Sarah Frazer (Hull 54)

This boat was originally purchase by George Kephart who has completed an extensive log of his many years sailing her over many seas. The New Zealand charter owner bought her from George and sailed her on her own bottom to her current location. We're hoping to post a few stories from George about his adventures (my favorite is the trip through the European canals down to the Mediterranean).

Meltemi (Hull 48)

Mike Wybo has created his own blog for Meltemi. A great idea if you would like to devote some space to your boat and start various conversations. It would be a good idea for us to link back and forth between such sites as they are created.

Mystery Boat #2

I've got a number of pictures of Cabots in production, or under sail with original owners. But. We don't have postive ID for a number of them. The pics come in the main from John Perring and Roy Mac Keen.

I'll post a few now and then in the hopes that someone can provide some factual basis for ID.

Bold Venture (Hull 12)

Sure hope this is Bold Venture. I believe Roy Mac Keen identified it for us some time ago.
It was one of the first off the line and created as a training vessel for Cabot staff, and chartered out of Bedeck Marina.

Eventually sailed from Baddeck to the Caribbean. This email from Roy Mac Keen "Bold Venture" was hull # 12, ie the second boat built by Cabot craftand named by me for the bold venture of borrowing $25,000 and startingthe Bras d'Or charter Association."

Roy was, of course, the man at the helm of CCI in the latter half of its production in the 1970's.

Windrose (Hull 36)

We think this is Windrose being commissioned in its sale to Dr. Basil Coady, but we don't have postive ID. Any chance anyone recognizes the boat?

Cottonwood II (Hull 22)

We don't have a lot of information on this boat, but from CCI original employees, we have some pictures. The one at left is of her being commissioned by CCI staff as "Pinpoint II", sold to a Mr. Art Pingree.

We think her current owners may be Hans and Melodie Ebers in Ontario. They are still the registered owners. But we haven't been able to establish contact.

If you can help, please email kdraayer@cogeco.ca

Dancing Bear (Hull 31)

This was apparently the boat that survived a hurricane in Cabo San Lucas. (ID can be established because it is the only yawl CCI produced.) Only damage to the stern rail. TEW has photos taken by Lin and Larry Pardy, writers for Sailing Magazine, p.69 of 12/09, 1982. They sent these pics to Tom Johannsen of Airex. (Tom's tough material was responsible for the Cabot's legendary strength. Ted Brewer would invite guests to take a swing at a piece with an axe. ) Would he still have them?

Shogun (Hull 51)

This is a picture of Shogun in a sailpast at the Oakville Yachtclub.

Shogun has been owned now for nearly thirty years by Tony and Elizabeth Waldegrave of Oakville, who also ran the Owners Association for virtually all those years. Needless to say they are a wealth of information about the owners of the original fleet of 49 Cabots.

As Tony tells the story, he'd been looking for the right boat for a while when he phoned Cabotcraft Industries in the sailing season of 1978 to ask if he might view a Cabot under construction in a planned family trip to Nova Scotia. The bad news was that he discovered the company had just gone under. The good news is that Shogun, bought a very short time earlier by a Dr. Dobson, was apparently up for sale.

Tony and Elizabeth made the purchase.

Orca (Hull 39)

Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you about my 'CABOT', however I hope that the following info will be of some value to you.

This boat was indeed commissioned by Dr. Luke Boulay in 1977 and she was berthed at the RNYC at Long Pond Manuels,Conception Bay South,Nfld.

Dr. Boulay sold her to a Mr. Gil Dalton. Her name while he owned her was 'SOLATAIRE'

The next person to own her was Mr. Frank Dopplinger, who purchased her sometime between 1991 & 1992. He spent 2 years down south with her and in the spring following her return (June 1996) I purchased her. Mr Dopplinger had changed her name from Solataire to Orca which was her name when I sold her. When I bought her everything was original. I added new upholstery, Dodger, Genoa, Waterheater, Domestic Water Pump, Traveller System, Engine, and Prop & Shaft replaced.

The Old engine was a 25HP Volvo Model MD2B -2 cylinder. I installed a new 43 HP Volvo 3 cylinder Mod. 2003T (turbo-charged), new Auto Pilot, new Chartplotter GPS Combo, new self- feathering Luke Prop & new Shaft (one and one eighth dia). I also installed all new 110 wiring, new 5 gal.ss fuel tank for Espar Heater & many more upgrades to numerous to mention. I thought, however, that the major changes would be of some interest compared to the original.

I owned 'ORCA' for 9 seasons and enjoyed her very much. I sold her 21 Aug.04 to Mr Phillip Du Toit who according to the web site WWW.yachtworld.com/trinav/ has since sold her again.

Trusting this will be of some help concerning this vessel for your records.

Capt.Eric Tippett
September, 2005

Kara 1 (Hull 41)

Perhaps I can clear-up a little of the mystery about Hull #41.

My boat ( Kara I ) is Hull # ZBD36041477. (The serial number I have given for Kara I ( as shown on the hull )> is confimed on the Builder's Certificate issued by Cabotcraft Industries, a notarized copy of which I also posess.) I bought it in 1999 from Peter and Janet Bunge. Peter and Janet had owned the boat since September 1994 when they bought it from Douwe Simon deLang. Mr. deLang had purchased it from Frederick Amos Creswick Lister MD sometime prior to September 1994 when he sold it. The Certificate of Registry was only up-dated prior to the sale.

Dr. Lister obtained the original Certificate of Registry on the 12th of August 1986. On the Certificate it states that there is no prior registry on record and that this is the "First Registry".

Kara I's picture is featured in Canadian Yachting ( November 1989 ) on page 29. She is pictured, tied to a dock in George Town. I assume this was part of Dr. Lister's trip to the Bahamas. Dr. Lister told me that Kara I was re-named (originally "Tara") by him.

At one time in 2002 I queried the Vessel Registration System at Transport Canada and came up with 64 ships built by Cabotcraft Industries. Knowing the characteristics of the Cabot-36 I thought that I could identify them in this lot of 64. Sorry, I could not, but I suggest it to you. It's a pity that the Vessel Registration System does not incorporate the hull numbers in their system.

While in Beaufort NC a couple of years ago, I met Mark Hunter ( and bought a main sail from him, but more on this later ). He told me essentialy what you have in your document. I had been in touch with the couple ( Groeneveld ) by e-mail but eventually they fell out-of-touch.

I attach an old picture of Kara I, as well as a couple of pictures of a Cabot having a stainless-steel rudder fitted. I believe that it is Morning Light but forgot to ask Mark. I can't make out the name of the boat on the picture of the stern that I have.

I bought a spare main from Mark Hunter and found out that it was 15" too long on the foot, and a couple of feet short on the hoist for Kara I. My foot is 14 feet 2 inches and the spare I bought is about 15 feet five inches. If you know anyone who might want it, make me an offer. I offered it to Mike McGrath ( Cabot's Matthew ) but he had just purchased a new one. I also offered it to Bill and Marsha Somerville ( Idalia ) but never heard back from them.

A short sail story - I took my main for repair to Joe Fernandez (?) at Triton Sails in the Oakville area. When I asked him if he knew Cabot he told me that he had fitted the first 25 boats with their sails, but didn't want the job for the balance. He said that those people in Nova Scotia took too many coffee breaks to make any money. I guess he was right! God bless him, Joe is no longer with us, and sadly missed by sailors in that area. His son is carrying on the business and still has many original documents, pamphlets on the Cabots.

Fair winds, David Lomas