•Up Rhode Island way, save the date for July 21st, when the coolest surf social event of the year hits Newport. The Newport Restoration Foundation will present Surf Fest that night from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Rough Point, Doris Duke’s elegant, seaside mansion. Join event host and coordinator Sid Abruzzi, the original Newport Water Brother, for a rare two-and-a-half-hour Newport mansion experience celebrating famous heiress Doris Duke’s surf connection with Hawaii’s legendary Kahanamoku family. Surfboards will be one of the feature attractions at the Surf Fest. In addition to Doris Duke’s original Velzy, one of the first foam boards shaped by the late legend Dale Velzy, a number of private collectors will display classic shapes representing an evolution of surfboard designs. A sampling of those showing includes East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame member Peter Pan’s Hobie treasure trove, with an exact replica of Mike Hynson’s Endless Summer board signed by Hobie Alter; local Newport shaper Neal Toracinta’s current Tora designs; and Kevin Cunningham’s environmentally friendly Spirare hollow wood surfboards. A slide show featuring Newport surfing, produced by longtime ESM Senior Photographer Joe McGovern, will also be shown. Surf Fest is part of the Rough Point After Dark programs that focus on various aspects of Doris Duke’s adventurous, athletic lifestyle. Rough Point is located at 680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI. Admission to Surf Fest is $5, and there will be a cash bar. For further information, visit www.NewportRestoration.org or call Sid at Water Brothers at 401-846-7873.
•On the slightly younger end of the spectrum, ASP World Tour veteran Gabe Kling returns home to St. Augustine, FL, on Saturday, June 25th to host the 3rd Annual Gabe’s Grom Comp at 10th Street. With free entry for kids 16 and under, North Florida groms will get the chance to surf with their hometown hero, meet Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson DeVille, and score plenty of schwag from event sponsors Keepers Of The Coast, DVS, ‘NPlay, Electric, Bully’s, Matix, Body Glove, and G-Shock. Visit www.Surf-Station.com to sign up, and stay tuned to www.EasternSurf.com for coverage next week. Good on ya for giving back, Gabe.
•In other grom contest news, Garden City Beach, SC, standout Cam Richards dominated the Quiksilver King Of The Groms U.S. Regional, held June 20th at Huntington Beach Pier, CA. Cam walked away with $900 for his aerial antics, beating out 63 other groms aged eight to 16 from all over the United States. Cam will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the Quiksilver Pro France in October to compete at the Global King Of The Groms World Championship. “I’m super psyched,” Cam said. “I’ve never been to France before and I’ve only heard good things about it. I can’t wait, it’s gonna be sick!”
•Cam’s also been out-performing the pack at the Quiksilver Surfing America U.S.A. Championships, in progress as we speak at Lower Trestles, CA. As of press time, Cam’s the only East Coaster still standing in the semifinals of the Boys Under 16 division. In Boys Under 14, none of our Rightside representatives advanced out of Round One, while fellow Palmetto State standout Luke Gordon is still kicking in the semis of Boys Under 12; Boys Under 18 got underway Friday morning. Meanwhile, Central Florida wahine Nikki Viesins is in the Girls Under 16 final, and still alive with Jasset Umbel, Cierra Cunningham, Emily Ruppert, Jessica Kwiecinski, and Quincy Davis in Girls Under 18. In longboard and adult competition already completed at Huntington Beach Pier, new Toes On The Nose teamrider Steve McLean finished 3rd in Junior Longboard, while Texas loc’dogs Cody Canzoneri and Albert Shannon finished 2nd in Men’s Longboard and 4th in Senior Longboard, respectively. Peep the remaining East Coasters competing live at www.Surfline.com/QuikUSAChamps, and then next week watch many of the above surfers and others competing at the NSSA National Championships. Those get underway on Sunday, June 26th, live at www.NSSALive.com.
•Speaking of new sponsors, Barbados surfing proponents were more than stoked to announce that Bajan super-grom Dane Mackie had signed a deal with …Lost Enterprises. The thirteen year-old St. Winifred’s School student continues to prove his outstanding surfing ability with success on the regional and international surfing stage, and his outgoing personality made him the first Barbadian ever to ride for …Lost. With an impressive repertoire of maneuvers, from fins-free, above-the-lip blowtails to his signature backside air reverse, Dane has received much acclaim and success on the international stage. Dane placed 4th in Under 12 last year at the Rip Curl GromSearch National Finals, held in conjunction with the Rip Curl Pro Search ASP World Tour contest in Puerto Rico. Dane will be attending a number of overseas contests this year where he will showcase his raw talent and bring home great results under the ...Lost banner. “I am really happy to have been chosen by ...Lost,” Mackie said. “They’re one of the most progressive and exciting surf companies and I am proud to represent them!” Dane is also sponsored by JADA Group.
