The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is a yacht club

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...

 located in North Sydney

North Sydney, New South Wales

North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 in the suburb of Kirribilli.
The squadron was originally founded in 1862. It has occupied its grounds in East Kirribilli, near Kirribilli House

Kirribilli House

Kirribilli House is the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister. The house is located at the far eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue in the harbourside suburb of Kirribilli...

 since 1902.

History

The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron was founded when nineteen yachtsmen met in the office of The Hon William Walker MLC on 8 July 1862, to found a yacht club to be designated 'The Australian Yacht Club'. An application was made for a Royal Warrant and the Patronage of the Prince of Wales. On 27 June 1863 the Commodore, the Hon William Walker MLC, received a letter from the Colonial Secretary's Office notifying him of the Prince of Wales' willingness to become Patron of the 'Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron'. This letter also issued an Admiralty Warrant authorising the use of the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet. The present Patron is HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

It was not until 1902 that The Squadron was able to lease a property at Wudyong Point on the eastern side of Kirribilli, with a stone cottage, a landing stage and a slipway. The site was formally occupied on 24 January 1903. The whale's jawbones, forming an archway over the pathway, originally came from a whaling station at Twofold Bay. The flagstaff was salvaged from the collier BELLAMBI and presented by F G W Waley Esq.

The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is one of the main members of the International Council of Yacht Clubs

International Council of Yacht Clubs

The International Council of Yacht Clubs is an international organization that operates at the level of Commodores of yacht clubs through a Commodores’ Forum....

.

Purpose

The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is a private Member Sailing Club. The Squadron grounds, facilities and services are provided for the enjoyment and utilization of Members and invited guests in their company. The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is not open to the general public.

The Squadron's main objective is to promote sailing as a sport.

Youth Sailing

The Squadron’s Youth Sailing program commenced in 1960. The aims of the program are, broadly stated, to foster and promote sailing and to provide young men and women with social skills, confidence, values and friends that will place them in goods stead to approach the challenges of life.

The youth program uses the Laser 4.7

Laser 4.7

The Laser 4.7 is a one-design dinghy class in the Laser series and is a one-design class of sailboat. All Lasers are built to the same specifications. The Laser is 4.06 m long, with a waterline length of 3.81 m . The hull weight is 59 kg...

, Radial

Laser Radial

The Laser Radial is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy, originally built by Laser Performance. It is a singlehanded boat, meaning that it is sailed by one person. The Laser Radial is a variant of the Laser Standard, with shorter mast and reduced sail area, allowing light sailors to...

 and Standard

Laser (dinghy)

The International Laser Class sailboat, also called Laser Standard and the Laser One is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. According the Laser Class Rules the boat may be sailed by either one or two people, though it is rarely sailed by two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasizes...

Classes of boats.