On August 16, a memorial paddle out was held at Terramar Beach for our dear friend and longtime OLSC member, Richard “Rick” Cole.
Rick was kind hearted and remembered fondly by all of us who knew him. As a Union Carpenter, he worked hard and served as a mentor to young apprentices learning the trade.
After retiring, he surfed on a daily basis with the morning Terramar crew. Regardless of the water temperature, the most rubber anyone ever saw Rick wear was a neoprene vest with boardshorts. His famous line when people asked why he didn’t wear a wetsuit was, “It’s mind over matter and in my mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Rick was our legendary trophy maker, working countless hours to create works of art with carefully selected pieces of exotic woods. His toughness and woodworking talents were also matched by his generosity, not only with his time but also his money.
He served as Treasurer for OLSC and donated thousands of dollars to support our annual event and the King and Queen of the Pier. He engraved this fitting quote on one of his beautiful surfboard shaped trophies.
“Perfection – There is no such thing as perfection. Perfection is just an illusion, but the better the surfer, the better the illusion.”
