Updated, Nov 20.
In honor of 17-year-old West Tisbury resident Waylon Madison Sauer, who tragically passed away one year ago last Thursday, friends and family held a paddleout at Squibnocket Beach on Saturday morning.
Hundreds came down to the beach for the occasion. Many on surfboards and donning wetsuits, fanned out into a large circle just past the shorebreak to signify unity, and held a moment of silence for 90 seconds. Participants were encouraged to bring a single flower stem or evergreen, and at the end of the ceremony, everyone threw their offering into the middle of the circle and splashed and cheered in honor of Sauer.
Organizers of the event said they were grateful for the big turnout.
“To have the community come together over my friend, I don’t think it could have gone better,” said Kert Kleeman, a friend since birth of Waylon, who organized the ceremony.
On Saturday, Kleeman explained the significance of bringing an evergreen clipping in a speech he had prepared.
“The pine tree is a special symbol for Wampanoag culture; it represents life,” Kleeman said. “It’s believed the pine has the power to help us relieve our hearts of the burden of any pain and sadness that we no longer wish to carry. We can ask the pine to carry our pain away and distribute it back out into the universe to dissipate.”
Waylon’s mother, Wenonah Madison, said that she was surprised and warmed by the large turnout. “One of your biggest fears as a mom losing her child is that people will forget them, but it’s just so clear that Waylon was so present in the lives of his friends and the greater community on the Vineyard,” said Madison following Saturday’s paddleout.
“Waylon was a lover of all things in the ocean. We called him the young man in the sea,” Madison added. “Ever since he was really little, he was happiest when he was swimming, fishing, just in the water, and then of course surfing.”
To honor the memory of Waylon, a scholarship fund providing support to students trying to pay for college has raised nearly $40,000 since its creation a year ago.
The community also held a basketball tournament in April to honor Waylon and raise money for the scholarship fund.
