Tribute

I had known Kurt for over 31 years here on Salt Spring Island. He was a mentor, a teacher but most of all a very good friend.

His life reads like an adventure/travel novel and here I’ll try to do it some justice.

He was born and raised in Rangsdorf, Germany in 1935; by 1945 that had become a part of Communist East Germany. His desire to travel began at the early age of 3-4 years.

Having completed his trade in boat building, he departed the East in 1954-55 and headed for the West. His travels eventually took him halfway around the world to Australia, mostly on a moped. Along the way be passed through Switzerland, France, Spain, Morocco, the Belgian Congo, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, India and Southeast Asia, before reaching Darwin, Australia. He met and married his wife Pat in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In Sidney, Australia, he/they built their first boat — a 36’ ketch, “Safari Two” — and sailed back to England over a period of two years, stopping at Durban, South Africa to work, and crossing the Atlantic twice on the way. After arriving in England, the boat was sold to another couple who became lifelong friends. They had owned the boat for about 47 years.

Kurt built another ketch, the 50’ “Desert Flower” in Germany, and continued travelling the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Caribbean and the Pacific, landing in Victoria, B.C. in 1975. After separating he moved to Salt Spring in 1987. His adventures continued sailing the local water in his sloop “Merry Trotter”, hiking and canoeing in the wilderness of Northern B.C. and the Yukon with friends and his dog. In later years he travelled to New Zealand and Germany, but his heart was always in the wilderness.

As a wood worker he excelled, building his own home and most of the furniture in it. He turned his talents and creativity to wood turning, creating beautiful pieces in his shop and displaying and selling them in his tiny studio.

He was a good man, and I’ll miss our 3 p.m. Sunday coffees. In his last year or so he struggled with the onset of dementia, ending up in hospital on Salt Spring and spent his last days at Sidney All Care Residence, Sidney.

I would like to thank a few people, of the many, who helped Kurt and myself immensely in getting through this period. Christa of Salt Spring, a very good friend, visited Kurt constantly at Lady Minto and Sidney; Angelika, a niece from Germany came to help with the house with Helmut; Angela of Lady Minto Hospital, who patiently helped guide me through the system, and Nick, LPN from Sidney All Care, who always wrote back to me and answered all my questions. Kurt seemed to respond to his voice most days. Thank all of you again for your help and kindness. ~ Roderick Macdonald