royal thames yacht club reciprocal

• ☰ Menu
• Wining and Dining
• Accommodation
• Book online

Reciprocal Clubs

• Cowes Classics Week
• The Royal London Collection

S anta Lucia quay, 13 Naples, 80132

Phone: +39 081 7646162 Website: www.ryccsavoia.it Email: [email protected]

Date of formation 1893

15 Point Pleasant Road, Hamilton, HM11, Bermuda

Phone: +1 (441) 295-2214 Email: [email protected] Website rbyc.bm

Date of formation 1844

Bath Road Lymington SO41 3SE +44 01590 672677 www . rlymyc.org.uk

36 Pall Mall

+44 (0)20 7930 9721

www.armynavyclub.co.uk

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg
• Apollo Bunder
• Mumbai 400 001
• +91 22 6752 7200
• www.rbyc.co.in

60 Knightbridge, London SW1X 7LF

www.royalthames.com

Date of formation: 1775

Rope Walk, Hamble, Hampshire, SO31 4HB

www.royal-southern.co.uk

Date of formation: 1837

Boulevard Clѐmenceau, Quai Eric Tabarly, 76600 Le Havre

www.lesregates.com

Date of formation: 1838

Westzeedijk 7, 1398 BB Muiden, Flevolaan 6, 1601 MA Enkhuizen

www.knzrv.nl

Date of formation: 1847

Australia II Drive, Crawley, Western Australia

www.rpyc.com.au

Date of formation: 1865

41, avenue Foch, 75116 Paris

ycf-club.fr

Date of formation: 1867

181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1011, New Zealand

www.rnzys.org.nz

Date of formation: 1871

314 Yacht Club Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771

www.seawanhaka.org

Greenbank Falmouth, TR11 2SP

www.royalcornwallyachtclub.org

Date of formation: 1872

253 Esplanade, Middle Brighton, Vic 3186, Australia

www.rbyc.org.au

Date of formation: 1875

Pier Road, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, 3182

www.rmys.com.au

Date of formation: 1876

1011 Anchorage Lane, San Diego, CA 92106

www.sdyc.org

Date of formation: 1886

Kellett Island, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

www.rhkyc.org.hk

Date of formation: 1890

1 New Beach Road, Darling Point NSW, 2027, Australia

www.cyca.com.au

Date of formation: 1944

18 Karagiorgi Servias str, 18533, Piraeus, Greece

16 St. James's Square, London, SW1Y

www.eastindiaclub.co.uk

Founded in the middle of the 19th century

Harbour Road, Dú n Laoghaire, Co.Dublin, Ireland

www.riyc.ie

Date of formation: 1831

700 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94123

www.stfyc.com

Date of formation: 1927

Ta' Xbiex Seafront XBX 1028 Ta' Xbiex Malta

[email protected]

www.rmyc.org

R.M.Y.C.S "ENCHANTRESS"

SANDBANKS POOLE ENGLAND BH13 7RE

TELEPHONE: 01202 707227

EMAIL: [email protected]

Molo Sartorio, 1 - 34123 Trieste, Italy

www.ycadriaco.it

How to Make a Reservation

Support the archive. Submit your records or donate here!

Feature contributor: The Royal Thames Yacht Club

April 6th, 2020

The Royal Thames Yacht Club

Sailing on the Thames in the 18th Century.

Founded in 1775, the Royal Thames Yacht Club was already 132 years old when the first Six Metre took to the water. The Club’s first recorded race was held on the Thames in July 1775 for a silver cup – the first Cumberland Cup – put up by the Duke of Cumberland, younger brother of King George III.  The competing boats were of a very different type to the modern racing yacht. It was not until the 1840s that racing on the open waters of the South coast and Solent began to be popular, the change made possible by the advent of steam trains. One might be forgiven for thinking that, having discovered the open sea, ocean racing was a natural progression but it was not until 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, that a race ‘the like of which had never been known in the annals of yacht racing’ was announced by the Royal Thames Yacht Club over a course of 1,520 nautical miles round the British Isles.

Despite being the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world and the first ‘Royal’ yacht club, this is probably not the image perceived by those in contact it. The Knightsbridge Clubhouse, arguably the most pleasant re-built London club, is a haven for yachtsmen and women who want a relaxing and exclusive land base in London. The membership also includes a vibrant Younger Members section and our trophy-winning Academy which aims to nurture and develop rising sailing talent.

The Royal Thames’ Britannia Bar is a relaxing area for members to meet.

Many of those using the Clubhouse are based overseas, being members of one of the 60 yacht clubs worldwide with whom we maintain reciprocal arrangements – equally useful for members when racing or cruising overseas. The Clubhouse has two bars, reading and meeting rooms, an excellent restaurant, private dining rooms and cabins for members staying in London. The meeting and dining rooms are also available to non-members as venue for conferences, meetings, dinners and even balls.

