A classic cutter laps up some TLC!
October 15, 2019 in Uncategorized
Many thanks to Peter Code, a Toronto based restorer, for the story below..
“These three photos are of a rescue boat named Bittersweet, one of the last Ladies of the Lake Ontario Cruising fleet from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. I am sleeping down on her this weekend (earlier this fall) before mast is pulled in the morning, and the cutter hauled the following weekend.
She was designed by Phillip Rhodes in 1934 as Dog Star. Bittersweet was built in Nova Scotia in 1964 for Mac and Thelma Murdoch at the RCYC and delivered by rail.She sails beautifully and also has a Volvo Diesel auxiliary engine. The accommodations sleep 4, and she comes with an ice fridge, head and stove.
Bittersweet may come on on the market for the right owners but for now a shipwright and his family are enjoying the fun of restoring and sailing this beautiful yacht.
Bittersweet is currently lying in Port of Newcastle, Ontario and will be worked on over the winter by Peter Code and family under cover only 60 feet from the shores of Lake Ontario
For the wooden boat warriors out there Bittersweet is planked with Alaskan yellow cedar on white oak frames. This is about as long lasting a pairing as you could find . The Mahogany on the cabin is where Peter has found rot and ripped that out immediately. The decks are ply but good and strong . The mast is a 44 foot long Sitka Spruce.
I (Peter) admit that I am more of a Wooden Boat Magazine armchair sailor, as my father subscribed from issue 1, but this yacht is a treat to any wooden boat owner ,
Cheers, Peter and helpers Annie and Jessie”
