Classic Boat Cult | RED ROOSTER, Carter’s signature cult boat returns to new life

With the resounding victories of the Rabbit, Tina, and Optimist, the second half of the 1960s saw the meteoric rise of a new designer, a figure who was brilliant in his own way, but appeared on the scene for no apparent reason and, less than ever, without anyone foreshadowing it, not even he… Obviously, Dick Carter, a brilliant pencil and key to the revolution of the 1970s. But it is not to him directly that we want to look in this article of his, but rather to one of his creations, a project as whimsical as it is excellent: Red Rooster.

Classic Boat Cult | RED ROOSTER, Carter’s signature cult boat returns to new life

Why go back to 1969, back to Red Rooster? The answer is soon offered: Red Rooster, after a long period of research and bargaining, was guaranteed its survival and, soon -as did the Rabbit before it- will be the subject of a major refit. While waiting for that to happen, however, here is the story of one of Dick Carter’s most coveted signature projects.

Red Rooster – the origins

After the success of Rabbit (1965), Carter received commissions in record time, becoming, moreover, one of the figures involved in drafting the nascent International Offshore Rule. In quick succession, Tina and Optimist thus follow, to which various series-related engagements are added. But in the late 1960s Carter designs a boat for himself, and this, again, will be a card-shuffler.

By tendency, Carter was born as a sailor before he was a designer, and for him one, and only one, is the Everest to which he aspires: the Fastnet. And, just as it was for the Rabbit, that is what he looks to when tacking Red Rooster. In 1967 there was actually another attempt at the famous rock of Ireland, Rabbit II, a participation, however, that was not particularly successful. Hence, however, the idea, a rush: variable geometries, or what later in the Noryema (VII) -heir of Red Rooster– will become the designation VGX > Variable Geometry Experiment. In a nutshell, the tilting ballasted fin, a response to the friction caused by the drift fin in the Fastnet to Plymouth leg, mainly raced under carrying winds.

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Just as in the case of a dinghy, the concept involved an internal casing that could allow the fin to tilt on the longitudinal oblique axis, bringing it from the “correct” position until it was fully retracted. The advantage? Increased draft and upwind performance, reduced drag, and higher speeds in carrying swells. If the answer is simple, its implementation, however, is not at all: there are problems to be solved in balancing the hull when the keel is lowered and raised, in stability in rough seas when the keel is raised, not to mention the mechanism needed to raise and lower a necessarily ballasted fin. To make life even more difficult for himself, Carter opts for a further complication: the rudder blade will also be movable, a component that, as a result, entailed that this is necessarily controlled by a tiller. Needless to say, Red Rooster proved a resounding success.

Red Rooster – beginnings

Hurriedly finished, Red Rooster celebrated its launch on July 13, 1969. Less than a week later, for her official tune-up, she participates in the Cowes-Dinard: she will be first in Class II IOR. The increased draft upwind and reduced friction at the carriers immediately proves to be an apt choice. But to find out just how much, it won’t be long before we need to wait. Just a few days later comes the Channel Race, the first race valid for the Admiral’s Cup. Here, in the team race, Red Rooster scores second, just behind Australia’s Ragamuffin.

In no time at all, Carter is again racking up results. Britannia Cup, 30 miles: Red Rooster is third; New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup, 35 miles: first. Here, comes the Fastnet.

Overall, trial proves favorable to the larger boats, and yet, first overall is Red Rooster, which dominates as well as did the Rabbit 4 years earlier. Ragamuffin, second, is more than an hour and a quarter behind, Phantom, from England, is three hours and forty minutes behind… abetted by the other boats on the team, well placed, Red Rooster pulls off the miracle: the American team wins the Cup, the second for Carter…

Red Rooster – the post-Carter

After a second resounding victory at Admiral’s, inevitably, the Carter Offshore becomes the focus of all attention and, Red Rooster, becomes incompatible with the amount of work and put up for sale. First, however, a French family cruise as much along the coast as the canals-thanks to the peculiar tilting drift and shallow draft.

Red Roster is thus sold, and brought to California by the new owner, with the idea of racing her in the Transpacific Race -from Los Angeles to Honolulu- an event mainly known for its carrying winds, ideal for a boat with a mobile drift. From there, however, all trace of Red Rooster is lost, and she reappears only in the 1990s, returned to France, now in the hands of a new owner, Jean-Jaques Roscian, who will then take her to the Philippines.

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Here, entirely repainted in white, Red Rooster remained in a state of semi-abandonment until August 2025, when, after endless attempts, David Carter finally succeeded in obtaining ownership of the hull, soon to return home for a much-deserved restoration.

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Dick Carter, colui che rivoluzionò la vela di fine anni ‘60