Royal Malta Yacht Club
Encyclopedia
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
in the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
History
The date of the first establishment of the Royal Malta Yacht Club has not been ascertained, although there are rumours as to the existence of an obscure yacht club in Malta as far back as 1835. It is, however, on record that the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
issued a warrant authorising the use of the Blue Ensign
Blue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....
in 1873, (re-issued in 1894). By 1892 that club had reached its nadir
Nadir
The nadir is the direction pointing directly below a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of being below is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous...
and virtually ceased to exist.
Around 1896, a small group of gentlemen resident in Mata and owning as a syndicate a 30-ton cutter called the "RHODA", formed an association which was commonly known as the Rhoda Sailing Club At first, their interests were primarily in cruising, but later on, races were staged for sailing dinghies
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
and small local craft, which attracted other enthusiasts who were not members of the original syndicate. From these and others, a club known as the Mediterranean Skiff Club was formed in 1905 and the 14-Foot West of England Conference Dinghy adopted as its racing class.
The Mediterranean Skiff Club remained in existence until 1916 when it was wound up owing to the majority of its members being on active service.
In 1921 the club was reconstituted under the title of the Malta Yacht Club, presumably in ignorance of the Royal tradition it had inherited, and it was until 1928 that steps were taken to obtain official recognition of the prefix "Royal" - although for some years previously the Admiralty had adopted that form of address when communicating with the Club. In 1929, following a successful motorboat regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
, the Malta Motor Boat Club was formed. This led in 1930 to the two clubs amalgamating under the title of the senior body, with the declared policy of providing a common meeting ground for the Maltese and English sections of the community, and to this end, the building of premises suitable to the Clubs' activities.
The Club House at Hay Wharf (Floriana
Floriana
Floriana is a town in Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. Floriana is the birthplace of many famous Maltese, amongst which the composer of the national anthem, 'L-Innu Malti', Robert Samut; former Bishop of Malta Dom Mauro Caruana, the poet Oliver Friggieri, and Swedish Idol winner...
, Malta) was rebuilt on its former site. In 1952 Offshore races for 30 and 50 square metre yachts were introduced and races to various ports in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
were held regularly. In 1968 the first Middle Sea Race
Middle Sea Race
The Middle Sea Race is a yacht race organised by the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Currently sponsored by Rolex, its current name is the Rolex Middle Sea Race...
was sailed, and in 1987 was the start of the Rimini-Malta-Rimini race. In 1970 the club moved from Hay Wharf, Floriana, to Fort Manoel
Fort Manoel
Fort Manoel is a fortification on the island of Malta. It stands on Manoel Island in Marsamxett Harbour to the north west of Valletta and commands the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour and the anchorage of Sliema Creek...
, Manoel Island. Fort Manoel, completed in 1726 by the French military engineers De Tigne
Tigne Point
-History:During the Great Siege of 1565, the Turkish privateer and Ottoman admiral Dragut ar-Rais stationed a number of cannons at Tigné Point in a siege to capture Fort St Elmo from the Knights of Malta...
and François De Mondion , has a remarkably fine design and a most impressive gate, which is clearly visible from Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour, also referred as Marsamuscetto in many ancient documents, is the northern of Valletta's two natural harbours on the island of Malta, separated from the southern one by the Valletta peninsula. To the north it is bounded by Gżira and Sliema as far as Dragut Point and extends...
; originally the complex housed some 500 soldiers. The Fort also commands a superb view of Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
and the Harbour.
In 1975 the Club instigated the formation of the Malta Yachting Federation with a view to such body assuming the recognition, at the time accorded to the club by the Malta Government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
(National Sports Board), as the National Authority and controlling body for yachting in Malta.
The burgee and British defaced blue ensign both carry the traditional 'Tudor' crown in accordance with the Club's Rules; the crown is often inaccurately illustrated.