The owner cranked up the powerboat’s engine several notches, but could not catch the swifter catamaran. Ragbaggers and stinkpotters tease each other unmercifully.
Eighty-year-old Irish Ferguson, laughed heartily as he related that story to me. At 35, his sailing days began and for many years plied the waters of the Great Lakes, cruising, and racing whilst belonging to yacht clubs on Lake Huron. The boats he owned ranged from a homemade, marine plywood, 18’, sloop-rigged Y-flyer, class boat to his present high-performance, fibreglass, 36', fractional-rig Kirby, monohull.
“It’s fun, can be competitive, and it is something that I can do with my family,” paints how Irish sees the attraction of sailing. His three daughters and son shared his passion for the sport while his wife, Tina, tolerated it. But his desire to keep sailing did not diminish with the passing years as he recounts it, “At 55, I could, at 75, I could, at 76, things started to slow me down.”
Devices that extend his time at his chosen sport, Irish described as, “It’s just a matter of what you want to spend, because everything is available at a price.” Such as: “an automatic helm, electric winches which few people install because they are expensive.” A friend who owned a Bayfield 24’ sailboat was almost totally unable to move had a lift put on his boat and he could get on with his wheelchair. It would lift him right on. He could sail it, and afterwards lift himself off. The wheelchair was too wide for the companionway door that led to the cabin below, but he crawled down the stairs if he needed to make a cup of coffee or use the head.
His advice to people yearning to learn how to sail, “Join a local power squadron and take the sailing course, then go out with an experienced sailor, or crew for them half a dozen times under various conditions to know what to expect.” Irish knows of people who did not start to sail until 55+. Instructors at the power squadron teach marine rules of the road, aids to navigation and safe operation of boats. Canadian regulations mandated a license for sailing vessels with inboard engines. Skippers of sailboats without engines do not need a license.
Irish rolled his eyes recalling a person who stuffed a paper placement into his pocket from a restaurant to navigate from Grand Bend to Port Sanilac, Michigan. The placemat depicted both places, and an arrow decorated the top right-hand corner marking North. Irish chortled when I interjected into the interview that my brother who had a powerboat, navigated Lake Erie using an Ontario roadmap. He recalled the times when all that was available for navigation on the Great Lakes was a compass, parallel rulers and a chart. Radio direction finders (RDF’s), did not count as aids because playing music was the totality of what they did well. Global Positioning Systems, (GSP), transformed an onerous task into simplicity.
Irish believes a 19' Lightning class boat accommodates beginner sailors, or any small, beamy (wide), stable boat limited to one sail (cat rigged). Larger boats for seniors need, at a minimum, a bilge bump, preferably motorized, a head (toilet) with a large holding tank, a stove, all lines running aft from a forward position to the cockpit, roller furling for the jib and lazy jacks for the main.
The high cost of gasoline reduces the number of power, favouring increases in the number of boats on the market equipped with sails. Also, sailing is environmentally friendly and people have more fun on a sailboat because there is more to do than just steer. More pleasurable talking without shouting over the din of an engine and hearing the sound of the wind as it passes over the sails.
The Ferguson family used the Scorpio designed and built, 26’ sailing trawler for one season two years ago and suggested two improvements, “An easy way to get from the helmsman station to the deck and install handrails on the top of the cabin.” Part way through the summer, the addition of lifelines stem to stern, and a bow pulpit, resulted in nothing appearing on his end of season wish list.
While on the subject of well-equipped boats, Irish drew my attention to a single-handed race starting in England and finishing in North America. The length of the boats cannot exceed 26’ with most between 22’ to 24’. The entries have radios, radar, solar panels, and every imaginable device. The small craft making the transatlantic passage is not the major cost of the race—the compulsory equipment list ran the expense to $100,000 per skipper. Food, transportation to the start , marina expenses, and other supplies increase the cost.
I got the impression during the interview from Irish’s wistful tone, enthusiastic description of the boats, and his animated facial expression that he would like to participate in the event. A more vital, keen, remarkable sailor who retained his love for the sport would is hard to find. Tina at the end of the interview added, “He is no longer steady enough on his feet to sail alone.” Irish knows his limitations and freely advises people of like advanced years, “Get a good crew!” Few people are as physically fit as Ken McArthur hanging on a guy-wired trapeze at the age of 82—he continued to sail his catamaran until age 85. Every lover of the sport regardless of age or type of boat, wishes their fellow sailors, “Bon Voyage!”
