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Tribute on the waves

If you saw the van, you knew Dick was nearby.

Topped with a white gearbox, Dick Vine’s maroon mini-van was a frequent sight at Nova Scotia’s top windsurfing spots. No longer.

Vine, a pillar of the local windsurfing community, passed away on September 27 at the age of 81. Vine, however, showed few signs of being an octogenarian. Throughout the summer he was often on his board, frequently zooming across Porters Lake. And just a month before his death, Vine was at “the Range” as Hurricane Irene delivered ideal windsurfing conditions. “The best ever,” he said.

Vine founded the Nova Scotia Windsurfing Association, serving as its president until his death. His contribution to the sport was apparent in October. On a rainy Saturday, nearly 100 people—family, friends and fellow boarders—gathered for a remembrance ceremony at Porters Lake. Some had known Vine more than 25 years; others had never met him.

One speaker said Vine’s legacy warranted a bumper sticker. His suggestion: “I want to be a Dick.”

Fittingly, the maroon van was also there, packed, as usual, full of boards and sails.Donning wetsuits, the crowd took to the water for a “paddle-out,” a Hawaiian ceremony meant to honour the passing of a surfer. Paddling their boards across the lake, the neoprene-clad group joined hands and formed a large circle. Flowers were thrown in the middle; a two-minute silence was observed.

“Regardless of the vehicle by which we travel on the water… we all are after the same thing: freedom, challenge and the eternal quest to stay young in body and spirit,” said paddle-out organizer Alex Chandler. “Dick embodied these qualities to his very last days.”

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