The club’s fleet of J/70s racing at Cowes.

The Club’s calendar has nigh on a hundred cruising and racing events at home and each year, providing ample opportunities for those without yachts to get on the water and likewise, equal opportunities for owners seeking crew. Our fleet of J/80 sports boats at Queen Mary Reservoir, Datchet and a further fleet of J/70s, based in Cowes allow for high level club racing. Both fleets are also available for charter. The Club welcomes new members who are involved in yachting and for more information see www.royalthames.com .

Involvement with the Six Metre Class

Despite the Club’s involvement in the formation of the Metre Rule in 1906, no evidence has yet come to light of ownership by members of very early Six Metres. The Club was always involved in The British American Cup, however, which was sailed in Sixes from the first race in 1921 until 1955. The Thames was heavily involved in re-establishing the Cup after The Great War and now is solely responsible, from the British side, for its continuance. We are pleased to report that we won it in 2019 (the latest contest at time of writing) although it was sailed in J70s.

The club’s collection of Six Metres.

Amongst our prized and extensive collection of half-hull models, there is a special area for Metre yachts and an individual board for some of the Six Metres owned by Club members. The boats shown, from top to bottom, are Zenith (1924), Lalage (1928), Circe (1937), Johan (1939), Royal Thames (1955), Scoundrel (1986) and Battlecry (1989). Curiously Bunty and Cremona , although winning the One Ton Cup in 1912 and 1913 respectively, are omitted as was Erica , being too recent to make the board.

Royal Thames (K77) and Marylette (K76) racing on the Solent in 1958.

As a club, our greatest involvement with the class was, unsurprisingly, with Royal Thames. In 1955 a syndicate of Club members paid to have a Six Metre built in order to participate in the truly international racing offered by the class. The first target was the British American Cup held in that year. Sadly the challenge was unsuccessful, her elegant cotton sails being no match for the American synthetic versions. Nonetheless, with 20 guns out of 33 starts, she made her mark. It was in 1958 when she really triumphed, winning the One Ton Cup, helmed by Col ‘Stug’ Perry, and taking 6 line-honours in Cowes Week, helmed by Michael Cream, amongst other successes. That apart, the Club premises have been a regular venue through the ages for planning both national and international event for the class.

The Club’s treasures

The 1914 Clyde Six Metre cup is on display in the clubhouse.

The Royal Thames is lucky enough to have several of the ‘Cumberland Cups’ dating to the 18th century amongst its extensive collection of trophies. This includes a number of trophies originally competed for by the Class including the Clyde Six Metre Points Cup and the original British American cup from 1921. A further connection is the Nelson Trophy which was donated to the International Six Metre Association by Don Wood of the Royal Thames Yacht Club. The trophy is awarded at the International Six Metre World and European Championships to the highest placed boat constructed and certificated between 1966 and 1979.

Amongst the Club’s oldest possessions are a set of flags consisting of an ensign, pennant and house flag, dating from the late 18th century. Of a slightly later vintage is a telescope reputedly once belonging to Admiral Lord Nelson.

The Club’s 18th century ensign, pennant and house flag are among the oldest objects in the collection.

The Club’s collection of yacht models is extensive, going far beyond the models of the Metre classes mentioned earlier. The half-model collection housed in the Model Room is one of the most comprehensive in the world, tracing the history of yacht design from the mid-19th century to the present day. Elsewhere around the Clubhouse are models from the days of the Cumberland Fleet, warships from the days of sail, steam yachts from the Edwardian era and famous club boats up the modern age.

We are extremely fortunate to have an extensive collection of marine paintings, lithographs and prints, many of which have an interesting history attached to them or their subject matter. Over the Club’s 245 year life a vast amount of paperwork has amassed, and providentially, successive Secretaries have preserved the core of it. We now have two archivists discovering hidden treasures on a regular basis. Amongst these are some superb photographs stretching back nearly 150 years.

We are proud of our club’s significant heritage collections, which are displayed throughout the Clubhouse for all members and visitors to enjoy. The collections not only enhance our members’ experience but also are an inherent part of the character of our historic organisation. We are delighted to able to share a small portion of our collections with a wider audience through our partnership with the Six Metre archive, giving a small insight into the archives and collections we care for. For more information about the Royal Thames Yacht Club’s heritage collections please contact the club through the website or at [email protected] . You can see the Club’s Six Metre archives here .

Andrew Collins, Head of Heritage, Royal Thames Yacht Club

Posted in Featured contributor by Jenny Wittamore on April 6th, 2020. Tags: collection , contributor , royal thames

Subscribe to comments You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We need your support

Support our project and submit your records or make a donation to the International Six Metre Archive.

