lucy wightman

Reunion recalls glory days of Hull’s surfing subculture

HITTING THE BOARDS – Surfers who rode the waves of Nantasket in the 1960s and ’70s gathered once again in Hull for the first ‘Surf 68’ reunion. Shown clockwise from top left are Roger Crawford of Marshfield, John Burns of Cohasset, Bob Coletti of Norwell, Warren Horsley of Randolph, Audrey Berman-Cassevoy of Hull, and Rip Amontea of Hingham. [Lucy Wightman photo]

By Lucy Wightman 03.JUL.08

Surf 68’s 40th reunion made an impressive splash onto Hull shores last weekend. Aptly named for a peak year of surfing activity 40 years ago, the get-together celebrated years 1966 through 1970, when Hull’s surf subculture thrived. Attendees came from Hawaii, Colorado, California, and New England to attend the first official reunion of its kind. For most in attendance, three or four decades had passed without seeing their surfer buddies.

Clad in brightly colored Hawaiian shirts and earth-toned surf brand T-shirts, reunion goers mingled in the mist as Surf 68 began Saturday afternoon. Their first destination was the backyard of the Bergan family home at 362 Nantasket Ave.

The red Colonial-style house is itself a throwback to the era, as it is the only residential structure to survive the bulldozers that cleared the Hull Redevelopment Authority property in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The area behind the home was once a makeshift and spontaneous surfboard rental destination, managed in 1966 by reunion attendee John Flynn.

Ellen Bergan Sylvester, daughter of Old Nantasket author “Doc” William Bergan, said she was thrilled to offer the house for the event’s commencement. “I was born in this house and grew up with many of the surfers,” she said. “Even though I wasn’t a surfer, they were my crowd and some of us are still very close.”

John Delizzi of Denver, Colorado wondered aloud about Maureen Healey. “She was our favorite lifeguard, because back then we weren’t allowed to surf, but she always let us. I wonder what happened to her, she was awesome.”

Delizzi referred to Hull’s ban on surfing that was initiated by residents who disliked the young crowd and complained that properties were being trespassed. With the help of local officials motivated by vocal and tenacious surfers, the surfing ban was lifted and Hull’s wave-riding community was propelled through the 1960s and early ’70s. Its heyday spawned three surfboard shops, several teams, sponsorships, competitions, and a beach landscape colored by groups of surfers and their boards.

Bill Cunniff, a Quincy resident, carried his photo album while mingling last weekend. “I was always out early, so I started taking photos while the others still surfed.” The photos, along with other memorabilia collections, were later displayed at the Clarion Hotel, where the evening’s celebration took place.

In 1963, Kevin Kimball, from upstate New York, spent summers here. By the age of 11, he was intrigued by surfing and talked his mother into buying a board. Kimball was, like so many, a self-taught surfer, and at age 50 decided to catch the waves again. He now surfs worldwide for pleasure, and recalls the past by saying, “Our teenage years were really formed by this surfing thing, and it was great. Kids were from all over, different towns, states, and it didn’t matter; we were all part of something bigger.”

Gathering from the collective storytelling and descriptions, most of the men once had ponytails and the women long, straight hair parted in the middle. There was a carefree but predictable enough rhythm to the comings and goings of these teenagers. Admittedly influenced by the occasional hallucinogen, the euphoria reportedly was in place regardless of any chemical intervention. Appropriately, their nightlife was often hosted by the Surf Nantasket, an après-surf destination and famed local hotspot where bands like The Doors and The Beach Boys performed.

Mark Richardson, now a resident of Somersworth, New Hampshire, generated the idea for their first, official reunion in 40 years. He never forgot vital connections made while surfing the frothy, ocean waves in Hull. Overriding Richardson’s intended focus on an impending high school reunion were memories of cold salty water, wetsuits, and endlessly blissful days in both winter and summer.

After recruiting some of his old surfing buddies to help him plan, the idea became manifest. Richardson’s brainstorm attracted enough interest to form a committee of sorts. The collaboration included Bob Coletti of Norwell, who agreed to work on the Surf 68 website, and Audrey Berman-Cassevoy, owner of Hull’s Toast restaurant. Cassevoy was a beach bunny in her own right and was happy to host the monthly meetings.

The newly formed reunion committee members could be found on the bright, misty beach examining old Hobies and Weber boards. They proudly sported windbreakers with the Surf 68 logo and the words, “Living in the Sea, Sun and Surf,” lending an air of permanence and determination to the event.

Dr. John Burns, a dentist living in Hingham, became integrally involved in the reunion planning. After some picture posing on Saturday afternoon, he stood and looked lovingly at two longboards laid out gingerly on the outer sand. “These were in a basement, and are two of our original surfboards. Just look at the craftsmanship,” he said smiling and entranced.

Once the announcement for the reunion was posted on the Internet and emails started pouring in, it became clear to Richardson how meaningful an endeavor this was.

Emerging from the early summer ocean in a wetsuit, dripping with sand, Richardson said, “This is a story of people, their individual stories, not of brand surfboards like you see in the surfing museums. My long-range plan is to have a New England surf museum, because the closest is in New Jersey. I want it to be about life stories, surfing stories, and the relationships.” Surfing is believed to have originated in 6^th century Hawaii, when Polynesians introduced the skill. The ancient chiefs had the best beaches and the boards from the best trees. Their authority was confirmed based on surfing prowess.

Fashioned from solid wood, their boards weighed 150 pounds and were as long as 14 feet. Embraced by both men and women, surfing had only one differentiating feature and that was board length. The lengthiest boards were reserved for the royals in the culture.

The “Father of Modern Surfing,” Duke Kahanamoku was an Olympic swimmer who introduced wave riding to the United States and Australia in the early 1900s. It took hold on the California coastline, where a culture was born. A famous Kahanamoku quote is set against the swelling, aqua wave on the front page of the Surf 68 website [http://surf68.com/]. It says, “Out of the water… I am nothing.”

Richardson’s reunion determination culminated on Saturday night at the Clarion Hotel with a formal, sit down dinner. Old trophies, photo albums, projector slide shows, surf music, and memorabilia was displayed with great care in what could be the first glimpse of Richardson’s dream come true: a New England surf museum honoring not the stuff, but the stories.

One story as yet unfinished is that of Captain Maury Sheehan. On voluntary duty in Afghanistan, he could not make it this weekend. In his absence, he was fully present. Occupying a single table was the Surf 68 reunion poster – a stand-up photograph of Sheehan and his written request for messages from old friends.