Fair winds, Ian. We will miss you.
One of the great characters of the Dragon Class has left us. Many will have encountered Ian at various events around Lake Ontario and in Europe. And those who spent time in the bar after racing will remember his role as Shop Steward for the Crew’s Union. Let go the jib halyard! My finger is stuck! In the block! Up aloft! Let go god dammit!
IAN FERGUSON ORR At home, with his family, on Monday, October 10, 2022, aged 91. Husband, father, grandfather, teacher, actor, singer, sailor; he was deeply loved, and will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. Following his mother’s example, and continuing his work as an educator, Ian donated his body to the Anatomy Department, University of Toronto. Details of a celebration of his life will be announced.
Ian was the best foredeck man a Dragon sailor could ask for, as well as a wonderful friend to the teen crew members working hard to impress their skippers (generally their own fathers). He taught me that currents were important, even where they were barely detectable, like west of the Genessee River outlet into Lake Ontario. With his crewmate Simon Tyndal he organized a “Crew’s Union,” whose main demand was “colder bilgewater for the beer,” but mainly functioned to get us all singing the Crew’s Union song, quoted in full above. He was a lovely man with a grand sense of humor and bonhomie.