The Redhouse Yacht Club (RYC), which is amongst the 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 mari ...

s in South Africa, hosts large dinghy races, and operates a training program that has produced international champion sailors. The club is located in the village of Redhouse,

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

within a fifteen-minute drive of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

. It is situated on the Zwartkops River, a tributary to

Algoa Bay Algoa Bay is a maritime bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is located in the east coast, east of the Cape of Good Hope. Algoa Bay is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to deep. The harbour c ...

which is a popular vacation destination, and a major South African sailing centre.

Activities

The Club primarily caters to dinghy sailors, sponsors a major dinghy racing program, is an affiliate of the South African Sailing Academy and is a member of the International Sailing Federation as well as part of South African Sailing (organization). The climate around Algoa Bay allows for year-round sailing, and river sailing provides a more sheltered environment for smaller craft. There are about two races per week throughout the year with periodic larger events including national regattas. During its evolution the club has featured large fleets of diverse dinghies with the predominant race fleets presently consisting of

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

Mirrors A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...

, and Optimists. The club hosts the annual Eastern Cape inter-schools sailing championship, the 23rd event was held in 1999 The Club provides

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

services for local and visiting boaters, and is endorsed as one of the regional attractions by the Eastern Cape Tourism Board.

History

The club began in 1904 when a group of yachtsmen met under the leadership of Mr. R.P. Jones, at the Zwartkops Rowing Club in the Village of Redhouse, South Africa. Three types of boats were featured in the first race under Club colors: five-ton, three-ton, and two-ton though, by contrast, today's popular raceboats such as Lasers and Optimist are limited by a minimum weight of 55 and 35 kilograms respectively. A National Regatta was held at Redhouse in celebration of the club's 50th Anniversary of the Club in 1954 and the Centenary Regatta took place fifty years later in October 2004. In the nineteen-seventies, the Mirror class became popular with more women and children becoming involved while junior sailing was boosted by the appearance of the Optimist single-handed dinghy, which has since served as the club's training boat. By 1975, the single-handed Laser had made its appearance at RYC and now dominates the fleet, in part since it is an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

class. During the mid-1990s, Redhouse Yacht produced some of the top Optimist yachtsman, achieving exceptional results Nationally and Internationally. The club's facilities were damaged by a major flooding of the river in August 2006."03 August 2006 – Rain – Redhouse"
MyPE Images Gallery

Notable Redhouse Yacht Club Sailors

* Andrew Collier * Phillipa Baer * Justin Onvlee – South African Sailor who, sailed and incredible regatta, going on to be crowned, the 2004 Laser 4.7 World Champion: Protea Colours: Eastern Province Colours: Laser 4.7 World Championship 2004 – Riva del Garda Italy – 1st: Junior Yachtsman of the Year – 2004 David Butler Trophy: Junior Yachtsman of the Year – 2005 David Butler Trophy: * Gregory Reuvers – South African Sailor, whose record for the best placed South African Optimist Sailor at a World Championships 22 years later has just been bettered by Ian Walker March, placing an incredible 5th at the 2019 Optimist World Championships. Junior Yachtsman of the Year 1997 – David Butler Trophy: South African Sailing Colours: Eastern Province Colours: European Championships 1996 – Palma Mallorca Spain – 56th: Optimist World Championships 1997 – Carrickfergus – 24th: Optimist World Championships 1998 – Portugal – 31st: * Simon Baer- South African Sailor achieving a well deservered 27th at the Optimist World Championships: South African Sailing Colours: Eastern Province Colours: Optimist World Championships 1998 – Portugal – 27th: South African Optimist National Champion – 1998: * Jamie Waters South African Sailing Colours Optimist World Championships * Mike Giles

References

*http://sailing.org.za/default/team-sa5b.php YOUTH YACHTSMAN OF THE YEAR: David Butler Trophy

discusses Redhouse Centenary Regatta and historical perspective of RYC and its location.
Nelson Mandela Bay government website
– regional information

Mirror.org – further information on Justin Onvlee and RYC as host to national event.

November 2001 – discussion of Justin Onvlee's international competition.

The Herald (online), By Helga van Staaden, 8 February 2004 – two gold international medals for Redhouse sailor

Notes

External links

*{{official website, http://www.ryc.co.za/ Yacht clubs in South Africa Marinas in South Africa Sailing in South Africa Sports clubs and teams established in 1904 Sport in the Eastern Cape 1904 establishments in South Africa