Latest News

• 2023 World Championships Certificates Published
• The ISMA Six Metre World Championships 2023 & The Archive
• French fancies
• The start of a Six - part 6

Sign up for the Newsletter

• Boat Profiles
• Archive Documents
• Race Results
• Certificates
• Six Metre Stories
• About the project
• About the Six Metres
• Get involved
• FAQ’s

Search the website...

Communications

General info, club racing, off the beach, rolex sydney to hobart yacht race, marina newsletter, marina facilities, membership options, how to apply, reciprocal clubs, member benefits scheme, ryct by-laws and constitution, members portal login, functions & events, motor boat licence, marine radio.

FIND BELOW A LIST OF OUR RECIPROCAL CLUBS

Royal Perth Yacht Club Australia II Drive Crawley, WA Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club 1 Hobbs Pl Peppermint Grove, WA

Fremantle Sailing Club 151 Marine Terrace Fremantle, WA

Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club 95 Hannell Street Wickham, NSW

The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club 16 Mitala St Newport, NSW

The American Club Sydney 14/131 Macquarie St Sydney, NSW

Royal Motor Yacht Club of NSW 21 Wunulla Rd Point Piper, NSW

Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club 160 Wolseley Road Point Piper, NSW Cruising Yacht Club of Australia New Beach Road Darling Point, NSW

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron 33 Peel St Kirribilli, NSW

Southport Yacht Club 1 Macarthur Parade Main Beach, QLD

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron 578 Royal Esplanade Manly, QLD

Mooloolaba Yacht Club Shop G23, The Wharf 123 Parkyn Parade Mooloolaba, QLD Canberra Yacht Club 1 Mariner Pl Yarralumla, ACT

Royal Yacht Club of Victori a 120 Nelson Pl Williamstown, VIC

Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Pier Rd St Kilda, VIC

Royal Brighton Yacht Club 253 Esplanade Middle Brighton, VIC

Sandringham Yacht Club Jetty Rd Sandringham, VIC

Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron 161 Oliver Rogers Rd Outer Harbor, SA Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia PO Box 1020 North Haven, SA

Darwin Sailing Club Atkins Dr Fannie Bay NT

Burnie Yacht Club The Esplanade South Burnie, TAS

Tamar Yacht Club 7 Park Street Launceston, TAS

Port Dalrymple Yacht Club Beauty Point, TAS

Midway Point Yacht Club 40 Brady St Midway Point, TAS

Kingston Beach Sailing Club Mount Royal Rd Kingston Beach, TAS

Kettering Yacht Club 81 Ferry Road Kettering, TAS

Cruising Yacht Club of Tasmania PO Box 605 Sandy Bay, TAS

Bellerive Yacht Club 64 Cambridge Rd Bellerive, TAS

Old Chegdu Club 28 Wuyuegong Street Wen Shu Fang, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Chang An Club 10 Dong Chang An Avenue Beijing, China

Kobe Club 15-1 Kitano Cho 4 Chome Chui-Ku, Kobe, Japan

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Kellet Island Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Royal Bombay Yacht Club opp. Gateway of India, Near Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbia, India

Republic of Singapore Yacht Clu b 249 J1n Buroh Singapore

California Yacht Club 4469 Admiralty Way Marina De Ray, California, USA

Los Angeles Yacht Club 500 Barracuda Street Terminal Island, California, USA

Newport Harbor Yacht Club 720 West Bay Ave Newport Beach, California

San Diego Yacht Club 1011 Anchorage Lane San Diego, California USA

Seattle Yacht Club 1807 East Hamlin Street Seattle, Washington, USA

St Francis Yacht Club Yacht Harbor San Francisco, California USA

Royal Victoria Yacht Club 3475 Ripon Road Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Royal Canadian Yacht Club 141 St. George Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Royal Vancouver Yacht Club 3811 Point Grey Road Vancouver, Canada

Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron 376 Purcell’s Cove Road Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Naval Club 38 Hill Street London, UK

Royal Thames Yacht Club 60 Knightsbridge London, UK

Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club Royal Plain Lowestoft, UK

The Royal Scot Club 30 Abercromby Place Edinburugh, Scotland

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron 101 Curran Street New Zealand

Royal Papua New Guinea Yacht Club Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

Royal Varuna Yacht Club 286 Moo 12 Phatumnak Road Chonburi, Thailand

Reciprocal Clubs

National & international, the royal western yacht club has reciprocal arrangements with the following clubs.

