A Day With Sid Abbruzzi
Newport Surf Scene With A Rhode Island Rebel
by Zach Weisberg

“I legalized Ruggles,” said Sid Abbruzzi with dead-pan delivery. “It used to be illegal to surf there. The cops would whistle you out of the water every fifteen minutes, and I knew it would be illegal until someone got arrested.”

Sid was the guy who got arrested. He was only a teenager, but he was also the guy who got a lawyer, appealed the case to Superior Court, and had the legislation revised to accommodate local surfers. That should give you some insight into who Sid Abbruzzi is. If you’ve surfed Rhode Island’s famed Ruggles in your lifetime and not been accosted by the police, you have Sid to thank.

I was hoping to join the grateful ranks as we watched the swell wrap around the point at nightfall, but the offshore wind killed the short-period surge by morning, and we had Sid to thank for another reason; He graciously showed us around Newport, Rhode Island’s surf scene.

We passed through the mansions overlooking Ruggles, checked the local beachbreaks, hung out with his 19-year-old dog Humphrey, and even saw the original home of his core surf brand, WaterBrothers, all the while absorbing the mass of stories Abbruzzi has on file.

For instance, when the first X-Games came to town, the after-party was at Sid’s house. A photo on the floor of his basement shows Abbruzzi and Tom Curren on dueling guitars in his notorious “pit.” When Donavon comes through town he stops by Sid’s house and grabs a funky board off the wall to test-pilot. Not to mention the fact that he helped pioneer a real surf scene where only a glimpse existed.

And he has a following. Tags reading “WB” litter the beachside gates at all of the major local surf spots. The “WB” stands for WaterBrothers, and throughout this East Coast Tour, and especially in Rhode Island that logo has literally come to life. That fraternity of watermen is real.

When I walked into former Editor Chris Mauro’s office in my first week at SURFER Magazine, a 4x6 index card was posted on the bulletin board beside his desk, which read: “Remember, a fraternity of watermen are looking over your shoulder.” It was a reminder to keep an honest voice and produce work that surfers round the globe will be proud of. On this tour, that fraternity has opened up their homes to take us in and share their surfing experience, and Sid does the same for anyone with the surf-bug in Rhode Island.

“It’s still pretty old school here,” says Abbruzzi. “The contests are small, and there aren’t any kids getting sponsored the way they are in California, but we’ve got so much soul here…so much soul.”

I think the fraternity of watermen would approve.

- Zach Weisberg
Online Editor

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