•Further out on the calendar, Singlefins, Boardwalks, & Storytalks II is confirmed for July 22nd at Tuckerton Seaport in Tuckerton, NJ. With ESM Co-Founder/ Photo Editor Emeritus anchoring the show for the second year in a row, other Garden State sharpshooters like Donald Cresitello, Seth Stafford, and Bruce Chrisner will present their respective life’s work with narrated slideshows. Sponsored by Intercourse Brewing Company, this will be a free family event with a Jersey fresh dinner available courtesy of Mud City Crab House. Visit www.TuckertonSeaport.org for more info, and stay tuned to www.EasternSurf.com for a preview.
•South Florida-based nonprofit organization Surfers For Autism will host their inaugural Bay Area Surfers For Autism event on Saturday, June 25th at 10400 Gulf Blvd. in Treasure Beach, FL. The therapeutic benefit of surfing for autistic children and young adults cannot be overstated, as SFA has hosted a multitude of East Coast events this summer. Oftentimes, the benefit lasts for days after the event, and parents report that their child is calmer and more communicative than at any other time. For more information, visit www.SurfersForAutism.org, and stay tuned for events in Tybee Island, GA, on July 23rd; Ponce Inlet, FL, on August 13th; St. Augustine, FL, on August 27th; Jacksonville Beach, FL, on September 24th; and Ft. Myers, FL, on October 15th.
•In other do-gooder news, Florida Panhandle-based non-profit Hands Across The Sand will host their second annual gathering to oppose offshore oil drilling on Saturday, June 25th, at thousands of locations around the globe. Participating is simple: visit www.HandsAcrossTheSand.org for locations near you; go to the beach at 11:00 a.m. in your time zone for one hour; join hands for 15 minutes at 12:00 p.m. to form a line in the sand against oil drilling in your coastal waters; and leave only your footprints.
•In Right Coast entrepreneurial news, Rhode Island native Katie Imswiler has combined her loves of fashion, art, travel, and surfing into the beautifully functional IMSY Swimwear line. Growing up in Rhode Island, Katie spent her summers on the waves and in the sun with the ocean in her backyard, thus engraining the importance of a solid swimsuit. Paired with a B.S. in Textile Merchandising and Design from the University of Rhode Island, a strong fashion sense, and an undying drive to create, Katie set out to bring IMSY to fruition. Designed fully reversible for maximum versatility and offering endless styling options, IMSY incorporates luxe fabrics, excellent fit, and an attention to detail that makes every piece lavishly comfortable. The vibrant palette of colors and prints combined with modern, flattering style lines deliver a fashion forward aesthetic. Katie works out of her studio, and IMSY Swimwear is available in select boutiques and surf shops in the Northeast. Contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and stay tuned for www.IMSYSwimwear.com coming soon.
•Finishing things up, Mikey DeTemple’s new film Sight|Sound continues its artistic charge up and down the East Coast, visiting Grain Surfboards in York, ME, on June 17th. And unlike the big-city New York City premiere, there wasn't a thread of Tommy Hilfiger in sight. Then again, when you’re on a working Maine farm, the only designer labels you’ll see read LL Bean, OshKosh, and Carhartt. Roughly 60 people drove down York’s winding countryside roads for the premiere under a warm, full moon that was muted by cloud clover. New Englanders spread out on blankets and in beach chairs to catch the feature projected onto the outside of this rural barn. Around 9:00 p.m., DeTemple came out to say a few words before unveiling the film on the clapboard movie screen, a fitting medium from the purveyors of wooden surfcraft. Sight|Sound was all too familiar to the locals since it was partially shot in their backyard, while the remainder of the film saw the cast at a slew of sultry destinations that New Englanders dream about and occasionally visit during the winter months. That includes the beautifully shot expedition to Maine’s colder, more refined cousin, Nova Scotia. After the film, the party filtered inside Grain’s barn for a glimpse into the center of the wooden surfboard world. Mike LaVecchia talked shop with a motley crew of visitors and friends, while fans picked up High Seas Films releases and T-shirts from the table manned by DeTemple. For those that wished to indulge, food and drinks were offered courtesy of Grain. And for those of us that overindulged, several acres of farmland were offered as accommodations. People from far and near continued drinking and storytelling late into the night until the hum of the local wildlife reigned supreme over the dwindling crowd. Sight|Sound will enjoy its public New York City premiere on Wednesday, June 29th at Anthology Film Archives. Hosted by SMASH, the event and party will be sponsored by Barefoot Wine, Kind Healthy Boutique, and Seven Tiki. Visit www.HighSeasFilm.com for further Sight|Sound dates, including June 24th at Lightly Salted Surf Mercado in Asbury Park, NJ, July 6th at Crazy 8’s in Ocean City, MD, July 7th at Waterman’s Surfside Grille in Virginia Beach, July 9th at Rogue Wave Surf Shop in Charleston, SC, July 10th at Crowne Plaza in Indialantic, FL, and July 23rd at Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk, NY. –Ned Sweet
