On this day at Ditch we love to bring in that aloha spirit . . . so that we can compete with joy, with togetherness, and with good sportsmanship.”
As participants walked to the water’s edge, she said, “When you get down there, offer whatever is in your heart, a prayer, a thought, a moment of gratitude, and then you can offer your flowers to the water.”
With that, the contest commenced. Surfers of all ages competed, throughout six different divisions. For kids 12 and under there was Menehune surf and Menehune bodyboard. For those 13 and older there were men’s and women’s shortboard and longboard divisions, and finally, an open longboard division for all comers.
On Sunday, as the competition commenced, an excited Cancellieri expressed her gratitude for both those who volunteered and those who participated and for the Montauk community in general. “We’re strong and we’re so thrilled,” she said. “We have a beautiful day and we’re so happy to be here and so grateful for everyone who shows up every year.”
Winners of the divisions were not available as of press time for this page on Monday, but for the organizers, at least, the event itself was the real winner.
