Yachting World
- Digital Edition
Inside the Royal Yacht Squadron – we get a rare view of this most exclusive club
- Belinda Bird
- May 18, 2015
Sarah Norbury jumps at a rare chance to see inside the Royal Yacht Squadron, that unique and intriguing yacht club at the centre of Cowes, in its 200th anniversary year
Photo: Paul Wyeth
The Royal Yacht Squadron’s Castle clubhouse is best known to most sailors as the centre of the action at Cowes Week. Puffs of smoke in the aftermath of the bangs waft across the water towards the fleets of yachts, their crews’ faces pinched with concentration as they plan their beat up the rocky Island shore.
No first-timer to Cowes Week can fail to be awestruck by the Castle. Competitors mill around before their starts, staring at the flags and course-boards, getting a sight down the startline straight into the windows.
Looking is as near as most sailors ever get to this most aristocratic of clubs. Members will repair to the Squadron after racing, taking tea on the lawn, before entering the Castle for cocktails before a party or the fabulous Squadron Ball, but for the rest, the Castle itself, built by Henry VIII to repel the French, is a visual symbol of the club’s exclusivity.
The Platform, from where Cowes Week starts are signalled. Photo: YPS/Boat Exclusive
The most prestigious club in Britain, possibly the world, is wreathed in mystique. The only way to join this club of Kings, Lords, Hons and Sirs is to be invited by a member and be subject to a secret ballot. The fact that the membership list reads like Debretts is an indication of most sailors’ chances of being invited.
It’s said that wealthy tea merchant Sir Thomas Lipton was blackballed for being ‘in trade’, which is why his 1898 bid for the America’s Cup was sponsored by the Royal Ulster YC. He was allowed in eventually, but died just two years later so scarcely had time to enjoy the Castle’s delights.
Some accept a blackballing with grace, others kick up a stink, like the owner of a 150-ton schooner who, the story goes, sent a message to the club that he was anchored within close range and would commence shelling unless he received a personal apology from Percy Shelley, son of the famous poet, who had blackballed him.
Flying the white ensign
The appeal of being a member is obvious. Who wouldn’t want to fly the white ensign from their stern? The Squadron is the only yacht club with a Royal Navy warrant to do so, granted in 1829. And who wouldn’t want to walk boldly in to meet and drink with the great and the good?
I asked the current commodore, the Hon Christopher Sharples why, when a number of royal clubs are struggling to find new members, the Squadron has a healthy waiting list. “It’s a very fine club,” he responded. “People enjoy the standards and the tremendous history. Members treat the Castle as a much-loved country home.”
RYS commodore, the Hon Christopher Sharples
Originally named The Yacht Club, it was founded on 1 June 1815 by a group of 42 gentleman yachting enthusiasts. Five years later, member King George IV conferred the Royal in the club’s title and in 1833 King William IV renamed the club the Royal Yacht Squadron. Members met in the Thatched House Tavern in St James’s, London, and in Cowes twice a year for dinner.
Today there are 535 members and dinner is served in the magnificent Members’ Dining Room, under the painted gaze of illustrious past admirals and commodores. The room is adorned with silver trophies and scenes of the high seas, and waiters bring course after course from the kitchens and wine cellars below. There are bedrooms for overnight stays, a room for members to keep their ‘mess kit’ or black tie, which is required dress on Saturday nights, and even gun lockers for shooting parties.
But sailing is the club’s raision d’être and neither a title nor a fortune are a guarantee of entry. The club professes that “any gentleman or lady actively interested in yachting” is eligible for nomination.
The Library, a peaceful sanctuary as well as an important archive. Photo: YPS/Boat Exclusive
The Squadron was where yacht racing was born. In the early 1800s the aristocracy came to Cowes to socialise and cruise in their boats. The first races were duels between the yachts of the day, then rules for fleet racing were drawn up. The first club regatta, later to become Cowes Week, was in 1826. For more than a century the reigning monarch would be there to present the King’s or Queen’s trophy.
