2017 C&C Corvettes Bi-Annual Rendezvous – Kingston Yacht Club
The C&C Corvette, designed in 1965, is one of the oldest Cuthbertson & Cassian designs still sailing in significant numbers. Only the 1963 Hinterhoeller built Invader 36 precedes it as a Cuthbertson & Cassian fiberglass production sailboat. On the heels of an extremely successful 50th Anniversary Rendezvous hosted at the prestigious Royal Hamilton Yacht Club in 2015, the 2017 Bi-Annual Rendezvous will be held at the other end of the lake, at the venerable Kingston Yacht Club. In addition to the Corvette, KYC is also inviting all Frigates (the big sister to the Corvette), Invaders and Crusaders.
A Little History on the Corvette:
The Corvette was designed by the rising design firm of Cuthbertson & Cassian for Ian Morch as the first production product of his newly established Belleville Marine. It had been previously decided that all Cuthbertson & Cassian product built by Hinterhoeller Yachts, including the first ever Cuthbertson & Cassian fiberglass design, the Invader, were to be keel boats, while the Belleville product would be centerboarders. Morch and Cuthbertson already had a long history together, having known each other while studying Engineering at the University of Toronto. Morch later purchased Ca Va, the first steel CN-35 imported by Cuthbertson’s Canadian Northern Company from Kurt Beister in Germany, and had then built a custom wooden Cuthbertson design named North Star in Belleville. So it was no surprise that Morch would turn to the design firm of Cuthbertson & Cassian for the design of his first fiberglass production sail boat. And remember, this was before Red Jacket had brought Cuthbertson & Cassian to international notice.
The Corvette preceded the design of Red Jacket by several months, and made her International racing debut at the 1968 SORC. This is the SORC which Red Jacket won over all, after winning her division the previous year. The Corvette Elektra, owned by Gord Stonehouse and helmed by Bruce Kirby, with George Cuthbertson, George Hinterhoeller and Ian Morch in the crew raced in Class D, finishing second in class in Miami-Nassau race. The following year, Cuthbertson & Cassian, George Hinterhoeller, and Ian Morch would invite Erich Bruckmann, builder of Red Jacket, to join them in the creation of C&C Yachts. The whole C&C Concept may well have evolved in off watch discussion among the crew of the Corvette Elektra during the 1968 SORC! Ian Morch would become the first President of the new company. Both Cuthbertson and Kirby were inducted into the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame in May of 2014 at a gala dinner at the Kingston Yacht club to celebrate the opening of the New Age of Sail exhibit at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston. It is with sadness that we heard of Ian Morch’s death in October of 2014.
One hundred and sixty seven Corvettes were built between 1965 and 1971, at which point Belleville Marine was closed and Morch parted company with C&C. The last few Corvettes were actually built by the Hinterhoeller production facility of C&C Yachts in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and can be differentiated from the Belleville built boats by their black anodized perforated C&C toe rails.
Following the introduction of the Corvette, the Invader tooling was shipped from Hinterhoeller to Belleville to be converted to a keel/centerboard configuration and renamed the Frigate. However, prior to that conversion, a number of Invaders were actually built by Belleville Marine. The Frigate was then followed by the 40′ Crusader, all designed by Cuthbertson & Cassian.
About KYC
The Kingston Yacht Club is home to one Corvette and one Frigate with a number of others in close proximity. KYC was also host to the highly successful 2008 Corvette Rendezvous. Subsequent successful Corvette Rendezvous have been held in Picton, Cobourg, Hamilton and on the Chesapeake.
KYC is hoping for as many Corvettes, Frigates, Invaders and Crusaders from all over Lake Ontario to take part, with more owners from further afield attending by car. The emphasis will be on enjoyment, comradery, and sharing of information between the many owners.
So, if you own or used to own a Corvette, Frigate, Invader, or Crusader, or have access to one, plan to be in Kingston on the August 5th Long Weekend for the 2017 Bi-Annual Rendezvous!
For more information watch the Corvette Association Website (www.corvettesailboatassociation.com)
Or Contact Leo Reise (leo.reise@talspar.ca) at or Rob Mazza at (robertlmazza@gmail.com) or Peter Frost at (peter@frostautomation.ca)