H. Kane McVickar, 89, Loved Sailing and the Sea

H. Kane McVickar, a longtime summer resident of Edgartown, died on Sept. 9. He was 89 years old.

Kane, as he was known, was an avid sailor and raced a Wianno Sr. called Haze with his brother, Malcolm, during their teenage summers when they lived with their family in the house called Fore 'n' Aft on the water's edge on South Water street, between the Edgartown Yacht Club and the Reading Room. He was then a member of the yacht club.

Kane studied art with the well-known artist Julius Delbos, who was hired as a summer tutor for the boys by their mother, Anzonella, herself an accomplished watercolorist. Kane later became a talented watercolorist, painting and selling many Vineyard scenes and exhibiting his work at the Old Sculpin Gallery. He continued painting for most of his life, capturing the beauty and wildlife of New England and of Boca Grande, Fla., where he also lived.

He was a graduate of St. Mark's School in Southborough and subsequently was graduated from Harvard, where he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Fly Club. Called up in the first draft of World War II in 1939, he rose to the rank of captain in the United States Army Signal Corps and served in the European theatre after the D-Day invasion until his honorable discharge after more than five years of duty.

After the war he was instrumental in the design of the Bushkill trout and salmon reels in collaboration with his father, and they formed the company McVickar & Son to produce and market their products. He then turned his career to the financial world, where he was a securities analyst for several prominent investment firms including Harris Upham & Co. and Axe Houghton Securities. During this time he resided in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., where on one occasion he was awarded the Carnegie Medal for saving several children from the frigid waters of Tuxedo Lake at great risk to himself.

During these years and after, he was often seen in the summer plying the Edgartown waters in his catboat, Kit Kat, with a blue sail, from which he would also trail a handline to bring a bluefish home for summer. Sailing and salt water were his loves.

He was married in 1982 to Jane Brouwer, and they lived in both Boca Grande, Fla., and in Craftsbury Common, Vt. He is survived by his beloved wife, Jane; two brothers, Malcolm of St. Helena, Calif., and Harry of Newport, R.I.; a stepson, David P. Jamison of Northport, Fla., and five nieces and four nephews. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Dukes County Historical Society.