New generation of Beetle Cat sailors

By Chris Museler

With 15-20 coloured sails on the line every weekend, the diminutive cedar-planked gaffer now has its next generation of junior crews carrying on the torch.

It was started in the late 1950s by Sloat Hodgson of the Chappaquoit Yacht Club in West Falmouth. The boats were used for junior training and Hodgson thought the adults should take advantage of the Indian summers.

Since then, a family volunteers to provide food each weekend, racing starts at 10am sharp and there are no protests. “If you had a flagrant foul and didn’t exonerate yourself, it would be in the weekly paper,” says participant George Kirk.

Last fall, the next generation of Hog Island sailors were initiated when sons and daughters manned centreboard and mainsheet. With that have come many new boats including one for 505 world champion Mike Mills, double Olympian Tim Wadlow, and twice team race world champion Tim Fallon. Yours truly bought the boat Fallon grew up on – Mole Minder – after the collective nickname of the five Fallon chilndren.

Originally published in Classic Boat magazine on February 8, 2012 see it here