Yacht club - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A yacht club is a sports club

Club

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...

specifically related to sailing

Sailing

Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

and yachting

Yachting

Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...

Description

Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

or river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

side locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

or a delimited section of the beach or shoreline with buoy

Buoy

A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...

s marking the areas off-limits for swimmers as well as safe offshore anchorages. On shore they also include a perimeter reserved for the exclusive use of the members of the club as well as a clubhouse with attached bar, café

Café

A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

or restaurant where members socialize in a pleasant and informal setting.

Although the terms Yacht Club and Sailing Club tend to be synonymous, some general differences regarding the recreational use of boats

Boating

Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...

can be broadly outlined. Historically a Yacht Club tended to focus on a membership composed of yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

owners. This type of club often was extremely exclusive, attracting the aristocracy or the high class and leaving small boat owners out of the circle. On the other hand, a Sailing Club tended to focus on a membership composed of owners of smaller boats such as 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,...

. These became very popular towards the end of the 19th century when small boats began to be produced on an industrial scale.

Yacht clubs are often known by their acronym

Acronym and initialism

Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...

(e.g. New York Yacht Club

New York Yacht Club

The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...

abbreviated to NYYC and Kamini Yacht Club

Kamini Yacht Club

The Kamini Yacht Club is a yacht club based on the island of Hydra in Greece. The club is commonly known by the acronym KYC.Its principal clubhouse is situated in Kamini port, with secondary clubhouses in London and Cornwall for overseas members...

abbreviated to KYC). Many well known yacht clubs, including the Yacht Club de France and the Royal Yacht Squadron, have been established under royal patronage or have been granted the title at some point in their history.

Organized and run by the membership, Yacht Clubs became a place to promote the sport of sailboat racing and cruising

Cruising (maritime)

Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...

, as well as provide a meeting place for the particular social community. The membership is a mixture of people with specific recreational affinities. Generally, the members include those who sail as crew for cruising or racing, as well as boat owners. Also it is up to the members decide on the objectives of the club to satisfy the membership and to attract other like-minded individuals. For example, some clubs include owners of powerboat

Powerboat

A powerboat is another name for a motorboat. Powerboat may also refer to:* Powerboating* F1 Powerboat World Championship* Offshore powerboat racing...

s, while others specifically exclude them. In order to overcome difficulties concerning the affinities of their members one particular club may have two sections, a sailing section and a powerboat section.

Members Clubs often have paid staff for catering, bar duty, boat yard duty, accounts, office etc. Control and organization of the club is done for the membership via members elected by the membership into roles such as Sailing Secretary, Commodore, Cruising Captain, Racing Captain etc. Smaller clubs typically have a condition of membership which requires active participation of the membership in activities such as maintenance of club facilities and equipment.

Unlike the classical clubs where the membership is the focus, certain clubs are run on a commercial basis. They may be owned by individuals or a company to provide a service and generate a profit. Often they are associated with a particular marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

or port

Port

A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

. Objectives are usually very similar to members clubs but the social side maybe more dominant.

Traditions

There is a long historical tradition

Tradition

A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...

behind yacht clubs. According to the date of establishment, the Neva Yacht Club

Neva Yacht Club

The Neva Yacht Club, is a sailing club located in Saint Petersburg, close to the Neva River, originally founded in 1718...

, founded in 1718 in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, is the oldest yacht club. However, since this Russian Yacht Club was established by a decree of Tsar

Tsar

Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...

Peter the Great, it does not fully qualify as a proper club

Club

in the modern sense, understood as a voluntary association of members who organize and run the club. Therefore, the Royal Cork Yacht Club

Royal Cork Yacht Club

The Royal Cork Yacht Club is the world's oldest founded in 1720, although this record is challenged by the Neva Yacht Club.- Formation and claim to be the world's first yacht club :...

founded in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

in 1720 is also widely acknowledged as the oldest yacht club in the world, despite having gone through periods of dormancy and undergone name changes in its long history, much in the same manner as the Neva Yacht Club. It was only in 1846 that the first yacht club in Russia to adopt British-style Members Club regulations was established. Using this Western understanding of what a club or society is, the Royal Swedish Yacht Club

Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet

Royal Swedish Yacht Club, KSSS , is the largest and oldest yacht club in Sweden and one of the five oldest in the world, formed May 15, 1830...

, KSSS, founded 1830, becomes the oldest European yacht club outside Britain, and the fifth oldest in the world.

A number of the world's most renowned Yacht Clubs are located in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The first yacht club in North America was the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron

Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron

The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron is a yacht club located on the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Primarily a sailing club, the RNSYS also offers instructional programs and on water activities for all ages....

, located on the Northwest Arm

Northwest Arm

The Northwest Arm, originally named Sandwich River, is an inlet in eastern Canada off the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.-Geography:...

in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

established in July 1837.

