WELLFLEET — “Come for the characters, stay for the surfing” could be the official motto of the Cape Cod Oldtimers Longboard Classic, a beach gathering that celebrates surfing, family, friends, and life on the Outer Cape, not necessarily in that order.
The event, which had its 51st anniversary on the afternoon of Aug. 24, drew hundreds to White Crest Beach in Wellfleet, though the after-effects of Hurricane Erin caused the cancellation of the surfing competition — not without considerable debate among the organizers.
As the storm moved up the coast on Friday, surf advisories and warnings of dangerous rip tides were broadcast at 10-minute intervals. On Saturday, though, Erin spun ever farther from the coast, and Sunday dawned bright and sunny. But the National Weather Service was still urging caution for Cape Cod beachgoers.
“The problem was that the waves were breaking right on the shore, which is a dangerous situation,” said Jamie Demetri, the event’s commissioner and an Eastham select board member.
Surfing aside, all of the elements that make the gathering beloved were otherwise present. The lineups for each division were held, with photos being taken of surfers making their moves on the sand instead of in the water.
“It’s a beach party with some surfing,” said Demetri. To a first-timer it was something like a cross between a Jimmy Buffett concert with costumed fans and a local road race bringing together serious competitors and others there strictly for the vibe.
Mike Houghton, who died in 2021, was an early driving force behind the event and was Demetri’s predecessor as its commissioner. The Classic is a fundraiser for a “toolship” in Houghton’s memory. The Pump House and Oldtimers Scholarship and Toolship Fund pays for tools for graduating seniors from Nauset Regional High School and Cape Cod Tech who enter the trades out of high school.
Awards are presented in 12 divisions, which drew nearly 150 competitors this year. The divisions are mostly arranged by age and gender; some have clever names including Jurassic (for surfers 70+), Social Security (the minimum age to compete in this division is 62, of course), and Team Fat. (Criteria for TF eligibility is a closely guarded secret, but the division was created years ago so that some of the Oldtimers could surf with friends across age group divides.)
Awards notwithstanding, the competition here is clearly secondary to camaraderie. Houghton, along with Kevin “Foggy” Foley and their pals, called themselves “oldtimers” from the start even though they were in their 20s when the event was first organized. Many of the original participants have retired from surfing competition but are still active as volunteers, helping pave the way for younger generations to enjoy the sport and its traditions.
Tom “Flats” Flaherty, an original Oldtimer, attended the first official Classic and has missed only one since, the year he found himself deployed in Bosnia on the day of the event. There were other surfing competitions in the 1970s, he says, but this one was different.
“It has always been a celebration of family and friends,” said Flaherty, a sentiment that was echoed by countless others at the beach on Sunday.
Joining Flaherty as a volunteer was his daughter Molly, who now lives in Wyoming and has missed only three Classics in her life. “I was named the 1989 Rookie of the Year,” she said. She was three months old at the time. She was trailed around the beach by her four-year-old daughter, Liv, who firmly established herself as part of the newest generation of revelers.
Willy Lindblom, 77, from Eastham, was easily spotted in his signature red knitted hat. Willy is the soft-spoken genius behind “The Wipeout,” a liquid concoction made with ginger ale, Southern Comfort, vodka, and wine, garnished with lemons and cherries. It has been served at the Classic every year since the beginning. Pro tip: ask for extra cherries.
Classic devotees were not limited to locals. John Powell, wearing a full-body shark suit, said he’d traveled to Wellfleet from Albany for the occasion, as he has done almost every year since 1987, when he was a student at UConn.
“One year, I came down here the day after my first daughter was born,” he said. “My wife gave me a pass to come, so I took them home from the hospital and drove straight here,” said Powell, whose marriage did not appear to have suffered because of that decision.
Like most who were there on Sunday, he understood the reasons for the cancellation of the surfing contest. “There are some ugly waves along with a rip,” he said. “We are not here to have anyone get hurt.”
Demetri made the announcement of the cancellation from a makeshift judges’ stand on the beach hugging the bluffs. The decision was necessary, she said, because “we love you all too much,” and she encouraged surfers and spectators to continue to enjoy the day and the scene. Her words were met with loud applause before the crowd proceeded to do just that.