Some of history’s greatest yachtsmen are on the Squadron’s membership roll: Sir Thomas Sopwith, John Illingworth, Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Alec Rose, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Ties with the Navy are strong and some of British maritime history’s most famous names have been Squadron members, not least Nelson’s vice-admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy who commanded HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Lord Cochrane who was the inspriation for C.S. Forester’s Hornblower novels and Admiral Sir Jeremy Black, captain of the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible during the Falklands War.
The public’s more usual view
Perhaps the club is still best known around the world for hosting the race around the Isle of Wight in 1851 won by the schooner America , which took home what became known as the America’s Cup. The Squadron donated the Cup itself in 1851 and mounted a number of challenges to win it back.
More than 160 years later the America’s Cup has still never been won by a British challenger, but now the commodore believes the Royal Yacht Squadron has “the best chance we have ever had” with its sponsorship of Ben Ainslie Racing as official British challenger for the 2017 Cup.
- 1. Flying the white ensign
- 2. Bicentenary celebrations
- 3. Inside the Castle
The Royal Yacht Squadron - A History
Founded in 1815, the Royal Yacht Squadron is one of the most prestigious and exclusive yacht clubs in the world, and enjoys a rich history after more than 200 years. In 2016 a new history of the Royal Yacht Squadron was published by Unicorn Press, Making Waves Two Hundred Years of The Royal Yacht Squadron, described by Classic Boat magazine as ‘ a magnificent book ’ with ‘ stunning design ’. It can be bought from Unicorn Publishing Group.
Alternatively an in house produced "Royal Yacht Squadron - A Short History" is available here .
The Yacht Club, as the Squadron was first known, was founded at the Thatched House Tavern in St James’s, London, on the 1st of June 1815. The qualification entitling a gentleman to become a member was the ownership of a vessel not under 10 tons. Today this is interpreted as a gentleman “ actively interested in yachting ”. A plain white burgee graced the masthead of members’ yachts; they also wore a plain white ensign with the union in the canton. In 1821 this was changed to a red burgee and ensign.
The Earl of Yarborough, later first Commodore of the Yacht Club, welcomed the Prince Regent as a member in 1817. In 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV, Royal was added to the club’s name. The Club’s association with the Royal Navy began early and Nelson’s Captain at Trafalgar, Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, was among early Honorary Naval members.
In 1826, the Club took to organising yacht racing as a principal feature of the annual regatta at Cowes. In 1828, the rule requiring a yacht on the port tack to give way to another on starboard was introduced.
During the 1840’s, in response to the formation of other yacht clubs, races open to non-RYS yachts were also introduced.
The spirit of invention induced by competition led to yachts “of such celerity in sailing and beauty of construction” that they were of utility to the Royal Navy. In 1829 the Admiralty issued a warrant to wear what is now the Navy’s white ensign. The burgee, in compliment, is differenced with a St George’s cross and crown. Lord Yarborough’s Falcon led a rally to Cherbourg in 1831. In 1833 the Club became the Royal Yacht Squadron by command of His Majesty King William IV.
Lord Wilton’s time as Commodore was full of incident and achievement. World-wide cruising continued to flourish. Ben Boyd, in his schooner Wanderer, visited the Solomon Islands and was devoured by cannibals. In the same year, 1851, Commodore Stevens, visiting the Great Exhibition, challenged for the Squadron’s £100 Cup for a race around the Island. America’s victory was witnessed by Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, later Commodore and Edward VII.
The Marquess of Anglesea was so surprised at America’s speed that he thought she must have had a propeller. Deerhound RYS witnessed the sea fight between Kearsarge and Alabama. Gazelle RYS rescued the Empress Eugenie at the end of the Franco Prussian War and Squadron yachts took succour to the troops in the Crimea. Lord Brassey’s Sunbeam logged 37,000 nautical miles girdling the earth.
The Golden Age of Cowes was heralded by the election of the Prince of Wales as Commodore. There had been a chapter of disagreement between the newly fledged YRA, the Squadron and other old established clubs over racing rules. The YRA seemed to favour the racing machine, while the Squadron felt that cruising yachts should still have a look in.