Racing and sailing activities

Most clubs, regardless of the size of their craft, have a well defined racing program. Clubs may host regattas ranging from informal local events to national championships. Often clubs have a regular weekday evening racing schedule or a weekend racing schedule organized by the membership. Many yacht clubs field teams to compete against other clubs in team racing

Team racing

Team racing, also known as teams racing, is a popular form of yacht racing. As opposed to fleet racing where boats are scored on an individual basis, in team racing teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together. As in fleet racing the low point scoring system is used. A boat is awarded...

. There are also some specific boat models and lengths which have their own club. These boat ownership clubs often hold single design races for their members; the Islander 36

Islander 36

The Islander 36 sloop is an inboard-powered, family cruiser and weekend racer with berths for six.The I-36 as she is commonly referred to, was a mid-volume production, California-built, fiberglass-reinforced vessel with an early 1970s to 1984 manufacturing run of about 650 vessels...

association is such a club. With the growth of sailing at secondary schools and universities many yacht clubs host Interscholastic Sailing Association or Intercollegiate Sailing Association

Intercollegiate Sailing Association

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association is a volunteer organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada.-History:...

regattas. Additionally, a number of yacht clubs enter into agreements with schools to provide dock space and practice facilities for the school teams year-round.

Clubs with active adult sailing programs most often feature junior sailing programs as well. Most often these programs enroll children from ages 8 to 16. Children most often learn to sail in the optimist (dinghy)

Optimist (dinghy)

The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15. Nowadays boats are usually made of fiber reinforced plastic, although wooden boats are still built....

and then progress to a larger single handed dinghy such as starling or laser dinghy or two handed such as 420 (dinghy)

420 (dinghy)

The International 420 Class Dinghy is a double-handed monohull planing dinghy with centreboard, bermuda rig and centre sheeting. The name describes the overall length of the boat in centimetres . The hull is fibreglass with internal buoyancy tanks. The 420 is equipped with spinnaker and optional...

. These junior sailing programs often also teach children rowing

Watercraft rowing

Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...

, kayaking

Kayaking

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...

, general seamanship

Seamanship

Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat.It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including: navigation and international maritime law; weather, meteorology and forecasting; watchstanding; ship-handling and small boat handling; operation of deck...

and navigation

Navigation

Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...

. Children are also taught how to race competitively from an early age and most clubs host junior sailing regattas each season.

Yacht club burgee

Members belonging to a yacht club or sailing organization may fly their club's unique flag (usually triangular), called a burgee
Burgee
A burgee is a distinguishing flag, regardless of its shape, of a recreational boating organization.-Etiquette:Yacht clubs and their members may fly their club's burgee while underway and at anchor, day or night, but not while racing. Sailing vessels may fly the burgee from the main masthead or from...

, both while under way and at anchor (however, not while racing). Traditionally, the burgee was flown from the main masthead, however it may also be flown from a small pole on the bow pulpit, or even the starboard rigging beneath the lowest starboard spreader on a flag halyard. Some traditional clubs have also been granted the right to fly a special yacht ensign at the stern.

At traditional clubs the burgee and the ensign is hoisted at 0800 hours each morning and lowered each evening at sunset. This ceremony is called colours. Traditionally, the first time a member of one club visits another, there is an exchange of burgees. Exchanged burgees are often displayed on the premises of Clubs, such as at their clubhouse or bar.

Organization

Yacht clubs are organized like any other club or organisation with committees, chairman, directors, etc. Due to the connection with the sea and hence the navy, the various posts use naval terminology. For example the chairman/CEO is the Commodore. Usually, under the Commodore there are also the Vice Commodore (in charge of land-based activities) and the Rear Commodore (in charge of water-based activities); for clubs in the United States they might in turn be assisted by the Port Captain and the Fleet Captain respectively. In a few clubs in the United Kingdom the Admiral, which is one rank above the Commodore, is the senior officer. Each of these ranks has specific responsibilities to ensure the smooth running of the club. Additionally, yacht clubs often have dress codes and many mandate a coat and tie while inside.

Use of the term "yacht club"

The traditions and prestige normally associated with yacht clubs have to some extent been subverted or appropriated unofficially by groups and businesses calling themselves "yacht clubs". For example the "Gowanus Yacht Club" is a beer garden in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, NY, the "Samui Yacht Club" is a beach resort in Ko Samui

Ko Samui

Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province , or often, simply Samui as it is referred to by locals, is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's second largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2 and a population of over...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

and "The Eagle Rock Yacht Club" is a non-profit dodgeball league in Glassell Park, Los Angeles. These so-called "yacht clubs" don't necessarily involve sailing on the private yachts of their members as their main purpose or activity, but often outwardly maintain a nautical or water-oriented theme.

Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

"Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club" was a tongue-in-cheek nickname for the United States Seventh Fleet during the Vietnam War. All through the war in Vietnam, the Seventh Fleet engaged in combat operations against enemy forces through attack carrier air strikes, naval gunfire support, amphibious operations,...

was the unofficial name for the United States Seventh Fleet

United States Seventh Fleet

The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...

during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

. In this case the term "yacht club" was appropriated with humorous intentions

Military humor

Military humor is humor based on stereotypes of military life. Military humor portrays a wide range of characters and situations in the armed forces...