Shock Mitigation Directory

Royal Yacht Squadron - Cowes

The Squadron was the arbiter of the sport for most of the 19th century, before the advent of the various national and international bodies, and both the club itself and individual members have continued to be at the forefront of yachting developments and eminent in the sport.

There is also a strong tradition of cruising far afield – one founder member missed the inaugural meeting as he was cruising to St Petersburg, another is believed to have returned from a cruise which included a visit to Napoleon on Elba.

Members have published accounts of voyages made for exploration, for natural history research or just for pleasure. Lord Brassey’s Sunbeam logged 37,000 miles and another wide-ranging member, Ben Boyd, was captured and eaten by natives of the Solomon Islands in 1851. More recent members have included famous Round the World yachtsmen Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Alec Rose and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

The Squadron has always had a close association with the Royal Navy and in 1829 the Admiralty issued a warrant to wear what is now the navy’s White Ensign. The burgee (a triangular shaped flag identifying yacht club membership) is differenced with a St George’s Cross and crown on a white background.

The first Commodore, Lord Yarborough, assured the King in 1833 that ‘it will ever be our most earnest wish and desire to promote, in every way in our power, naval science and architecture’. Early members, such as Lord Belfast with his famous brig Waterwitch, built experimental vessels which did much to advance naval ship design.

Members’ yachts went to the Crimea and took part in both World Wars. In the Second World War the Squadron offered its clubhouse to the Admiralty and the castle became HMS Vectis, suffering damage in the air raids on Cowes which was targeted because of its important shipbuilding industry.

The club’s present home, Cowes Castle, was built in 1539 as part of Henry VIII’s chain of coastal defences, protecting the Island from invasion and the naval dockyard at Portsmouth from attack. Its defensive importance lessened after the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 and it was later suitably refurbished to become the maritime residence of the Captain of Cowes Castle, Lord Anglesey, who was also a member of the club.

The death of the last Captain in 1855 led to a review of the castle’s future and its decommissioning. The Squadron leased it a couple of years later and employed the architect Anthony Salvin to turn it into a fitting home from home for the members; they moved in, from their previous clubhouse on Cowes Parade, in 1858.

Source: Royal Yacht Squadron - 2015

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