The Prince would not tolerate further dissension and peace of a sort was in the air. The Squadron was not only forwarding new ideas to the YRA, but successfully beating all comers under the new rule with Sleuthhound, to be followed by the legendary and remodelled Bloodhound, whose mast is now the Squadron’s flag staff.
The German Emperor brought his Meteor, the 1887 ex America’s Cup challenger Thistle, to Cowes in 1892. This encouraged the Prince of Wales to build Britannia, one of the most successful racing yachts in the calendar. Lord Crawford’s beautiful ship rigged yacht Valhalla cruised far afield and was a noted visitor in Cowes Week; she was also a competitor in the 1905 Transatlantic Race for the German Emperor’s Cup. Her owner, a member with a keen interest in astronomy, had sailed to Mauritius to observe the transit of Venus.
During dinner in the Castle one night, Lord Crawford pointed to a star, observing that one day it may run into the earth. “ If it does ”, Sir Hercules Langrishe replied, “ I hope we will be on the starboard tack ”. World War I broke out inconsiderately during Cowes Week in 1914; both Squadron yachts and yachtsmen were to play their part in that conflict.
After the war, the ladies arrived. They had been entertained before in the “Deer Park”, as the lawn was named in their honour, but it was not until the Squadron secured the ballroom below Castle Rock (now the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club) from Rosa Lewis of Cavendish Hotel fame, that they had a roof of their own. The Six Metres became popular after the First War, encouraged by the British American Cup.
The popularity of the smaller racing boat owes much to two members, Sir Ralph Gore and Sir Kenneth Preston. However, the focus was still on the big class and the public flocked to Cowes to see the J’s – Britannia, Shamrock V and later Endeavour I, thunder past the Green. Tom Sopwith, with the first of his Endeavours, came as near as the Squadron has ever done so far in winning back the “Auld Mug” as the America’s Cup is affectionately known.
Sir Philip Hunloke was the first President of the newly formed Ocean Racing Club and, with Sir Ralph Gore, encouraged the Fastnet Race, first won by Jolie Brise in 1925. The Second World War saw the RYS Castle as part of HMS Vectis and head-quarters of ‘J’ Force. After the War, at the suggestion of Peter Scott, King George VI presented the Britannia Cup, one of the most celebrated races of Cowes Week.
1948-Present Day
The decade following the end of the War was called the “age of austerity and reverse sheer”. Neither were good looking. However, Bluebottle, the Dragon owned by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, gave small boat racing a kick start. Speed was becoming acceptable too, and Peter du Cane with Vospers was a pioneer. Tommy Sopwith won the first off-shore power boat race to Torquay in 1961.
The moving spirit behind this and the Boat Show was Max Aitken. In 1957, Hugh Goodson, who helped to found the Sail Training Association, headed the 1958 Squadron challenge for the America’s Cup. Captain Henry Denham and Lord Camrose explored the Mediterranean and the former wrote his remarkable guides. In 1966/67 Sir Francis Chichester sailed on his own round the world, which led to the Chichester Trophy, presented by The Duke of Westminster, and the Whitbread Round the World Race. Sir Owen Aisher produced Yeoman after Yeoman and Ted Heath won the Sydney – Hobart with Morning Cloud in 1969. The Admiral’s Cup enlivened racing at Cowes.
The first Chairman of the Cowes Combined Clubs in 1964 was Lord Runciman. Cowes was changing. Two Commodores, Sir John Nicholson and John Roome, consolidated the Squadron’s position and Sir Maurice Laing gave Cowes the chance, through a Trust, to take over the marina.
The Castle itself was fitted for ladies in the 1960s. The brass hot water cans disappeared in favour of the bedroom basin and the radiator made its appearance. The Pavilion, designed by Sir Thomas Croft, was opened in 2000. This elegant creation provides on shore facilities for yachtsmen and their families while allowing the Castle to retain its ‘Country house’ ambiance.
