Artist behind Kelowna's iconic sails sculpture dead at 91

The artist behind the iconic sculpture that dazzles residents and tourists along Kelowna, B.C.'s waterfront has died at the age of 91. 

Robert Dow Reid, known for creating Spirit of Sail — more commonly known as The Sails — died peacefully on Wednesday, April 23. 

In 1977, Stewart Turcotte watched as the fibreglass sculpture was lowered to the ground by helicopter. A longtime friend of Reid's, he said the piece was an homage to the artist's sailing roots. 

Born in Scotland in 1933, Reid had sailing in his blood: his grandfather was a sea captain. In his teenage years, he worked on whaling ships, Turcotte said. 

"He saw all the whales being killed," Turcotte told CBC's Daybreak South guest host Sarah Penton. "They threw all the teeth and bones and skin overboard after they'd taken all the blubber off, and for some reason Bob saw the ivory teeth and thought, 'you know, I can do something with this.'"

Spending time in Antarctica, Turcotte said his friend was inspired to carve seals, whales and porpoises into those teeth and bones.

Reid met his wife, Isobel, in 1956, and they came to Canada two years later. They first landed in Regina, but settled in Kelowna in 1964. 

Turcotte recalled Reid's passion for using whale teeth for his art — and his commitment to his craft. 

"He had one mandible from a sperm whale with teeth in it, and to get the teeth out was fairly difficult. He knew that if he buried it in the ground, all the little bugs and gremlins would get in there and chew up all the soft tissue, making the teeth easier to get out," Turcotte explained. 

"But he never retrieved it, so it's still in his backyard somewhere in Saskatchewan. About 50 years or so down the road, somebody's going to be digging up this mandible and some zoologist is going to claim that sperm whales lived in Saskatchewan."

Not only was Reid an artist, but he was also a shipbuilder, Turcotte said. While living in Kelowna, he spent 27 years building a 20-metre-long sailboat, made of ferroconcrete, with an art studio onboard.

"This thing was a luxurious craft," Turcotte said. 

Reid moved the ship to Vancouver in two pieces and sailed it around the ocean for a couple of years, Turcotte said.

"Ships were in his life forever."

While most of his sculptures are small, made of antique ivory, teak, and honey onyx, he has two large pieces along Kelowna's waterfront, which have been photographed thousands and thousands of times by those who wander by. 

Spirit of Sail is an abstract piece but looks like a pair of sails.

"It stands there on the waterfront proud," Turcotte said. 

Kelowna's waterfront is home to another of Reid's larger pieces, Rhapsody, another fibreglass sculpture that features three dolphins. 

Turcotte, who was friends with Reid for several decades, said he'll remember Reid's great sense of humour, his kindness and generosity. 

Predeceased by his wife Isobel, Reid is survived by his three children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.