Manila Yacht Club
Encyclopedia
 MYC |
|
| Founded | 1927 |
|---|---|
| Clubhouse | 2351 Roxas Boulevard, Manila Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,... . |
| Country | Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and located in Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
. The club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Asia.
The club is located in one of the major yachting hubs of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, the Philippines, consisting of over 7,100 Islands.
The club organizes numerous competitions internationally and regionally. It also co-organizes events. Its members frequently join major international as well as Philippine yacht racing events. This list includes the China Sea Race, begun by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is a Hong Kong sports club for sailing and rowing.Founded as Hong Kong Corinthian Sailing Club in 1890 and became the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in 1894....
in 1962. The other Asian regattas that MYC sailors join include the King's Cup
King's Cup
The King's Cup is an international football competition held in Thailand. It has been played annually since 1968, with the exception of 1983, 1985 and 2008. In some years, the competition has featured club or invitational teams as well as international sides....
of Thailand and Rajah Muda of Singapore.
The MYC also participates in annual "Presidents Cup Regatta", a major Philippine sailing event that spans the entire country. The Current Presidents Cup will be held in Boracay
Boracay
Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards numerous times. Boracay was awarded in the "Travelers' Choice...
.
History
Through the efforts and the passion of sailing, five devoted yachtsmen, James C. Rockwell, Joseph A. Thomas, Aubrey P. Ames, Stewart E. Tait, A.S. Heyward, the first by-laws of the Club were signed on January 20, 1927. The Club was established to encourage and develop boating throughout the country, The club also strived to teach fair play, and to teach people about yachting, camaraderie and good sportsmanship.With a rich history of over 75 years, there is no doubt that the Club also went through a lot of rough sailing in the past. The pleasure of sailing was stopped in December 1941 when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began. The Americans confiscated the boats docked at the MYC basin for fear that the Japanese soldiers might use them to launch an attack on Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
. The boats were sunk and others were set on fire. Sailing then came to a complete halt from 1941-1945 when the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth troops arrived to liberate Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The US Army occupied the Club and in March 1947, MYC was able to secure the property where it stands today. Women also started to become members of the Club during that time.
The Club began to join some international sailing competitions in the 1960s. The Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
was the first Asian country to participate in the Olympics yachting events. Also during that time, eighty percent of club membership was composed of Americans and other expatriates.
In the 1970s, expat membership declined and they began to leave the country due to the dictatorship of the Martial Law years. Membership picked up again during the mid-1980s until the early 1990s. But sailing went down in 1995 because of the Asian Economic Crisis.
Since the Philippines is considered to be prone to typhoons and devastating storms, the boat owners had problems in maintenance and safety of their yachts. The solution came about in 1998 when the height of the seawall was increased to protect the boats anchored at the basin of the Manila Yacht Club. The following year, another major project materialized with the launching of the floating berths which serves as a place of protection for the boats in the basin. From then on, maintenance and accessibility became easier.
In 1998, the Club became a proprietary corporation when members became shareholders. A member can sell his share or pass it on to his heirs.
The Manila Yacht Club is also affiliated with the Philippine Sailing Association and aims to race competitively in local and international sailing events.