Royal London Yacht Club
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The Royal London Yacht Club (RLYC) is a British
yacht club A yacht club is a boat 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 ...
. It is situated on the Parade in
Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...
on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
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.


History


Formation

The RLYC began in 1838 as an informal gathering of gentlemen who sailed their yachts 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, s ...
. They moored their yachts on the river by the Arundel Steps, near the present site of
Arundel Street Arundel Street is a street in the City of Westminster, London, that runs from Strand, London, Strand in the north to Temple Place in the south. It is on land once occupied by Arundel House and its gardens. Location Arundel street runs from Str ...
and
HQS Wellington HMS ''Wellington'' (launched Devonport, 1934) is a sloop, formerly of the Royal Navy. During the Second World War, she served as a convoy escort ship in the North Atlantic. She is now moored alongside the Victoria Embankment, at Temple Pi ...
. Without a permanent clubhouse, they met when off the water at the Coal Hole Tavern in Fountain Court alongside many other societies of the day.


Name and Insignia Changes

After its formation, the club crew in standing and profile, and went through several changes of name and insignia. When known as the Arundel Yacht Club, the club's
ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...
was a red flag with a white border, with the letters "AYC" on the field in white. In 1845, the members changed the name to the "London Yacht Club" and adopted a new ensign - white, modelled after that of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
but with a blue cross (as opposed to the Navy's red cross) and a gold star in the canton. The following year, the
Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
unusually granted the use the
Coat of arms of the City of London Corporation A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), to ...
, which replaced the star in the canton. Shortly after, the ensign changed again to when the
Dowager Queen Adelaide Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Adelaide Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline; 13 August 1792 – 2 December 1849) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Queen of Hanover from 26 June 1830 to 20 June 1837 as the wife of King W ...
gave the club royal patronage. The club became the "Royal London Yacht Club" and a warrant permitted the flying of a
blue ensign The Blue Ensign is a British ensign that may be used on vessels by certain authorised yacht clubs, Royal Research Ships and British merchant vessels whose master holds a commission in the Royal Naval Reserve or has otherwise been issued a wa ...
defaced with the arms of the City of London.


Relocation to Cowes

In the 1860s, Victoria Embankment was built, which changed the waterfront of the Thames. Later, evidence suggests that in the early 1880s the public house formerly known as the Coal Hole where the club originally met was demolished. Perhaps for this cause, in 1882 the RLYC re-located to
Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...
on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
where it joined the
Royal Yacht Squadron 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 we ...
to become the second Cowes-based club. Two Georgian town houses on the Parade were leased; now with the party wall removed, they remain the clubhouse today with the combined staircase of the two houses forming a grand staircase to the club's drawing room.


Racing

In the early days of the club, it was involved in establishing rules for yacht racing. The club has long been associated with Metre Yachts and every summer since 2007 the club has organised Cowes Classics Week in the weeks prior to Cowes Week. The RLYC cooperates with other clubs in Cowes to run racing throughout the season. It is part of Cowes Clubs and Classes Association, which coordinates weekend racing in Cowes between the other Yacht Clubs and dayboat class so that each club rotates the responsibility of organising racing on a given weekend with a consistent set of sailing instructions. The RLYC has long supported the running of Cowes Week, and to this day is nominally responsible for organising racing on the Monday The club is also known for organising high-level regattas up to World Championship level, including the Tempest Class and Etchells Class in 2016.


See also

*
Royal Yacht Squadron 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 we ...
*
Royal Thames Yacht Club The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The clu ...


References


External links


Royal London Yacht Club website
{{Authority control Royal yacht clubs 1838 establishments in the United Kingdom Organisations based on the Isle of Wight Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage Gentlemen's clubs in England Yacht clubs in England Cowes