ROCKWOOD – ‘Age is just a number’ is a phrase that many of us have heard our whole lives.
But for 81-year-old Stu Ferguson those words go beyond just a phrase, for him they’re a lifestyle.
From exotic trips to Antarctica to wrangling mustangs in the Rocky Mountains, Ferguson had done it all, that was until he discovered his passion for Kayaking and decided he just had to make his own.
Ferguson and his wife Anne Porteous, embarked on a nearly 66-hour journey last December as the couple set their sights on Antarctica.
During their time in the great white south, Ferguson was offered the chance to kayak, an opportunity he says he will never forget.
“I had never kayaked before,” Ferguson told the Advertiser, “And when we got out there, we were kayaking around massive icebergs, it was calm, and then all of a sudden a group of penguins started diving over the bow of the kayak and underneath.”
It wasn’t until the couple boarded their first plane back to Canada that Ferguson announced his plans to build his own kayak.
“On the flight on the way home I said, ‘I’m going to build one.’ She (his wife) said I was crazy, and I said, ‘oh just a little’,” Ferguson told the Advertiser with a laugh.
And with that Ferguson began his kayak building journey on the internet where he discovered Noah’s Marine, a marine supply store and warehouse that supplies the necessary materials to build your own watercraft.
“I found a place in Toronto, and they sell kits,” said Ferguson. “They are all laser cut and you end up with all these pieces and links of wood and they give you the fibreglass, its a complete set up.”
Construction of the kayak began in January and despite being provided with instructions, Ferguson says the mechanical engineer and the wood worker in him used them as more of a suggestion.
“As it was coming together, there were a couple of things I didn’t like about the design,” He said.
“And with my background, I changed a few things, so it became quite the quest.”
But Ferguson says the overall building process was a work of love.
“It was a work of love; I get just as much joy out of building it as I do using it. I changed a number of things on it, so it became a work of love,” said Ferguson. “Wood is beautiful to work with it is very forgiving but very rewarding.”
When asked how he manages to keep up with his many adventures such as travelling, and spontaneous kayaks, Ferguson said it all comes down to loving life.
“I have done a lot of things in my life and been a lot of places and seen a lot of good things and bad things … I’ve come to the conclusion that I love life. It has so much to offer if you really want to look. My age is a number, that’s all it is, it’s not how I feel,” he stated.
And after nearly nine months of construction, Ferguson and his daughter successfully launched the kayak at the Rockwood Conservation Area Sept. 21.
Ferguson’s wife Porteous couldn’t contain her excitement, sharing the news to Facebook.
Despite his age, Ferguson is determined to live every last moment of his life with as few restrictions as possible.
The 81 year old says he will continue to kayak, ride horses and travel for as long as possible.
