Bay of Quinte Yatch Club Member Took Sailing Adventures To A Whole New Level in 1881

Bay of Quinte Yacht Club members exploring the waters of the bay. Alexander Cuthbert, who once put Belleville on the map in the sailing circle of the world in 1881 with his adventurous bid for the prestigious America’s Cup was a member of the club.

For someone who began his adult life in the shoemaking business and with no known formal training in naval architecture, he seemed to have done just fine in carving himself a household name in the world of sailing in North America. In fact, his reputation as an outstanding nineteenth century Canadian yacht designer and the tales of his feats as an avid racer in the late 1800s still seem to evoke admiration and awe among sailing communities today.

Of Alexander Cuthbert, the man who had the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, originally established in 1876, issue a challenge for the title of the prestigious America’s Cup to the then title holder, the New York Yacht Club, Robert Townsend noted in his book Who Was Canada’s Greatest Yachtman?:

"He was not a scientific naval architect, but he was a better than a rule-of-thumb designer with unlimited confidence. He was a man who built, sold and sailed anything that would float."

With that one act, the local yacht club became involved in the biggest historic event of its existence. What it had to offer was the talent and perseverance of Cuthbert, one of its members at the time. The club had every reason to feel confident in Cuthbert. He had, after all, behind him a long and impressive list of fast boats built by him. One of his earliest designs, the Katie Gray had won, amongst others, the Championship of the Bay of Quinte Club, the Kelso Cup, the Governor General’s Medal and the Commodore’s Pitcher, noted Richard Bird, an avid local historian. Even as the local club was being formed in 1876, Cuthbert, commissioned by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, was already working on the Countess of Dufferin, the first Canadian challenger to contend for the America’s Cup. Although the Countess of Dufferin suffered defeat in the face of its stronger contender Madeline of the New York Yacht Club, it brought more accolades to Cuthbert’s reputation as a yacht designer.

"During the 1870s, yacht designers focussed their attention on the centre boarder and it was here where Cuthbert achieved his fame," continued Bird noting a description of Cuthbert’s work in The Annals of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club published in 1937 which said:

"Cuthbert’s designs showed the influence of the flat iron model, then popular with the Americans, very sharp forward, often with a hollow bow and a projecting forefoot, the greatest beam well aft and the deadline and tumblehomes very pronounced."

Once the challenge was accepted by the yacht club in New York, preparations for the event began at once. Susan Smith, the local club’s historian, noted that the challenger, dubbed the Atalanta after a mythological maiden said to be known for her racing ability, was built inside the Flint and Holton Lumber Yard on the west side of the Moira River in Belleville.

"The building of the yacht was wrought with many difficulties and she was mortgaged for the lumber from Flint and Holton for a total cost of $2,100. There were many delays in construction but she was finally launched in the late summer of 1881 - only half equipped and poorly finished because of the shortage of funds."

In fact, even on the day the Atalanta set out on her mission her motley crew of members from the local club and Oswego Yacht Club, who, unlike Cuthbert, were mere amateur sailors, were observed nailing down planks on the boat’s deck as she sailed out of the harbour, described by Bird, as "one of the busiest on Lake Ontario with steamers and schooners leaving daily loaded with lumber, barley and other produce for American ports."

The yacht’s problems grew along the way.

"With the completion date being so late in the season the Atalanta did not have time to sail the St. Lawrence-Ocean route to New York. She was forced to take the short route and she entered the Erie Canal at Oswego. Because her beam was 16 inches wider than the canal, the crew had to shift her ballast of iron ore and Bay of Quinte boulders to one side in order to heel the boat enough to permit her passage through the narrow locks. She was then towed through the canal by teams of mules. The canal hands nicknamed her "The Canadian Mud Turtle" after seeing her rough, muddy bottom as she passed through the locks. When The Atalanta reached Albany, New York and the end of the Erie Canal, her crew once again shifted her ballast to put her back on an even keel. They restepped her mast and set sail for New York. The Atalanta finally sailed into New York Harbour on October 30, 1881," added Smith.

Much to the dismay of the Atalanta’s crew, despite their best efforts during the race, they could only bring their yacht back to the shore about half an hour later than their American contender, the Mischief. But as Bird said: "Although the challenge was not successful, the sailors from the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, particularly Cuthbert, had sent the message to the sailing world that they were prepared to meet all challenges."

The Atalanta returned home and went on to win many fresh water races, the most notable of which was the Fisher Cup.

Among Cuthbert’s designs, accounted by Bird, were Dauntless (18700, Lady Stanley (1872), Annie Cuthbert (1872), Katie Gray (1875), Emma, Kathleen, Gracie, Surprise (1873), Countess of Dufferin (1876), Madcap (1880), Atalanta (1881), Bloodhound (Norah), White Wings (1880), Iolantha (1888), Vision (1880) and Nadia (1888).

Cuthbert died in the late 1890s and according to another local researcher, Don Kellaway, he was buried in Cobourg.