The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating

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 ...

in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The club has a clear purpose: "To provide the members with outstanding yacht cruising, racing and social opportunities in the UK and internationally, building on the Club's unique heritage, central London facilities and close reciprocal relationships with other leading yacht clubs around the world."

History

The RTYC was established in 1775 when

Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (Henry Frederick;He is called simply "(His Royal Highness) Prince Henry" in the ''London Gazette'8 September 1761 King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

, put up a silver cup for a race on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

and formed the Cumberland Fleet. This remains the alternative name of the club today. The RTYC name originates from 1830 when

William IV of the United Kingdom 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 ...

came to the throne. Members of the club initially met in

coffee house A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

s. From 1857, the club owned various properties in London, moving to its current location of 60 Knightsbridge in 1923, although the current clubhouse was built more recently. In 1840, besides the RTYC, there were several other Thames sailing clubs, including the Royal Sailing Society, the

Clarence Club The Clarence Club, formerly known as the Literary Union Club, was a gentlemen's club founded in 1826, as a socially exclusive dining society that met in Conduit Street, Mayfair, by the poet Thomas Campbell, with the objective of the facilitatio ...

, the British Yacht Club, and the Royal Yacht Squadron. RTYC yachting originally took place on the Thames but the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...

became increasingly important in the 1850s as the railways made the south coast more accessible. The club has had many distinguished Flag Officers and traditionally the Commodore has been a member of the royal family.

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

was Commodore for 20 years The Patron of the club is is

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

the Prince of Wales. In 2019, Jennifer Woods served as the first woman Rear Commodore of the Royal Thames Yacht Club since 1775.

Activities

The club is involved in a range of yachting events for both the cruising and racing yachtsman, motor yacht owners and all those interested in the sea. Through the club's events and other contacts, members have access to yachting activities worldwide. They also have use of all the facilities of the clubhouse in Knightsbridge and leading reciprocal clubs around the world.

Racing

The club participates in numerous racing events both in the UK and worldwide. There is an annual

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wat ...

- the Cumberland Regatta - on the Solent and opportunities for both fleet and match racing. The club is particularly active in

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

team racing and regularly competes with other leading clubs around the world.

Cruising

Every year the club organises cruises in UK waters and overseas. Overseas cruises have taken place all over the world from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

. Some members join in with their own boats while others charter.

Social

The club hosts a varied range of social events. There are the traditional "

Black Tie Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element f ...

" events that have been held for over a hundred years, such as the Fitting Out and the Laying Up Dinners, and the annual Prizewinners' Dinner. More recently the club has introduced Ladies Lunches, the Annual Cruising Dinner and the 'Talks at 60 Knightsbridge'.

Functions and events

The club is licensed for

civil marriages A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Every country maintaining a ...

and civil partnerships. Non-members may hold private or business functions at the club.

Charitable Trust

The Royal Thames Yacht Club Charitable Trust provides funding to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to become members of a working ship's crew and to experience going to sea. File:cmglee_Royal_Thames_Yacht_Club_exterior.jpg, Exterior of the headquarters in August 2012. File:cmglee_Royal_Thames_Yacht_Club_interior.jpg, Interior of the headquarters in August 2012. File:TS Ianara by Luca Papaluca.jpg, The Royal Thames Yacht Club's steam yacht Ianara painted by Luca Papaluca (1890 - 1934). File:The RTYC entrance.jpg, The RTYC entrance File: The Edinburgh Room at the RTYC.jpg, The Edinburgh Room at the RTYC. File: The deck at the Royal Thames Yacht Club..jpg, The deck at the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

References

* – History *The Chronicles of the Royal Thames Yacht Club by Bob Ward and Fernhurst Books (February 2000)

External links

*
RTYC Charitable Trust
{{Authority control Royal yacht clubs 1775 establishments in England America's Cup yacht clubs Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Gentlemen's clubs in London Knightsbridge Organisations based in London with royal patronage

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 ...

Yacht clubs in London Sports clubs established in the 1770s