Ottawa Area Model Yacht Club

The third Bristol Pilot Cutter is also modelled on one of the oldest. Kevin Goom from the Montreal club brought along the biggest and heaviest model of the day. Charlotte is a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter built in 1808, and is the earliest boat of this type for which plans have been found. She was used to ferry pilots to and from tall ships entering and leaving ports such as Bristol, Portishead and Cardiff, and also to transport general cargo between these same ports. Although she has broad hull somewhat resembling a bathtub, she could carry lots of sail making her fast enough to compete for the piloting business. Usual crew was a skipper and a "lad", as well as the pilot in transit. The model is of 1:12 scale, built in 2008, based on a GRP hull and plans supplied by Mike Mayhew of Waverley Models (UK). A supplemental false lead keel was found necessary to supplement the internal ballast in order to keep her upright in a modest blow. At 35lb she is quite a handful to launch and retrieve single handed. Engineering the sheet control system proved challenging, particularly for the two fore sails. A flying jib and gaff topsail were omitted for the sake of simplicity. Kevin also brought along a couple of RC ducks, much to every ones amusement.

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