On February 28, 2003, Vince Abayon, Cold Water Surf Club member passed away
at home after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 51 years old, from
Honolulu, Hawaii and long time Sonoma County surfer. He was a mail carrier,
married with three young children. He lived in Santa Rosa.

Vince surfed only a few times with the Club, so some of you may not have
known him very well. Being of part Hawaiian ancestry, he radiated true Aloha
spirit with his smile and warmth. Surfing, as with all of us, was an
integral part of his life.

I met Vince at a CWSC contest at Pacifica about two years ago. It was blown
out so we all went to BoBos' and had a fun session. He already had cancer at
the time, but continued to surf for as long as he could.

We were the only ones out at the left point at Point Arena on a big off shore
wind day. I remember him calmly paddling into a thick, bone crushing 12
footer, with a big grin on his face. I watched intently from behind as he
plunged beneath the feathering lip. The wave spiraled, collapsing toward the
jagged cliffs. I heard the hissing spray followed by the whump of the curl
as a series of sections unfolded. His board popped out about a hundred yards
down, his fists pumping the air. He had made it!

Before he died, Vince wanted to surf a CWSC contest at a big name spot down
south. Last summer, he got his chance at California Street, Ventura County.
Although he took second in the semis, his wife and kids were excited about
leaving for San Diego to visit family. He felt obligated to surf the finals
for the Club, but with Christian's urging, he happily left for San Diego.
Family, as Christian said, came first. That evening, Vince had to be
admitted for emergency surgery. That was the last time he surfed.

The Club was so important to Vince that it was mentioned in his obituary.
For a little while, Cold Water Surf Club gave him the opportunity to hang
with fellow surfers and take second place in the semis at "C" Street.

At Vince's funeral, a middle aged, rather heavyset woman, who admittedly
never set foot in the water, much less surfed, shared a story as part of his
eulogy. She was a dear friend of Vince, the only surfer she had ever known.
She imagined that surfing demanded great strength, determination and superb
balance. "Surfers, she said, "Have a reckless abandon and yet a free flowing
concentration, focused in the moment, reacting instinctively to the dynamic
energy of turbulent water." (Right on, girl !, I exclaimed quietly.)

Then, she recounted a dream. She was surfing down in Southern California and
caught this giant wave all the way up to Sonoma County. ( I thought, "Wow!
Unreal!") While she was riding this magnificent wave, she noticed another
surfer in front of her leading the way. The wave grew even larger. She hung
on for dear life - all ten fingers and all ten toes hanging on to the board
as the wave thrashed around her. Then, she said something funny to a real
surfer. She commented in all seriousness, "That's what surfers probably mean
when they say "hanging ten." ( I thought, Daaaaa? An interesting and
heartfelt interpretation.") I could hear Vince' s sweet laugh. She continued
with her story.

She rode and rode that wave, following the spirit surfer in front of her. On
and on she surfed. Then, after she was completely exhausted, she found
herself spiraling through a vast tunnel of liquid light and was finally spit
out onto dry land. She looked around her and, to her amazement, she found
herself resting in the most beautiful place imaginable.

Reflecting upon her dream, she thought that this place was Heaven and that
the spirit surfer leading the way was Vince. As a surfer, Vince had shown
her the way through life and had shown her the way back home.

Aloha, from Vince to you all.

Cliff Lee

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