The Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) ( th, สมาคมสโมสรราชวรุณในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์) is a

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 ...

near

Pattaya Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...

, a popular tourist destination in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. This club is named after

Varuna Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...

(

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ), the

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

divinity that rules the oceans.

History

The history of RVYC is the history of yacht-racing, sailing, and cruising in Thailand. One of RVYC's co-founders, Prince Bhisatej Rajani, could be regarded as the godfather of sailing in Thailand. His contributions go well beyond the founding of RVYC, for it was he who introduced the king to dinghy sailing. Prince Bhisatej was one of ten persons who answered Walter Meyer's advertisement in the ''Bangkok Post'' in April, 1957, seeking boating friends to form a boating club. An Australian, an Italian, two Swiss, and a Thai met at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant in Bangkok. By the end of that lunch, Prince Bhisatej, Sid Watkins, Robert (Rachiman) Gintzburger, Roberto Maestrini, and Walter Meyer launched the Varuna Marine Club, with the aim of promoting all water sports, including power-boating, water-skiing, scuba diving, sailing, cruising, and yacht-racing. The Varuna Marine Club was officially opened on the weekend of 15–16 February 1958. The RVYC was established in 1957 as the Varuna Marine Club. Prince Bhisadej was in charge of the sailing programme and

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

resident Walter Meyer was the first flag commodore. The club was bestowed royal patronage (ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์) by the

King of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...

on April 26, 1965, becoming the "Royal Varuna Yacht Club". The Royal Varuna is a well-equipped sailing club outside Pattaya town on a secluded public beach limited by rocky cliffs on one side. The club's facilities include boat storage, boat repair, parking, a beach bar and a swimming pool. It also rents accommodation with rooms of varying standard. The club's new premises formally opened in 2003. Its main feature is a wide reception area, the "Club House", where most socializing and official business takes place. There is a restaurant, cafeteria, and bar in the facility. Next to the Club House is a "Kid's Club" for children. The second floor of the Club House has offices and a television room.

Royal patronage

In March 1965, the Varuna Marine Club membership was invited to the king's own newly established Royal Chitralada Yacht Squadron at the

Klai Kangwon Palace Klai Kangwon Palace ( th, วังไกลกังวล, lit=far from worry; ) was the primary summer royal residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) of Thailand. It is in Hua Hin District in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Commissioned by ...

Hua Hin Hua Hin ( th, หัวหิน, ) is one of eight districts (''amphoe'') of Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its seat of government, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district ...

. After the races, Prince Bhisatej announced that the king had extended royal patronage to the Varuna Marine Club. A month later, on 26 April 1965, the Varuna Marine Club become the Royal Varuna Yacht Club. On 14 September 1968, the king, accompanied by the queen, the crown prince, and princesses, officially inaugurated the Royal Varuna Yacht Club.

Activities

Royal Varuna is an internationally recognized yacht club that regularly organizes sailing events.

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 wate ...

s occur most weekends and there are annual competitions that include competitors from other parts of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. It is a member of the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT). It is a principal sponsor of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta. It is possible to rent boats at the RVYC, and instructional courses in Optimist and

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 ...

are available at the club, especially during school holidays.

References

External links

Official website: Royal Varuna Yacht Club
{{coord, 12, 54, 45, N, 100, 51, 45, E, display=title, region:TH_type:landmark_source:GNS-enwiki Royal yacht clubs

Yacht clubs in Asia Sport in Thailand Sports clubs established in 1957 1957 establishments in Thailand

History

Royal patronage

Activities

References

Further reading

External links