Royal Hamilton Yacht Club

The Royal Hamilton Yacht Club (RHYC) is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the west end of Lake Ontario, and has been in existence since 1888. When the yacht club first opened, it was located at the foot of James Street North and then later moved to the foot of Bay Street. Since its founding in 1888, RHYC has promoted local and international yacht racing.

The original Letters Patent, dated May 30, 1891, identifies the purpose of the Club's founding:

"To establish and maintain a Club as a Corporation having for its objects the encouragement of Yacht building and Yacht sailing and racing on Ontario waters by the name of "The Royal Hamilton Yacht Club" the said club have been permitted by Us to assume the Style of 'Royal'..." [Penny, Harry L. (1988). "One Hundred Years and Still Sailing: a History of Hamilton Yachts, Yachtsmen and Yachting, 1888 to 1988." Hamilton: D.G. Seldon Printing, p. 5.]

The unique climatic, geographic, and hydrographic qualities provided by Burlington Bay give The Club one of the longest sailing seasons in central Canada. The club has won several Ontario Sailing Association awards in recent years, including Regatta of the Year (2002, 2007) and several Youth Performance Ranking Trophies.Ontario Sailing Association. [http://www.sailon.org/About_Us/Awards/index.php Annual Awards] . Retrieved on: May 11, 2008.]

History

In 2008, RHYC celebrates the 120th anniversary of its founding, the 50th anniversary of its Youth Sailing program, and the 30th anniversary of RHYC yacht Evergreen's victory in the Canada Cup.

In 1924, RHYC's Norman Robertson earned the right to represent Canada and he became this country's first Olympic sailor when he competed at the Paris Olympiad that year. [Penny, pp. 28, 29.] [Canadian Yachting Association. [http://www.sailing.ca/cst/history/index.asp Sailing Team History] . Retrieved on: May 11, 2008.] In the years since, RHYC has been home to champions at the local, national, and international levels.

Many of the young sailors who have represented Canada in international competition have been members of, or trained by, the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club. For nearly half a century, RHYC's Youth Sailing Program, and, more recently, its Graduate Program, have helped these young men and women develop the skills and attitudes they need to excel in international competition. The success of these is due largely to the work of dedicated volunteers from the RHYC sailing community. Recent awards won by young Hamilton sailors include the E. Aileen Clarke Youth Performance Ranking Trophy awarded to the highest-ranking Club in the 13 and Under Provincial Youth Regatta Series (2005, 2001), and the Unistrut Central Youth Performance Ranking Trophy for winning the 16 and under series in 1998.

The Club has also figured prominently in international match racing. In 1978, RHYC's Don Green and his crew took Evergreen to the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit to recapture the Canada's Cup for Canada. [Penny, pp. 77-95.] Evergreen's feats are commemorated in The Club's Evergreen lounge. RHYC sailors defended the cup successfully in 1981 [Penny, pp. 103-106.] and 1984. [Penny, p. 113.]

Historical highlights

* 1895: Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA)
* 1924: RHYC member Norm Robertson competes as Canada's first Olympic sailor
* 1930: Sailing venue for the first British Empire Games
* 1978: Don Green (Evergreen) recaptures the Canada's Cup from the the Bayview Yacht Club
* 1981, 1984: RHYC sailors successfully defend the Canada's Cup
* 2002: RHYC hosts the International Europe Class World Championships, a qualifier for the 2004 Athens Olympics
* 2003: RHYC hosts the LYRA annual regatta.

2008 Regatta Schedule

2008 will be another busy regatta season for RHYC, which relies heavily on the volunteer work of its members to organize and staff events.

* [http://www.rhyc.on.ca/Lilac/lilac_2007_nor.pdf Lilac Festival Olympic Classes Regatta] (PDF), May 24-25, 2008
Hosted annually by RHYC, the Lilac Regatta for Olympic and Developmental class boats provides an early season venue for Olympic hopefuls.
* [http://www.rhyc.on.ca/2007racing/RTH120-2008-NOR.pdf Rock the Hammer 120 Regatta] (PDF), June 28-29, 2008
An open regatta for keelboats owned or chartered by member in good standing of the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) or US Sailing member club.
* [http://www.rhyc.on.ca/2008racing/2008-FoghBoorman-NOR.pdf The Fogh Boorman Regatta] (PDF), July 12-13, 2008
Incorporating the CYA 16 & Under Eastern Championships, the CYA 15 & Under Eastern Championships, the Ontario Sailing 13 & Under Championships, the Ontario Sailing 16 & Under Double Handed Championships and the Ontario Sailing 16 & Under Single Handed Championships
* [http://www.sharkworlds2008.com 2008 Shark World Championships] , August 2-8, 2008
The first Shark was designed and built in Southern Ontario by George Hinterholler in 1959. Since then, the Shark has been declared a Classic Yacht class by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). This regatta is held in Europe every third year, and in North America in other years. This year marks the 43rd time the regatta has been sailed. In 2009, for the 50th anniversary of the building of the first Shark, the regatta will be held at its birthplace, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.rhyc.on.ca/ Royal Hamilton Yacht Club]
* [http://www.sharkworlds2008.com 2008 Shark World Championships]