Sailing

The original ferry to the Isle of Wight is Red Funnel which has been in business since 1861. I can attest that there is nothing more gratifying than alighting in Cowes and stepping aboard the Royal Yacht Squadron tender to cross the short distance to Cowes Castle, the clubhouse of The Squadron.

I have been once for the fireworks during Cowes Week but several times out of season when we had the castle to ourselves. It has an old-fashioned country house atmosphere and every bedroom has a selection of PG Wodehouse books. It is a special place to stay and over the years my host organised bracing walks across and around the island and a visit to Osborne House. The RYS was founded in 1815 by 42 gentlemen interested in sea yachting; membership was restricted to those who owned a vessel not under 10 tons. Ladies have been admitted as full members since 2013. Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy was an early RN member and there was a strong connection between the navy and the club. Since 1829 members have been permitted to fly the White Ensign. As far as I was concerned it was, still is, mighty grand.

Yesterday I had to revise my opinion to include The Royal Thames Yacht Club. They have had their Knightsbridge clubhouse, opposite Harvey Nichols and looking over Hyde Park, for more than a hundred years although it has been rebuilt. The RTYC is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom, founded in 1775 so 250 years old this year and only eleven years younger than Brooks’s. The Patron of the club is King Charles III.

The club’s purpose is “to provide the members with outstanding yacht cruising, racing and social opportunities in the UK and internationally, building on the club’s unique heritage, central London facilities and close reciprocal relationships with other leading yacht clubs around the world” (RTYC). I can add that they also provide members with a delicious lunch. I had devilled kidneys on a toasted muffin, roast chicken and panna cotta.

Within the RTYC are two rooms belonging  to  the Royal Cruising Club, a relative upstart founded in 1880. If you are a vicarious cruiser and enjoy sailing without getting cold and wet, the searchable RCC Log Archive contains over 3,000 logs dating from 1883 to the current day. They span everything from  extreme expeditions to polar regions to more gentle creek crawling in home waters. I like the sound of creek crawling with a picnic lunch of the sort Ratty made for Mole: Cold Tongue, Cold Ham, Cold Beef, Pickled Gherkins, Salad, French Rolls, Potted Meat, Ginger Beer, Lemonade, and Soda Water.