WiLD Blog

Family and friends of Jessie Raymundo celebrated his life on April 26 and 27 in Imperial Beach. On Saturday friends and family of Jessie gathered at the Marina Vista Center to honor one of IB’s longtime favorite surfers, educators, and fishermen. On Sunday after spending the morning with the IB and Coronado groms at the 5th Annual Kids for Clean Water Menehunefest in Coronado, I joined more than 50 people on the pier to observe the paddleout in Jessie’s honor. Jessie’s wife, Sharon, and his children Enrique, Ana and Monica, and lots of friends and family watched from the pier as 21 paddlers gathered in a circle just off the north side to honor a true IB Foamie.  

Some of the surfers in attendance included Steve Brown, Dave and Loukas Lopez, Steve Simonds, Miguel Martinez, Seth Fisher, Dave Parra, Jeff Knox and Joe Knox, Patt McClosky, Max Shineman, Lester Gill, Jon Strebbler, Dan Allen, the Palmatiers (Ken, Barry, Andre, and Natalia), Kyle Knox, and Fred Quisenberry. Fred Karsten had known Jessie, “For about 25-27 years. We did a lot of surf trips to Baja from K-38s to the tip.” Jessie Garcia attended with his children and said, “Jessie was my kindergarten teacher.”  

Kent Gifford who paddled out on Sunday said, “Over the last year I’ve been fishing with Jessie regularly. I’ve been scuba diving/spear-fishing and Jessie has been topside on the boat. As we came up with our game, we could hardly wait to see what Jessie would show us.  He demonstrated a few different ways of cleaning, and we talked in detail about different cooking recipes. A free diver friend of ours appreciates Jessie. The current spit the diver out into the channel and Jessie pulled the anchor, started the engine and went and got him. My family and I are blessed for the knowledge and experience he has passed down. We will never be able to replace this boat Captain.”

Joe Knox sent me this story:  “My earliest recollection of Jesse began when I was about six or seven years old. My father would take me to the foot of Daisy Street each and every early morning. I remember the first time I paddled out into six-foot surf. I was scared out of my mind. Here I was, seven years old in surf that looked 10-12 feet by perspective. I couldn’t move. I was glued to my board, and a good ten yards further out than everyone else. After about two hours of terror I hadn’t caught a single wave. At the encouragement of my father and Jesse, I had to take a wave in.  

Jessie said, ‘Ok Joe boy, when I tell you to turn around and paddle towards shore as hard as you can, you do it okay.’  

“Alright I’ll try,’ I shivered. “Okay here comes a set! Are you ready.’ 

‘Yeah I’m ready,’ I lied. As I looked out I could see the horizon darken. There was a monster set coming in. I knew Jesse was going to tell me to go on the biggest wave possible, and I had to show him I was brave enough to go.

‘Alright, turn around and paddle now,’ yelled Jesse. ‘Paddle harder,’ he called.  I shut my eyes and quickened my pace. I could feel the back of my board start to lift as the set began to scoop me up. I got slammed. Suffice it to say that I was reluctant to surf at all afterwards, But my father and Jesse thought that meant I ought to surf even more.”
         
Jessie Raymundo, a Vietnam Veteran was born on November 18, 1946 in Los Angeles and passed away on April 4, 2009. He is survived by his wife Sharon, and his children Enrique, Ana and Monica, his stepson Erico Gomez, his sister Elisa and brother Victor,  
 
Serge Dedina is the Executive Director of WiLDCOAST and can be reached at info@wildcoast.net.

Lots of good spring combo surf and long sunny, glassy days to make IB surfers very happy. It is ironic that we’ve had more surf in the past couple of months than we had all winter.

I first met Barry Palmatier at MVHS back in 1978. I was a freshman who was occasionally permitted to sit at the Surfer Bench at lunch with the small but talented crew of IB surfers that included Greg Parman, Mark Ganderton, Randy Garvin, Bill Johnson, Lindy Dalmas (RIP), Roger Benham, Tim Decker, Barry Muffley, and Lester Gill among others. Barry P. who was back and forth from Del Rey, would pop in and immediately the conversation would turn to the latest Sloughs session and board design.

