ON THE BAY… VIEW FROM THE MATE’S SEAT

By Janice Ferguson

One half-dozen watercraft later, spanning the years from adolescence to adult to senior—over the span of 70 years—boating has been part of my life, as has Long Point.

It started when I began dating a guy who had just built an eight-foot, three-point hydroplane in his parents’ basement from plans in a Mechanics Illustrated or some such magazine. It was a stretch for a 17-year-old girlfriend who would rather be riding a friend’s horse. But I did end up marrying him a few years later.

My life in the mate’s seat progressed through a nine-foot runabout, again a do-it-yourself magazine project; updating to a home-built 12-foot runabout; then a wedding; a Glen L design 16-foot Stiletto ski boat; two boys; and finally a 23-foot express cruiser again by Glen L, which saw 14 years touring the Trent waterway and later Long Point, the site of the family cottage.

We then took an extended boat break, acquired two grandsons, and finally fell in love with another boat, a 22-foot, circa 1954 wooden utility runabout that had been the Lands and Forests patrol boat at Long Point. This boat was used by Fish and Wildlife officer Jack Allan from the mid-’50s until Jack retired in the 1960s. It seems boating and the bay would remain a constant focal point in our 60 years together.

Just like a marriage, this boat represented memories of the past and was a cherished piece of history. A goal in retirement became the restoration of this worthy watercraft to preserve its history, extend its life and create a further history to pass along to sons and grandsons who share the lure of boating at Long Point—along with the now refurbished cottage that their great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather built in 1947.

The boat restoration was covered in two articles in Classicboat, Spring, 2018 “There’s a Fine Line Between Restoration and Heresy,” and Fall, 2021 “Warning: Old Boats can be Contagious.”

The Captain and the Mate spent over five years in the step-by-step rebuild in our 1850s barn. It had to be summers only because an old hay loft is not heated. We named her the Ruby Pearl, the given names of my late mother-in-law, who followed our lives with devotion to us both.

Our official launch was summer 2020, but some mechanical bugs limited our time on the water and health issues wiped out 2023 completely . . . but Mate and Captain launched in August 2024 with renewed health and enthusiasm. We kept Ruby Pearl in the water until November 2, thanks to good weather and the warm water of Long Point Bay.

Never doubt that in any lifetime “the best is yet to come.” As we cruise the bay in our 80s, this Mate fondly remembers one 1960s trip to the end of the Point when we climbed the lighthouse inner steps to touch the lens at the top. I think of the many trips to Bluff Bar and to Pottahawk beach where we often anchored for a swim and picnics in the ’60s and later when we had it nearly to ourselves. The “Millionaires” complex is still there, of course, and is again another destination as we cruise in the evening.

This past fall, as we passed such familiar haunts as Port Rowan harbour and St. Williams, and saw multitudes of migrating swans and ducks, sandhill cranes, and duck blinds, my heart for boating was at its best.

I can still look after docking lines, bumpers, and be a second set of eyes for the Captain among outgoing and incoming larger and speedier modern craft.

Our old boat may be old and slower (we can do 30 mph, but don’t push her that hard), but she gathers from others kind smiles, questions about her history, and has the admiration of two Long Point seniors who are enjoying the best of boating in their sunset years.

Originally printed in The Good News, May 2025.