What's a Ringtail, Fergy?
A flyer on Graeme ‘Fergy’ Ferguson, SFS board member from 2007 to 2013 and Life Member from 2014, who left our shores on 29 January 2016, and on the Fergy Ringtail trophy first presented on 22 October 2016. It announces that his wife, Suzie Conway, will christen the new boat ‘Fergy’ before the race on Saturday 31 January 2026.
What's a ringtail, Fergy?
Saturday 31 January 2026.
For those of us lucky enough to have known Fergy, we remember him as being a larger-than-life presence and active member of the SFS. He served on the SFS board from 2007 to 2013 and was awarded life membership in 2014, following in the footsteps of his father Greg. Even after he stopped sailing on the historics, he continued his volunteering at the club taking on the race officer duties and also the important undertaking of commentating on the spectator ferry. Fergy left our shores on January 29, 2016.
Later that year, the Fergy Ringtail trophy, modelled on a silver rum tot, was commissioned. On Saturday October 22, 2016, the then SFS President, John "Woody" Winning stood upon the customary chair, a mandatory requirement when presenting the ringtail results, and made the inaugural presentation of the trophy to team Britannia for setting the most Ringtails in the previous season.
On Saturday January 31, 2026, 10 years on, we will be officially naming our new brig in honour of Fergy.
His lovely wife Suzie Conway will be christening ‘Fergy’ which will take place prior to the race.
The photographs in the original report, which is below, carry no credits. The two of Fergy are captioned “Graeme ‘Fergy’ Ferguson”; the one of the trophy is captioned “The trophy features Fergy’s photo and his life membership badge and that of his father!”; and the one of Suzie Conway is captioned “Suzie Conway, who sailed on Britannia, accepted the trophy and sampled the inaugural drink of rum and coke from it.” The fourth, beside the naming notice, has no caption.