 The
RVYC was founded on 24th May 1845 by Prince Albert to give Queen
Victoria a Yacht Club which she was entitled to enter as a mere
female!
The
original Club location was Ryde and for the Queen's reign it was one
of the premier racing clubs in the land and indeed the world.
Members owned some of the finest and most competitive vessels of the
time - we still have some half-models of these on display in our
clubhouse.
Between
the wars the fortunes of the Ryde based club declined and during the
1950s there was very little activity. Fortunately some farsighted
members sought a union between the RVYC and two dinghy clubs -
Fishbourne Sailing Club, and Wootton Creek Sailing Club.
In
the early 1960s the clubs relocated to our present position at the
mouth of Wootton Creek at Fishbourne approximately five miles east of
Cowes. Since then the club has flourished and activities include
fast, slow dinghies & Squib fleets, rallies & racing
for
cruisers, training for juniors & adults and many varied social
functions.
With the benefit of a
lottery grant the clubhouse
has been renovated in recent years to give improved changing
facilities and an excellent pontoon and landing stage with space for
visiting boats to moor overnight.
Photo:
HM
Queen Elizabeth II visiting the club, 1965
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