The Royal Victoria Yacht Club was founded at

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

, on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

and uniquely granted 'Royal' status immediately. In 1845 the club was granted a warrant to wear the Red Ensign of HM Fleet. From 1872 until 1898 the club held the warrant to wear the crown defaced Red Ensign. It currently holds the warrant for its defaced ensign. It is the second club of that name, succeeding a failed club on the Thames and preceding its

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

by nearly fifty years. It was once regarded as one of the premier yacht racing clubs of the world. In 1961, after two world wars and the decline in yacht racing as the preserve of the wealthy, the Royal Victoria amalgamated with two local dinghy sailing clubs and moved its base to Fishbourne on Wootton Creek, some west of Ryde where it remains. It is said that the club was formed by

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

to give

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

a yacht club which she was entitled to enter as a mere female. Prince Albert was clearly involved in the formation of the club as were local businessmen and active yachtsmen. The Prince had no reputation as a yachtsman. The first

royal yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

had been launched two years earlier, owned and managed by the Royal Navy. In the year that the RVYC was formed the Queen and Prince Albert had started to build their summer home on the Isle of Wight. They became the nearby RVYC's first patrons at its genesis. There is no record of Victoria having entered the club. Much later in Victoria's reign her relations with the club became strained and she withdrew her patronage. It was not until the AGM of 1869 that a proposal was passed to allow "...Ladies to have Club privileges afloat as Club members but not to make use of the Club House" to cater for the growing fashion amongst wealthy women cruising and racing in their own right. The town of Ryde was then developing into a fashionable resort and the sport of yacht racing was expanding from racing on the Thames under the auspices of the

Cumberland Fleet 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 club ...

to the Isle of Wight and the Solent. The Royal Yacht Squadron had developed an annual regatta at

Cowes Cowes () is an English 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 by the Cowes Floa ...

and the Royal Victoria went on to develop an annual regatta at Ryde to take place immediately after the Cowes regatta. This extended the developing Solent yacht racing season to two weeks. As the sport grew so this trend continued. The foundation of the Royal Albert Yacht Club at Southsea (1865) led to the extension of the racing season by a further week. Many of the members of the Royal Yacht Squadron became members also of the Royal Victoria. The club was sometimes referred to as the 'Red Squadron'.

Club House

On 2 March 1846, at Ryde, the ceremonial laying of the foundation-stone of the original clubhouse by H.M. Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort took place. RVYC, Ryde, 1909

References

{{reflist 1845 establishments in the United Kingdom Yacht clubs in England Sport on the Isle of Wight