Stane Polovic, sailor, explorer, adventurer, scholar
July 22, 1930 – Dec 14, 2009
Stane passed away at Nanaimo Hospital from heart failure and renal disease.
Born in Maribor, Yugoslavia, he married the love of his life Slavica Zibret and had two daughters Adriana (nee Polovic) Polo and Marina (Polovic) Sacht. He is survived by his daughters, and son in law Jerry Sykora and grandchildren, Nadine, Stephanie, and Alex Sykora, and Malcolm Sacht.
Stane was mechanical engineer and also taught advanced mathematics and wrote a math study book used at schools. He was a life long learner and an artist, musician, and voracious reader who studied philosophy, religion, mathematics, languages (Spanish and Polynesian) and the great love of his later life: astronomy and quantum mechanics. He was not only a man of science but well read in the arts and had a brilliant questioning mind.
He loved music especially the big bands where he was quite a dancer. He played trumpet in a band. Always courageous and ethical he served three years as a political prisoner for criticizing the communist regime under President Tito. Wanting to give his children a brighter future, Stane and Slavica left Koper, Slovenia and immigrated to Canada with just a suitcase of personal belongings and photos. They spent fi ve years in Brampton, Ontario and moved to South Vancouver to be near the ocean. An avid sailor he raced sailboats in the Mediteranean and enjoyed sky gliding. Favorite family memories always included the ocean.
He worked in Canada, as a draftsman but later took an interest in medicine and worked as an orderly at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Vancouver . In the late 70’s he and his wife started building his custom-designed 58’ ferro-cement ketch on the north arm of the Fraser River . Over the next fi ve years, working evenings and weekends he completed the massive project and when the energy crisis and double digit interest rates struck, moved aboard the Rhapsodia and sold the house. The boat was featured in a documentary film, Escape Under Sail II by Karl Begrich. He enjoyed exploring the local waters and with his family lived aboard at Shelter Island Marina, Montague Harbour, Steveston, Victoria Harbour and Port Alberni .
Stane’s passionate dream shared by his wife was to sail offshore and see the tropics. They cruised offshore sailing from Victoria to San Francisco and eventually to Hawaii where they lived in Oahu on board the Rhapsodia for a number of years. They had many friends and had found their paradise.
Stane and his wife set sail back to Vancouver Island to spend more time with his daughters and grandchildren. He leaves behind Adriana Polovic (Adrian Polo) married to Jerry Sykora, and grandchildren Nadine Stephanie and Alex Sykora. As well as daughter Marina (Polovic) Sacht, married to Melvin Kelsey Sacht (predeceased 2006) and grandson Malcolm Sacht.
And to those who knew him, he leaves behind many valuable lessons and advice. We thank you for the wonderful life you have given us, and the opportunities that you taught us to see where others saw none. We’ve been blessed with the best. I don’t know where you were going but my guess is that you are picking up your wife and heading over to the Rhapsodia for the best sail of your life.
With love always – you are the wind that fi lls our sails.