We went down to Pacifica today to join friends from the Pedro Point Surf Club to honor the life of Sky Parsons with a paddle out and gathering on the beach at the south end. Sky was a long-time member of the PPSC, raised in Hawaii and taught how to surf by legendary surfer Fred Van Dyke while he attended Punahou School. Sky’s friends told great stories about their times with him and how he never got riled up, was always positive and friendly, didn’t have any enemies, and had a diverse range of interests from surfing to fishing to skiing to opera and art. He loved big waves and even when others were getting cautious, Sky would “be sneaking back out to catch another one.” His wife said that the ten years they had spent together were the best years of her life. From Sky, she learned to never get angry or hold onto anger, and that nearing his own death and handling it with such grace, she learned not to fear death. Writing this now, I’m still emotional. I was honored and humbled to be able to share in the experience.
After everyone told stories on the beach and read words from Sky’s friends that weren’t here, a group of us paddled out, sat up on our boards and formed a circle holding hands. Greg said a few more words and sprinkled some of Sky’s ashes into the water between us. We threw our flowers into the circle and splashed and hooted in celebration. “Alright,” Greg said. “Now Sky would want us to catch some waves!” We all paddled in and caught some fun waves in his honor. At the end, I looked around and took a deep breath. The sun was shining, a light breeze blew, the waves rolled in, and above us stretched an infinite, brilliant blue sky.
#124 / 11am
[2-3 ft + knee to chest high occ. 4 ft. FAIR CONDITIONS. REGIONAL SUMMARY:
We’re off to a fairly slow start this morning with mainly 2-3’+ waves on tap as old WNW energy mixes with fading SSW(190-200) swell. Top breaks see chest-shoulder high sets early. Reinforcing mid-period NW-WNW(280-300+) moves in through the day, delivering better size and consistency by the afternoon. Light wind now for generally smooth surface conditions.]