Ensign of the Royal Cork Yacht Club (1801-1948)

The Royal Cork Yacht Club is a claimant to the title of the world's oldest

yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...

, founded in 1720, though this is challenged by the

Neva Yacht Club The Neva Yacht Club (Yacht-club Neva or simply Club Neva) is a sailing club located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, close to the Neva River. It was founded in 1718 and was re-established as a club in 1958. It claims to be the first and oldest yacht ...

in Russia. It is currently located in

Crosshaven Crosshaven () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in lower Cork Harbour at the mouth of the River Owenabue, across from Currabinny Wood. Originally a fishing village, from the 19th century, the economy of the area became more re ...

, Co. Cork,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Formation and claim to be the world's first yacht club

The predecessorHistory at westernyachtclub.com
Accessed 26 February 2017 of the present day ''Royal Cork Yacht Club'' was the ''Water Club of the Harbour of Cork'', established in 1720 by

William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin {{Infobox officeholder , honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable , name = The Earl of Inchiquin , honorific-suffix = KB PC(I) , image = William_O’Brien,_4th_Earl_of_Inchiquin.jpg , caption = , alt ...

, a great-grandson to the 1st Earl of Inchiquin, who was a courtier of King Charles II. Due to this, the Royal Cork Yacht Club is widely held to be the oldest

in the world.

Names and locations

On returning to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

from exile, King Charles developed an interest in sailing on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and subsequently his courtiers (including The

Earl of Inchiquin Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

) followed his example. Upon the Earl’s return to

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, recreational sailing commenced. Some years later, the Earl of Inchiquin's great-grandson, 26-year-old William O'Brien and five of his friends formalised their activities and in so doing established The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork in 1720. This body became inactive in 1765 and was re-established in 1802. In 1872 the Munster Model Yacht Club was founded as a Corinthian Yacht Club to provide for amateur racing rather than racing for wagers on yachts of wealthy owners with paid hands. It changed its name and dropped the word "Model" and became known as the Cork Harbour Yacht Club. Later on that decade it dropped "Harbour" and became the Cork Yacht Club and in 1831, the club received the privilege of using the "royal" prefix from King

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

and became the Royal Cork Yacht Club. In 1966 the Royal Munster Yacht Club merged with it to become as it is known today, the Royal Cork Yacht Club incorporating The Royal Munster Yacht Club. It was originally located on Haulbowline Island in

Cork Harbour Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Ja ...

. In the early nineteenth century, it transferred to Cove, subsequently named Queenstown, now Cobh. It is currently located in Crosshaven, near

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...

. By the mid 19th century membership was keenly sought after, due to the club's popularity, and club records show that many candidates were disappointed at not getting membership. One who was admitted was Prince Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, later to be Emperor of Mexico. Prince Ferdinand was the founder of the Imperial Austrian Navy and a brother of

Emperor Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

. The Prince of Wales who was later to become

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

attended several RCYC regattas sailing his famous yacht ''

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

''. In 1872 the Munster Model Yacht Club was founded and eventually received a royal charter to become the Royal Munster Yacht Club. It settled in the Clubhouse of the Cork Harbour Motor Yacht Club at Crosshaven in the 1930s. The Royal Munster merged with the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1966.

Regattas

Cork Week is hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club and is held every two years, usually in late June or early July.
It was initially Ireland's largest sailing regatta, but has been superseded in popularity, in recent years, by the Dun Laoghaire biennial regatta, as determined by large entries in multiple classes and competitors "The Regatta that prides itself in delivering quality racing along with a wonderful festive atmosphere across the Dun Laoghaire Waterfront."
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References

External links

The Royal Cork Yacht Club

Cork week website
{{Coord, 51.8042, -8.3048, region:IE-C_type:landmark, display=title Royal yacht clubs 1720 establishments in Ireland Organisations based in the Republic of Ireland with royal patronage Sport in Cork (city) Sports clubs in County Cork Yacht clubs in Ireland

Formation and claim to be the world's first yacht club

Names and locations

Regattas

See also

References

External links