Beetle Cat - Fleet Locations

Fleet Locations

Beetle Cats are concentrated in Massachusetts, with the Class Association's sanctioned major regattas hosted by fleets in Barnstable, Chatham, West Falmouth, Orleans, New Bedford and Hyannis, as well as Edgewood, RI. The regatta schedule augments the local racing schedules of individual yacht clubs. There is also a fleet on Georgica Pond, in the Hamptons, where half the fleet consists of Barnstable Cat Boats. Seymour Ingraham introduced the first Beetle Cat, the Hispaniola, to Georgica Pond in the summer of 1966. Center Harbor Yacht Club in Brooklin, Maine has a fleet of Beetle Cats.

The best known fleet of Beetle Cats are on Nantucket. In 1925 the Nantucket Yacht Club chose the design for its fleet; with the different colored sails, it became known as the “Rainbow Fleet”. The Rainbow Fleet has entered popular culture due to the ephemera available that features the fleet—posters, gifts, toys, embroidered throws, belt buckles, half-hull models and even candies and food items.

There are also Beetle Cats to sail at the Mystic Seaport Museum and The International Yacht Restoration School.

A well-known Beetle Cat was purchased by Jacqueline Onassis in 1969 for her children and put up for auction after her death.