Ed Botterell

Ed Botterell was a renowned Canadian sailor and ship builder who spent more than 60 years involved in the sport. Botterell joined the Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club in 1947 where he sailed in the International 14 and Lightning classes throughout the 1940s and 1950s . By the end of the 1950s he eventually qualified for the Canadian Olympic team. Along with compatriots J. J. MacBrien and Lynn Watters, Botterell was part of the crew that competed in the Dragon class at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The team started out strong, finishing fourth in the first two races, but had a string of poor results to leave them down in 11th after the seventh and final race. His biggest win came in 1968 with victory in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference, becoming the first Canadian boat to take the title.

As a shipbuilder Botterell helped to establish the design company Cuthbertson & Cassian, later known as C&C Yachts, which became one of the world’s best racing yacht builders. He also worked as a sailmaker at various companies in Ontario including Hood Sails and Doyle Sails. During his career Botterell clocked up more than 45,000 miles of ocean racing, which saw him sail at the Fastnet race and multiple editions of both the Marblehead to Halifax race and the Bermuda race.