Still afloat after 30 years

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT HARBOR -- Nowadays, driving boats comes easier to Pat Fergus

than driving his car.

It’s not that surprising, though, since the Orange County sheriff’s

Harbor Patrol deputy will have worked on the water for three decades next

month.

Things were a little different when Fergus, 53, first signed on to

patrol Newport Harbor in 1971.

“I didn’t know how to drive a boat,” he said while maneuvering one of

the Sheriff’s Department’s patrol vessels across the harbor about 5 mph.

“I knew absolutely nothing,” he said. “I had to work harder than some

of the people.”

Growing up in Anaheim, Fergus came to Newport Beach to relax near the

ocean. He began working as a seasonal lifeguard and decided to remain

near the water after finishing school.

After 10 weeks at a law enforcement academy, Fergus began deckhand

duties during the graveyard shift. In the morning, he would take a boat

and practice his skills just off the dock.

“People would shake their heads,” he said.

When the Harbor Patrol merged with the Sheriff’s Department in 1975,

Fergus briefly thought about leaving the water and get on the streets.

“I took a look at it,” he said. “But this works better for me, so I

stayed.”

While some people might be bothered by the constant movement aboard

a boat, to Fergus it’s what makes his job special.

The water “changes throughout the day,” he said. “The sunlight, the

wind affect it. There’s always something going on.”

While he enjoys working outside most of the time, Fergus said his

“office” is not always warm and sunny.

“It’s extremely cold out here in the winter time at night,” he said.

“And it’s extremely dark. Two-thirds of the day is in darkness right

now.”

It takes time for new Harbor Patrol deputies to adjust to the

environment after driving a car on well-lit streets, he said.

And although starting from scratch is no longer possible -- Harbor

Patrol officers must work at least 10 or 12 years on land before they can

apply for a job on the water -- everybody still makes mistakes, Fergus

said.

“Everybody says they’re great swimmers,” he said, adding that as a

training coordinator he even teaches newcomers how to walk on a boat.

“But when the water’s cold and you’ve got all this gear on, things are

a little bit different,” he said.

Still, Fergus knows the importance of positive reinforcement and makes

sure to let the new guys know that their efforts are acknowledged.

“If they do something right, I say, ‘Nicely done,’ ” he said.