ORIOLE 1872
The first of a long and illustrious line, Oriole was built for a syndicate that included William (later Sir William) Mulock and was acquired in 1880 by Mr. George Gooderham. Throughout her life, Oriole ranged from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Upper Lakes, cruising, racing and often winning. Her visitors' book spoke of her hospitality to her distinguished guests. Her log recorded exploration of Lake Superior in advance of the railways. Her racing record included Prince of Wales Cup victories in 1874 and 1875 and three in a row in 1877, 1878, and 1879.
In 1885, she was in Niagara with her owner aboard when the Esplanade fire threatened the Gooderham family distillery and elevator. The flames were visible across the lake and Oriole dashed for home, driven by an easterly gale. In mid-lake, she opened up and barely made the north shore, never to sail again as Mr. Gooderham ordered her career brought to an honourable close.
Oriole was a shoal-draught centreboard schooner, designed by Commodore Fish, a designer of New York Pilot Boats, and built by Louisa Schickluna, the Maltese shipbuilder who had his yard on the Welland Canal near St. Catharines.
L.O.A. 78 ft. 6 in.
L.W.L. 69 ft. 2 in.
Beam 17 ft. 1 in.
Draught 6 ft. 3 in.
CUTTER (typ.) c. 1860
The early British yachts differed little from the commercial vessels of the day, which included fishing smacks, pilot cutters and coastal trading schooners. With the mid-century introduction of measurement rules that were based on tonnage formulae, hulls became progressively narrower, but the prominent characteristics of plumb stems with long bowsprits, deep forefoots and long straight keels survived.
Not until Jullanar of 1876 was there serious attempt to reduce wetted surface. To this day, hulls such as this model are frequently seen in English harbours in pleasure and occasionally commercial service.
Beginning with Rivet, the type was seen on Lake Ontario in striking contrast to the beamy, shallow centreboarders that developed on the U.S. east coast.
COUNTESS OF DUFFERIN 1876
Designed and built by Alexander Cuthbert for the America's Cup, Countess of Dufferin was a schooner described as a homely craft. She suffered from insufficient financial backing, was roughly finished, badly canvassed, poorly sailed and soundly defeated. The lines of Countess of Dufferin were considered good for their day and had she been adequately rigged, she would have made a better showing for she was remarkably fast on a reach. She was eventually sold to a yachtsman in Chicago.
The importance of placing a yacht challenging under the Club's name under the direct control of the officers of the Club was realized with the Countess of Dufferin's unsuccessful challenge for the America's Cup.
L.W.L. 101 ft.
Beam 23 ft. 7in.
Draught 7 ft. 3in.
RIVET 1856
Built in 1856 by W. Simons & Co. of Renfrew, Scotland, the iron cutter Rivet arrived in Canada aboard a steamer and survived for over half a century. Initially owned by His Honour Judge John Hamilton of Kingston, she was included in the earliest RCYC fleet list and by 1860 was Toronto-based. In that year, owned by the Honorable Edward Blake, she won the RCYC regatta which honoured the visiting Prince of Wales (later to be King Edward VII) who responded by presenting the Prince of Wales Cup, in annual competition ever since.
Occasionally schooner-rigged, Rivet is best remembered as a cutter and appears in several of Mr. William Armstrong's finest paintings, originally with green topsides, later white, and finally painted black. With all inside ballast and an enormous rig, she was wet and sailed on her side rather than her bottom but head-reached marvelously as her heavy iron hull, slow to gain speed, was equally reluctant to give it up.
A yacht until 1890, Rivet then served another 20 years in Hami1ton as a steam ferry and passed from view about 1912.
L.W.L. 39 ft.
Beam 10 ft.
Draught 8 ft.
Tonnage 17
WHITE WINGS 1886
White Wings was Alexander Cuthbert's most successful design. She was a centreboard sloop with a sharp deadrise, a hollow bow and a long, curved cutwater under her bowsprit. She was often spoken of as a cutter because of the double-headsail rig on her aft raked mast.
White Wings had the good fortune of finding in the young bank manager, Æmilius Jarvis of Hamilton, a skipper with the rare understanding and feel for her that can sometimes create a winning team. Although she leaked badly and was weakly constructed, at the end of two seasons White Wings, with Jarvis, had won twenty-three first-place flags and three seconds in twenty-six races she had started.
White Wings won $4,300 during the three years that Jarvis owned her, which more than covered the $1,400 that the partnership of Messrs. H.G. Osbourne, Henry Lee, and AE Jarvis had paid for her originally. Under new owners, her most remarkable race was the Queen's Cup in 1891. This exciting race, as recorded in the Annals, was decided when White Wings' topmast, carrying her Club topsail and large balloon jib, fell away allowing Vreda to take the lead for a second time and win by two seconds.
In 1892, White Wings overran her anchor in Wilson, New York and after repairs in Port Credit, served as a stonehooker. She was rebuilt in 1900 and broken up in 1906.
L.O.A. 51 ft.
L.W.L. 42.83 ft.
Beam 15 ft. 6 in.
Draught 4 ft. 10 in. w/o centreboard
ANNIE CUTHBERT 1873
"The fastest yacht on the lake at this time" – Æmilius Jarvis, 1873.
Designed and built by Alexander Cuthhbert of Cobourg, Annie Cuthbert was a centreboarder and an early example of the "flat iron" model. The type was very sharp forward, with wide beam carried well aft. The hulls were shallow and space was restored by large cabin trunks that occupied much of the deck area. With inside ballast only, these yachts could, and occasionally did, capsize; loss of life was not uncommon.
Annie Cuthbert was a big yacht, probably over 50 feet on the waterline. Winner of the Fisher Cup on Lake St. Clair in 1874, she was eventually acquired by a Lake Michigan owner and joined the Chicago Yacht Club fleet bearing the name Greyhound.
COUNTESS OF DUFFERIN 1876
Designed and built by Alexander Cuthbert for the America's Cup, Countess of Dufferin was a schooner described as a homely craft. She suffered from insufficient financial backing, was roughly finished, badly canvassed, poorly sailed and soundly defeated. The lines of Countess of Dufferin were considered good for their day and had she been adequately rigged, she would have made a better showing for she was remarkably fast on a reach. She was eventually sold to a yachtsman in Chicago.
The importance of placing a yacht challenging under the Club's name under the direct control of the officers of the Club was realized with the Countess of Dufferin's unsuccessful challenge for the America's Cup.
L.W.L. 101 ft.
Beam 23 ft. 7in.
Draught 7 ft. 3in.