A beloved Oak Harbor businessman dedicated to teaching sailing to area youth died Monday morning in a South End auto accident.

Scott T. Cline was killed and Charlotte L. Tanner was injured about 10 a.m. Monday after their vehicles collided at the intersection of Bush Point Road and Mutiny Bay Road.

Cline, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tanner, 70, of Riverside, Calif., is in stable condition at Whidbey General Hospital.

Cline was the owner of Cline Painting in Oak Harbor and was well known in sailing circles.

“Scott was a very upbeat, positive person,” said David French, his friend of 10 years and a fellow Oak Harbor Yacht Club member.

The accident occurred at a busy intersection on the South End where there have been severe collisions in the past.

The State Patrol said Cline was traveling northbound on Mutiny Bay Road, and Tanner was traveling eastbound on Bush Point Road when her 1999 Toyota was struck by Cline’s 2001 Dodge Dakota Sport truck.

Both vehicles came to rest in the ditch on the northeast corner of Mutiny Bay Road.

Cline’s truck flipped over and landed on its roof. The front of the truck was facing south, opposite from the direction it was traveling.

“It appears that Cline failed to stop for the stop sign,” said Trooper Kirk Roudeen, spokesman for the Washington State Patrol.

Roudeen said excessive speed was not a factor in the accident. However, Cline was not wearing a seatbelt.

“In a T-bone type of accident, you don’t have to have a lot of speed to have a lot of damage,” Roudeen said.

Tanner’s car was right side up in the ditch in front of Cline’s truck.

According to the State Patrol’s report, alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the accident.

The State Patrol report also said charges were pending against the deceased, but Roudeen said there will not be any charges filed.

Fred Hill, who lives at the intersection of Mutiny Bay and Bush Point roads, witnessed the crash from his porch.

“I was coming out my front door to do some watering when I heard a loud noise and saw two cars flying through the air,” Hill said.

“The cars were just flipping,” said Hill, who was obviously still shocked by the accident.

“I hate scenes like this. People just don’t pay attention,” he said.

Hill said he has seen previous accidents in the same location, but none quite so traumatic.

“It’s a horrible intersection,” said Hill, a retiree who has lived on the busy corner for eight years.

County road crews and volunteer firefighters closed Bush Point Road at Highway 525 and Bush Point Road at Mutiny Bay Road to traffic while state troopers investigated the accident.

Cline was a member of the Oak Harbor Yacht Club and instrumental in the yacht club’s youth program.

Cline, with his wife Helen and French, started the Oak Harbor Youth Sailing Club in 2004.

The youth organization offered classes throughout the summer to local youth.

“I don’t think you will find anyone who disliked Scott,” French said Tuesday morning.

“We had just raced together during Race Week. We didn’t do very well, but we had fun,” he said.

French said both he and Scott sailed most of their lives.

“He loved being on the water. We both had the same type of sailboat — an Olson 30 — so we loved to race against each other,” French remembered. “He was pleased when he beat me.”

French said the last time he saw his friend, Cline was encouraging his 14-year-old son to learn how to kayak.

French said Cline’s business as a painting contractor kept him busy all over the island.

The Oak Harbor Youth Sailing Program was due to begin classes this weekend with French and Cline as the instructors. Classes will now be postponed.

“We are delaying it for a week,” French said.

French said his friend’s legacy will be the youth sailing program.

“When we started we had 12 students the first year, now we have nearly 100,” he said.

“Two of his students convinced their parents to buy sailboats,” French added.

“We are all going to miss him,” he said.

Janet Casteel, a member of the yacht club, said Cline was instrumental in getting she and her husband involved with the club.

“We joined the yacht club because of Scott,” Casteel said. “Scott also inspired my husband, Mark, to get involved in the youth sailing program.”

“He was dedicated to the sport and loved winning,” she said.

Cline is survived by his wife Helen and a son, John.

A private memorial service on the water at Penn Cove will be followed by a potluck at the yacht club at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5.