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i were many delays in construction but she was finally launched in the late summer of 1881 -- only half equipped and poorly fin- ished because of the shortage of funds." In fact, even on the day the Atalanta set out on her mission her crew of members from the local club and Oswego Yacht Club, who, unlike Cuthbert, were mere amateur sailors, were observed nailing down planks on the boat's deck as she sailed out of the harbour, described by Bird, as "one of the busiest on Lake Ontario with steamers and schooners leav- ing daily loaded with lumber, barley and other produce for American ports." The yacht's problems grew along the way. "With the completion date being so late in the season the Atalanta did not have time to sail the St. Lawrence-Ocean route to New York. She was forced to take the short route and she entered the Erie Canal at Oswego. Because her beam was 16 inch- The Atalanta, built by Alexander Cuthbert, was the second Canadian contender for the America's Cup in 1881. es wider than the canal, the crew had to shift her ballast of iron ore and Bay of Quinte boulders to one side in order to heel the boat enough to permit her pas- sage through the narrow locks. She was then towed through the canal by teams of mules. The canal hands nicknamed her 'The Canadian Mud Turtle' after seeing her rough, muddy bottom as she passed through the locks. When The Atalanta reached Albany, New York and the end of the Erie Canal, her crew once again shifted her ballast to put her back on an even keel. They restepped her mast and set sail for New York. The Atalanta finally sailed into New York Harbour on October 30, 1881," added Smith. Much to the dismay of the Atalanta's crew, despite their best efforts during the race, they could only bring their yacht back to the shore about half an hour later than their American contender, the Mischief. But as Bird said: "Although the challenge was not successful, the sailors from the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, partic- ularly Cuthbert, had sent the message to the sailing world that they were prepared to meet all challenges." The Atalanta returned home and went on to win many fresh water races, the most notable of which was the Fisher Cup. Among Cuthbert's designs, Bird notes, were Dauntless (1870), Lady Stanley (1872), Annie Cuthbert (1872), Katie Gray (1875), Emma, Kathleen, Gracie, Surprise (1873), Countess of Dufferin (1876), Madcap (1880), Atalanta (1881), Bloodhound (Norah), White Wings (1880), lolantha (1888), Vision (1880) and Nadia (1888). Cuthbert died in the late 1890s and according to another local researcher, Don Kellaway, he was buried in Cobourg. Contact Benzie Sangma at: bsangma@cogeco.ca