Gaff Cutter 'Corista'

[Aja]

Gaff Cutter \'Corista\'

Looking for any information on a yacht named 'Corista'.

Information I have at the moment is that she was:

Clyde built
46' lod
Purchased by a Mr Roberts in the late 60's
Sailed to US 1972
Eventually lost to fire.

Any additional information would be gratefully received.

Regards

Donald


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[AndyL]

Re: Gaff Cutter \'Corista\'

Quote There is a photo in Robert Simper's book "Gaff Sail" of a Francis Jones design, "Corista", about 40 feet long, with a deckhouse like a "Vertue" and a gaff cutter rig - very impressive.
Unquote
From Wooden Boat Forum
Cheers, Andy

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[Aja]

Re: Gaff Cutter \'Corista\'

Thanks Andy. Just the sort of info I'm looking for. That'll be a good start.

Regards

Donald

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[BrendanS]

Re: Gaff Cutter \'Corista\'

Don't know if this is the same yacht, but if it is, have a word with Mirelle
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=cb&Number=557338&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=93&part=>http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=cb&Number=557338&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=93&part=</A>

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Gaff Cutter \'Corista\'

Built on the Clyde? You'd better not say that in Woodbridge!

"Mirelle" is Corista's predecessor and immediate ancestor.

"Corista" was designed largely by her first owner, Philip Allen, who handed a pretty complete roll of drawings to Jack Francis Jones and asked him to check them. This was Philip's usual style; he did the same thing with "Corista's predecessor, "Mirelle", in 1937. When Philip decided that "Corista" was too much of a handful (he ricked his back setting the mainsail) he replaced her with the bermudian yawl "Tallulah" by which stage he had decided to cut out the middle man and he just gave the completed drawings to Claude Whisstock, who had built both "Mirelle" and "Corista" and was a personal friend.

"Corista" was built of iroko on oak; very much the pride and joy of Whisttocks in the post-War era.

"Tallulah" crossed the Atlantic more than 20 times in Philip's ownership and is still globe trotting under her present owners. Philip wrote the first edition of the RCC Atlantic Crossing Guide!

Philip was a director of Aristoc, as in tights. Reverse the name and you have "Corista". In the words of Dick Larkman, who was working at Whisttocks at the time, "We thought he was quite well off, but when his Bentley wouldn't start and he was picked up by his chauffeur in a Rolls-Royce, we were sure!"

"Corista" is described in detail in one of the yachting magazines, probably YM, for the date of her launch and also appears in one of the year books for the year in question. LOA 45ft, basically same size as "Dyarchy", but actually a bit bigger, in that she had a foot more beam and a foot less draft.

Philip wrote a nice letter to an early CB in response to a John Leather article about "Mirelle" and "Corista"; I've got a copy somewhere.

"Corista" pops up in various RCC journals during Philip's ownership.

Her history after she left the Deben is unknown in Woodbridge. Frank Knights thinks she was lost to fire, perhaps in Scotland. I was reasonably sure that she is alive and well in Canada, having turned up some document referring to her as Canadian owned quite recently, but no-one seems to know for sure.

My sources for the foregoing are the late Claude Whisstock, the late Philip Allen, the late Francis Manfield, ("Mirelle"'s second owner) the late Peter Brown (designer, worked for Whisstocks and suceeded to Jack Jones' practice in Woodbridge) the late Alan Dale (Whisstock's rigger) Mike Illingworth (Robertsons) Frank Knights and Dick Larkman.

At the risk of having all the Vertue owners in creation round my neck, I'd lay a pound to a penny that she is a better boat than "Dyarchy", but Giles had a brilliant PR machine working for him.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Aja]

Re: Gaff Cutter \'Corista\'

Mirelle

Sometimes it takes your breath away at the level of knowledge to be found on these boards.... not even going to go into what is to be found on Scuttlebutt these day....

Thanks very much for taking the time to let me know about Corista. The original request ot me was from one of my fathers friends who had once gone for a days sailon her - the only time he had ever gone sailing, and always had happy memories of that day.

I'll pass thos onto him.

Again, many thanks

Donald

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[Mirelle]

End of the story

Jeremy Burnett checked his Lloyd's Register of yachts; registered in Ottowa, home port Kingston, so looks like she made it to the Great Lakes, but was burned there.

Pity.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?