The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is

Cowes Castle Cowes Castle, also known as West Cowes Castle, is a Device Fort in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Originally built by Henry VIII in 1539 to protect England against the threat of invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, it comprised a ci ...

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 rather than the merchant Red Ensign worn by the majority of other UK registered vessels. The club's patron was Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal Yacht Squadron entered the

2021 America's Cup The 36th America's Cup in March 2021 was the latest staging of the America's Cup yacht race. It was contested on the inner Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand, between the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Circolo della Vela Sicilia of I ...

in Auckland, New Zealand, with the

Ineos Team UK INEOS Britannia is a British sailing team that is the challenger of record for the 37th America's Cup. The team was established in 2012 with the ambition of winning the America's Cup for Great Britain and to 'bring the cup home' to the Unit ...

syndicate led by Sir Ben Ainslie, but did not win. In March 2021, an entity associated with the RYS, called Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd, was officially accepted as the Challenger of Record for the

37th America's Cup The 37th America's Cup will be raced between a yacht representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and a yacht representing the yacht club that wins the '' Challenger Selection Series'' ( Prada Cup). It will be held in Barcelona, Spain in ...

competition.

History

Founded on 1 June 1815 in the Thatched House Tavern in

St James's, London St James's is a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End. In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy, and around the 19th century was the focus of the de ...

as The Yacht Club by 42 gentlemen interested in sea yachting, the original members decided to meet in London and in Cowes twice a year, to discuss yachting over dinner. Membership was restricted to those who owned a vessel not under 10 tons. Today this is interpreted as a gentleman "actively interested in yachting". The

Earl of Yarborough Earl of Yarborough is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Charles Anderson-Pelham, 2nd Baron Yarborough. History The Anderson-Pelham family descends from Francis Anderson of Manby, Lincolnshire. He marrie ...

, later first commodore of the club, welcomed

the Prince Regent George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

as a member in 1817. In 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV, it was renamed the Royal Yacht Club. The club started organising racing as a principal feature of the annual regatta, which is now known as Cowes Week. In 1833, William IV renamed the club The Royal Yacht Squadron. Its association with the Royal Navy began early and Nelson's captain at

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England It may also refer to: Music * ''Trafalgar'' (album), by the Bee Gees Pl ...

, Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, headed the list of naval members. The spirit of invention 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 (a triangular shaped flag identifying yacht club membership) is differenced with a St George's Cross and crown on a white background. In 1851, one of the "forred" hands, on board the yacht ''America'' concerning the first sailing of the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

, 1851 wrote 'The Royal Yacht Club—In a fix' (tune). "Come listen to my ditty, and a song to you I'll sing..." Another naval connection is that the

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

explorer Robert Falcon Scott was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. To enable the application of naval discipline on board a civilian ship, he registered the '' Terra Nova RYS'' as a yacht of the squadron and sailed under the White Ensign on his second and final expedition to Antarctica in 1910. In August 2013, the members of Royal Yacht Squadron voted to allow full membership to women, which had been restricted since its foundation.

Racing

In 1851, the club's commodore, visiting the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...

, issued a challenge for the squadron's £100 Cup for a race around the island. The New York City–based ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

'', representing the New York Yacht Club, triumphed in this race, giving its name to one of the oldest and best-known trophies: the

. The victory was witnessed by Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, later commodore of the club and Edward VII. The site is also used as the start of the

Round the Island Race The Round the Island Race is an annual yacht race around the Isle of Wight. It starts and finishes in Cowes, and is organised by the Island Sailing Club. The course is about long. It was first held in 1931, it was sponsored by JP Morgan Asset ...

which occurs annually. During the American Civil War ''Deerhound RYS'' witnessed the fight between USS '' Kearsarge'' and the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

cruiser CSS ''Alabama''. ''Gazelle RYS'' rescued the Empress Eugenie at the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the squadron yachts supplied British soldiers in the Crimean War. The German

Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...

brought the 1887 America's Cup challenger '' Thistle'' to Cowes in 1892, which encouraged the Prince of Wales to build the royal cutter yacht '' Britannia'', one of the most successful racing yachts of all time.

The Pavilion

The Pavilion, designed by the architect 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' ambience.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Royal yacht clubs 1815 establishments in the United Kingdom America's Cup yacht clubs 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

History

Racing

The Pavilion

See also

References

Further reading

External links