George H. Cuthbertson Archives

     I finally at one point turned to my dad and asked point blank, what made you get in to Yacht Design. He was born in Brantford 1929. Not on a lake, certainly not on a decent river you could sail on. He turned and pointed across the room at Shamrock. He had named her after the great J boat.

     Shamrock is a pond yacht built in 1898 for his father Allan Cuthbertson by his great uncle William Gardner. We have a photo of Elaine, Allen's sister and I believe a neighbour Chris Thomas taken that year.

     That pond yacht went everywhere with Dad. Father spent a semester at Lakefield College in 1937, and he insisted it went with him. He took it to rented cottages each summer on family trips, always in his room when he dreamed of being a yacht designer.

    The model was with my Dad every day of his life, and now rests with me.

     Just a simple pond yacht started it all.