Artist behind Kelowna's iconic sails sculpture dead at 91

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The creator down the iconic sculpture that dazzles residents and tourists on Kelowna, B.C.'s waterfront has died astatine the property of 91. 

Robert Dow Reid, known for creating Spirit of Sail — much commonly known arsenic The Sails — died peacefully connected Wednesday, April 23. 

In 1977, Stewart Turcotte watched arsenic the fibreglass sculpture was lowered to the crushed by helicopter. A longtime person of Reid's, helium said the portion was an homage to the artist's sailing roots. 

Born successful Scotland successful 1933, Reid had sailing successful his blood: his gramps was a oversea captain. In his teenage years, helium worked connected whaling ships, Turcotte said. 

"He saw each the whales being killed," Turcotte told CBC's Daybreak South impermanent big Sarah Penton. "They threw each the teeth and bones and tegument overboard aft they'd taken each the blubber off, and for immoderate crushed Bob saw the ivory teeth and thought, 'you know, I tin bash thing with this.'"

Spending clip successful Antarctica, Turcotte said his person was inspired to carve seals, whales and porpoises into those teeth and bones.

Reid met his wife, Isobel, successful 1956, and they came to Canada 2 years later. They archetypal landed successful Regina, but settled successful Kelowna successful 1964. 

Turcotte recalled Reid's passionateness for utilizing whale teeth for his creation — and his committedness to his craft. 

"He had 1 mandible from a sperm whale with teeth successful it, and to get the teeth retired was reasonably difficult. He knew that if helium buried it successful the ground, each the small bugs and gremlins would get successful determination and chew up each the brushed tissue, making the teeth easier to get out," Turcotte explained. 

"But helium ne'er retrieved it, truthful it's inactive successful his backyard determination successful Saskatchewan. About 50 years oregon truthful down the road, somebody's going to beryllium digging up this mandible and immoderate zoologist is going to assertion that sperm whales lived successful Saskatchewan."

Not lone was Reid an artist, but helium was besides a shipbuilder, Turcotte said. While surviving successful Kelowna, helium spent 27 years building a 20-metre-long sailboat, made of ferroconcrete, with an creation workplace onboard.

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

Reid moved the vessel to Vancouver successful 2 pieces and sailed it astir the water for a mates of years, Turcotte said.

"Ships were successful his beingness forever."

While astir of his sculptures are small, made of antique ivory, teak, and chromatic onyx, helium has 2 ample pieces on Kelowna's waterfront, which person been photographed thousands and thousands of times by those who rotation by. 

Spirit of Sail is an abstract portion but looks similar a brace of sails.

"It stands determination connected the waterfront proud," Turcotte said. 

Kelowna's waterfront is location to different of Reid's larger pieces, Rhapsody, different fibreglass sculpture that features 3 dolphins. 

Turcotte, who was friends with Reid for respective decades, said he'll retrieve Reid's large consciousness of humour, his kindness and generosity. 

Predeceased by his woman Isobel, Reid is survived by his 3 children, nine grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.