The Pavilion also enabled the Squadron to cross burgees with the New York Yacht Club in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Schooner America’s famous victory of 1851. The latest alteration is the RYS Jubilee Haven which, together with the Cowes Harbour Commission pontoon off the Parade, does much to enliven the scene on the water for the visitor to Cowes.
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Castle, Cowes, Isle of Wight, P031 7QT
Tel: +44 (0) 1983 292 191
Photography
The Islands ( )
Experiences ( ), beaches ( ), the royal bvi yacht club.
The Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, founded in July of 1973, is situated in Road Town, Tortola, at Road Reef on the southwest corner of Road Harbour. It faces the Sir Francis Drake Channel to the south, and Road Reef Marina to the north. The Clubhouse and Dining Room are open for lunch and dinner, and visiting yachtsmen, yachtswomen, and members of correspondent yacht clubs are welcome. As the BVI's "national authority for sailing," the Royal BVI Yacht Club takes pride in the BVIslanders, and had an opportunity to sponsor and support a variety of "national" and "world" sailing events, including the Olympic Games. The Royal BVI Yacht Club maintains an active calendar of racing, cruising, angling, and social events, as well as sailing training programmes for young and old alike. The Club is the primary sponsor of the annual BVI Spring Regatta, featuring three days of racing in the Sir Francis Drake Channel for racing classes, non-spinnaker classes, multihulls, and bareboats. The Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club was granted the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in her New Year's Honours List of December, 1999. The Warrant was officially bestowed by HRH Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, during his official visit to The British Virgin Islands in the Spring of 2000.
Our Location
Web: www.royalbviyc.org
Send Us a Note
* Your Name
* Email Address
* Your Message
Island Hopping
Discovering the beauty of BVI is all about uncovering the unique character of each island in this unspoiled volcanic archipelago. Select one of our islands below to learn more about what each island has to offer.
The Islands
Experiences, jost van dyke, virgin gorda, other islands.
About RBVIYCRbviyc history, rbviyc awards, reciprocal clubs, social events, merchandise, meet the team, our sponsors and partners, l18 halyard challenge, manhattan yacht club trophy, governor's cup, bvi spring regatta, lowell wheatley anegada pursuit race, bvi dinghy championships, back to school regatta, willy t virgin's cup, double-handed race, nanny cay round tortola, ghc commodore's race, youth sailing, youth sailing classes, youth sailing camp, youth sailing funding, news & follow, newsletter sign up, news archive, news archive 2013, 2012_2011 archive, donate online.
|
COMMENTS
Royal Yachting Association: Home | RYA
Originally named The Yacht Club, it was founded on 1 June 1815 by a group of 42 gentleman yachting enthusiasts. Five years later, member King George IV conferred the Royal in the club's title ...
The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club.Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to wear the White Ensign of the Royal Navy [1] rather than the merchant Red Ensign worn by the majority of other UK registered vessels.
There have been 83 royal yachts of the monarchy of the United Kingdom since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. [1]Charles II had 25 royal yachts, [2] while five were simultaneously in service in 1831. [3]Merchantmen or warships have occasionally been chartered or assigned for special duty as a temporary royal yacht, for example the steamship Ophir in 1901 and the battleship HMS Vanguard ...
The Club's association with the Royal Navy began early and Nelson's Captain at Trafalgar, Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, was among early Honorary Naval members. 1825-1848. In 1826, the Club took to organising yacht racing as a principal feature of the annual regatta at Cowes. In 1828, the rule requiring a yacht on the port tack to give way to ...
View your RYA certificates online by registering for a free MyRYA account. The RYA's training courses and qualifications are recognised and respected all over the world. With more than 2,400 recognised training centres across 58 different countries and more than 100 courses, there's something for every age, interest and ability.
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy.She was in their service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million ...
About the RYA . RYA stands for Royal Yachting Association. Set up in 1875 as the Yacht Racing Association, the RYA has since become the national governing body for dinghy, motor and sail cruising, all forms of sail racing, RIBs and sportsboats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative body for inland waterways cruising.
The Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, founded in July of 1973, is situated in Road Town, Tortola, at Road Reef on the southwest corner of Road Harbour. It faces the Sir Francis Drake Channel to the south, and Road Reef Marina to the north. The Clubhouse and Dining Room are open for lunch and dinner, and visiting yachtsmen, yachtswomen ...
We enjoy an active local and international membership, and new members and visitors can be assured of a warm welcome. The Royal BVI Yacht Club is a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of promoting and developing sailing in the BVI. Phone: +1-284-494-3286 Email: [email protected].
Ocean's 7 Yacht Club. Peter Island. Ocean's 7 Yacht Club is a popular stop for guests on private charters along with those mooring their own vessels. The staff manning the yacht club are prepared to help yachters dock their boat, then start enjoying nearby activities—from snorkeling to sipping on a cocktail. The restaurant is also highly ...
The club has changing rooms, catering facilities, a bar and a history of regional, national and Olympic successes. The Royal Burnham Yacht Club. Founded 1895 and receiving Royal Patronage in December 1927, The Royal Burnham Yacht Club is at the heart of sailing and related activities on the River Crouch. Lough Neagh Antrim Boat Club
Yacht clubs vary enormously in terms of size and facilities. This is the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Royal Southern Yacht Club. Hamble is undoubtedly one of the UK's sailing hotspots, and the river is packed with boats and marinas. The Royal Southern YC sits in an enviable position, with fabulous views down the river from its ...
The Royal London Yacht Club ( RLYC) is a British yacht club. It is situated on the Parade in Cowes on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Formed in 1838, it is the sixth oldest Yacht Club in the United Kingdom. Originally formed as The Arundel Yacht Club in the Strand, it became the London Yacht Club in 1845 and moved to Cowes in 1882.
Other articles where Royal Yachting Club is discussed: yacht: Yachting and yacht clubs: …club at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, again at the accession of George IV. All members were required to own boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing matches for large stakes were held, and the social life was splendid. Ultimately, Royal Yachting Club boats increased in size…
Celebrating the RYA's Royal legacy. From holidays to yacht racing, The Royal Family has a long history of seafaring. ... a wedding present to Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh from the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, Isle of Wight. Bluebottle is the only British Dragon to have won an Olympic medal, picking up a bronze at the 1956 ...
Home : Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club. 2023 Dart 18 Nationals and World Championships Recap. "Bridlington is perhaps the best bay for sailboat racing on the whole of the east coast of England." "The Royal Yorkshire YC is situated above the western end of the harbour, renowned for its hospitality and social programs.
Apparently scuba diving runs in the royal family. Charles' father, the Duke of Edinburgh, served as president of the British Sub-Aqua Club from 1960 to 1963. According to the scuba diving club ...
Live webcam - Royal Victoria Yacht Club at Cadboro Bay, Victoria - British Columbia, Canada. Enjoy live feed Royal Victoria Yacht Club at Cadboro Bay webcam from Victoria (BC, Canada). Discover beautiful views and weather conditions in real time. Views: 4.
Best Luxury Hotels in Ulyanovsk on Tripadvisor: Find 105 traveler reviews, 111 candid photos, and prices for luxury hotels in Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia.
Sugar Sands Beachfront Hotel - a By The Sea Resort Sofitel Warsaw Victoria Hotel Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel And Spa On Del Monte Golf Course Holiday Inn Club Vacations Galveston Beach Resort, An IHG Hotel Forest Hills Gila River Resorts & Casinos - Vee Quiva Royal Lamerta Hotel Cinnamon Bentota Beach The Monsaraz San Diego, Tapestry ...
Novospassky District is an administrative and municipal district, one of the twenty-one in Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast. Photo: Sergey Orekhov, CC BY 3.0. Ukraine is facing shortages in its brave fight to survive. Please support Ukraine, as Ukraine stands as a defender of a peaceful, free and democratic world.