So I’ve known and surfed with Barry for about 31 years. Over the past few years I have enjoyed surfing with the three generation Palmatier surfing clan on surf sessions in IB, La Jolla and Coronado in addition to the great times we’ve enjoyed at the Dempsey and Kids for Clean Water Contests.

I had a chance to talk story with the Palmatiers at the Kids for Clean Water event a couple of weeks ago. The family is head up by longtime IB surfer Ken and his lovely wife Midge. Barry has three children, Catalina (9), Andre (10), and Natalia (12). Both Andre and Natalia are integral members of the growing IB super grom squad.

Ken and Midge met back at Chula Vista Junior High when they were 13. Ken started surfing in 1956 when he was at Chula Vista High on a Buzzy Bent surfboard. He first surfed the Sloughs in 1957 with Eric Carlson, Jack Breese, and Bill Marshall. “Midge and I got married in 1960 and moved up to Cardiff. But we moved back to IB and decided to stay because of the Sloughs. I missed the power of IB,” said Ken.

Ken on the Sloughs, “During my first session in 1957 I got one wave, ate it and swam in. In ’58 I surfed it but it was huge. Too big and I almost drowned. In ’59 I rode it big. The biggest I rode it was in 1969, but it was big in 1970, 1974-75 and in the 90s we had some big days. I rode the Sloughs with Dempsey for 10 years and surfed with Mike Richardson and Jim Barber. J.B. would sit way outside and wait for the largest wave. He was a power surfer, a real good surfer.”

Barry started surfing in 1964 at the age of four; “My first board was a Mudpie Maker a logo design from an iron-on t-shirt transfer I got from the Rexall at 9th and Palm. The board was a Richard Jolie template. I started surfing the Sloughs in the 6th grade. My dad, the Duck and me surfed middles. I was on a 7’2” Plastic Fantastic. It scared the living hell out of me. It was hollow and acting like IB—throwing out. By the time I was in high school I was charging it. My friends and I would paddle out and I surfed with John Emory, Richard Cacanindin, Mark Meister, Kelly Kraus, and Mike Kelly. In 1978 I rode the biggest surf at the Slough outside way past 3rd notch. I was riding an 8’6” gun made by the Duck. It was too small and I was airdropping the drops.”

The Palmatiers spent lots of time surfing in Baja at what is now 38s (or 38 1/2 as some old-timers call it). Ken said, “We called it Outhouse and then it became 38s. There was a rock in the lineup at 38s so Geoff Logan took a sledgehammer out at low tide and knocked it down. That rock was like a fence post. What is now Gaviotas back then was called 41s. The Gaviota developers ruined the wave when they bulldozed the cliff, totally changed and destroyed the spot.“

“One day my dad pulled me out of school and said, we’re going to Mexico,“ said Barry. “It was so good, offshore, eight foot and makeable. 38s was closed out.”

The Palmatiers are an integral part of the Coronado Avenue Regulars and I look forward to surfing with them for many, many years to come. Thanks for sharing your memories!

IB surfers thanked President Obama for canceling the $70 million Army Corps sand dredge and fill project that would have involved dredging an area near the border sewage outfall pipe that was also used as a WWI gunnery range. According to The San Diego Reader, the city has so far spent $450,000 on sand studies and lobbyists. Congress still might revive the Corps project. Another $166,000 bill is now due for a SANDAG sand project that would in theory be carried out at the same time as the Corps project. Funds spent on sand studies, junkets and lobbying could have been used to build a very nice skatepark for our children or help to resolve our coastal problem—beach closures caused by pollution from Mexico.

And congratulations to IB resident Josie Hamada and Chula Vista resident John Willet for receiving Cox Conservation Hero awards last week. Josie planted a 9-11 Cherry Tree Peace Grove at Beyer Elementary. John, a WWII veteran who turns 88 this year is the grandfather of the wonderful Otay Valley Regional Park. Congratulations to Josie and John for improving our communities for our children.

Serge Dedina is the Executive Director of WiLDCOAST. Contact him at info@wildcoast.net.