Red Jacket – C&C 40-foot Racer

One of the most famous sailboats raced in North America is named Red Jacket. This 40-foot sloop was the first Canadian boat to win the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit (SORC). This lovely sailing design has been a major part of the racing history on Lake Ontario, and in Canada and the United States. And some say that the underbody on Red Jacket revolutionized sailboat designs in a major way. Lastly, Red Jacket also gave birth to C&C Yachts in Belleville, ON, which became a major manufacturer of sailboats.

The story goes that Red Jacket was conceived during a Toronto Maple Leaf’s hockey game, when a sailor named Perry Connolly asked his good buddy George Cuthbertson, a yacht designer, to create “the meanest and hungriest 40-footer afloat.” Cuthbertson was half of a marine architectural firm, with his partner George Cassian. They called their firm Cuthbertson & Cassian, and later became the power behind C&C Yachts – one of the largest builders of sailboats in North America.

The boat that the two Georges designed revolutionized sailboats and racing. Up to then, most sailboats had long keels with rudders attached to the trailing end of the keel. This made for lots of wetted surface, which subtracted from boat speed. What the Red Jacket design did was to separate the keel and rudder. The keel was more of a fin with ballast deeper in the structure. The rudder was shaped like a spade and was well aft, near the transom of the boat. Not only was the amount of wetted surface reduced, but the ability of the boat to maneuver and turn on the racecourse was greatly improved. The result was a much more competitive design, built for speed and handling – both qualities that ocean racers sought.

An American sailboat design at about the same time also changed the way these yachts are drawn and built. In 1963, C. William Lapworth designed the Cal 40 masthead sloop for Jensen Marine in Costa Mesa, CA. It, too, had a separate fin keel and spade rudder. There is a debate as whether the Cal 40 or Red Jacket was the pioneer in introducing a sea change in the underbody of yacht design. Ask a Canadian, and the answer is Red Jacket. Ask an American, and the Cal 40 name comes up. But both boats are lovely, fast, and changed the game in offshore sailboat racing. Both racing and cruising sailboats soon adopted the more dynamic underbody design. Over the years, boats got faster as designers pushed the envelope for lighter hulls and more powerful sail rigs.

Another innovation that Red Jacket brought forth was reducing the weight of the hull. Whereas most fiberglass boats had solid laid-up hulls of layers of cloth and resin, Erich Bruckmann of C&C Yachts introduced cored hulls to save weight. Many offshore sailboats were built of steel, aluminum, and wood with little regard for weight. The idea of adding a core to fiberglass hulls to save weight yet maintain strength was a sea change for boat design. This concept also went on to be used in the aeronautical industry.

Red Jacket was designed to be a straight up racing sailboat from the start. She was not a cruising design that was raced. Rather, her deck and interior layout were built to be competitive racing around the buoys or offshore. For example, forward of the mast the interior had no v-berths, toilet, or living space. This area was strictly for sail storage. Red Jacket also lacked a real dining table for meals. Beds for sleeping were limited to pilot berths on the port and starboard sides to keep off-watch crew out of the salon area and more secure in offshore racing conditions.

Well, how did Red Jacket fare on the race circuit? During her first season on Lake Ontario, Red Jacket crushed her competition. Her boat speed and ability to maneuver on the race course set her apart. Later, Perry Connolly took Red Jacket to the 1967 SORC series where she narrowly missed being the overall winner and in her class. Then in 1968, the C&C 40 design returned to the SORC with an all-Canadian crew, and she took home the trophy to north of the border. This amazing race record helped to kick off the C&C Yacht Co. in Belleville, ON.

Red Jacket continued to race and to bring home the silver. Her last owner was named Peter Mulligan, and when he passed away, Capt. Mulligan donated the famous yacht to the Maritime Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, ON, with the stipulation that she be sailed by visitors and fans of racing. But when the museum accepted the donation of a 350-foot steamer, Red Jacket did not fit into the organization’s plan. Therefore, the museum offered Red Jacket for sale. No interest or buyers came forward for some time.

Enter sailors Brian Post and John Salasny who saved the famous boat from being scrapped. They updated some systems on Red Jacket but reported that she was otherwise in good shape. The new owners plan to race her in competition in the US and Canada, including a course from Toronto to Kingston. Post and Salasny will berth Red Jacket at the Prince Edward Yacht Club in Picton, ON. They plan to exhibit Red Jacket at numerous spots so that more people can see this historic racing yacht.

By Rick A. Casali

Rick Casali is a resident of Wellesley Island. During his youth, from 1947 to 1976, his parents had a cottage on Grindstone Island named The Orchards. Rick now splits his time between Stuart, FL, and the River. He worked for Columbia Gas System for 29 years and ran their Washington, DC office. Then in 2000, he started brokering boats and yachts, and he continues as a broker with North Point Yacht Sales. Rick and his wife Anne cruise the River in a recently purchased a 1968 Chris Craft 31 Commander which they named "Foxtrot". They also have the Seaway 24 named "Miss Annie".

Be sure to see more of Rick Casali's tributes and reviews. He has now written 23 articles for TI Life, and they are not only interesting but also provides an important historical review of River life.

Editor's Note: Back in covered wagon days, this editor was a Y-Flyer sailor on Lac St Louis in Montreal QC. Watching the many sailing vessels pass our island each summer brings back teen-age memories of racing and spinnaker flying. Reading about Red Jacket will bring back happy memories for all mariners, I am sure. And to the owners if you are passing through the Wanderers Channel stop for a cup-a-tea or something.