Rell Sunn Surf Contest And Benefit Returns To Ditch Plains

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Rell Sunn Surf Contest and Benefit returned to Ditch Plains in Montauk for its 24th annual event on Saturday, July 23.

Following the “Blessing of the Water,” where those in attendance lay flowers in the ocean’s edge in memory of those recently lost, surfing got underway. While the event is more about celebrating community and the sport of surfing and the “aloha” of it all, more so than serious competition, 55 of the nearly 100 surfers who came out went home with custom-made wood carved trophies, covering the different age and style of board groups, the event’s co-founder and co-director Roger Feit said. An art auction and a raffle with collectible T-shirts sold as well at the event.

“Unbelievable,” Feit said of the turnout. “It was the best. We had waves for the contest and it was the best in terms of number of people coming out. Everything we had to sell sold. A lot of needy families will get a chunk of this money.”

The East End Foundation has been providing vital support to those in need and to improve health and happiness within the community. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to local families in need.

The contest is named for Rell Sunn, a Hawaii native and women’s surfing pioneer who died in 1998 after a 15-year battle with breast cancer. In the early 1970s, she was instrumental in establishing the Women’s Professional Surfing Association and founding the women’s pro surfing tour. During her competitive career, she finished in the top eight in the world seven times, twice reaching number three.

Feit, a former grand master surfing champion himself, originally created the Rell Sunn Memorial Surf Contest and Benefit with Dorothy Peel, but for the past two decades, has been sharing duties with Alice Houseknecht. Together, the two have dedicated much of their time toward EEF’s philanthropic causes and leading the team of volunteers that execute the beloved event. Feit is looking forward to next year’s 25th annual event.

“The East End Foundation is really important to the community,” he said. “There are a lot of offshoots from it. And I’m 76 now, so things are really slowing down for me, but when we first started, we used to have these fundraisers in some of the local restaurants. Some of the people who would show up would be really embarrassed about going into the restaurants, I mean really uncomfortable. But once they came in and saw the people and saw the outpouring of love from them, they were really grateful for the experience.”