Bath and County Club

Real Club Nautico de San Sebastian

Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham

Royal Cornwall Yacht Club

Royal Dart Yacht Club

Royal Dorset Yacht Club

Royal Fowey Yacht Club

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Royal Lymington Yacht Club

Royal Motor Yacht Club, Poole

Royal Navy and Royal Albert Yacht Club, Portsmouth

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club

Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club

Royal Solent Yacht Club

Royal Southern Yacht Club

Royal Thames Yacht Club

Royal Torbay Yacht Club

Royal Ulster Yacht Club

Royal Victoria Yacht Club

South Western Yacht Club San Diego

The Hampshire Club, Winchester

The Leander Club, Henley

The Newport Yacht Club, Rhode Island

Yacht Club de Monaco

The In & Out (Naval and Military Club)

The Royal Cape Yacht Club

The Club does not have reciprocal arrangements with the Royal Ocean Racing Club who have not such arrangements with other Clubs. However, temporary membership can be arranged, upon application to the Secretary RORC, for our members when visiting London.

Reciprocal Membership

Become a member of rcyc and enjoy fourteen days of reciprocal membership (in any one year) at the following clubs;, reciprocal membership uk clubs, reciprocal membership non-uk clubs.

With its ideal waterfront location and superb harbour, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is widely recognized as one of the premier yachting clubs. It operates year-round facilities including the marina, guest rooms, meeting and dinning rooms and a full-service restaurant and bar. The Club is happy to welcome all to consider Membership. It's a family friendly place, with a very active RYA Training Centre for sailing and powerboating. The Membership enjoys regular lunch and weekly dinners along with special events and holiday activities.

Membership Information

• Established in 1844 and is the third oldest club holding a Royal Warrant outside the British Isles.  RBYC is under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen.
• The best waterfront location in the heart of Hamilton.  Well known and respected reputation and is a wonderful place to socialize in a warm, friendly and safe atmosphere, with an array of social opportunities throughout the year.
• Exclusive access to dining times at the Club for Members, their guests and reciprocity members.
• Membership in the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club connects you to fellow members in key industries such as insurance, shipping, reinsurance, finance, banking, sailing, oceanography and sport fishing.
• Reciprocal arrangements with other Royal Yacht Clubs as well as most yacht clubs around the world.
• Member of International Council of Yacht Clubs
• Active Saturday fleet racing programme with qualified Race Management.
• RYA certified Sailing Academy, with year-round opportunities to sail/learn to sail for both adults and children, organized by resident Director of Sailing. Adult members receive considerable discounts on all Sailing Academy classes for themselves and family.
• Connection of members’ children to a social hub creating great camaraderie. Youth membership available for children participating in the Sailing Academy.
• Significant Membership savings on Boating Classes.
• RYA Powerboat certification classes, with resulting discounts for boat insurance with local insurer and internationally recognized license.
• Host of major International events including Newport Bermuda Race, Bermuda Gold Cup, 505 Worlds, RC 44 and other regattas.
• Excellent food created by resident Executive kitchen staff at reasonable prices.
• Members can host functions at the Club at reduced rates in a selection of private rooms or public spaces using in-house catering.
• Provisioning from Club bar/restaurants and availability of Club staff for boat trips or home entertainment.
• Ability for your guests to stay at the Club and use the facilities with a Guest membership.
• Utilization of Club dinghies and boats.
• Convenient for boaters to load/off load and a day dock to utilise while dining at the Club.
• A 122 berth marina, with access to electrical and water.  Berths are available to Full Members on a one or five year licence.
• Members only merchandise (Full Members) including ability to Club burgee and apply to fly the defaced ensign (RBYC Flag).
• attend and vote at any Annual or Special General Meeting or to vote by ballot;
• propose any individual for membership;
• claim any share of the property of the Club should it be dissolved;
• serve on any sub-committee;
• wear Club Colours;
• fly Club flags;
• licence, or occupy a berth in the marina.
• a)    hold an office in the Club; b)    serve on the Board of Governors; c)    serve on any Standing Committee; and d)    requisition a Special General Meeting.

RBYC   Members enjoy reciprocity at British Commonwealth Royal Clubs around the world, including:  

• Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Ontario, Canada 
• Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Perth, Australia 
• Royal Lymington Yacht Club, Lymington, UK 
• Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, New Zealand 
• Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, Nova Scotia, Canada 
• Royal Perth Yacht Club, Australia 
• Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Australia 
• Royal Thames Yacht Club, London, UK  
• Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, UK 

The Club has also cultivated strong relationships with many other yacht clubs, such as the New York Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America through the world-renowned Newport Bermuda Race.  A full list of our reciprocal relationships may be found here.   We kindly request members of reciprocal clubs provide a letter of introduction from your Club, and our Members should request the same.  For further information, please contact the Assistant Club Secretary

Useful Links

Full Membership Application

Affiliate Application

Membership Fees

Membership Rules

Club House Rules

Membership Committee Chair

Jennifer burland adams, vice commodore.

Jennifer joined the Executive Team in January 2021 having previously been part of Membership and House Committees. Professionally she works with the Third Sector. Jennifer was Rear Commodore, Sailing for three years, ending in December 2023. As of January 2024 she is the Vice Commodore of the Club. The Vice Commodore chairs the Membership Committee and supports the Commodore.